Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Cheese Bread

The youngest member of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen is suffering from a cold. She's got a runny nose, she's stuffy and all around miserable. And of course it's still freezing cold outside. We're loving life here in Wisconsin, let me tell you...

But the other night she "Pretty Please" requested a loaf of Mommy's delicious cheese bread. She promised it would make her feel all better. How can we turn down a request like that?

So, Sawyer spent the evening in bed watching Aqua Bats (seriously... what a bizarre show- but she loves it!); and the Test Kitchen prepared a tried and true bread recipe. Hopefully your mouth is watering at the prospect of cheese bread. Here's more incentive for you to make a loaf... You know those delicious little cheese biscuits they serve at Red Lobster? Yeah- this is the loaf form of those biscuits. Even if you've never had them, please take our word for it. Yum.

Cool Dads Cheese Bread

3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons of butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten


1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with oil.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients.

4. Carefully stir in cheese cubes until covered in flour mixture. This will help prevent your cheese sinking to the bottom of your loaf of bread.

5. In a different bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

6. Fold the wet mixture into the flour and cheese mixture.Stir until just combined.
7. Do not over stir. Your masterpiece will turn out like a giant hockey puck.
8. Pour and spread the mixture into the loaf pan.

9. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Allow to cool for one hour before slicing and serving.

Recipe courtesy of www.prayingforparker.com


Sorry, we were so excited to have cheese bread, we forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Take our word for it. It was beautiful. And delicious.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

-We never have sour cream in the kitchen. But we always have Greek yogurt. It's a perfect substitution in this recipe, and cuts the fat and calories (if you're concerned about such a ridiculous thing while making cheese bread).
-We don't use cubed cheese- we use shredded. Just make sure you coat it well in flour to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the pan while baking.

Do you have any tried and true cold remedies in your household? We'd love to hear about them!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: BBQ Meatloaf

 

We've said  it before and we'll say it again: Doug in the Arkansas Test Kitchen is a Grilling Gladiator; he'll attempt to grill anything at any time. He spends every Sunday at his father's house; watching football and making game day food for them to enjoy. Last Sunday he had the idea of making meatloaf on the grill. That's right: barbequed meatloaf on the grill. Luckily the weather cooperated for this fantastic recipe.

While Doug recommends this meal be prepared on the grill, you can use the oven instead.

 


BBQ Meatloaf

1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 egg
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon BBQ rub
1 lb. bacon

1. Mix onion, green bell pepper, egg, ground beef, bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, BBQ rub together with your hands until well combined. Form into a loaf form.
2. Take your bacon and make a bacon weave. See below for directions on making the perfect weave:
     a. Place 6 slices of bacon vertical
     b. Fold slice 1, 3 , 5 in half
     c. place 1 slice of bacon horizontal
     d. fold down bacon slice 1, 3, 5 and fold slice 2, 4, 6, in half
     e. continue with instructions b - d until you have a complete bacon weave blanket.

3. Place the meatloaf in the middle of the bacon weave blanket and fold the sides up to cover the entire meatloaf.
4. Set grill up for indirect grilling.

5. Place a few pieces of wood on the fire
6. Once the grill starts smoking, place the meatloaf on the grill opposite the fire
7. Cook for 2 hours checking every 30 minutes on the wood.
8. Once the center of the meatloaf reaches 155 degrees, pull from the grill and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
9. Cut and enjoy.
 

If you're dealing with cold weather right now and are not brave enough to cook, it can be cooked in the oven. Follow directions 1 - 3.
4. Place a cooling rack on a rimmed cookie sheet (this allows the grease to pool on the bottom of the cookie sheet and not collect on your meatloaf.
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees
6. Place the meatloaf in the bacon weave on the cooling rack and place in the oven
7. Cook for 2 hours or until the center of the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees.

We hope you love this new twist on meatloaf as much as we did!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

WTF Wednesday and Flashback Friday- rolled into one post. With ribs.

 

 

Fun fact: last week for the first time ever- every one of the 50 states was below freezing. Yup, even Hawaii. We understand not all parts of the country have prime grilling weather right now; but in the Arkansas Test Kitchen it's always a good time to prepare ribs. Any time it's above 40 degrees, Doug is ready to fire up the smoker. The first and most important part of grilling is to find the cutest sous chef to assist:
 

Now it's time for the recipe:

2 racks of ribs
Your favorite barbecue rub (I like Strawberry's Shake-On-Bar-B-Que Seasoning)
Apple juice

1. Cut off any additional meat from the ribs, save for later.

2. Remove the membrane off the back of the ribs. This may sound difficult, but it's actually pretty easy. Use a butter knife or a spoon and work it in between the membrane and the ribs until you are all the way through. Using a paper towel pull the membrane off the ribs.

 


3. Sprinkle a good portion of the rub onto the ribs and the meat you initially removed.

4. Wrap the ribs and meat in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. Cool Dads tip: the ribs taste best when refrigerated anywhere from four hours, to overnight.

5. Remove the ribs and meat from the refrigerator one hour before placing them on the smoker / grill.

6. Fire up the smoker / grill. Remember this is barbeque and should be cooked low and slow. Again: LOW AND SLOW. Say it with us, kids: LOW AND SLOW. Roughly translated this means low temperatures for a long period of time.

7. Once the charcoal has turned white, place a few pieces of wood on top, until they start smoking.

8. Pour a slight amount of apple juice into a drip pan, and place it underneath the ribs and the meat you had initially removed from the ribs.

9. Check the fire / wood every 30 minutes to make sure the wood is still smoking.

10. It's important to check the fire, but just as important to check the ribs and occasionally mist with apple juice

11. After an hour and forty five minutes, check the internal temperature of the ribs. The temperature should be approximately 155 - 160 degrees.

12. Once the ribs have reached 155-160 degrees, take them off the smoker / grill and wrap them in aluminum foil for 30-45 minutes

13. Cut into individual ribs and enjoy!

 

 

Are you still able to grill in January? We're looking for our Grilling Gladiators- the dads willing to grill in all temperatures. Let us know some of the craziest weather conditions you've grilled in.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew 

Monday Meals: Creamy Tomato Soup

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen has been in something of a tailspin. We went from having one stay-at-home parent, to no stay-at-home parents, to having one stay at home parent again, to currently having none. 2014 has been hectic, to say the least. One of the biggest challenges we've been facing is finding quick, go-to meals that are ready to eat quickly; so we don't resort to take-out and fast food every night for dinner. Needless to say, our slow cooker has become our best friend.

Here's a tried and true recipe we make at least once a month. It's a great way to sneak veggies into your kids diet (unless your kid is Sawyer, and refuses to eat tomatoes in any shape or form). Pair this with a grilled cheese sandwich, and you've got a delicious soup your family is going to love.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 t dried oregano
1T dried basil
1/2 bay leaf
1/2cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups milk, warmed
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the first eight ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours, or high for 3-4 hours- until vegetables are tender.

Thirty minutes before serving, prepare a roux in a large saucepan by melting butter on low heat, and slowly whisking flour in. Whisk over low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until toasty (you'll know it's toasty by the smell).

Slowly stir in one cup of hot soup until well combined. Repeat with 3 more cups soup, stirring in one cup at a time. Add all ingredients back into the crock pot. Stir in Parmesan cheese and milk. Taste, and season as needed.


 Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Taste and season again before serving. You have two choices at this point. You can serve the soup 'as is' for a more rustic style tomato soup, or you can use an immersion blender for a smoother consistency. We are big immersion blender fans. So we blend.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

Every season we freeze 20 pounds of whole tomatoes to use throughout the winter in chili, soups and stews. Part of the reason we make this soup so much, is so we can burn through all of our frozen tomatoes. The difference between canned and fresh tomatoes is like night and day. We encourage using fresh tomatoes, but canned will work in a pinch.

Making the roux might seem like a pain in the butt- but DO IT! It adds a nice, rich flavor to your soup.

I can't emphasize the importance of seasoning enough. For whatever reason, using a slow cooker really dulls the flavor of food- so please check the flavor of the soup before you serve it- and adjust the seasonings as needed.

As life adjusts to normal, we look forward to sharing more quick, easy dinners with you. Remember: food is love, people!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Flashback Friday: Cinnamon Apple Cider

Since the Packers and the Bears are out of the playoffs, Football Friday has sadly come to an end. No worries- we'll post some delicious Super Bowl snack ideas- but our hearts just aren't in it anymore. Whomp whomp.

So Flashback Friday it is! We'll be posting some nostalgic, family friendly recipes we love. First up is a cider recipe Doug fondly remembers... Trust me- you're going to want to hold onto this recipe in case the Polar Vortex decides to make an unexpected visit again. We're still thawing out from earlier this week; but this cider is sure helping us warm up!

Every year around this time my mother would host multiple Christmas parties. She was actually known as the Christmas Tree Lady because she would put up 30+ Christmas Trees! But I digress... One of the main things she would serve was Cinnamon Apple Cider. This drink is easy to make, affordable if you're entertaining a crowd of people, and it's guaranteed to warm you from head to toe.
Cinnamon Apple Cider:

2 quarts apple cider
5 oz Red Hots candies (or more if you like a more cinnamon taste)

1. Place all the ingredients into a large sauce pan, turn on low heat to simmer
2. Cider is done when all the candies have melted, and liquid is warm.
3. Pour into mugs, and enjoy. Commence with warming.

What are some of your favorite nostalgic recipes? We can't wait to share some with you!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

WTF Wednesday Meal: Creamy Spinach and Sausage Pasta

We know; Wednesdays are normally reserved for Kids in the Kitchen posts. But sometimes you have a week so random, you have to ask yourself: W.T.F. That pretty much sums up life recently in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen.

Dig if you will the picture. We took our trusty Honda CRV in for a standard oil change: only to find out the car was in dire need of new tires and a new battery. Ugh. The weather here has been below zero, and the roads have been glare ice. And the CRV sojourns everywhere from Chicago, Illinois to Madison, Wisconsin: making a battery and tires not really optional purchases. Thus resulted in a drive across town at 5pm for new tires. After dropping off the CRV and choking on the price of new tires; the idea of getting take out wasn't realistic. It was more fiscally responsible to go home and cook dinner. Damn you, fiscal responsibility!

But, we had a recipe for a one-pot meal that was hearty and sounded delicious. And, it took us less than 30 minutes to make the entire meal- from start to finish.

Creamy Spinach and Sausage Pasta

• 6 oz. smoked sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. pasta
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack
• 1 whole green onion

Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.

 

Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.

 

Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.

 

Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.

 

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top. Serve hot!

 

Recipe courtesy of www.budgetbytes.com

 

Test Kitchen Notes:

We were STARVING when we made this, and decided to double the recipe. We had everything we needed, except for an additional can of tomatoes. We raided the fridge and cupboard, and found a jar of salsa. We added it, and found it added a nice kick to the recipe. This recipe is VERY forgiving- as long as you have enough liquid to adequately cook the pasta.

 

We are always counting calories; and found that smoked chicken sausage was an excellent substitution. It didn't take away from the overall flavor of the dish.

 

Here's to a far less WTF 2014!

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast

Here at Cool Dads Cook, we subscribe to a very simple philosophy: Food is Love. When you love cooking; the final, delicious product proves it. When you love the people you're cooking for; you put something extra in.

The holidays have been one long season of cooking, loved ones and... love. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen was gifted with a whole butchered hog. If that isn't the ultimate in love... I don't know what is. Bacon = Love, folks.

So we decided to use part (and I mean a very small part) of that hog for a Cool Dads birthday celebration this weekend. Happy Birthday Kevin! 33 never looked so good- or so cool!

We had a tried and true recipe for a balsamic brown sugar pork loin, and decided this was just the cold, snowy weekend to make it again.

Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water

Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic.

 Rub over roast.

 Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking.

Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Recipe source: C & C Marriage Factory

We served the pork with some roasted purple potatoes and a loaf of homemade bread. It was one of those meals that looked and tasted really impressive; but required a minimal amount of work. And our Wisconsin Cool Dad was really happy with his special birthday meal. He's also happy with the fact he has leftovers to take to work tomorrow.

Now that the holidays are over; we look forward to sharing more recipes and ideas with you. Here's to a delicious 2014!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew