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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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Holiday Cookie Recipe: The Shirley Temple Kiss
{a pretty in pink chocolate cherry delight!}

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Hello Sweetie! (Doctor Who fans, that was for you) Let's see...so far this week on Rook No. 17 we've gone from the very dark --a book review of E.B. Hudspeth's The Resurrectionist -- to the opposite end of the spectrum with a light and cheery Hello Kitty shopping trip with my adorable niece.  Are you beginning to suspect a split personality?  Have no fear; with a wave of my magic whisk I'm going to bring both the dark and light together... Voila! I'm tickled pink to introduce, The Shirley Temple Kiss It's a chewy cherry cookie with a Hershey's Special Dark Kiss.  The inspiration for this sweet little confection came when I saw a pin of the Cherry Icebox Cookies from A Pretty Life.  I was, of course, completely charmed by the pink, and loved the idea of a cherry cookie.  So, I took my favorite cookie recipe of all time -- The Coconut Kiss -- and added just enough chopped maraschino cherries to give the cookies a light cherry fla
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Gift Guide: Hello Kitty Let's Play Dress Up
{An interactive shopping experience with the KuKee App}

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and KuKee, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #KuKeeapp  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO . One of the  fun features of this line are the velcro-backed dress-up pieces that allow your child  to change Hello Kitty's attire, right on their own clothes. For my two girls, gone are the days of big hair bows, ruffled pockets, and cute-as-can-be character appliques.  They've traded in the frills and fancies of early childhood for the designer jeans and trendy sweatshirts of pre-teendom.  Each stage has its joys, but I must admit, I sometimes miss the dress-up fun the girls and I used to have when they were little.  So, it was with no uncertain glee that I greeted the news that my 3-year old niece had fallen head over heels for Hello Kitty!  I was thrilled to have the opportunity, this past weekend, to spend some girl-time with my sweet little niece, shopping at Macy's for t
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Book Review: The Resurrectionist
A Novel and Art Book by E.B. Hudspeth

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Ad: I use Grammarly for  online proofreading  because dangling participles make me blush. "Philadelphia, the late 1870s. A city of gas lamps, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages—and home to the controversial surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a grave robber, young Dr. Black studies at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs—were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?" So begins this extraordinary book -- part  fictional biography, part illustrated scientific notebook.  E.B. Hudspeth's The Resurrectionist ( Quirk Books , 2013) tells the story of Dr. Spencer Black, a genius and a madman, a scientist and a showman -- P.T. Barnum meets Dr. Moreau.  It's a beautiful, macabre, and haunting book set in a time when the public fascination with medical curiosities was at a f
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Ultimate Craft Giveaway -- $250 in Craft Supplies (Including a Silhouette)

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  Hello creatives! I'm as pleased as punch to invite you to toss your name in the hat for a holiday giveaway loaded with crafty goodness! A coterie of creative bloggers have joined forces to give away over $250 of craft supplies, including a Silhouette Portrait machine! We're so excited to share this with you... it is like an early holiday present for one lucky reader! Entering is easy -- simply follow the crafty hosts on your favorite social media channels. Even if you don't win the big prize, you'll still get inspired all year long by these master makers!   Wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load below, then join in on the fun!  Good luck!   a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thanksgiving Craft: Felt Pumpkin Pie Place Cards
{" heart-FELT Holidays" Book Review & Giveaway}

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I love crafting with felt! It can evoke nostalgia, exude charm and be so forgiving. Today I'm sharing an easy and delightful project for your Thanksgiving table: Plush Pumpkin Pie Place Cards If you can sew a basic whip stitch, you have all the sewing skills necessary to bake make them. This project came directly from the pages of heart-FELT Holidays: 40 Festive Felt Projects to Celebrate all Seasons , from Lark Crafts (by Kathy Sheldon & Amanda Carestio).  I have several new Lark titles to share with you this month -- all of which make excellent holiday gifts.  But this one, well, you're going to want to get this one now...for yourself!  If you love to craft and make handmade gifts, heart-FELT Holidays is a must-have for your DIY library.  You don't have to be an experienced seamstress to complete these beautifully designed and straightforward projects (that use plain old manufactured felt from the craft store).  The book
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Halloween Show & Tell: Doctor Who Inspired Costumes

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It's clear that the days of fairy wings and princess gowns are in our past.  Nothing short of an encounter with a man with a blue box (that's bigger on the inside) will bring us back to those childhood follies.  The girls have traded their tutus for the TARDIS, and as a lifelong fan of Doctor Who, I welcome this new phase with sheer delight. The girls knew that they'd be getting a lot of, "Who (or what) are you supposed to be?"  Esoteric costume choices? Yes.  Did that stop them? No.    My 12-year old is enamored with Doctor #11, Matt Smith.  To pay homage to her hero, she put together an easy and comfortable costume for around $30. My daughter and one of her best buddies, 504 Main 's son. She found the fez, bow tie, and suspenders at Hot Topic.  We lucked out finding a perfect pinstriped shirt and tweed coat at Goodwill. My 8-year old was determined to "find" a World War II era English schoolboy costume in order to dress
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Ugly Bathroom Contest - Enter to Win a Complete Bathroom Makeover

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Ugly bathrooms are the worst, especially when they're in your home! I've teamed up with National Builder Supply, Pfister, American Standard, and Trans Globe to help one lucky winner get rid of their ugly bathroom and win a complete bathroom makeover! Enter HERE today!
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