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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

The Happiest Cookies: Rainbow Joy Sprinkle Cookies

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The very sight of these cookies makes me feel like a kid -- a very, very happy, joyful, kid.  Rainbow Sprinkles!!! Need I say more?  If you're still not sold, thinking perhaps that these are all show and no substance, I'm delighted to tell you that these cookies are absolutely delicious -- A tender, buttery cookie that is at once soft and crunchy because of the magical sprinkles.   It's like a unicorn and the birthday fairy got together and created a formula for the happiest birthday ever, in the form of a cookie.  It's all here:  the birthday cake, the balloons, your best friends, and a piñata filled with happiness -- in a cookie! Make a batch and share the love with everyone you know! Everyone could use some Rainbow Joy Sprinkles in their life!     Print With Image Without Image Rainbow Joy Sprinkle Cookies Yield: 3-dozen 2.5" Cookies Author: Jenn Erickson Prep time: 45 M Cook time: 12 M Total time: 57 M Rainbow Sprinkles!! Take a bite of pure happiness and then

Lemon Cake Recipe Glow-up: Ricotta Lemon Cake Brûlée

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Back in the going-out-to-restaurants days, I had the sheer delight of experiencing this little slice of heaven -- a light and tender lemon ricotta cake, griddled with sugar on each side to create a crackly caramelized crust -- at a local bakery.  I've been possessed by a desired to recreate this phenomenon at home ever since. This lemon cake is excellent enough to be served on its own.  It's perfect for the breakfast table, dessert, potluck, tea party, or as an anytime snack.  It's simply lovely in every way.  Garnish with a little powdered sugar and you're good to go.  Add a few raspberries to the presentation for a pop of color.   And if you're feeling extra decadent, take the extra minute to brûlée each slice.  You deserve it. Print With Image Without Image Lemon Ricotta Cake Brûlée Yield: 12 Author: Jenn Erickson Prep time: 20 M Cook time: 40 M Total time: 60 M Light, fluffy, tender cake is elevated with a caramelized sugar crust. It's easy to make and suc

Here's the BEST Thing to Make with Fava Beans: Garlicky Whipped Fava Bean Dip with Olive Oil and Lemon

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Maybe you were forced to eat fava beans as a child.  Perhaps your only fava bean experience is from an unsettling 1991 movie starring Anthony Hopkins.  But regardless of whether fava beans have been ruined for you by bad cooking or a fictional cannibal, I urge you to give these beans a chance. Many moons ago, a glut of fava beans in a group's CSA box led me to whip up an incredibly tasty dip that had people raving and claiming dibs on the next week's delivery.   If you like hummus, you're going to like this dip.  Like hummus, it is packed with protein and gets a zip and a kick from lemon and fresh garlic.  Instead of tahini, these beans take a spin with heart-healthy olive oil.  Move over garbanzos, there's a new bean in town! Look at those beautiful beans!  They're packed with nutrition (protein, iron, antioxidants and folic acid) and are tasty too!  This recipe uses a little science hack I picked up from America's Test Kitchen in their Hummus recipe -- baking

Sunshine Deviled Eggs (with Turmeric & Wild Mustard Blossoms)

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Wild Mustard is in bloom and painting the hillsides everywhere a cheerful yellow.  With sunshine and summertime on my mind, I decided to give a seasonal glow-up to classic Deviled Eggs with the antioxidant benefits of  turmeric and the mild flavor of wild mustard blossoms. For my Sunshine Deviled Eggs, hard-boiled eggs are peeled and allowed to sit in a bath of water, turmeric and a little white vinegar.  These aren't pickled eggs. The vinegar is there to help the color adhere, just like when you're dying Easter eggs!  The only flavor that the eggs pick up are a mild turmeric flavor which plays beautifully with the whipped, fluffy yolk and mustard blossoms.   Below are my instructions for the turmeric bath that your peeled hard-boiled eggs will need to get cozy in for about an hour (in the refrigerator).  After that, it's up to you as to how you season your yolks.  I like to whip mine till they're super light and fluffy with an electric mixer with mayonnaise, dry or pre

Honeysuckle Rose Gin & Tonic

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Here's to Summer with a perfect cocktail to toast the end of the school year -- A Honeysuckle Rose Gin & Tonic.  A touch of homemade honeysuckle-lemon simple syrup and honeysuckle infused gin (or vodka if you prefer) make for a delightful twist on the classic!   If you prefer a vodka tonic, replace the gin in the recipe with vodka.  Simple. Print With Image Without Image Honeysuckle Rose Gin & Tonic Yield: 2 Author: Jenn Erickson Prep time: 24 hour Cook time: 10 M Total time: 24 H & 10 M Fresh honeysuckle is used to infuse a lemon simple syrup as well as the gin (or vodka). The two come together with tonic and rose petals for a beautiful summertime cocktail. Ingredients: For the honeysuckle syrup 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups rinsed honeysuckle flowers Zest of 1/2 a small lemon For the honeysuckle infused Gin or Vodka 6 ounces gin* or vodka 1 cup rinsed honeysuckle flowers For the cocktails 14 ounces tonic (keep it simple)* 6 ounces honeysuckle infused vo

Edible Flowers: Bachelor Buttons (+Avocado Toast with Creamy Herb Scrambled Eggs)

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Edible flowers are everywhere this time of year!  Today, I'd like to introduce a new favorite of mine -- Bachelor Buttons.  They're an easy-to-grow annual from the Asteraceae family, native to Europe and Asia and bloom from summer to early fall.  Depending on where you live, they may be called Cornflowers or Blue bonnets.  With a very subtle cucumber taste, I call them delicious!  Their vibrant color and mild taste make them a perfect garnish for both sweet and savory foods. Thanks to my best pal, Kelly (who understands my taking a fancy to eating flowers) for gifting me a blossom; which after a day of beauty in a tiny vase on my windowsill, became the garnish for my avocado toast with creamy herb scrambled eggs.  A single bloom has dozens of smaller flower-like pieces, making them a very compact, yet bountiful source of culinary adornment. I'm not going to tell you how to make Avocado Toast (hint:  it's avocado and toast), but I am happy to share how I p

How to Make Authentic Mole -- The Original AwesomeSauce (+Enchilada Recipe)

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Three of my adopted children are of Mexican (Yucatan) descent and my eldest son, who is passionate about cooking, asked to learn how to make authentic mole for his "Family Heritage" culinary project.  After doing my research and culling the best of the best recipes, we made a batch of the most incredible mole I've ever tasted.  With more than 30 ingredients, it's not a quick and easy recipe, but the results are 100% worth it and can make more than one full meal.  The depth of this sauce is incredible.  The flavors are so exquisitely blended that your taste buds will be incredibly blissed out.  The best part of this recipe is that it not only makes one meal (a boatload of sauce with chicken that you load into warm tortillas with rice), but you end up with enough sauce to make enchiladas and then maybe even a little bit more.  My kids have been putting it over tamales and their breakfast eggs in the morning.  This literal AwesomeSauce has become