Living La Vida Holoka


Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

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July is National Ice Cream Month! Celebrate with these classic Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches! No ice cream truck required!


Let me just say something about this recipe.  The level of commitment that I devoted to finishing this post was up there!  I’m not at all thrilled with my photos.  I thought about scrapping this entire post and just being done with it.

The day I made these ice cream sandwiches, I was dealing with really bad thunderstorms and a terrified dog.  We were in the middle of a disgusting heatwave and even while working in front of an air conditioner (I thought I was being clever), I couldn’t keep the ice cream sandwiches from melting! And just when I thought I’d get to wrap up this post, another storm popped up.  That’s summer for you! 

Now, you’ll probably have to cut some time out of your afternoon to make these ice cream sandwiches, but hopefully not as much as I did!


It all starts with a homemade sheet pan chocolate chip cookie.  I basically doubled the recipe for my skillet chocolate chip cookie.  The reason I like that recipe so much is that it has just the right amount of cinnamon in it to make it a great cookie.  But that’s not all!  I add pecans to my recipe for a little extra crunch!  I’m not going to brag (oh, I totally am), but my chocolate chip cookie recipe is pretty damn awesome!

So I figured that I could make it even better with ice cream!  When the sheet pan cookie was completely cooled, I cut it right down the middle.  Then, I spread French Vanilla ice cream on top of one cookie half.  I placed the other cookie half on top and stuck it in the freezer.  At this point, you have a crazy big ice cream sandwich!  Give it at least a half hour in the freezer.  Then, cut them into bars.

I mean, these are big, thick ice cream sandwiches.  There’s no doubt about it!  They’re pretty messy, too.  Well, the hotter it is, the messier they’ll be, but it’s so worth it!  The combination of flavors is classic.  It’s a grown up ice cream sandwich.  No ice cream truck required!

CELEBRATE ICE CREAM MONTH WITH HOMEMADE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!

Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
July is National Ice Cream Month! Celebrate with these classic Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches! No ice cream truck required!
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Ingredients
  1. Vegetable shortening, for greasing
  2. 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  3. 1 cup granulated sugar
  4. 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  5. 2 large eggs
  6. 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  7. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  8. 1 tsp. baking soda
  9. 1 tsp. sea salt
  10. 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  11. 1 cup semi-sweet NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Morsels
  12. 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  13. 1.5 quart French Vanilla ice cream. slightly softened
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9x13 pan with vegetable shortening.
  2. In a large bowl, add softened butter and sugars. Beat until fluffy.
  3. Add egg and vanilla to the sugar mixture and beat until combined.
  4. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  5. Gradually beat in dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
  6. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
  7. Press cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  8. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges of the cookie are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
  9. Allow cookie to cool. Then, cut the cookie right down the middle.
  10. Spread ice cream over one half, then top with the other.
  11. Place back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Then, cut into bars.
  12. Serve immediately or wrap sandwiches and freeze.
Living La Vida Holoka http://www.livinglavidaholoka.com/

By the time I was done whipping these up, I had ice cream dripping all over the place, including myself.  I was ready to shove them in the freezer and forget about them.  Then, I took a bite – a glorious bite – and it made up for everything else!

Pictures can be retaken, I ended up with a humorous story to share, and a batch of delicious ice cream sandwiches.  Despite the chaotic afternoon I had making these ice cream sandwiches, I can honestly say that they were SO worth it!

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What’s your favorite ice cream sandwich flavor?

Sparkling Kiwi Strawberry Hard Pink Lemonade

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This post is sponsored by Sparkling ICE but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Put a little sparkle in your summer with this skinny Sparkling Kiwi Strawberry Hard Pink Lemonade cocktail!


Who doesn’t love a refreshing, fruity cocktail in the summer?  I like my cocktails like I like my fictional vampires – sparkling!  Actually, I’m just kidding around about the fictional vampire part.  I’m way more of a Louis and Lestat kind of girl.  But I do like a good, sparkling cocktail while hanging outside in the sun or enjoying a cool night out on the deck!

