Peanut Butter Smoothie

Featured recipe on Back to School Day TV episode.

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 cup milk
• 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup peanut butter, creamy or smooth

DIRECTIONS

1. Put everything into a blender and blend for a couple of minutes, until smooth
2. And this next part should be really, really obvious: put in a glass and drink.

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Whiskey Apple Donut

Of course to celebrate National World Whiskey Day you can always drink some whiskey - or you could put in into whipped cream and spoon some on top of a pan fried donut with sautéed apples. We’re going with the latter.

Makes 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored & diced small
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons whiskey
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 glazed donut, sliced in half
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat non-stick pan- melt 1 tablespoon butter and add apples, cooking just to soften
2. Add sugar to the apples, mix until sugar melts then add pinch of salt and stir in 1 tablespoon whiskey, cook out the alcohol- about a minute, set aside
3. Put cream, sugar and 1 tablespoon whiskey in a mixer or large bowl and beat until soft peaks form- You can DEFINITELY over beat whipping cream, so be careful
4. In a separate non-stick pan- melt a little butter and place the donut cut-side down until  lightly toasted
5. Plate the donut, cooked side up, add some whipped cream and top with apples & finally a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

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Doughnutmisu

Serves 6

Think Tiramisu, but with powdered doughnuts – yes, it's that simple. And a pretty bitchin name I might add...

Ingredients

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 6 small powdered doughnuts, sliced in half
• 6 tablespoons Hersheys chocolate syrup
• 1/4 cup Kahlua
• Cocoa powder

Directions

1. Blend cheese, powdered sugar and whipping cream until smooth
2. Put 1 tablespoon Hersheys in bottom of martini glass
3. Dip cut side of each doughnut in Kahlua
4. On top of chocolate, place 1 doughnut half, then a big tablespoon of cheese mix, then another doughnut half, then more cheese mix then dust with cocoa powder
5. Refrigerate about an hour before eating

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Finlandia Napoleons

Wait till you see how easy and crazy delicious these are. Made with #Finlandia Creamy Gourmet Cheese.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• Finlandia Sweet Lemon Creamy Gourmet Cheese*
• Raspberry jam
• Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Roll out a defrosted sheet of puff pastry to make it approximately 30% larger, and poke all over with a fork 

3. Then cut into 2” x 3” rectangles, place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown,15-20 minutes - remove and let cool
4. Using Finlandia Sweet Lemon Creamy Gourmet Cheese spread a 1/8” inch layer on one rectangle, top with another rectangle, add another layer of cheese and finally a layer of raspberry jam – 
5. To serve, add a final dusting of powdered sugar.

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*Finlandia Butter can be found at Vons, Albertsons and Safeway. Finlandia Cheeses are also available, in Southern California at Costco and other fine retailers.

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FINLANDIA DESSERT WONTONS

Want a crazy good, 4 ingredient dessert?  Look no further than these Vanilla Bean & Apricot wontons.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS

• 7 ounces Finlandia Vanilla Bean Creamy Gourmet Cheese
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 24 round won ton wrappers
• Powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat ovento 400
2. Combine cheese & apricot jam in bowl – mix well
3. Put about 2 teaspoons of the mix in the center of each wrapper
4. Lightly moisten the edges of each wrapper with water, fold in half and seal tightly- place on baking sheet
5. Place in the freezer about 20minutes
6. Bake in a until they start to brown - about 15 minutes and let cool slightly, then dust lightly with powdered sugar, and serve alone or with ice cream. 

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*Finlandia Butter can be found at Vons, Albertsons and Safeway. Finlandia Cheeses are also available, in Southern California at Costco and other fine retailers.

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Cheryl’s Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Makes 16 2" squares or 32 1"x2" small bars

I don't go for many sweet things, but this is a favorite of mine, it's in the top 10.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
• 10-ounce bag Marshmallows
• Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty.
3. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
4. As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
5. Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. You can use a piece of waxed or parchment paper sprayed with oil or spread with butter (even better, save the wrapper from the butter and use that!) to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.
6. Let cool completely and then cut into squares. Devour.

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Pound Cake w/Boozy Whipped Cream & Fruit

Makes 1 pound cake

So good, so buttery, so delicious.  And once made, do this trick from my mother. The trick of spreading soft butter on still warm, delicious pound cake.  It might not be right, but if it’s wrong, it’s wrong for all the right reasons. 

1 cup butter, softened, + extra for greasing

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons Chambord (raspberry liqeur)

Fresh fruit for serving

Powder sugar & toasted almonds for serving

• Preheat oven to 325

• In a mixer, beat butter with sugar until smooth

• Add eggs one at a time, 30-45 seconds apart, then add vanilla extract, lemon and zest - mix a couple minutes

• Combine flour, salt & baking soda - mix well then add to the mixing butter about 1/2 cup at a time until just incorporated

• Butter bundt or loaf pan well, and a few tablespoons of flour and move pan around to get flour everywhere, then shake out excess flour - pour in mix

• Bake about an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean

• While it cooks, beat cream with Chambord until thick

• Let cool and grill slices in a pan, bbq or even broil then top with the whipped cream, fruit and add the powdered sugar and almonds

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

You're thinking... "so, why are these so special?" Well, that's what I said, until I made them for a party and everyone went nuts about them. According to my SIL, this is the ONLY brownie recipe you will ever need. Credit to my SIL Cheryl for the recipe.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup All Purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons Bourbon Whisky
• 1/3 cup soft butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (I used barrel aged Bourbon Vanilla extract!) 
• 1/2 cup whole walnuts (or pecans or whatever nuts you like, just keep them whole) 
• parchment paper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Grease and line a 8 x 8'' deep oven proof dish with parchment paper
3. In small bowl mix flour, baking soda and Kosher salt
4. In small pan, on low heat, combine butter, sugar, Bourbon and half the chocolate chips (6oz), cook 1 minute, keep stirring - remove from heat when melted
5. Add vanilla extract and beat in one egg at a time to warm chocolate mix
6. Gradually incorporate the dry mix into the chocolate mix
7. Mix in remaining 6oz chocolate chips and whole nuts
8. Pour mix into greased and parchment lined baking dish, cook for 30 minutes – do toothpick test, if it's clean its done. If not, cook upto another 5 minutes maximum.

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HONEY SAUTÉED FIGS WITH LABNE

I have two words for this dessert: holy shit, cuz this is insanely good. Don’t like figs? Well you better start.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 5 ripe figs, stem removed, sliced in half...and I used white Kadota figs
• 3 tablespoons slice almonds, toasted, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons runny honey
• 1/2 cup Labne (strained Greek yogurt)
• pinch Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In med/large skillet melt butter and honey on medium heat
2. Place figs face down in skillet, coat in syrup, cook 2 minutes, flip cook 2 minutes
3. Serve: labne, figs, drizzle over honey/butter syrup, top with toasted almonds and sprinkle Kosher salt

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FRESH BOURBON TRIFLE

This is little trifle is bourbonsentric! The nuts go perferctly with the bourbon. It's dead easy.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 strawberries, sliced
• 12 raspberries
• handfull blueberries
• 2 tablespoons salt butter
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• pinch Kosher salt
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup bourbon whisky

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat buter in small pan on low heat, add oats and pecans, keep moving, cook 4 mins
2. Whip cream in processor, 10 secons on high, add bourbon and honey, whip 20 seconds, it should be thick and light
3. Get layering: fruit, oat/nut mix, cream, fruit, oat/nut mix, fruit, cream. Eat!

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Palmiers

Two ingredients never tasted so good together. 

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• Puff pastry sheets, defrosted
• 1/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Roll out pastry sheet into rectangle, trim edges
2. Sprinkle surface with half the sugar, lay pastry on top, coat top with remaining sugar, using a rolling pin again to flatten and press the sugar into the pastry, flip, do the same
3. Roll shorter ends towards eachother to meet in the middle
4. Wrap in plastic wrap chill in fridge for 30 minutes 
5. Preheat oven 400
6. Slice 1/2" rounds, position 1'' apart on a lined cookie sheet (using parchment paper) 
7. Bake for 15 minutes until golden

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Cannoli

I used to HATE cannoli's, until I made these. Light and delicious, they’re nothing like the overly-sweet versions you find elsewhere. And did I mention the raspberries? 

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

• 12 store bought cannoli shells
• 1  1/2 cup ricotta
• 2 tablespoons fine grain sugar
• 1 cup organic raspberries
• zest 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting
• Piping bag or ziplock bag

DIRECTIONS

1. In large bowl beat the ricotta and sugar, add zest, break raspberries up, mix well, chill mixture in fridge for 30 mins
2. Pipe the mixture into shells (use a piping bag or a ziplock bag and cut corner off
3. Serve, dusted with powdered sugar 

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PUMPKIN CORNBREAD

Serves 6

Don't neglect any canned pumpkin puree leftovers. Make this stupidly awesome and easy sweet treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pack Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup butter

DIRECTIONS

1. blend ingredients as per box instructions, add the pumpkin puree and mix thoroughly

2. pour mixture into greased 8x8 oven proof dish and cook as per instructions
3. slice it up and spread on the butter, enjoy

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Raspberry Napoleon

Serves 2

Traditionally, a Napoleon pastry is three layers of layers of cream pâtissière, whatever that is. The top is usually glazed with icing or fondant in alternating white and brown strips. This is nothing like that...but then you already figured that right?

Ingredients

• One 10 ounce bag frozen raspberries, defrosted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• One small basket fresh raspberries
• Powdered sugar
• Whipping cream
• 1 sheet frozen pie dough, defrosted

Directions

1. Put defrosted raspberries in a blender with sugar and lemon juice, blend until smooth then set aside
2. Cut pie dough into six 2.5 x 4" pieces
3. Put dough slices in a medium hot non-stick pan and cook until light brown on each side, then remove from heat and let cool
4. To make Napoleon, put a piece of dough on a plate, and top with a thin layer of whipping cream, then a layer of raspberries then another light layer of cream
5. Repeat another layer on top - dough, cream, raspberries, cream and a final dough piece
6. Drizzle raspberry sauce over the top and dust with powdered sugar – serve.

Old School Chocolate Wafer Log

Serves 6-ish

My mom used to made this years ago and I thought she was a genius for it. But when I went to make it the first time myself, I realized the recipe was right there on the wafer box. And even though she's still a genius, I think mine is a little better because I add Bailey's to the whipping and sliced almonds and shaved chocolate to the top.

Ingredients

• 1 pint whipping cream
• 2-3 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 box Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• Chocolate for shaving

Directions

1. Put cream & Bailey's in a mixer and beat until stiff, yeah I said that
2. Spread some of the whipped cream on a serving plate as a base to hold the wafers
3. Spread a layer of cream on one side of a wafer, stack another wafer on top, add cream, another wafer and so on until all the wafers are used
4. Lay the wafer stack on it's side on the plate, and fully cover with remaining cream
5. Cover loosely with saran and refrigerate overnight
6. Remove from fridge, and top with almonds and shaved chocolate
7. Now this part is critical: cut the log on a diagonal to expose the wafer & cream layers

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Chocolate Sauce from Grandma Ruth

Makes about a cup

My Grandma Ruth was a master in the kitchen - and this is an example of her simple perfection. Try it on vanilla ice cream topped with busted peanut butter pretzels...wow. We freeze what we dont use, then simply microwave to re warm.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 2 ounces Bakers unsweetened chocolate

• 6oz evaporated milk

• 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Put butter and chocolate in small pot on low heat and stir until melted

2. Stir in milk and slowly add sugar

3. Bring to a low boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring often

Croissantinis

Serves 4

Flaky, delicious and small enough you won’t feel guilty eating them – unless you eat 12.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• cream cheese
• raspberry jelly
• butter

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Cut parchment paper to fit baking sheet
3. Dust surface and rolling pin with flour, rollout pastry sheet until about 16'' square
4. Cut into 12 triangles and roll towards the point and bend into traditional shape
5. Lay on sheet and brush on egg wash, then bake for approx 10 minutes or until golden
6. Serve warm with butter, cream cheese and raspberry jelly

Grilled Pineapple

Serves 4

This is the easiest thing in the world to do with just a few basic ingredients, it has to be tried. And, you can keep the sauce in the fridge for a week.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1 can Pineapple rings (or fresh if you like)
• vanilla ice cream
• powdered sugar to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat grill to medium high
2. In a small pot melt butter with sugar - add rum and let warm through and thicken slightly
3. Drain pineapple slices, dip in the sauce and place on grill cook until well marked, 2-3 minutes
4. Baste each slice then flip and cook on other side, baste again cooking until golden 
5. Plate, add a scoop of ice cream, a little more sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar

Grilled Peach & Blueberry Pie

My friend Terryl makes a fancy version of this by making her own dough from scratch. Ok - so mine isn't from scratch, but it sure is good.

Ingredients

• 1 supermarket ready pie crust, uncooked

• 2 ripe peaches, sliced in about 16 wedges each

• 1 small basket blueberries

• zest from 1 lemon (just the yellow outside)

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 3 tablespoon flour

• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Combine peaches, blueberries, sugar, 1/2 the flour and lemon zest - mix carefully so you don't mash up the fruit

2. Fold a piece of aluminum in half but still large enough to fit under pie crust and dust with remaining flour - lay pie crust on top

3. Place fruit mixture in middle of crust and fold sides around it making sort of a series of pleats - it will not cover the fruit, but will come a couple of inches up the sides, sort of tart-like

4. Brush sides of dough with beaten egg

5. Lift and place foil with pie on grill preheated to medium - not directly overtop of heat if possible

6. Close lid and cook until dough is beautifully browned and fruit has softened, about 20-25 minutes

7. Bring to the table and impress your friends

Peach & Raspberry Cobbler

Serves about 10

Also referred to as a dump cake, because you pretty much just dump all the ingredients into a pan. This would rate about a 0 out of ten on a difficulty scale.

Ingredients

• 2-16 oz cans peaches in heavy syrup
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Pour the peaches (and their syrup) into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan
3. Scatter raspberries over the top of the peaches
4. Evenly dump the cake mix over the peaches &raspberries
5. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the cake mix, and using a spoon give it a little push down in spots
6. Scatter the cinnamon even overly the top
7. Bake approximately 40 minutes and let cool about 10 minutes before serving