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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 Craft: Winter Bird Diorama Ornament

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It was a rainy day in December, many years ago, when I rummaged through my crafting bric-a-brac to pull together an impromptu project to do with my girls.  I was inspired by a pair of paper mache ball ornaments and a handful of miniature decorative birds, which the girls and I ended up turning in to diminutive dioramas.  The ornaments never fail to tickle our fancy when they're lovingly unpacked every year. A few weeks ago, the ornaments caught the eye of one of my daughter's friends. She fell in love with the cheery little cardinals inside their tiny winter worlds and convinced me to recreate the project for her next visit.  So that's just what we did last weekend.  The girls, ages 14, 12 and 9 all did a beautiful job with their ornaments, with very  minimal help. Here's a step-by-step tutorial for how to make your own Winter Bird Diorama Ornament:     Winter Bird Diorama Ornament (makes 2) 1 paper mache ball ornament (Mine came from Michael
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DIY Gourmet Food Gift: Rosemary Salt

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  Have 5 minutes? Then you can make this delicious, inexpensive gourmet food gift.   Over Thanksgiving weekend I was visiting family up in California Wine Country.  I cooked a big meal on Saturday night and while rifling through their spice cupboard, I discovered a beautiful bottle of Rosemary Salt from a winery in Napa.  I tried it on the chicken I was cooking and ended up using it on everything else I made the rest of the weekend.     When I returned home, I decided to try making my own so that I could always have it on hand, and would be able to share it with family and friends.  After just a little of experimentation, I found the perfect blend.  I've been using it in my recipes ever since.  It's wonderful on chicken, fish, beef and lamb.  I'm not usually a big fan of the strong flavor of rosemary, but when blended finely into the salt, it adds a perfect aromatic element.  The salt is superfine, so it melts immediately into the meat, adding lots o
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DIY: Cookies for Santa Autograph Plate

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group ™ and Sharpie, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #StaplesSharpie http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO . I love making holiday magic for my girls!  Every year, we put out a plate of homemade cookies for Santa Claus and the girls leave a short note asking him for his autograph.  This year, I decided to bring the two traditions together.  Using an inexpensive white plate, a set of Sharpie oil-based paint pens and a box of reinforcement labels from Staples, I came up with this simple and inexpensive keepsake DIY project for a " Cookies for Santa Autograph Plate ."   Step 1:  Decorate a plain ceramic plate (tutorial below)  Step 2:  On Christmas Eve, put out cookies for Santa... ...and a Sharpie pen. Old Saint Nick will do the rest. Here's how to transform a regular plate into a Cookies for Santa Autograph Plate with Sharpie: Materials 1 whi
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10 Ideas for the Ultimate Minecraft Birthday Party

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This post was sponsored by One Way Novelties -- a great online source for party supplies!   One Way Novelties -- Distributing Fun & Excitement Are your kids crazy for Minecraft?  Mine were a bit late to join the frenzy, but are now firmly entrenched in the pixelated world of building and adventure.  In the past two months, the girls have each attended Minecraft parties.  I was really impressed by the way my friends captured the spirit the game in every minute detail of their parties.  They've very generously offered to share some photos and tips on how they made their parties a success. TREAT BAGS: With personalized skins Minecraft players customize their character by creating a custom "skin".  So, to personalize the goody bags, my friend Krista collected images of each of the guests' skins.  She printed them out on paper and glue-sticked them to green paper bags.  She found the bags at Party City. Favors:  Freshly "Mined" Treats
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