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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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Future Heirlooms: Family Silhouette Pendant Tutorial

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These silhouette pendants are inexpensive to make and don't require fancy software.  With a few basic steps, you can create silhouettes of your loved ones -- be they the two-legged or four-legged kind.   Silhouettes, also known as "profiles" or "shades", have been popular since the 18th century.  They can be made from painted ivory or glass, plaster, or paper.  My first experience with silhouette art came in elementary school when my teacher projected our shadows on the wall and traced our profiles on a piece of black construction paper.  It remains one of my favorite childhood art projects to this day.     I've admired the many silhouette projects I've seen online and have felt inspired to do my own.  The stars aligned when I connected with Lilly of Lilly D's DIY Craft Supplies after purchasing some pendant bezels and glass cabochons from her Etsy shop for my Lucky Clover Pendant project in March.  Recently, Lilly
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So-Good-You-Won't-Miss-the-Gluten Baked Macaroni & Cheese #glutenfree

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It's been hard, to say the least, for my daughter to make the change to a gluten-free diet.  She most lamented having to give up her favorite dinner -- Baked Macaroni & Cheese. After trying half a dozen brands of GF pasta, and lots of trial and error, I'm thrilled to say that the recipe has been perfected!  The key to the success of this recipe lies in quality substitutions.  The best GF pasta that I've found comes from Italy (figures!).  Corn starch is the perfect replacement for flour in the classic roux that forms the base of the cheese sauce.  A combination of sharp cheddar and grated Parmesan add flavor and richness. I love a crunchy crumb topping on my mac & cheese, but bread crumbs, panko, and cracker crumbs were out.  I found my solution in gluten-free rice cereal.  It provided the perfect cracker-like crunch, without giving an off-flavor. The entire casserole was devoured with gusto by my family, and it was agreed that this recipe yields a rich
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Chilled Cucumber Soup -- A refreshing summer recipe

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  I have had the great pleasure of spending the past week with my sister-in-law, who in addition to being a wonderful friend and amazing mother to my niece and nephew, is one of the most talented chefs I have ever known.  Every meal is a five-star experience.  This was no truer the case than with the chilled cucumber soup that she whipped up for lunch yesterday.   The temperature here in Northern California has hovered between 108 and 112, so the cool, delicate soup was the answer to our lunchtime prayers.  It was so amazing that I risked annoying my family by snapping a pic on Instagram; and then the recipe requests started rolling in. Blogging about my meals while on vacation wasn't part of my original plan, but after waking this morning from a dream in which the soup played a starring role, I decided that it was a recipe that simply had to be shared (especially with record heat waves all over the country). So, here, compliments of my beautiful sister-in-law, is her
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Strawberry Rhubarb Jam & Breakfast Yogurt Parfaits
{Sponsored by Driscoll's Strawberries & Save Mart Supermarkets}

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I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.  All opinions are genuine and are my own.   One of the best things about living in central California is our proximity to farm fresh produce.  Especially near and dear to my heart are the juicy, sweet and delicious strawberries from Driscoll's, a family-owned business that has been around for more than 100 years right here in my own backyard.   Driscoll's is based in Watsonville, which is around a 30-minute drive inland from our little Victorian nook on the bay.  My family has been enjoying Driscoll's berries for decades, and I must admit that they taste even a bit sweeter knowing that many of our friends are happily employed there. Fortunately we don't have to drive half an hour each way to enjoy Driscoll's berries!  We can find them right up the street at our l
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4th of July DIY: Star Spangled Beverage/Party Tub

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    Here's a nice little 4th of July project I came up with for The Home Depot for a summer campaign a few years back.   Inspiration struck when I found a 16 3/4 gal. Galvanized Utility Tub at Home Depot for around $20. I knew it would be the perfect vessel from which to ice and serve a selection of Sonoma County microbrews, Napa Valley wines, and retro soda pops on the 4th of July! Moreover, it can pull double-duty as a patriotic pedestal for a dessert table, or to hold bags of popcorn, party favors, water balloons, etc.   Star Spangled Beverage/Party Tub DIY   Materials List (All of my supplies were purchased at The Home Depot) Galvanized Tub White spray primer Red spray paint Blue spray paint Painters tape Contact paper (shelf paper) or a star stencil Masking paper Step 1:  Remove any stickers or labels from the tub.  I used Goo Gone to remove the left-over adhesive.  Wipe any dust or dirt
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