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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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Goat Cheese Cigarillos with Olive-oil Cured Nasturtium Leaves {Recipe & Video}

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Wild Nasturtium flowers have long been prized in the culinary world for their vibrant petals and peppery flavor that lend themselves well to salads, compound butters, and garnish.  But how about the leaves?  This is a question I asked myself a while back during one of my foraging forays.  Nasturtium leaves are so abundant, I just had to try something! It turns out, the leaves are perfect for a quick blanching, then used as a vibrant green wrapper for tasty fillings.  I came up with this very simple way of wrapping mild chevre inside the blanched leaves, then letting them cure in olive oil, black peppercorns and lemon zest overnight. If you're curious about how the leaves taste, they are very mild.  Blanching removes any bitterness and bite.  The texture is very delicate.  They are more tender than grape leaves. Served the next day over toast points rubbed with a garlic clove, these small bites are not only beautiful, but the taste is out of this world.  If you love goat chees
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Family Fun with your Belgian Waffle Maker -- 4 Cinnamon Roll Waffles in Just 2 Minutes

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This isn't a new concept, by any means, but this week, it was finally time for my family to invest in a new waffle iron. The little beauty from VillaWare that we got as a wedding gift back in 2000 was ready to retire. So, with the arrival of Ned, our new Belgian waffle maker from Presto, I figured I'd make a fun little treat for the family with my kids. Four waffles in 2 minutes -- not bad! Ned's a four-star rock star! He was a mid-priced model, had all the features I was looking for, and got great reviews. It's pretty amazing what you can cook in a waffle iron -- hash browns, risotto cakes, polenta cakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, brownies, brookies. Perfect for a dorm room or small apartment! What unusual things have you made in a waffle iron?  I'm sharing an Amazon Associates link to the same model I used in the video. I will get a small percentage of each sale from Amazon, but it's not my purpose in posting this. It&
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10-Minute Miracle Scalloped Potatoes in a Mug

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If you love potatoes, you are going to flip for this amazing recipe!  Imagine this:  Restaurant quality scalloped potatoes au gratin that take less than 10 minutes from start to finish, and are made in the microwave in a mug! It's the brainchild of my 15-year old daughter who has been dabbling in mug cakes since she got a microwave in her room.  With the quarantine in effect, she's been getting extra creative with her microwave meals.  This one is absolutely genius!  It is perfect for dorm cooking, apartments without a stove/oven, or for anyone who loves potato comfort foods and doesn't want to wait. This simple recipe makes enough two serve two as a side dish! My daughter's been creating recipes since she was teeny, and it would be incredible to see one of her original concepts go viral!  Here's our video: 10 Minute Miracle Scalloped Potatoes in a Mug© Video Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLXOMOia9V0&fea
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The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

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There are about as many different chocolate chip cookie recipes out there as there are definitions for what makes a chocolate chip cookie perfect.  It all comes down to personal taste.  As a person who isn't wildly into sweets, I'm very particular about my chocolate chip cookies.  To me, the perfect chocolate chip cookie is loaded, but not-overloaded with chocolate.  The sweet and salty balance is in perfect harmony.  The edges are brown and crispy, but the middle is soft and chewy.  If the cookies manage to last more than a few days, they retain their perfection chew and textures. After decades of trying every recipe we could find, in pursuit of "perfection", my husband and I feel that we've finally come up with a formula that is everything we've been looking for.  Actually, he gets all the credit.  I was just the taste tester. Our recipe is a riff on the recipe found on the back of Guittard chocolate chips.  Of course, quality choc
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What To Do With Left Over Easter Eggs: Make Spring Garden Deviled Eggs {RECIPE}

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Do you love Deviled Eggs?  Whether you're looking for a way to use up hard-boiled eggs after Easter, or want a simple, natural way to add color, flavor and beauty to this classic appetizer, this is a recipe you should try or pin for later. Inspired by a project done by one of my advanced culinary students ( Sofia Moore, class of 2020 ) for an art gallery show last year, these hard-boiled eggs get their color from beets.  The eggs are not pickled, but rather bathed in the beet water to take on the color without affecting the flavor balance. I love decorating with edible flowers.  On the central California coast, where I live, there are an abundance of local blossoms that grow wild in yards and green areas at this time of year.  Pictured below are some of my favorites that can be foraged in April. The large flowers, Nasturtium, have a peppery flavor and are delicious, but I'm saving them for a different recipe. Pictured below from left to
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