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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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Lunch with Leftovers ~ Sesame Turkey Tea Sandwiches

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Every year I enjoy making a batch of these dainty little tea sandwiches with leftover turkey for a light, casual lunch in the days that follow the big feast!     Sesame Almond Turkey Tea Sandwiches  Makes approx. 40 tea sandwiches Approx. time:  15 minutes   3 cups turkey finely chopped 1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup celery (the topmost, thin pieces and leaves) minced 2 tsp sesame oil Salt & Pepper  20 slices soft sandwich bread (I prefer wheat) More mayonnaise for sesame garnish Toasted sesame seeds (black, white or a combination of both) Makes approx. 40 tea sandwiches To a medium bowl, add turkey, mayonnaise, celery, and sesame oil.  Crush almonds in your palm and add to bowl.  Stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Place a small scoop of turkey salad on a slice of soft sandwich bread.  Top with another slice of bread, lightly press, then remove crusts.  Cut into quarters diagonally.  Using
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Crystal Pendant Family Photo Ornaments

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I treasure my collection of family photos that have been passed down through the generations.  Rather than keeping them hidden from the world in a stuffy old trunk or shoebox, I love to have them out and about where they can be enjoyed.  My dining table is graced by an oversized vintage wooden tool caddy that is filled with photos for the family to enjoy.  In my living room, you'll find a vintage-style postcard rack stocked with old photo cards of our ancestors.  And on the front d oor , guests are greeted by a wreath circled by tiny portraits , family surnames and crests.   That's why, when a box filled with incredible crafting supplies arrived from Plaid, I knew in an instant what direction I'd take with my holiday crafting campaign with Blueprint Social!   I'd been dying to try Plaid's Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, so I developed a project based around this versatile product.  Using inexpensive chandelier crystals , some beads and be
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Holiday Entertaining with Stuffed Brie -- 4 Recipes

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I love brie! Do you love brie? Many years ago, when I was a student in Berkeley, I got hooked on an amazing stuffed brie from The Cheese Board -- a wedge of brie stuffed with house-made pesto and topped with sundried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.  When I moved back to the Monterey Peninsula, I went through withdrawls, so I started to make my own. I love bringing stuffed brie to potluck parties.  It's very simple to make and can be prepared weeks in advance.  During the holidays, I always like to keep a few in the refrigerator for last-minute entertaining, or to bring as a hostess gift with a nice olive wood cheese board.   Over the years I've shared a few of my stuffed brie recipes here at Rook No. 17.  With the holidays upon us, I figured it was a good time to share them in a single collection.   Which one will you try? Pesto Brie & Almond Apricot Brie recipes HERE    Bacon & Caramelized O nion Stuffed Brie reci
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Snowman Bagels ~ An Adorable & Easy Holiday Party Food for Kids

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Quick, Easy, Adorable, and Delicious... Snowman bagels are a fun little project to have in your repetoire when planning for kid-friendly snacks for the classroom or holiday celebration.  Everything you ne ed can be picked up from the grocery store and they come together in the wink of a snowman's eye.  Kids have fun making them too! Snowman Bagels Makes 24 1 dozen mini bagels 16 oz. whipped cream cheese 1 can large pitted California Black Olives 24 baby carrots Step 1:  Cut the bagels in half Step 2:  Spread with cream cheese Step 3:  Insert carrot nose Step 4:  Chop olives in small squares for the mouth and in large squares for eyes (I used a pair of kitchen shears to get the nice round shape).   Step 5:  Put eyes and mouth pieces in place. Step 6:  Serve  This post has been linked up with: Weekend Wrap-Up Party at Tater Tots & Jello Weekend Show-off Party at Ladybird Lane The BFF Open House Link Party at The Answer is Ch
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The Ultimate Crafting Tool for Holiday Bakers and Entertainers ~ #MarthaStewartCrafts Circle Edge Punch {Review}

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   'Tis the season for homemade food gifts and the warm hospitality of holiday gatherings.  If you delight in the details like embellishing your table or creatively packaging your confections, you will want to ask Santa to mark his calen dar for Tuesday, November 13 ...   On November 13, Martha Stewart Crafts is introducing a new and completely innovative tool in the creative world of crafting: the Circle Edge Punch!  I can't say enough about this tool!  It's like a personal all-in-one party and packaging factory.  It requires no electricity, no special skills and is so, so easy to use!  With this single tool, you can make doilies, placemats, party hats, garlands, lacy invitations, cupcake sleeves, bonbon baskets, treat cones....and more!  The creative packaging possibilities are endless!  Do I sound excited?  Well, I am! These are just a few of the embellishments I whipped up using the Martha Stewart Crafts Circle Edge Punch.   Mart
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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Dark Chocolate Honey Truffles {recipe}

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Chocolate truffles ~ Simple to make and simply divine, yet there's an art to it.   I have Chef Andre, my chocolatiering teacher, to thank for sharing his artfully calibrated recipes for the perfect melt-in-your-mouth truffles.  With the right truffle recipe as your base, you can begin to add and customize flavors ~ liquor laced, coffee kissed, and even tea infused.  My favorite, above all, is the honey truffle.  The honey adds just a hint of those sweet, floral honey notes that pair so harmoniously wi th the silky dark chocolate. The granulated honey garnish is optional, but it adds a nice little contrast of texture and color and brings the subtle honey es sence of the inside to the outside .    If you can work a stovetop or microwave and stir with a whisk, you can make divine honey truffles that will have your f riends wondering if you've been to culinary school. Melt-in-Your-Mouth Dark Chocolate Honey Truffles  (m akes approx. 30) 1 1/2 cups
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