Olive Oil Ice Cream Sundae

There's a delicious ice cream shop in San Francisco called BiRite Creamery. It has quality ice cream AND soft serve, and their caramel sauce is incredible...teetering on the brink of amazing flavor complexity and bitter burnt-ness. They have something called "Sam's Sundae" which combines chocolate ice cream, fruity olive oil, sea salt, and whipped cream. We've never tried it, but the idea of olive oil on ice cream has been fascinating to us. This sundae, created by Yanqiang Tan, combines oilve oil with the signature Ratty vanilla soft serve and rice krispies. The flavors of the olive oil and ice cream complement each other fabulously. Don't trust us, try it for yourself.

Olive Oil Ice Cream Sundae

by Yanqiang Tan

1 3.5 second swirl of vanilla ice soft serve

1 split second drizzle of olive oil

1 sprinkle of rice krispies

1. Get ice cream.

2. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Sprinkle with rice krispies.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Plum Sundae

The soft serve machine at the Ratty has gotten an intense workout lately. While we're at it, why not make a fancier dessert? Plums are in season, and apparently so are giant chocolate chip cookies. I don't know why the cocoa puffs are there. You can leave them out if you prefer no crunchy interferences with your creamy cool soft serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Plum Sundae

1 giant chocolate chip cookie

1 plum

1 split-second dispense of Cocoa Puffs

1 not-so-split-second dispense of vanilla soft serve

1. Cut the cookie into eighths, like a sliced pizza.

2. Cut the plum into eighths, like a...sliced plum.

3. Add the cocoa puffs.

4. Add the soft serve, attempting to create a pretty swirl. Evidently, we were not so successful.

PB, J, and Mozzarella

What can you do with a mozzarella ball, other than toss it with salad and/or some sort of pasta? I'm not saying that that's not delicious (frankly I love anything that involves mozzarella...or cheese for that matter), but I wanted to try something a little bit "out there." So with "an open heart and an empty stomach" (or shall I say an open mind?), I say unto you in the words of the Chairman's uncle, "Allez Cuisine, mozzarella pb and j!" (okay, I admit that last part was not in the original transcript.)

PB, J, and Mozzarella

3 mozzarella balls (from antipasto bar, Tastes of the World)

1/3 cup all natural peanut butter

2 Tbsp each of Rice Krispies, Honey granola, and Toasted wheat germ (in the soymilk fridge)

2 packets of grape jelly (about 1 Tbsp?)

1 Tbsp honey

1 tall glass of milk/soymilk/water*

1. Mix grape jelly and honey in a small cup. Put peanut butter in another cup.

2. Dip mozzarella balls, one at a time, first into the peanut butter (using a fork) to coat all over, then roll in cereal of choice.**

3. Drizzle with grape jelly-honey mixture and eat with milk/soymilk.

*optional, but highly recommended as I did not have a glass of milk as I was chewing one of these and found myself craving milk like crazy afterwards.

**while Honey granola may look pretty with its grooves and textures, it is actually quite a challenge to chew when combined with pb and a lump of mozzarella. I recommend the other two cereals, especially if you happen to have a toothache or a small mouth.

Cracklin' Oat Bran Yogurt

A healthy and yummy dessert or breakfast! I love Cracklin Oat Bran because it has a nutmeg and cinnamon flavor and a nutty crunch from the toasted oat bran, perfectly complementing the tang of plain yogurt. Just a little dollop of sour cream adds a nice balance to the nonfat yogurt, and the peanut butter and seeds enhance the nutty flavor of the cereal while cinnamon heightens its spice.

Cracklin' Oat Bran Yogurt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp old fashioned peanut butter
1 dash of cinnamon
1/4 cup Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 tsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp sunflower seeds

1. Put yogurt in a bowl.
2. Top with peanut butter, sprinkle on cinnamon, and add cereal. Dollop on sour cream and sprinkle nuts around.

"Honey Nut Cheerios"

A friend mentioned the other day that the Ratty doesn't have Honey Nut Cheerios - well, you can make your own! And you can customize the honey-ness and nuttiness.

"Honey Nut Cheerios"

1 cup Cheerios

1 Tbsp old-fashioned peanut butter

2 tsp honey

2 tsp sunflower seeds

2 tsp pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup soymilk

1. Get a bowl of Cheerios. Drizzle on peanut butter and honey, and top with the seeds.

2. Add soymilk.

Peach Ice Cream Swan

Okay, we confess. The swan was unintentional. So even if your attempt doesn't resemble a swan, don't worry because it will still taste good.

Peach Ice Cream Swan

1/2 cup peach slices

1/4 cup ice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp cinnamon

vanilla ice cream

honey

waffle cone

1. Fill a bowl with peaches, ice, and spices.

2. Top with vanilla ice cream.

3. Drizzle honey on top and garnish with waffle cone pieces.

Lucky Charms for Dessert

Do we ever need an excuse to eat Lucky Charms? (Or whipped cream, for that matter.)

Lucky Charms for Dessert

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup Lucky Charms

whipped cream

1. Fill cup halfway with skim and/or whole milk (can substitute soymilk).

2. Add 1/3 cup Lucky Charms cereal.

3. Garnish with whipped cream and enjoy!

Garbage Cookies 1

"EEEEWWW. These cookies look like garbage!"

"Now now, must you flatter me so?"

The reason all bakers love garbage cookies.

Inspired by Meeting St Cafe's infamous Garbage Cookie, these use classic college cafeteria goodies as mix-ins. Fast, easy, and customizable-the basic cookie dough can be used for any "kitchen-sink" type of cookie you want (see Garbage Cookies 2 and 3).

Garbage Cookies 1

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup colorful marshmallows

1/4 cup sprinkles

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup Oreo cookie bits

1/4 cup granola

1/4 cup M&M's

1/4 cup Trix cereal

1/4 cup Rice Krispies

1/4 cup cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl with a spatula, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder. Gradually mix into wet ingredients until just combined (don't overmix or else cookies will be tough!). Add desired "garbage" fillings. You can mix these in or sprinkle on top.

4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons or with a 1 ounce ice-cream scoop onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, about 16-18 minutes. Cool on pan, then remove to foil or plates and enjoy!

Kashi Honey Banana Yogurt

Thick rich banana medallions accent the hearty crunch of Kashi cereal laced with sticky honey, all atop a bowl of silken yogurt for a delicious breakfast. The picture is self-explanatory, but here's the recipe just for kicks:

Kashi Honey Banana Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch

1 Tbsp honey

8 thick slices of banana

1. Put everything together in a bowl and make it look gorgeous.

2. Dig in.

Yogurt with Glazed Blueberries and Granola

Perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Yogurt with Glazed Blueberry and Granola

1/2 plain yogurt

1/4 cup Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal

1/4 cup organic granola

1 tbsp blueberry sauce

whipped cream

1. Fill a cup halfway with yogurt.

2. Add Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal and/or granola.

3. Add 1 tbsp of glazed blueberries and garnish with a short burst of whipped cream. Enjoy.

Garbage Cookie 3

The recipe for this is the same as Garbage Cookies 1, except the cookie was baked in a pie tin for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Strawberries and Cream Yogurt

The tangy-ness of the strawberries perfectly complement the silky light whipped cream, which contrasts harmoniously with the crunchy honey granola and cool, refreshing yogurt. Takes seconds to make, and it's a treat for any time of the day.

Strawberries and Cream Yogurt

1 scoop plain yogurt

1/4 cup Oats and Honey Granola

1 scoop strawberries in syrup

1 dollop whipped cream

1. Fill a coffee mug with yogurt, granola, and strawberries.

2. Garnish with whipped cream and devour.