Cinnamon Toast Applesauce

I'll have to think of a better name for this; it is a seriously cool and easy O'Donnovation. It takes as much prep time as a regular bowl of cereal but is a delicious and addictive substitute. I'd like to call it the poor man's apple crumble, but that would imply that it is inferior to actual apple crumble, which--having eaten some pretty mediocre apple crumble in my day--I'm not so sure is the case.

Ingredients:
-Applesauce
-Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Directions:
As you might have guessed, put a fair amount of applesauce in a bowl and cover it with a solid layer of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I like to mix it all together, but keeping the cereal at the top would work fine too as long as you get both the cereal and the applesauce in one spoonful. The texture is really what makes this dish awesome; try it for yourself.

A HUGE thanks to Pete Metzger for his irreplaceable team leadership this year, and also for this O'Donnovation!

Cinnamon-sugar turnover

A sweet but slightly time-consuming creation, this can be satisfying at all hours of the day. It takes a few minutes to prepare, but is very simple and easy. I encourage you to try experimenting with the bread and cooking methods. I've considered the MYOP oven and panini press as well.

Ingredients:
2 pieces white sandwich bread
2 pats butter
powdered sugar (near the waffle maker)
cinnamon (same)
little bit of apple, very thinly sliced (optional)

Start by breaking the edge of the crusts off your bread. Yes, you look like a 5-year old, but it's necessary. Then spread about 3/4 pat of butter on each piece of bread. Thoroughly dust with a layer of powdered sugar, then sprinkle a coating of cinnamon. If using apples, spread those on now as well, leaving a little space on the edge of the bread. Top with more powdered sugar, and another repetition if you so desire. (Reccommended if you want a full flavor) Top with the other piece of bread, and tightly press the edges together all around. You may have to do this several times to get a good seal. You can also press the entire composition together to flatten it out a little to get a better crust texture. Once it's sealed, place your turnover in the toaster, set almost to its fastest setting. Once it drops down, check the edge seal, flip it over, and put it through once more. Break open the sweet, warm deliciousness and enjoy!

 

An edit: In the picture, I topped the turnover with a drizzle of honey and a dusting of cinnamon. This is entirely up to you. It looks nice, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a big fan of honey, like me.

The Team Sundae

This might be seen as just another ice cream recipe, but no! It is an entire experience. This is designed for those team dinners, where the sense of community created by O'Donovans' mood lighting is just as important as its gourmet fare. If you want raw, unadulterated satisfaction, this is it.

Ingredients:
Cookie Crumbs
Ice Cream (several flavors)
Sprinkles
Butterscotch Chips
M&Ms
Cookie pieces
Hot Fudge

Special Equipment:
Pasta/Stir-fry size bowl
Several Spoons

First of all, make sure your bowl is COLD!  Create a bottoming base of cookie crumbs. Then fill it with 7-10 scoops of ice cream, strategically placed for optimal complimentary flavors. This means separate raspberry from mint and peanut butter, use chocolate as a transition, etc. Add toppings--again strategically distributed with respect to their proper ice cream bases, i.e. no Reeses' on the Raspberry Road Runner. Top with 3-4 cookies, broken into smaller pieces, add a sliced banana, and load it up with hot fudge and/or caramel. Serve with many spoons for your many co-diners to enjoy.

Fruit Sundae

A quick suggestion for an alternative type of dessert. This was suggested by a lactose intolerant student as a good substitution for an ice cream sundae, but you can also try it if you're just not in the mood for ice cream. I definitely prefer ice cream, but it's an interesting change and don't let the concept of it scare you away.

Ingredients:
Peaches
Pinneapple
Melon
Any other fruits you desire
Ice cream toppings such as cookie crumbs, rainbow sprinkles, Reese's Pieces, etc.

First get your fruit in a bowl, but don't fill it up too much. Cut the fruit up into bite size pieces, especially the peaces and melon. Add whatever toppings you want, mix it up to coat the fruit, and enjoy.

P.S. Rainbow sprinkles are a must.

Ice Cream Mix-Ins

I’ve heard much controversy about Coldstone Creamery’s ice cream. Some say it’s good, just overpriced. Some say the ice cream itself is not up to quality standards. Still others claim that the purpose of going to Coldstone (or Maggie Moo’s if you prefer) is for the presentation of seeing your ice cream creation mixed in front of you.

If you’ve looked at O’Donovan’s fine ice cream, the presentation may not impress you, but I personally have been quite taken aback by the flavor and satisfaction delivered by such quality products. Now you can create your very own mix-in ice cream dish and not have to worry about the price of Coldstone.

Ingredients:
Ice cream of choice (I prefer more traditional flavors for this recipe, such as Cookies n’ Cream, Mint, etc.)
Toppings including:
-cookie crumbs
-sprinkles
-waffle bowl, crumbled if desired
-Reeses’ Pieces, etc.
Hot Fudge
Cookie(s)

Utensils: Bowl (chilled), Two Spoons

First of all, the primary difficulty with this creation is the phenomenon whereby the freshly cleaned bowls are too warm, and therefore melt the ice cream while you return to your table and mix. Though there has been discussion of filling the bowl with ice for a short period to chill it, or even using a chilled plate as a mixing surface, we believe that the simplest solution is to get yourself a bowl several minutes in advance, for example, at the beginning of your meal, and allowing it to cool off. This also keeps you from being subject to the all too common disappointment of wanting dessert at a popular time and not being able to find a bowl.

The actual ice cream creation is left largely up to your own preferences. I prefer to use “heavier” ice cream flavors as opposed to fruity ones because I feel that they blend better with the available topping options. As for the toppings, don’t be too cautious: there is a lot of volume within that scoop of ice cream that is just begging to be paired with a single sprinkle or piece of chocolate chip cookie.

A simple creation uses Cookies n’ Cream or Mint Ice cream as a base. Top with chocolate sprinkles and a generous serving of hot fudge and 1 - 1 ½ cookies- chocolate chip is classic but anything other than oatmeal raisin seems acceptable. (It’s better if you use the cookies downstairs as they are heated and therefore softer.) When you get back to your table, go to work with the spoons, cutting into the ice cream and folding in the toppings until they are well distributed. Beyond the blending of flavors, this recipe serves to provide a change in texture from boringly smooth ice cream.

The waffle addition has yet to be fully tested, but could prove interesting. Whether you like to eat your creation out of a waffle bowl, or crumble up the bowl itself and mix it into the ice cream, the results could be fantastic.