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Chonky Boys: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches that Scream Summer!

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Featuring my thick and nuggy Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these ice cream sandwiches are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.  If you've ever had the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich at Disneyland , you are going to LOVE these!  These big and bold chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from my culinary school studies at Auguste Escoffier, but with a few modifications to give them that Jennuine touch.  They make the perfectas book for a fat slice of real vanilla bean ice cream.  And those mini chips?  You just gotta have that extra cronch! Thank goodness this recipe only makes 8 sandwiches, otherwise I would be eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This way, my big family can help save me from my inner child diet-saboteur.   Print With Image Without Image Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Yield: 8 Author: Jenn Erickson Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery, brown-sugary vanilla flavor, these mall-sized cookies form a perfect partnership with a
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Spaghetti & Zucchini Pancakes
(and a Compare & Swap Taste Test)

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  Spaghetti...as finger food? Yes, oh yes! My kids loved dipping the crispy spaghetti pancakes into their own cup of sauce. I loved the way the parmesan got all toasty and golden, and the fact that I was able to sneak some veggies into my kids! But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Here's how our new family dinner favorite, Spaghetti & Zucchini Pancakes (recipe at bottom of post),  came to be... A TASTE TEST THEMED  DINNER In my latest campaign for Smart & Final stores (#CompareandSwap) I was assigned to do a comparison of Smart & Final's private label brand ( First Street) to a name brand pasta and pasta sauce. With two very picky eaters at the table, I knew we were in for an interesting challenge.  We'd never done a blind taste test at home (or anywhere else for that matter).  What if they refused to play along?  What if they liked the name brand better?   SO MUCH FUN I THINK WE'LL MAKE IT A TRADITION Shari
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Lighten Up With Seasonal Treats ~ A Little Birdie Told Me No. 68

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By the pricking of  my thumbs, something delicious this way comes... -------------------------------------- Welcome to  "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday No. 68! If you're here to share a craft, recipe or project post, you'll find the linky and the specifics on how to  join the party after the features below. -------------------------------------- Cooking with local, seasonal ingredients is a wonderful way to add variety to your plate.  Today I'm featuring three recipes that use produce that is in season in April & May.  Which season is your favorite for produce? --------------------------------- Rhubarb Rhubarb Frangipane Tart from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Berries Frozen Yogurt Berries from Bringing Beauty Strawberries Strawberry Sorbet from Homegrown Beanes   --------------------------------- If you've been featured  (h
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Roasted Root Vegetables Your Whole Family Will Fall For

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  This post is sponsored by Country Crock ® . I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective , and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.  -----------------------------------------      How do your kids feel about veggies?  When it comes to my crew, there are one or two they love, a few more they'll tolerate under a veil of thinly concealed disdain, and others that the mere mention of leads to wildly incongruent facial contortions.   So, it's always a delight to discover new ways to prepare vegetables that makes them fun and delicious (yet still healthy).  Recently, I was asked by the Clever Girls Collective and Country Crock ® to try a recipe from the Clare Crespo Cookbook (a FREE download from Country Crock ).  Veggie Stoplights (with Polenta) , page 32 I was so pleased by what I found!  When it comes to recipes, flavor and healthfulness can often be sacrificed in the process of earning the &
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How to Make Robins' Egg Truffles

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Days are longer, trees are bursting with flowers, and new life is hatching all around -- It's Spring!   I believe in celebrating life's sweet moments and enjoy dreaming up whimsical confections to make those moments even sweeter. So last year, for the Spring Fling at Mine for the Making , I hatched a new idea for a chocolate truffle, inspired by one of the most lovely, delicate, and sweet symbols of Spring -- the robin's egg.  Today I'm sharing my recipe for these speckled sweets here in my own creative nesting place. ROBINS' EGG TRUFFLES INGREDIENTS 9 oz. semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped 1/2 cup heavy cream (not "whipping cream" or "half and half") 1 Tablespoon butter (this makes the truffle silkier) 10 oz. white candy bark Blue food coloring 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder Equipment Baking sheet or tray lined with wax paper Cool, damp cloth Candy dipping fork a fine sieve 1.  In a sm
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What Rhymes With Octopus? ~ A Little Birdie Told Me...No. 67

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Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for the graphic elements I used in this piece. -------------------------------------- Welcome to  "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday No. 67! If you're here to share a craft, recipe or project post, you'll find the linky and the specifics on how to  join the party after the features below. -------------------------------------- So, what does rhyme with Octopus? According to the rhyming dictionary it's words like opus, rumpus and grampus.  Great words, no doubt, but do they really rhyme with Octopus?   Today there's only one "A Little Birdie Told Me..." feature.  Just as I'm hard-pressed to find a word that rhymes with Octopus, I couldn't seem to find another post to feature that would tie in with the one that totally won my heart (more like reached out and grabbed it with all eight arms).  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for cephalopods!
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