Posts

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

Christmas Day Tradition: Make Glittered Handprint Keepsake Ornaments
{and a Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Wonderland Giveaway}

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ESTABLISH A TRADITION:   Every Christmas, make a glittered handprint ornament with the children in your home. MAKE MEMORIES:   In the short-term, you'll be establishing a fun, easy and inexpensive tradition.  In the long-term, when the children have grown, you'll have a whole little tree's worth of meaningful ornaments and memories. WIN :  Enter to win a 24-piece set of Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter to get your new tradition started.   I am so excited to share the simplest, sweetest and most glittering little holiday tradition to start with your family!  This year we'll be playing host to all of the nieces and nephews, so I wanted a quick and easy craft project that everyone -- infants through teens -- could take part in that would commemorate our Christmas together.  The idea for these ornaments was inspired by Ms. Hollingsworth, one of the first-grade teachers that I work with.  As a holiday present for her students' parents, each child

Crafting with Glimmer, Shimmer, Sparkle & Shine with
THE BIG-ASS BOOK OF BLING by Mark Montano
{Review & Giveaway}

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  THIS BOOK IS SO FUN! Not for the meek, (It's more for the chic) It's classy It's brassy And very unique. The Big-Ass Book of Bling is wildly creative -- a colorful compendium of clever crafts that prove that all that glitters need not be gold.  Nor do you have to be an advanced crafter, fashion designer, or break the bank to create fabulous one-of-a-kind jewelry, accessories and home decor.   Just like its author, Mark Montano , this book is fun, inspiring, clever and smart, and fabulously fashionable. Here...experience a little of the Mark Montano magic for yourself... You can also find Mark on his website markmontano.com , his blog markmontanoblogs.blogspot.com , on Twitter , Facebook , and YouTube . I had the pleasure of meeting Mark and hearing him speak at the SoCal Social in October of this year.  He is all at once charismatic and cool and exudes an unquestionable likeability and contagious creative vibe that come throug

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow "Elf" Mugs ~ A Delightful and Diminutive Holiday Treat

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  Every year I enjoy coming up with a new way to decorate chocolate-dipped marshmallows for the holidays.  Chocolate-dipped marshmallows are so easy and fun to adorn, and they're delicious too!  This year, my inspiration came from the " Mini Christmas Cups of Cocoa on a Stick " from Hoopla Palooza.   From the moment I saw Lisa's adorable chocolate mugs, I knew just what I'd be creating to donate to the bake sale for my daughter's holiday music performance.  Introducing, Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow Elf Mugs -- a bite sized treat that combines the delicious flavors of chocolate and marshmallow, with the crunch of a salted pretzel handle.  You can find everything you need to make these little cups of cuteness in your grocery store. The mugs made f or some excellent hijinks for our Elf on the Shelf, Elfonso , as well...   Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow Elf Mugs Yield:  approx. 30 mugs Ingredients/Materials 1 l 6 oz. bag mar shmal

My Favorite Hanukkah Latke-tizers: Latke Hors D'oeuvres, Jewish Deli Style

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Latkes -- crispy, golden potato pancakes -- are a must-have for any Hanukkah celebration.  Now, imagine if you will, bite-sized latkes topped with some of your favorite things -- sour cream, dill and lox, a slice of pear with sharp cheddar cheese, or applesauce and a slice of spicy chicken sausage.  We call them Latketizers -- replacing the cracker or bread in an appetizer with a warm, crispy latke.  My favorite latke to serve as a passed hors d'oeuvre is the Brooklyn Avenue -- named after a signature sandwich from the famous Canter's Delicatessen in Los Angeles.  This one-bite Jewish deli experience is the creation of my husband, who actually put together his first Brooklyn Avenue latketizer while lunching at Canter's.   As we neared the end of our meal , a few delectable bites remained at the table:  a lonely little latke, a half-eaten bowl of cole slaw, and a few pieces of corned beef.  With his penchant for trying new food combinations, my husband se

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles with Raspberry Dust Garnish

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I love the combination of dark chocolate and real raspberry ~ such a blissful marriage of flavors!  Today I'm sharing my recipe for silky smooth dark chocolate truffles with a hint of raspberry and a beautiful and easy-to-make raspberry dust garnish. I was inspired to create this confection when I saw an expensive, yet alluring vial of "raspberry dust" for sale in a gourmet spice shop.  Since this elegant, crimson powder is nothing more than freeze dried raspberries ground to dust, I knew I could make my own at home for a fraction of the cost.  I've been it ever since and sprinkling it on ice cream, cream puffs, and any treat to which I want to add a bold shock of color and the sweet tang of raspberry. Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles (with raspberry dust garnish) makes approx. 36 1 cup frozen raspberries 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 2/3 cups (12 oz.) 60% Cacao Chocolate, chopped (*see below for a grocery store pick) 1 cup heavy cream 3 Tabl

Picture Perfect Packaging for Holiday Food Gifts with Martha Stewart
Including a Coupon Code & Sweepstakes

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  You've lovingly baked the cookies, dipped the chocolates, and sugared the sugarplums.  Your beautiful edible gifts deserve more than the old paper plate and plastic wrap treatment right?  But it can be costly and time consuming to track down the right boxes, ribbon, labels and other pretties to get that professional bake-shop look, no?  No. Decorative treat bags, boxes and wrappers from Martha Stewart Crafts add the finishing festive touch to your homemade gifts with no muss and no fuss – so they’ll look as good as they taste!   Recently I had the pleasure of trying out a package of Martha Stewart Crafts Modern Festive Match Box packaging kit.  The kit includes everything you need - except the treats - for five gifts: boxes, labels, ribbon and paper inserts.  I used my boxes to package my newest holiday confection -- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles with Raspberry Dust .  The boxes aren't only great for treats however -- Just imagine how darling a l