Football Friday: Carne Asada Tacos

Cool Dads don't admit defeat, especially when it comes to their grilling. When it comes to grilling, the Cool Dads take the approach of the US Postal Service: neither wind, nor rain, nor snow will keep them from grilling tasty food. In the Wisconsin test kitchen, we take pride in grilling year round. This past February when it seemed like winter was never going to end; we cranked the heat up a few more degrees in the house, made a pitcher of margaritas and slapped some burgers on the grill... which was buried in over a foot of snow. But it's amazing what a grilled cheeseburger and a tasty Corona margarita will do for your soul.

With the traditional definition of grilling season coming to a close soon (not yet in Arkansas); the Arkansas test kitchen was looking for some new ways to grill. We came across the ultimate tailgate recipe: Make Your Own Tacos using Carne Asada (which means Grilled Meat), and tomatillo salsa. This recipe is great; because your guests can customize their tacos, based on their preferences.

Carne Asada Tacos

Taco Recipe:
1 package flour tortillas warmed
1 lb. Carne Asada Meat (recipe below)
1 package taco rice (I used Knorr brand)
1 can black beans
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, died
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 package Kraft Mexican style cheese
Salsa Verde (recipe below)

Carne Asada Recipe:

Juice from 2 lemons
6 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Salt (to taste)
1 lb. Flank or Skirt steak
Oil for the grill

1. Place lemon juice, water, garlic powder, salt and steak into a Ziploc bag, and massage the marinade into the meat.
2. Place meat and marinade combination into the refrigerator for 1 - 3 hours
3. Preheat grill or grill pan (if grilling inside) to medium-high heat
4. Oil grill, then place meat on the grill
5. Grill approximately 3 minutes per side

6. Place meat on a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting
7. Cut meat into 1/2" strips, then cut into small chunks for easier taco assembly

Salsa Verde Recipe

10 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2 jalapenos, halved and seeded
1 bunch fresh cilantro(leaves and stem)
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

1. Add all ingredients into a medium sauce pan of boiling water
2. Reduce heat to a simmer
3. Cook until everything has softened, approximately 10 minutes
4. Let cool
5. Transfer tomatillos, jalapenos, cilantro, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor
6. Puree until smooth
7. Season with salt as needed
8. Thin with liquid from sauce pan if needed

If you have never hear about Tomatillos, click this Wikipedia link to tomatillo. And also? You're seriously missing out. Tomatillo salsa is the bomb!

These tacos didn't last long in the Arkansas test kitchen. The meat was well seasoned, and the other ingredients helped to make a flavorful, healthy dinner.  Q-doba and Chipotle don't have anything on these delicious tacos. My family has already told me I have to make these again. What better compliment can you get?!

And now- some football picks! This is a serious week for fantasy football- it's Wisconsin test kitchen vs. Arkansas test kitchen, and we anticipate some major smack talk! Not to mention, the Arkansas test kitchen is composed of Bears fans, and we all know the Wisconsin test kitchen is part of Packer Nation... which means Monday night is going to be relentless.

Tennessee vs. Saint Louis
Dad #1: Titans (what does STL have left to play for anyway?!)
Dad #2: Titans

Buffalo vs. Kansas City
Dad #1: Chiefs
Dad #2: Chiefs
Dallas vs. Minnesota
Dad #1: Cowboys
Dad #2: Cowboys
New Orleans vs. NYJ
Dad #1: Jets
Dad #2: Saints

Washington vs. San Diego
Dad #1: Chargers
Dad #2: Chargers
Carolina vs. Atlanta
Dad #1: Falcons
Dad #2: Panthers
Philly vs. Oakland
Dad #1: Raiders
Dad #2: Eagles
Tampa Bay vs. Seattle
Dad #1: Seahawks
Dad #2: Seahawks

Baltimore vs. Cleveland
Dad #1: Browns
Dad #2: Browns
New England vs. Pittsburgh
Dad #1: Patriots
Dad #2: Patriots

Houston vs. Indy
Dad #1: Colts
Dad #2: Colts
Green Bay vs. Chicago
Dad #1: Bears
Dad #2: PACKERS!!!! Besides, Jay Cutler has that sprained uterus, and won't be playing...
Hope you have a great weekend filled with football, food and family.
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Cook Crew

Kids in the Kitchen: Pumpkin Bread

Here's a very special post from Doug in our Arkansas Test Kitchen...

 

 

 

 

 

With the passing of my mother in May, we had to go through all of her stuff, each of us finding different things that made a special connection to her. The one thing that we all wanted was her recipes. Among them are Angel Eggs (Deviled Eggs, but my brother didn't like calling them Deviled Eggs so we changed the name), Snow Cream (the last thing she ever made for my son and I when we were home at Christmas), and her Pumpkin Bread.  It is well publicized that we here at Cool Dads Cook love pumpkin so what better way to pay tribute than to make some of her Pumpkin Bread and post it on the blog?

We call this Nana's Pumpkin Bread, because when my son and nephew were born (10 days apart) my mother wanted to be called Nana. Why Nana no one knows, but that's what she wanted to be called!

Nana's Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
5 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1 can pumpkin puree

1. Mix together eggs, vegetable oil, and sugar in a large bowl.

2. Chop 1 cup pecans

3. Add plain flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda, chopped pecans, and pumpkin puree.
4. Mix for approximately 5 minutes
5. Spray cooking spray into 4 loaf pans
6. Pour batter equally into prepared loaf pans

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

 

One of the ways  we had lil' dude help while we were cooking was to have him count as I was measuring out ingredients.

When the lil' dude helps in the kitchen, he has a lot of ownership in his work, and it's also a great way to get more nutritious food into his diet. Lil' dude will not eat anything that is not a chicken nugget or a fish stick, unless he helps make it. After he helped make this pumpkin bread, he now asks to make / eat it every day; this makes his mom and cool dad extremely happy.

 

We hope you enjoyed this special recipe as much as we did!

 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Cook Crew

Apple Butter Grilled Chicken

After our recent blog post of What a Crock Apple Butter we did a web search of what other things you can do with Apple Butter besides just putting it on toast. The Arkansas test kitchen came across this great recipe from Taste of Home, so we tested it out. What better way to combine Apple Butter than with one of Cool Dads favorite ways to cook: on the grill!

Apple Butter BBQ Chicken

2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 roasting chicken (6 to 7 pounds)
12 oz. unsweetened apple juice, divided
1/2 cup apple butter (want to make your own? read our What a Crock Apple Butter blog)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (we used Redneck Lipstick)

1. Clean the inner cavity of the chicken, removing any additional parts that might be inside.
2. Rinse chicken thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towel
3. Combine salt, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a shaker and sprinkle liberally over chicken
4. Prepare grill for indirect grilling using a grill pan
5. Pour 6 oz of apple juice into drip pan
6. Pour remaining 6 oz of apple juice into empty and cleaned soda can
7. Place chicken and soda can onto beer can chicken holder
8. Place chicken on grill over drip pan
9. Cover and grill on indirect heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until instant read meat thermometer reads 180 degrees.
10. While the chicken is on the grill, mix together the apple butter and barbecue sauce
11. During the last 15 to 30 minutes, baste the chicken with the Apple Butter mixture every 5 to 10 minutes (remember that the sugar in the barbecue sauce and apple butter with caramelize on the chicken).
12 Remove chicken from the grill and allow to rest 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil before carving

We'd love to hear from our readers- any interesting ideas to utilize apple butter? We'd love to hear from you!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Corndogs

Corndogs. They're one of those rare, universal foods that both kids and adults can agree on. They bring back warm, nostalgic memories of county fairs, summertime and childhood. And what better way to have one of your favorite treats than in muffin form?

One of our loyal fans, Rachael recommended this recipe, and the Arkansas test kitchen took to it immediately. Here's Doug's blog:

Tristan was excited to start cooking as you can tell from the video above. He was even more excited when he found out we were going to use the corn meal that we purchased on a recent trip to the Parker Homestead. These treats are perfect for either a tailgate party or to pack for lunches.


Mini Corn Dog Muffins

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 hot dogs, quartered

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine butter, applesauce, and sugar: whisk to combine

 

 

 

3. Add eggs and buttermilk; whisk to incorporate
4. In a separate bowl combine baking soda, cornmeal, all purpose flour, and salt
5. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine
6. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray
7. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup
8. Place one hot dog piece into the middle of each muffin cup
9. Bake 8 - 12 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown
10. Cool 5 minutes before serving

If you are in a hurry, you can use a cornbread mix like Jiffy Cornbread Mix, cut the hot dogs and complete step 8 - 10.