So I thought I’d combine my love for classic summertime sips and sparkling cocktails together in a hard pink lemonade recipe.  I had a bottle of brandy leftover from the Star-Spangled Berry Sangria I made for the 4th and decided to spike my sparkling lemonade with that.  You could definitely use bourbon or vodka in this cocktail.  Whatever strikes your fancy!  But the real rockstar of this cocktail is definitely Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling Ice!


I drink a lot of sparkling water!  It’s a great alternative if you’re not a huge fan of plain, old water.  We all know that it’s important to stay hydrated.  Especially during the hot, summer months!  That’s why I like to keep Sparkling Ice in the fridge.  It’s loaded with antioxidants and vitamins, and there’s no sugar!  With 16 fizzy flavors to choose from, staying hydrated has never been more fun!

Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling Ice not only gives this cocktail its sparkle, but also its fun, fruity flavor and pink color!  There’s zero calories in it, making it perfect for flavoring those skinny summer cocktails!  To give this cocktail its lemonade twist, I started with fresh lemon juice, a little water, and a bit of honey. 

Then, I added brandy, gave it a good shake in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, poured it into mason jars, and topped it off with Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling Ice.  I garnished the drinks with a slice of fresh kiwi and served them with a fun party straw!

THINK PINK WITH THIS SPARKLING KIWI STRAWBERRY HARD PINK LEMONADE!

Sparkling Kiwi Strawberry Hard Pink Lemonade
Serves 2
Put a little sparkle in your summer with this skinny Sparkling Kiwi Strawberry Hard Pink Lemonade cocktail!
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Ingredients
  1. 1.5 ounces brandy
  2. 3 lemons, juiced (approx. 1/2 cup lemon juice)
  3. 1/2 cup water
  4. 2 tbsp. honey
  5. 1 bottle Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling ICE
  6. Ice cubes
  7. Fresh kiwi slices, to garnish
Instructions
  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Add the brandy, lemon juice, water, and honey. Then, shake, shake, shake!
  3. Pour half of the mixture into one glass (or mason jar) and half into another.
  4. Top each glass with Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling ICE.
  5. Give it a little stir and garnish with fresh kiwi slices.
Living La Vida Holoka http://www.livinglavidaholoka.com/

This has quickly become my new favorite cocktail to sip on!  It’s not loaded with sugar, but the touch of honey and Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling Ice gives it a pleasant sweetness.  Plus, it’s pretty in pink and looks super cute served in mason jars.  In fact, if you have summer celebrations happening, you can whip up a few batches of these ahead of time!  Just put a lid on them and chill!


Want to stir up even more fun?  Pop one of these Tropical Drink Stirrers into your glass of Sparkling Strawberry Kiwi Hard Pink Lemonade!  Find all 16 zero calorie flavors of Sparkling Ice on Amazon!

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What’s your favorite Sparkling Ice flavor?

Celebrate Ice Cream Day with These No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes

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Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with these delicious no-churn ice cream recipes!  Enjoy creamy, flavorful homemade ice cream all summer long without a machine!


I scream, you scream – well, you know how it goes! Today is National Ice Cream Day.  As if you really needed another reason to enjoy a cold scoop of ice cream!  

When I was a kid, my first dream job was to run an ice cream parlor.  I basically thought that meant having all of the bubblegum ice cream I ever wanted at my disposal every single day.  My dream of owning an ice cream parlor really didn’t have much to do with the actual business end of running a shop.  But what did I know?  I was just a kid and that seemed like the coolest job around!  

While adulthood has brought me to a career in blogging, I won’t deny a craving for ice cream.  Especially on a hot summer day!  And even though I’ll never turn down a pint of store bought ice cream, there really isn’t anything better than homemade.  It’s much creamier and more flavorful than the stuff sitting in the freezer aisle.  But if you don’t have an ice cream maker, you probably feel like you have to head to the store or the ice cream shop for your ice cream fix. 

Not anymore!  You can still enjoy creamy, flavorful homemade ice cream without a machine!  I am all about these no-churn ice cream recipes!  No ice cream maker required.  Just a little mixing and freezing is all that’s necessary to make a nice scoop (or two, or three) of homemade ice cream!  

  1. Homemade Cookie Monster Ice Cream – Baking Beauty
  2. No Churn Blackberry Ice Cream – CincyShopper
  3. Chocolate Nutter Butter Ice Cream {No Churn} – The Kitchen is my Playground
  4. Easy Homemade No Churn Chocolate Chip Cookie dough Ice Cream – Tamilee Tips
  5. No Churn Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream – 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
  6. No Churn Coconut Ice Cream – My Recipe Magic
  7. Margarita Ice Cream With Blackberry Ripple – Cooking in Stilettos
  8. Coffee Ice Cream Recipe with Toffee and Fudge – Celebrating Sweets
  9. Key Lime Pie Ice Cream – Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
  10. No Churn M&M’s® Cookie Dough Ice Cream – A Simple Pantry
  11. Caramel Toffee Chip Cheesecake No-Churn Ice Cream – Cupcakes and Kale Chips
  12. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip No Churn Ice Cream – Cooking with Carlee
  13. SNICKERS No-Churn Ice Cream Recipe – I Heart Eating
  14. No Churn Oreo Ice Cream – CincyShopper
  15. Raspberry Cheesecake No Churn Ice Cream – 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
  16. Unicorn Ice Cream – No Churn Ice Cream Recipe – Big Bear’s Wife
  17. Lemon Meringue Pie Homemade Ice Cream – A Simple Pantry
  18. No-Churn Mermaid Ice Cream – Home. Made. Interest.
  19. Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream – The First Year Blog

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Which one of these ice cream recipes do you want to try first?

To the Moon & Back: A Star Map of Our Wedding Date

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This post may contain affiliate links.  Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.  Product has been received in exchange for my honest review.

Create a personalized Star Map and have a special milestone in your life written in the stars!  Customize your own map with memorable date and location for a truly unique gift and art piece!


Every year for our wedding anniversary, I try to come up with a traditional anniversary gift-inspired DIY project for my husband and I to do together.  This year, I was at a complete and total loss.  The sixth wedding anniversary is the iron anniversary.  That one’s a little tricky, if you ask me!  Maybe we’ll do better next year with copper and wool (insert eyeroll here)! 

So instead of creating a new DIY project together, this year I opted for a really unique gift for our home. As you know, we’ve been working on a few home updates this summer. Last month, we finished giving the kitchen a farmhouse-inspired update and we’re currently in the midst of updating our bedroom.  So the timing was pretty perfect for this gift to arrive!

CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM STAR MAP FOR A SPECIAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE!
 

I’ve always been into astronomy, staring up at the night sky, and pointing out constellations.  So when Modern Map Art approached me to create a custom Star Map, I jumped at the chance!  I had actually been looking into getting one of these personalized maps for our home.  It’s a great way to commemorate a special date in your life, like a wedding anniversary!

We use astronomical software used by planetariums that generates the actual night sky at a particular time and place. It looks exactly what you would see with your eyes, binoculars, or a telescope. We use a database with hundreds of thousands of stars. With our software, you’ll be able to create a one-of-a-kind print that shows off a special moment in your life — when a child was born, when you said “I Do”, when you got engaged, or any other memorable time. We print on both paper and canvas depending on what you’d like to have on your wall. Give it a try! – Modern Map Art

It’s super easy to create your own personalized map, too!  Just click on the CUSTOM STAR MAP link.  That brings you to a form where you can choose everything from the type of map you want, the location and date, size, color, font, and even a personalized message.  Since I got a map of our wedding date, I thought “To the Moon & Back” was fitting!  You can even preview what your Star Map will look like as you customize it!  


I chose to make a 24 x 36″ poster.  Once my poster arrived, I got a nice frame for it.  When we’re done with our bedroom update, I hope to find a spot for it in that room.  For now, it doesn’t look too bad leaning against a wall in our dining room!  It’s definitely a great conversation piece and perfect gift for any of life’s special milestones and memories!  I love the way it turned out!  For more information visit the Modern Map Art website and start creating your very own, personalized Star Map! 

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What special date in your life would you commemorate with a Star Map?



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