Blizz-Flurry

Not yet Blizz-Flurried...

What is a Blizz-Flurry, you ask? Well, it's just a name I concocted a mere two seconds ago to describe the scrumptious, creamy dessert that every other fast food chain and their parent company carries - the good old soft serve ice cream with a specific topping mixed, swirled, or blended in. Since the majority of the names are copyright or trademarked, I blended two names together, corny pun intended. 

These genius little peanut butter filled pretzel concoctions were sitting idly around on the counter, begging to be consumed. But, since my taste buds were craving sweets, I nearly pushed the pretzel bites aside in favor of a good old scoop of chocolate soy ice cream. Oh the life of the lactose intolerant. 

Just as I retrieved the ice cream container, the cliched, animated lightbulb poofed out of nowhere above my head. Pretzel bites + peanut butter + chocolate ice cream...Blizz-Flurry it is! And thus my first Choco-nut-zel Blizz Flurry was created. I'm a bit shocked that this is the first time I created an ice cream version of a chocolate covered pretzel, but better late than never! The 3 step simplicity of this dessert is always a plus.

- Shortcake

Step 1: Crush!

Step 2: Scoop!

Step 3: Blend!

Trilogy of Flavors: Apple

Apple Streusel Cake

Photo from Joy of Baking

A friend of mine passed along this Joy of Baking recipe when he found out Apple Streusel is my favorite way to have apples for dessert. The addition of hazelnuts to the cinnamon and sugar streusel makes it an ultimate toppings party on an already delicious apple cake. - Shortcake

Sliced Apples with PB

Photo from TransformationTrainer

Sometimes the simplest of dishes create the most powerful experiences. I've been craving old-fashioned apple slies and peanut butter for awhile now. Every time I eat them, I get a sudden wave of nostalgia and remember every detail of my kindergarten classroom. 
- Sonic

Jewish Apple Cake

We made these miniature Jewish Apple Cakes for a Seder meal for a Jewish group visiting my culinary school's restaurant. For presentation, we used up a random bag of dried apple rings, deep fried them, and finished with a drizzle of cinnamon syrup we had on hand. - Sandwich

Elvis Wishes His Sandwich Was This Good

As I am sitting here writing today's Whip, I can't help but be jealous of last-week-Sonic.  He had a great dinner at Lamill Coffee, and I for one would not mind trading places with him in order to have that dinner again.  Last week, Sonic had a sandwich, chips, and some milk.  But it wasn't just any old sandwich, and certainly not Sandwich of the Trio.  "That is called cannibalism, my dear children," Willy Wonka would say.  "And is, in fact, frowned upon in most societies."

No, this sandwich was better, and definitely acceptable in most societies.  Actually, acceptable is a huge understatement.  This was a monumental, earth-shattering, mind-blowing, weak-at-the-knees, politics-changing, taste-exploding sandwich.

I could try and spend time trying to find words to describe this decadent creation.  But this sandwich was such an experience that mere words simply could not do it justice.  How can I describe the peanut butter without using such predictable words like "perfect consistency"?  How do I talk about peanut butter at all without suddenly flashing back to my five-year-old self, watching "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" and eating peanut butter with a spoon?

And the chocolate?  Look at it.  Deliciously rich and milky Valrhona chocolate, direct from Tain-l'Hermitage, France.  What more is there to say?  Dare I talk about how its sweetness blended perfectly with the peanut butter?  Or how both of their meltedness provided a delightful contrast to the soft and chewy banana?  And that banana!  What can you say about a banana that hasn't already been said?

But the real kicker, the cherry on top of the sundae, the happy ending, was the milk.  This isn't your average in-the-fridge milk.  You dare not pour this milk over cereal, then toss it in the sink afterwards because it's gotten warm and cerealified.  No, this milk must be drunken, in tiny but effectively satisfying sips.  Too much and you're mouth will be spoiled and hate regular milk forever afterwards.  Too little, and your mouth will hate you for teasing it so.  This milk, this Madagascar Vanilla Milk, is why I am so so grateful that I am not lactose intolerant.  And even if I were, I'd suffer the stomachache later simply to be satisfied now.

Honestly, I can't find words to describe this meal.  Everything above only conveys my surface emotions.  There's more than meets the eye.  This meal changed my life.  It changed my beliefs.  It made me want to live.

Or, it's just all that chocolate and peanut butter and banana and milk messin' with my brain.  Put four fond comfort foods together in a meal like this and you're bound to go a little nuts.


- Sonic  

Sonic's #1 Comfort Food

A few days ago, I had finished my U.S. Lit final and drove over to Wal-Mart, as I knew that Mom was doing some grocery shopping.  By the time I got there, she was already at the check-out line.  However, I still needed to get some things, and so Mom put her groceries in the car and then rejoined me as I browsed the aisles for food.  When we got to the cereal aisle, I eagerly grabbed a box of Peanut Butter Crunch.  

"You still eat that?" Mom asked.  "I remember you guys always getting it as kids."

It got me thinking: Why do I still eat Peanut Butter Crunch?  Aren't I at the age when I should be eating sensible cereal like Kashi GOLEAN Crunch, like Sandwich does?  Why do I still get excited when I buy a box featuring the Cap'n?  Shouldn't I let those childhood figures remain in the past?