Another great addition would be to put 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese into your cornbread mixture.

Test Kitchen Notes:
 -Definitely use a mini muffin pan for this recipe!
-Only fill each muffin tin halfway full.
-Ketchup and mustard are a must when it comes time to serve these bad boys.

Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats


Football Predictions

Detroit vs. Dallas
Dad #1: Cowboys
Dad #2: Cowboys

Cleveland vs. Kansas City
Dad #1: Chiefs
Dad #2: Chiefs

New England vs. Miami
Dad #1: Patriots
Dad #2: Patriots

New Orleans vs. Buffalo
Dad #1: Saints
Dad #2: Saints

Philly vs. NYG
Dad #1: Eagles
Dad #2: Eagles

San Francisco vs. Jacksonville
Dad #1: 49ers
Dad #2: 49ers

Cincinnati vs. NYJ
Dad #1: Jets
Dad #2: Bengals

Pittsburgh vs. Oakland
Dad #1: Steelers
Dad #2: Raiders

Washington vs. Denver
Dad #1: Broncos
Dad #2: Broncos

Atlanta vs. Arizona
Dad #1: Falcons
Dad #2: Falcons

Green Bay vs. Minnesota
Dad #1: PACKERS!!!
Dad #2: PACKERS!!!

St. Louis vs. Seattle
Dad #1: Seahawks
Dad #2: Seahawks

Hope your trick-or-treat weekends are full of fun, family and fun-sized candy bars!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen: Quiche

There was an advertising campaign a few years ago that bragged, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche!"

Sorry, the Cool Dads Crew strongly disagrees. Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we've been making quiche since our daughter Sawyer was a few years old. In fact, some might argue it was the first dish our Wisconsin Cool Dad, Kevin, perfected. Seriously... you've never seen a man more proud of a homemade quiche. And justifiably so!

Quiche was an easy meal to throw together, and it was a guaranteed way to get protein and vegetables into Sawyer's diet. Now that she's five, it's still an easy dinner that we have at least once a month; and it's something she loves to help her Daddy make. Quiche... it's not just for breakfast anymore. Although it is an easy breakfast idea. Did we mention it freezes and refrigerates incredibly well?


Cool Dads Quiche

1 standard size pie crust- we prefer the frozen kind
3 eggs
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 t mustard
1/2 t salt
3 shakes of Penzey's Sunny Paris Seasoning (a good quality seasoning mix like Mrs. Dash's will work as well)
Handful sliced mushrooms, chopped
Handful fresh spinach, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. If using a frozen pie crust, let it thaw completely. Once thawed, sprinkle cheese onto the bottom of the pie crust.

In a bowl, combine the remainder of the ingredients.

Side Note: Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we're more than slightly obsessed with Penzey's Spices. Not only are they local to Wisconsin, but they're all kinds of delicious. We use the Sunny Paris Seasoning Sawyer is proudly showing off in just about everything from eggs to roast chicken to soups. Yup, it's that versatile. Sawyer even tells us it's an integral part to making scrambled eggs... they're just not the same without Sunny Paris.
Here's a link to their website if you're interested in finding out more:
http://www.penzeys.com/


Once the ingredients are combined, pour into the pie tin over the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure the center is set. Let the quiche sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Notes from the Test Kitchen:

-Our quiche was vegetarian, but adding ham or bacon would make the quiche even more delicious.
-We always use mozzarella cheese because Sawyer has some strange aversion to cheddar; but Swiss, cheddar or even pepper jack would be tasty alternatives.
-We had just received two huge bags of fresh spinach from our CSA delivery this past week, hence the spinach and mushroom quiche; but red peppers, Kalamata olives, and even broccoli are all great additions to quiche.

African Chili

One of the best things about starting up an endeavor like Cool Dads Cook; is meeting up with other foodies and bloggers that share your passion for delicious, homemade food. A few weeks ago, Cool Dads was approached by a Milwaukee area cook, Yollande Deacon- the owner of Afro Fusion Cuisine. Yollande was kind enough to bring us samples of two of her different spice blends; as well as a jar of her West African tomato herb sauce.

