Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Lemon Icebox Pie

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen is on the move! We packed our bags and we've been spending some quality family time in Maine! We're fortunate enough to stay in a condo right on the beach- equipped with a full kitchen. We've stayed in the same condo for three years now; and it's as much a part of our summer as bomb pops from the ice cream truck, 4th of July fireworks and the caloric, glorious, Wisconsin State Fair. 

In between spending our days on the beach and boardwalk, we end up cooking plenty of lobster risotto, lobster bisque, lobster omelettes... Do you sense a trend? But we do need some delicious desserts to wash all the lobster down with. We decided on a frozen lemonade pie for dessert after a dinner of lobster ristotto and stir fry vegetables. 

Frozen Lemonade Pie
Recipe courtesy of The Food Network

(1) 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
(1) 12-ounce container whipped topping, thawed
(1) 6-fluid-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, unthawed

(1) prepared graham cracker pie crust (you can make your own, but you don't get any bonus points for it. Pre-made will  work fine)

Here's a shot of our cheesy little sous chef, all ready to help Grandma make pie...

In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. Testing the Cool Whip for quality is optional, but always encouraged by Sawyer... 

 Fold the two together gently until combined, being careful to keep the mixture light and fluffy. Add the lemonade concentrate and continue to gently fold.

 Be sure to avoid letting the mixture get too liquid-y. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Place in the freezer to chill overnight.

Take note: the quantities of this recipe are wonky. You're better off doubling the recipe, and making two pies. They freeze well, and you can keep them covered in the freezer for up to a month. This is perfect for those weekend cook outs or unexpected dinner parties. 

Also, seriously heed our advice about buying pre-made graham cracker crusts. You'll thank us for that later.

This is a great summer dessert recipe- cool, refreshing and satisfying. We hope your guests love it as much as we do!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Pasta Carbonara

In the summer months; meals in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen have a common theme:  incorporating as many vegetables as possible into our meals. Since we joined a CSA four years ago, it's been our goal to eat as much of our share as possible without wasting it. We've gotten creative with beet greens, purslane (we're still not a fan) and kohlrabi (stay tuned for that post). We blanch, freeze, saute, blend and consume as much as possible. We even combine it with bacon when we can. 

This past week we were getting ready to leave for vacation, and were trying to clean out our refrigerator. We had a package of bacon, a head of cauliflower, and some mushrooms. We combined all these ingredients together into a delicious Carbonara pasta. Word of warning: double the recipe. You won't regret it. 

Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces fettuccine
4 ounces bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
salt to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped


Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oil, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.

Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.

Cook the bacon in a pan, pour off all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan, add the garlic, cook for 30 second and turn off the heat.

Mix the egg, cheese, pepper and salt and parsley in a bowl.

Drain the cooked pasta, reserving some of the water.

Mix the pasta, egg mixture, cauliflower and mushrooms into the pan with the bacon, adding reserved pasta water as needed.

Confession: it was the first time we tried making carbonara, but it won't be the last. We enjoyed the rich egg sauce mixed with the bacon and caramelized vegetables. We're anxiously awaiting our next cauliflower- just so we can make this recipe again soon! Next time you're looking to make an indulgent Italian meal- this is your dish!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Friday Fun: Creamed Cucumbers

Rebecca in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen has fond memories of spending summers with her grandparents and some of the recipes her Grandma used to make on hot summer days. One of the side dishes she made weekly was creamed cucumbers; which she'd make with fresh cucumbers out of the garden.

It's almost the time of year that cucumbers are everywhere- and this is an easy recipe that will be a refreshing, delicious side dish at any meal. Bonus points: it's kid tested and approved. 

Creamed Cucumbers
1/2 cup sour cream (we used Greek yogurt)
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
pepper to taste
4 medium cucumbers- peeled and sliced into 1/3" slices
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
fresh dill



In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, vinegar, sugar, dill and pepper until blended. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours. 

We hope you love this salad as much as we do! 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: B50 Burgers

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen recently read an article on NPR about the elusive, and delicious B50 burger. The article was equal parts hilarious and hunger-inducing. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/06/16/322580306/sandwich-monday-the-b50-burger

We of course had to share the article with the Arkansas Test Kitchen; and made the promise to enjoy some B50 burgers together sometime soon. But we couldn't wait. We didn't want to wait. We wanted to try this delicious beefy, bacon-y combination as soon as possible. So we tried our own take on the B50 burger. 

B50 Burgers

1lb. ground beef
1lb raw bacon
burger & steak seasonings

Roughly chop the bacon and put in food processor to grind. 

Pulse with food processor until bacon becomes almost the same texture as the beef. Don't let it turn into paste, but make sure it's not still in rough bacon-y pieces.

Combine bacon and beef together, and add a good quality burger and steak seasoning. Word of warning: these burgers are already going to have plenty of salt because of the bacon- go easy on the seasonings! If you have a salt-free seasoning you'd like to use- that would work well. Use any seasoning on these burgers very, very, sparingly. 

Form the meat into patties, and let them sit in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes so they firm up prior to grilling.

Fire up the grill- set it for medium heat. Once the grill is ready- put those bad boys on! 

Notice the brats on our grill? We had friends over for dinner; and we were afraid the B50 burgers weren't going to turn out. We shouldn't have worried. But it's always good to have a back up plan, just in case. 

Grill the burgers to your liking and top with cheese. We thought blue cheese would be a delicious condiment (it was), and we also topped a few with cheddar as well. 

Final verdict? Yum. The burgers were the perfect combination of bacon and burger combined together, into a tasty patty form. It was a fun recipe to try, and our dinner guests enjoyed them as well. Try this new twist on a bacon cheeseburger at your next cook out!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Friday FUN: Strawberry Basil Margaritas

When the Wisconsin Test Kitchen hit up the farmers market last week, we noticed basil and strawberries are finally in season- and in a big way! Most of the vendors were selling pints and quarts of those tasty little red berries. We received a quart of them in our CSA box, as well as a bunch of basil, and a recipe for strawberry basil margaritas. After putting our own Cool Dads spin on the beverages, we determined they're now the perfect beverage for your next cook out!

Cool Dads Strawberry Basil Margaritas

1 can frozen limeade concentrate
2-2.5 cups tequila (depending how strong you like your drinks)
10 strawberries, hulled
8 basil leaves


Let the limeade concentrate thaw, and then pour into a pitcher with the tequila, and 2 cans of cold water. 

Meanwhile, put the strawberries and basil leaves into a food processor and pulse until pureed. 

Add strawberry basil puree into the pitcher and stir well to combine. 

Let margarita mixture sit in the fridge for an hour to chill and let flavors meld. 

Serve in a tall glass with ice. 

We hope you enjoy this cool, refreshing cocktail as much as we did!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Oreo Cheesecake Bars

It's a well documented fact the Wisconsin Test Kitchen loves Bakerella. She creates incredibly delicious desserts that take a minimal amount of effort- but receive rave reviews. We made her monster cookie bars for Teacher Appreciation Week earlier this year; and when we saw her recipe for Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Bars; we knew what our contribution to the 4th of July party we were attending was going to be.

Not to brag or anything, but these bars were the first dessert to go at the party. That pretty much says it all right there! But in all fairness, the combination of cookies and cream with thick chocolate frosting is pretty hard to beat. We recommend cutting these bars into small pieces- they are incredibly rich. 

Bakerella's Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Bars

Crust

18 Oreos, crushed into crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
5 tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling
12 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 egg, plus 1 yolk
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
12 Oreos, broken into pieces

Chocolate Ganache
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp. butter
¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
⅛ cup powdered sugar
6 Oreos, broken into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. To make the crust, mix cookie crumbs and sugar together in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until completely combined.

3. Using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, firmly press mixture into the bottom of an 8″x8″ baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool.

4. To make the cheesecake filling, add sugar, cream cheese and flour to a large bowl. Using a mixer on medium-high speed, cream mixture until combined.

5. Turn mixer to low and add egg and yolk, mixing until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

6. Stir in broken cookies and pour batter on prepared crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

7. To make ganache, add cream and butter to a saucepan and heat on stove, removing just before boiling.

8. Place chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl and immediately pour cream over it. Let sit for five minutes and then stir until completely combined.

9. Add powdered sugar and beat with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over cooled cheesecake and top with remaining cookie pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

10. Cut into bars and serve.

Normally during our Kids in the Kitchen posts, we have adorable pictures of our little chefs helping us out. Not so much this week. Instead the smallest chef in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen was too busy sneaking Oreos and running out of the house and into the yard as quickly as possible, to avoid getting caught. Sidenote: Sawyer, you are NOT as sneaky as you think you are! So, you'll have to use your imagination. 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

Woo hoo! We finally have our first few days of steamy, hot weather here in Wisconsin! We're able to sit in the yard, chase the dogs and the kid around with a hose and even break out some water balloons. We're thrilled.

The only thing we're NOT thrilled with, is the idea of cooking, and heating up the entire house when we turn the stove on. This is when the grill becomes our best friend. Last Friday we had chicken breasts defrosted, and a bunch of vegetables from our CSA pick up. Instead of stir frying them like we intended, our Wisconsin Cool Dad thought making chicken and vegetable kabobs for the grill sounded like a better idea. 

Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

1 cup olive oil
1 cup soy sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, defrosted and cut roughly into 1" chunks
Vegetables (we went with green pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms)- cut into thick slices

Pour olive oil and soy sauce into a bowl, whisk to combine. Place cut up chicken into a Ziploc bag, and add 1/3rd of the marinade. Seal the bag, and shake well to make sure chicken is coated in the olive oil and soy sauce. Place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

Place cut up vegetables into another Ziploc bag (don't put chicken and vegetables into the same bag- you don't want to worry about any cross contamination issues) and add the remainder of the marinade. Seal the bag and shake well to coat the vegetables. Place on the counter for 30-60 minutes. 

Once the meat and chicken are well marinated, fire up the grill for medium heat. While the grill is heating, skewer your vegetables and chicken. We recommend putting the chicken and vegetables on separate skewers; in case you have vegetarians, or picky eaters. Or, picky eaters that are also vegetarians. See our picture below- we skewered over a large cookie sheet in an attempt to prevent a huge mess in the kitchen. We were mostly successful in this. 

Side note on skewers: we used metal skewers; but if you use wood- make sure you soak them in water before using them. This will prevent them from starting on fire once you place them on the grill. 

Place skewers on the grill. You want to turn them occasionally to make sure they cook throughout. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees (this should take about 15-20 minutes to cook). You know the chicken is done when the juices run clear. The vegetables are done when they're tender (but not mushy). 

This is an easy weeknight meal that takes minimal prep time, and you can customize it to include vegetables and meat you and your guests like. Bonus points- this is a great recipe to make with kids- they'll love picking out the vegetables for their very own skewers. We look forward to sharing more recipes like this with you as summer continues!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew