Cheerio Bars

The nights are getting later. Study spaces are getting more crowded. Levels of stress are running high. Mid-semester exams are drawing nearer but they bring with them an opportunity for a new "brain food" recipe. Cheerio bars are a great alternative to the standard vending machine fare of cookies, candy, and chips. Although several of the ingredients do contain considerable amounts of sugar, the protein-packed peanuts and peanut butter, the whole grain oat cereal, and the antioxidant-rich raisins, will help to give you the more lasting energy that you need. Cheerio bars are a simple, no-bake recipe that will supply you with enough brain food to even share with a friend or study buddy. Stop by Varsity Morgan, Varsity Towers, or Varsity Marketplace (there is a $2.99 Marketplace Special on General Mills and Kellogg's brand cereals this week!) for the ingredients and in less than than a half hour, you will have a pan of energy-boosting yet tasty goodness. Based upon the calculated cost per serving of each ingredient, these bars will cost you $9.81 or $0.49 per bar. This cost does not include the cost of cooking spray. 

Cheerio Bars

Yield: 20 bars
Total Cost: $9.81 (does not include cost of cooking spray)

• 5 cups Cheerios cereal
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup salted peanuts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine Cheerios, raisins, and peanuts. Set aside.

Bring sugar and honey to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, making sure to stir constantly. Remove saucepan from heat once the mixture boils and the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the peanut butter until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly coated.

Spread mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan that has been prepared with cooking spray. Melt chocolate chips by placing in microwave-safe bowl and microwaving on high power until just melted. Remove and stir until blended. Drizzle over mixture.

Allow bars to cool by placing pan in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Remove and cut into 16 bars.

Reviews 
"Needs more sauce. I think it will hold together better and seem more like a true "bar"."
"Mine has raisins."

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Ice Cream Cake

This week's recipe is dedicated to my roommate, Alexa, who celebrated her 22nd birthday this past Friday. Alexa loves ice cream cake and what says, "Happy Birthday" better than rich and decadent layers of ice cream, pretzels, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? Drizzle with homemade chocolate and peanut butter "Magic Shell" toppings and you have just made someone's birthday extra special. The great thing about this recipe is that it is easily adapted to individual preferences. Simply substitute other flavors of ice cream and different toppings to create your own unique combination. Visit Nectar for the best selection of basic ice cream flavors or virtually any of the other markets to pick up a few pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. All other ingredients may be purchased in either Varsity Morgan, Varsity Towers, or Varsity Marketplace with the exception of butter which may only be purchased in Varsity Morgan or Varsity Towers. Although this recipe requires only six ingredients, the total cost of the ingredients is over $20 which equates to $1.88 per slice. The high cost is due largely in part to the $5.99 per pint cost of ice cream. However, I believe the total cost of this recipe could be drastically reduced with the purchase of a half-gallon of ice cream from the grocery store. 

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Ice Cream Cake
Yield: 12 slices
Total Cost: $22.51

• 3 pints vanilla ice cream
• 6 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
• 3/4 cup pretzels, chopped
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and allow to chill in freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and crush pretzels. Set aside.

Remove from the freezer and press remaining 1 1/2 pints of softened vanilla ice cream on top of the crushed Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Sprinkle with broken pretzels and return to freezer for an at least 1 hour or until firm.

Prepare chocolate "Magic Shell" topping by combining chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon butter in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power until just melted. Remove and stir until blended. Repeat procedure with 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to prepare peanut butter "Magic Shell" topping. Allow both toppings to sit for about 1 minute.

Remove cake from freezer and pour Magic Shell toppings over the top to create a drizzled effect. Return to freezer for 10-15 minutes or until Magic Shell topping has hardened. Remove from pan. Slice into 12 pieces and serve immediately.



Reviews
"It's like heaven in my mouth."
"Can I have more?"

Lemon Bundt Cake with Blueberry Sauce

 Some of my earliest and best memories are of times spent with numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, all crowded into my grandmother’s kitchen. Her kitchen was the hub of loud discussions, laughter, reminiscent stories, and of course, food. There is one food in particular that I associate with these times spent with my family and with the arrival of many parents on campus for family weekend, I decided to attempt a recipe evocative of my association. Although my grandmother always prepared chocolate bundt cakes, I chose to bake a lemon bundt cake and top it with blueberry sauce. As I was gathering inspiration for this recipe, I came across an interesting bit of knowledge. The connection between family and bundt cakes in fact extends beyond my own personal association. The pan used to produce these cakes was trademarked by H. David Dalquist at the request of members of the Minneapolis chapter of the Hadassah Society. The women from the society called the pans "bund pans" because "bund" is German for a gathering of people. Mr. Dalquist added a "t" to the end of "bund" and trademarked the name. Thus “bundt” is derived from the German Bundkuchen, which refers to a ring-shaped tea-time cake. Although this recipe requires a greater number of ingredients, the majority of the ingredients may be purchased in either Varsity Morgan or Varsity Towers. Lemons may be purchased at Nectar. Based upon the calculated cost per serving of each ingredient, this cake will cost you $12.53 or $0.52 per slice. This cost does not include the cost of cooking spray or salt. Without blueberry sauce, the total cost is reduced to $8.35 or $0.35 per slice.

Lemon Bundt Cake with Blueberry Sauce
Yield: 24 slices with 1 tablespoon blueberry sauce
Total Cost: $12.53 (does not include cost of cooking spray or salt)

For the cake:

• 2 1/2 cups flour (plus additional for dusting pan)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk substitute (scant 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

For the glaze:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

For the blueberry sauce:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 1 tablespoon sugar 

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Prepare buttermilk substitute by placing lemon juice in a measuring cup and adding milk until liquid reaches the 1 cup measurement. Let stand 5 minutes. 

 Meanwhile, in medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and soda, and salt. In a large bowl mix together butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until blended. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk substitute until batter is smooth. Scrape into prepared pan; level top with spatula.

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes. Prepare the sugar glaze: Whisk sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl just until combined (sugar will not be totally dissolved). Remove cake from pan and place on a cookie sheet. Brush glaze all over hot cake until absorbed (sugar crystals will be evident). Cool completely. Transfer cake to a serving plate let rest several hours, or overnight, before serving.  

Prepare blueberry sauce: Put berries, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat until boiling. Reduce heat and cook until the berries are just tender. Cut cake into thin slices to serve and top with warm blueberry sauce.

Reviews

"This is moist and lemony."
"This is like, really good."
"That's scrumdileicious."
"This is bundt-y."
"I can't believe this is made with shit from the munchie mart."

 

Crunchy Banana-Stuffed French Toast

A large percentage of runners incorporate a "long run" into their weekly training schedule as they are associated with considerable physiological and psychological benefits. Long runs not only increase your aerobic base and improve your running economy, but also serve as great confidence boosters when they go well. As a cross country runner, I have become very familiar with the concept of a long run. Along with my teammates, I have also become very familiar with what we Nashville locals affectionately call "the 11.2." The 11.2 is the 11.2-mile Main Drive of Percy Warner Park and has been featured in "Runner's World." Amidst elevation gains and losses of over 1,500 feet and grades of up to 10-12%, we twist, turn, and climb our way through the scenic route a couple of Saturdays throughout the season. In celebration of our first 11.2 completion of the 2011 season, I decided to make a breakfast recipe as a long run is simply incomplete without a refuel breakfast. Ideally, a post-long run breakfast should be high in carbohydrates in order to replenish the depleted glycogen stores and consumed within 1-2 hours after the run. Crunchy banana-stuffed french toast, made with whole wheat bread, bananas, and peanut butter, is an excellent source of carbohydrates and protein and makes for a great and filling team breakfast. With the exception of eggs, butter, and bread, the ingredients for this recipe may be purchased in any of the markets. Eggs, butter, and bread may be purchased in either Varsity Morgan or Varsity Towers. Based upon the calculated cost per serving of each ingredient, one serving of crunchy banana-stuffed french toast with syrup and butter costs $1.06. This cost does not include the cost of cooking spray or salt. 

Crunchy Banana-Stuffed French Toast
Yield: 10 slices (5 servings) with 1 tablespoon syrup and 1 teaspoon butter.
Total Cost: $5.30 (does not include cost of cooking spray and salt)

• 2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, crushed
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 bananas, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• cooking spray
• butter (optional)
• syrup (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cereal in plastic bag and seal tightly. Crush cereal. Transfer crushed cereal to plate and set aside. In medium bowl, beat eggs, orange juice, milk and salt until well blended. 

 

Lay out slices of bread. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on one side of each slice. Cut bananas into 1/4-inch slices and arrange in a single layer on five of the slices. Top with remaining five slices of bread, peanut butter side down, to form sandwiches. Press down slightly on edges. 

 Dip sandwich into egg mixture, thoroughly coating both sides. Coat sandwich with cereal and place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat above procedure with remaining sandwiches. Bake in oven, turning once, for 12 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.

Remove sandwiches from oven and cut in half (diagonally). Serve warm, with butter and syrup (optional).

Reviews
"It should be called "best toast" instead of french toast." 
"Awesome. The crunchy coating really adds to it."

Bacon Ranch Spirals

spi·ral [spahy-ruh l] noun

1. Football . the spin on the ball in flight after the quarterback releases it.

It only seemed fitting that this week's recipe should be inspired by the Commodores' much-anticipated season kick-off. Football season is a time for great friends and great fun and of course, great tailgates. But what is a great tailgate without good food and drink? Tailgating basics typically include alcoholic beverages, picnic staples, and meat products. Although the meat products offered in the markets are quite limited, amongst these products is an item more than suitable for a tailgating recipe: bacon. I decided to incorporate bacon into a 5-ingredient appetizer that can be made with ingredients from either Varsity Morgan or Varsity Towers. Appetizers, in particular finger foods, make for an ideal tailgating food as they are easily transported, not requiring utensils and not cramping your socializing style. Even better, bacon ranch spirals are tasty and relatively inexpensive to make. Based upon the calculated cost per serving of each ingredient, these spirals will cost you $7.78 or $0.19 per spiral. This cost does not include the cost of cooking spray or salt and pepper. Go 'Dores!

Bacon Ranch Spirals:
Yield: 40 spirals
Total Cost: $7.78 (does not include cost of cooking spray, salt and pepper)

• cooking spray
• 4 slices bacon (crisply cooked, crumbled)
• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing
• 2 oz medium cheddar cheese stick (shredded) 
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fry bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel and allow to cool. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 4 oz cream cheese with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing. Shred 2 oz cheddar cheese and set aside. Crumble bacon into small pieces and set aside. 

Unroll crescent roll dough. Form dough into 12x8-inch rectangle; press perforations to seal. Slice dough down the middle (parallel to the long side) to form two 12x4-inch rectangles. 

Spread ranch dressing mixture over each rectangle to edges. Sprinkle with bacon pieces and shredded cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Starting with long side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal. Place rolls in freezer for 10 minutes to stiffen dough.

Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Remove rolls from freezer and cut each roll into 20 pieces, using a serrated knife. Place cut side down on cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and serve warm.

Reviews 

"This tastes like a lot more than $0.19."

"I wish they had a little more filling."

"Can't go wrong with bacon."

"I didn't even know the markets sold these ingredients."