We took to Yollande right away, because of her passion for supporting local farmers, the fact her spices are low-sodium and full of real ingredients (in her tomato sauce you could see fresh chunks of ripe tomato and onion); and her desire to make West African food accessible to everyone. Oh- and the fact her spices and sauces were delicious!

We actually met with Yollande two nights in a row- the first night when she came to drop off the spices and sauce; and the next night when she dropped off some different sausage samples for us to try. Best believe the Arkansas test kitchen was pretty jealous of all the delicious samples we had....

Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we took the tomato herb sauce and decided to use it as the base for chili.

African Inspired Chili

1 jar Joloff & Thieboudienne West African Tomato Herb Sauce
1 pound ground turkey, browned
2 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 whole tomatoes, diced
3 medium sized carrots, chopped
1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken/vegetable stock

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours. This is guaranteed to fill your house with a delicious, curry aroma that's going to have your mouth watering all day.

The chili was delicious, hearty and had a small amount of heat and delicious curry flavor. The vegetables paired well with the sauce; and it was the perfect warm meal to eat while watching Sunday football. We're hooked.

Are you interested in trying some of Yollande's sauces? They're available for sale at:
Good Harvest Market- Pewaukee
Metcalfe's Sentry- Wauwatosa
Outpost Grocery Store locations

Outside of Milwaukee and interested in purchasing? It's in the works! Check out Yollande's website for recipes, ideas and even a free cookbook download!
http://www.learnafricancuisine.com/

We love supporting other cooks, and can't wait to share other recipes inspired by Yollande soon!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Cook Crew

Football Friday: Hamburger Sliders

Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we love having a full house of people over to watch football on Sundays. We usually end up with some random friends and family members; all screaming at the television, drinking beers and eating some delicious comfort food. Yup, that's a quality Sunday right there. It's gotten even better since we've gotten a huge, comfy sectional couch and a massive television. We've become pretty popular on Sundays.

A few Sundays ago we were craving some burgers, and trying to decide the best way to make burgers for a crowd of people. Yup, it was time for some sliders.

Game Day Sliders
Recipe courtesy of Retro Dinner Diva

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 package,  Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic power
1 package (12 count) mini hamburger/slider buns

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, 1 cup shredded cheese, onion soup mix, mayonnaise, and garlic powder.

3. Press/flatten hamburger into a 9×13 pan to form a thin layer (about 1/4 thick). Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

4. Remove from oven and cut hamburger into 12 squares with a pizza cutter or knife. Top with slices of cheese and then place on buns. Place sliders onto large baking sheet.
5. Once all the sliders are on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

We served these bad boys with some spicy barbeque sauce, pickles and ketchup. They were juicy, melty and delicious. Also: this recipe is easily doubled if you're feeding a crowd like we were.

Football Friday Predictions

Atlanta vs. Tampa Bay
Dad #1: Buccaneers
Dad #2: Buccaneers

Cincinnati vs. Detroit
Dad #1: Lions
Dad #2: Lions

Miami vs. Buffalo
Dad #1: Dolphins
Dad #2: Bills

NYJ vs. New England
Dad #1: Patriots
Dad #2: Patriots

Dallas vs. Philadelphia
Dad #1: Eagles
Dad #2: Cowboys

Washington vs. Chicago
Dad #1: Bears
Dad #2: Bears

Carolina vs. St. Louis
Dad #1: Panthers
Dad #2: Panthers

Jacksonville vs. San Diego
Dad #1: Chargers
Dad #2: Jaguars

San Francisco vs. Tennessee
Dad #1: Titans
Dad #2: 49ers

Green Bay over Cleveland
Dad #1: Browns
Dad #2: Packers

Kansas City vs. Houston
Dad #1: Chiefs
Dad #2: Chiefs

Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh
Dad #1: Ravens
Dad #2: Ravens

Denver vs. Indy
Dad #1: Broncos
Dad #2: Broncos

Minnesota vs. NYG
Dad #1: Vikings
Dad #2: Giants

Here's wishing all our Cool Dads fans a weekend full of delicious food and football action!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew