Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches and Michael Buble

We just arrived back home from a nice weekend of family and food in San Diego. My brother in law graduated from boot camp and he now holds the title of US marine. So in celebration of that and because it's Memorial Day weekend, I've made some ice cream cookie sandwiches!

It's been hot here in California, as the Santa Anna wins have run through here, and by run, I mean sprint. 95+ degrees here and gusty winds is just too uncomfortable when you're used to the mild  coast. However, I'm thankful to live and be safe while there are military men halfway across the world, enduring much worse. While we should be thanking and honoring our fallen and current heroes every day, I'm glad there are federal holidays that remind us how important the men and women are that sacrifice their lives for our safety and freedom. I'm proud to be a Navy wife and my favorite sound is my husband coming home at the end of the day. 

A song I had a hard time listening to while my husband was gone was Let Me Go Home by Michael Buble, but I love it and I can always listen to it while he's home. I think it hits home for anybody dealing with distance from a loved one.

So for today's recipe, I chose a cookie I make often for when I send care packages during a deployment. They stay soft and delicious in an airtight container even if it takes a week or so to get to the bases overseas. Since it's nearly summer, I've added some vanilla ice cream in the middle and sandwiched them up! Indulge, you guys, these are delicious…

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Recipe From: Sweet Pea's Kitchen
Oven Temp: 350 F

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Butter, room temperature
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg, room temperature
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups AP Flour
2 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
Ice Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a stand up mixer, combine butter and sugars until well mixed. Add in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients a cup at a time until thoroughly combined, but do not over mix. Add the chocolate chips in with a spatula. 
Roll the dough into balls, about 1.5 inches in diameter, and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten the ball with your palm and place cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes and allow to cool on a wire wrack. Once all the cookies are cooled, place in freezer. At the same time, allow the ice cream to thaw on the counter. Once the ice cream is thawed enough to where you can easily assemble it on a cookie, take out cookies, spoon ice cream into the middle, and top it with another same-sized cookie. Place the cookies back in the freezer atop some wax paper. Let the ice cream refreeze before you eat your sandwich, I recommend overnight. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies & Walk the Moon

So this last weekend was my second cousin's birthday. He's a peanut butter connoisseur and a baked goods lover, like myself. So what did I do? I made him the best cookies ever!

I love, love, love peanut butter cookies. Especially with chocolate. Dark chocolate? Even better! Although these are all the things these cookies have, the one thing it doesn't, is a stick of butter. 

So, with the house cleaned and organized, I set to work making it messy again.

And to this recipe I was singing along in my kitchen to: Anna Sun by WALK THE MOON.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from: Joanne Bruno

Oven temp: 325 F

Ingredients:

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup AP Flour

1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

With the oven preheated, Mix together the peanut butter, the sugars, and the baking soda. Once those are combined, add eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla. Gently stir in the flour next and then the chocolates. Drop scoops of dough, about the size of a tablespoon, an inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until brown on the edges. After a minute on the baking sheet, out of the oven, let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Parmesan and Blind Pilot

So, we'll see how this goes… I've got a new baby on my hands and it seems that whenever I'm ready for the day before noon it's a huge win. It's all okay though, I'll take spending time with my sweet daughter over long showers and make up any day. So we'll see how much she'll let me write without stealing my attention with her cuteness. Because really, she's really cute. Have a baby, you'll see (and if you have one, you know).

She's being cute, hold on...

Anyways… I wouldn't be able to count how often a song got stuck in my head. Usually it's running through my head all day and I'll notice it on and off,  waiting for the moment where I can finally play either that song or a new one. The song that's been invading my just-before-sleep hours is We Are the Tide by Blind Pilot. I enjoy singing it to my little one before she realizes how tone deaf I am and begs me to stop :) For now, she enjoys and coos along to the sound of my voice. I'm trying to capture these moments, hoping I'll never forget.

I'll be listening to Blind Pilot while I prepare and bake my dad's specialty…

Now I'm not sure where he found or came up with this recipe since the whole family knows it by heart now but I can guarantee it's deliciousness. 

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Oven temp: 375

Ingredients:
1 jar marinara sauce
1 can tomato soup
1/2 to 1 cup water
2 Tbl brown sugar
1/2 Tbl italian seasoning

8-10 chicken tenders
2 Tbls olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly whisked
2 Tbls water
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
spaghetti noodles
parmesan cheese
fresh basil (opt.)

Directions:
On the stovetop, combine first 5 ingredients to make your sauce. Bring to a soft boil and lower to a simmer so that your flavors are well mixed.
In a cast iron skillet, heat oil at a medium heat. Make an egg wash with the eggs and water in one bowl, and add the breadcrumbs to another bowl. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then cover with the breadcrumbs. Once all the chicken is dipped and breaded, add to skillet. Brown both sides, about three minutes on each side. Place the chicken into a 9x13 baking dish and cover with your marinara sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Start your pasta water while it bakes. After the 15 minutes, take the foil off, spread mozzarella over the top of the chicken and sauce, bake again, uncovered, until the cheese starts to brown. This will only be about 5 minutes. Start your pasta according to package directions while the chicken finishes up.
Serve chicken and sauce over your pasta. Garnish with some fresh basil and parmesan cheese.