I could try answering those questions, but really, there's no need to justify why I still eat Peanut Butter Crunch.  It was my favorite cereal as a kid, and is still my favorite cereal today.  I will likely go on eating bowls of its crunchy goodness until I'm 73, provided they are still making it.  Back in March, there were reports that Cap'n Crunch would be discontinued due to its high sugar content.  Thankfully, they have been proven wrong, and Cap'n Crunch will still be around.  But nothing lasts forever, and I'm sure once Cap'n Crunch goes - whenever that may be - Peanut Butter Crunch may not be too far behind it.

In the meantime, I'm still enjoying my Peanut Butter Crunch.

-Sonic

Trilogy of Flavors: Peanut Butter

Trilogy of Flavors: A new feature where we highlight a different flavor every Tuesday, by showcasing a favorite or new recipe we're eager to attack in the kitchen.

Kick off the afternoon with the unique peanut butter sandwich Sandwich is currently craving:

The Elvis Sandwich
"Pudge the fish's sandwich with some banana thrown in." - Sandwich

Spice up the evening barbecue feast with a chicken satay dish Shortcake can't wait to whip up:

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
"There better be peanuts on deserted islands. Those nuts go with everything." - Shortcake

Cool off and cap the night with Sonic's favorite peanut butter dessert:  

Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream
"After chocolate, ice cream is peanut butter's 2nd wife." - Sonic

Don't Lay a Finger on My S'mores

Butterfinger S’mores and Chocolate Peanut Butter

You read that right. Butterfinger S’mores. A good portion of you are probably tempted to skip ahead to feast your eyes on the recipe and the plethora of photos of the indulgent treat. Heck, I’m getting cravings right now just writing about it.

Unintentionally continuing with last week’s theme about comfort foods and childhood favorites, s’mores automatically elicit dozens of lifetime memories. Ironically, only two or three involve the outdoor activities of camping or bonfires. The earliest memories consist of my brothers and me watching the microwave in anticipation, hoping for the heated marshmallow to follow in Mr. Stay Puft’s footsteps in Ghostbusters and blow up. Sadly, despite nearly always bloating to twice its size, the marshmallows never exploded.

Despite the lack of explosions, s’mores was probably the one dessert my parents were not fond of doling out to us. 1) It was the stickiest, messiest thing ever. 2) It was the sweetest thing ever. 3) It brought out the most overactive hyper-ness in all three of us. And all three of those reasons are probably why the delectable S’mores got its name. It leaves you wanting more, no matter how sticky or messy. Seriously, could anything be more fun and sinfully delicious than graham crackers, gooey chocolate and roasted marshmallows?

Well, of course they could. Enter the creamy goodness of peanut butter, my personal addiction. Another classic combination, peanut butter and chocolate have been joined at the hip for decades. The overwhelming popularity of the combination is what propelled the peanut butter cup to become a king in the candy aisle. So why not add the nutty butter to the s’mores family and make it a foursome?

Granted, I knew I wasn’t just going to replace a Hershey bar with a Butterfinger bar in this concoction. That would be too simple. And it would be way too difficult to enjoy, since Butterfingers are usually extra crunchy and almost always annoyingly stick to those back molars. I thought about using a Reese’s peanut butter cup, but its ratio of chocolate to peanut butter didn’t satisfy me. Plus, I wanted a taste of real peanut butter thrown in, none of that processed stuff.

I cheerfully experimented and came up with my own version of chocolate peanut butter. Some Butterfinger bars were crushed, marshmallows were roasted, and everything was sandwiched in between two glorious graham crackers. And boy was I reeling from the sugar high afterwards.

Butterfinger S’mores

Serves 2

• 4 Tb Chocolate Peanut Butter, recipe follows
• 1 fun sized Butterfinger or 1/3 Butterfinger bar, crushed
• 4 Graham cracker squares
• 4 marshmallows or 2 jumbo sized marshmallows

1. Make the chocolate peanut butter. You can also purchase pre-made chocolate peanut butter in stores such as Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. But I prefer the homemade recipe because of its similar taste to Butterfinger filling.
2. Crush Butterfinger bar into small, crumbled pieces; set aside.
3. Spread a satisfying helping of chocolate peanut butter on two graham cracker squares. Sprinkle and gently press down a layer of the crushed Butterfinger on top of one chocolate-peanut-buttered graham cracker. For extra sweetness, if you don’t mind the mess, go ahead and sprinkle a layer of crushed Butterfinger on your second graham cracker as well.
4. Roast the marshmallows either over a flame or use your oven’s broiler. I broiled them at 400F. Watch them carefully; it only takes a minute or two for the tops of the marshmallows to reach the beautiful golden brown color.
5. Layer two roasted marshmallows on top of the crushed Butterfinger graham cracker. Then press the second chocolate-peanut-buttered graham cracker on top of the marshmallow, chocolate-peanut-butter side down.
6. Enjoy the sticky, messy, peanut buttery sweetness.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Makes 4 Tablespoons

• 1 heaping Tb semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 heaping Tb creamy peanut butter
• ½ - 1 Tb softened butter, as needed to soften
• 2 tsp Confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

1. Heat and melt the semi sweet chocolate chips in the microwave. Be careful not to scorch them. The best way to prevent scorching is to heat the chips at 20 second intervals and stir them after each interval. In my microwave, it took about 45 seconds to heat it to the desired soft, melty consistency.
2. Mix in the peanut butter, sugar, and butter into the chocolate. Start w/ ½ Tb softened butter and add a bit more to get the desired chocolate peanut butter to a creamy consistency.

Chocolate Peanut Butter (full recipe)

For people who want a larger quantity to save for sandwiches and other treats =)

Makes about 2 cups

• ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup confectioner's sugar
• 4 – 5 Tb butter, softened

Follow the same directions as above

- Shortcake