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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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Scenes from a Tiny Kitchen: Creative Kitchen Decorating and Storage

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Tiny kitchens call for creative storage and decorating solutions. My kitchen is a diminutive 5' x 5' ~ making decorating and storage a real challenge. By looking at a few old vintage pieces with a fresh eye, I've been able to pu t them into service doing double-duty as both fu nctional storage and fun decor. Here's a little tour of the small space solutions in my itty bitty kitchen : This poor matryoshka mama was all alone at a friend's yard sale.  I knew I could find a perfect place (and a new role) for her in my home.  She's turned out to be my absolute favorite piece in my entire kitchen since she serves the ever-important role of salt pinch bowl.  She holds an ample amount of kosher salt so I always have enough salt on hand to season a sauce, add to a batter, or pour into a boiling pot of water for pasta.  Because she has a lid, I don't have to worry about the salt getting dirty or d usty while I'm cooking.   When my girls ou
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Vintage Folk Art Style Paper Mache Snowman Tutorial

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With the Christmas tree curbside, and the ornaments all neatly packed away, I'm thankful for my small collection of winter decorations that can be left out a bit longer to grace my home with their snowy sparkle and winter whimsy. I would have loved to have had the time to share this sweet little tutorial earlier in the season, but the holidays were busy (as they always are).  Now that things have slowed down, this may be, perhaps the best time of all to fix yourself a mug of cocoa or coffee and enjoy the process of creating a vintage style paper mache snowman at your leisure.  He is sure to bring smiles to all that behold him, all winter long! This is the snowman that my 7-year old made. The real stick arms were her wonderful idea! This is a fun project t o do with children as well. The process is very simple , versatile, and inexpensive.  The fram e for the figure is ma de from aluminum foil which can be worked into the shape of characters for any occasion .  I&#
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New Year's Craft ~ 1930s Style Crepe Paper Party Hat Tutorial

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During the first half of the 20th Century handmade paper hats were de rigeur for evening parties, costume parties, church, school and society events. In the 1920s, it was not uncommon to see beautifully crafted paper hats, fans and parisols on the pages of fashion magazines. According to Dennison, a major crepe and tissue paper manufacturer throughout the century, " these hats can be very simple or as picturesque as a Parisian extreme ." By the early 1930s, crepe paper skull caps gained popularity and were often adorned with crepe paper bouquets, pinwheels and butterflies.     While the pointed party hat may be the standard in our modern times, I thought it would be fun to revive one of the most versatile and fanciful paper hats from the last century.  The method is basic -- just a few folds and snips.  The materials are simple -- just crepe paper, scissors, some heavy stock for the band, glue and embellishments.  The results are fabulous!   How
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Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter Truffles (garnished with Banana Dust)

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After the success of the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles with Raspberry Dust that I made over the holidays, I decided that one more melt-in-your-mouth truffle confection was in order.  This time, I played with the classic combination of milk chocolate and creamy peanut butter and topped it all off with just a light sprinkling of banana dust.  The banana dust (finely ground freeze-dried bananas) adds a very subtle taste and banana bouquet to the silky truffles. The peanut butter makes the truffle ganache very soft, which is exactly what you want for a truffle that melts on your palette.  It makes the chocolate dipping process a bit more tricky, however.   So, I 've made a f e w alter ations to my typical truffle tutorial to help make the process go smoothly. Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter Truffles (garnished with Banana Dust)  makes approx. 40    For the truffle ganache centers 1 2 /3 cups Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips 1 cup heavy cream   1/
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Party-Size Candied Bacon Churros

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Mini Candied Bacon Churros ~ perfect little bite-sized puffs of deep fried, candied bacon laden, cinnamon-sugar-rolled goodness.  They're easy and fun to make and are a delightful diminutive dessert for your fiesta!   Yesterday I shared my review and giveaway for Tiny Food Party! Bite-size Recipes for Miniature Meals by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park of SpoonForkBacon.com .  You can enter to win a copy HERE (through December 31, 2012). Today I'm pleased to be sharing one of my favorite recipes from Tiny Food Party! :  Itty-Bitty Candied Bacon Churros .  They were a big hit as a late-night treat at my girls' sleepover last night! Itty-Bitty Candied Bacon Churros (from Tiny Food Party! Bite-size Recipes for Miniature Meals by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park) Yield:  Approx. 24 Active Time:  Approx. 20 minutes 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying Batter 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/4 teaspo
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