Football Friday: Sweet Potato Chili

There's nothing more all American than a Sunday filled with football and homemade chili! Last weekend the Wisconsin Test Kitchen (still on Whole30 as of this blog post) made a huge pot of chili full of beef, sweet potatoes, carrots and seasonings. It was insanely delicious, and the sweet potatoes were a nice addition. This would be a great vegan dish as well: consider using soy crumbles and vegetable stock instead. 

Sweet Potato Chili
Recipe courtesy of: Tastes of Lizzy T's

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
1 red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 large can (29.5 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups petite diced tomatoes, with juice
3 cups beef stock
3 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
5 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 4-5 cups)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 cup chili powder
dash of oregano
dash of red pepper flakes

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic. Drain grease from pan. 

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3-4. 

And now it's time for our Football Friday picks! Sawyer is now in the lead with 19 correct picks (Rams over Seahawks, anyone?), and Tristan is close behind with 15 correct picks. Here are their week 3 predictions!

Houston vs. New England
Arkansas: Patriots
Wisconsin: Patriots

Baltimore vs. Jacksonville
Arkansas: Ravens
Wisconsin: Jaguars

Washington vs. NYG
Arkansas: Giants
Wisconsin: Redskins

Detroit vs. Green Bay
Arkansas: Packers
Wisconsin: Packers

Cleveland vs. Miami
Arkansas: Dolphins
Wiscconsin: Dolphins

Minnesota vs. Carolina
Arkansas: Panthers
Wisconsin: Panthers

Denver vs. Cincinnati
Arkansas: Broncos
Wisconsin: Bengals

Arizona vs. Buffalo
Arkansas: Cardinals
Wisconsin: Bills

Oakland vs. Tennessee
Arkansas: Titans
Wisconsin: Raiders

LA vs. Tampa Bay
Arkansas: Buccaneers
Wisconsin: Rams

San Francisco vs. Seattle
Arkansas: Seahawks
Wisconsin: 49ers

Pittsburgh vs. Philly
Arkansas: Eagles
Wisconsin: Eagles

NYJ vs. Kansas City
Arkansas: Chiefs
Wisconsin: Jets

San Diego vs. Indy
Arkansas: Colts
Wisconsin: Colts

Chicago vs. Dallas
Arkansas: Bears
Wisconsin: Cowboys

Atlanta vs. New Orleans
Arkansas: Saints
Wisconsin: Falcons

There you have it! I hope your weekend is full of food, fun and football!
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Snacks Aplenty

The best part of Football Sunday is definitely the food! And after some major upsets last week; the Wisconsin Test Kitchen needed all the comfort food they could get... Whole 30 compliant comfort food, of course. Between the Raiders and the Saints, and the Panthers falling to the Broncos- it was a rough weekend. But- snacks!!! And a Packers win!!! 

Since the weather was beautiful, we grilled out burgers and brats, and made mashed sweet potatoes. And during the games, we snacked on some homemade guacamole and fresh vegetable slices. We also made a basil pesto aioli for the burgers; and we ended up slathering it on everything: it was SO tasty. I anticipate us making this again immediately (tomorrow) since our basil plant has gotten out of control with all the rain we've gotten lately. 

Here are the recipes for the snacks we made. They both required minimal prep work, and were completely gone by the end of football Sunday. 

Easy Guacamole

Basil Garlic Aioli

Now that we've taken care of snackage, it's onto the important stuff:  our Football Friday picks! Sawyer is currently in the lead with 9 correct picks, and Tristan with 8. Here's what they've predicted for this week:

NYJ vs. Buffalo
Arkansas: Buffalo
Wisconsin: Buffalo

New Orleans vs. NYG
Arkansas: Giants
Wisconsin: Giants

Tennessee vs. Detroit
Arkansas: Lions
Wisconsin: Lions

Dallas vs. Washington
Arkansas: Redskins
Wisconsin: Cowboys

Kansas City vs. Houston
Arkansas: Texans
Wisconsin: Texans

Miami vs. New England
Arkansas: Patriots
Wisconsin: Dolphins

Baltimore vs. Cleveland
Arkansas: Ravens
Wisconsin:  Ravens

San Francisco vs. Carolina
Arkansas: 49ers
Wisconsin: Panthers

Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
Arkansas: Steelers
Wisconsin: Bengals

Tampa Bay vs. Arizona
Arkansas: Buccaneers
Wisconsin: Cardinals

Seattle vs. LA
Arkansas: Seahawks
Wisconsin: Rams

Atlanta vs. Oakland
Arkansas: Raiders
Wisconsin: Falcons

Jacksonville vs. San Diego
Arkansas: Jaguars
Wisconsin: Jaguars

Indy vs. Denver
Arkansas: Broncos
Wisconsin: Colts

Green Bay vs. Minnesota
Arkansas: Packers
Wisconsin: Packers

Philadelphia vs. Chicago
Arkansas: Bears
Wisconsin: Eagles

And there you have it! We'll see whose predictions turned out correct next week!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Chicken & Corn Chowder

Since it's the first Monday after Labor Day, we thought we'd post a hearty, fall inspired meal, designed to warm you from the inside out. It's that time of year: thick soups, football games and PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES!!! The most wonderful time of the year, folks. 

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen made this chowder a few weeks back, pre Whole-30, and we're already been thinking about how to modify this creamy, delicious soup to make it Whole 30 compliant. Stay tuned. 

Chicken & Corn Chowder
Recipe courtesy of: Damn Delicious

4 slices bacon, diced
1lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" chunks
12oz. red potatoes, diced 
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups corn kernels, frozen
4 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried oregano 
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup half & half
2 T cornstarch
2 T unsalted butter
2 T fresh chopped thyme

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy; about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. 

Place chicken, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and corn into crock pot. Stir in chicken broth, garlic, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or high heat for 3-4 hours. 

In a small bowl, whisk together half and half and corn starch. Stir in the half and half mixture and butter during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Serve immediately, topped with bacon and garnished with chives. 

This was a successful meal in our house, even our smallest chef polished off two bowls at dinner. We'll be back next week with more fall inspired recipes sure to get you in the crispy leaves and football mood!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Pepperoncini Beef

Labor Day weekend has come and gone; which is the unofficial end of summer, and the official start of everyone's favorite season: FOOTBALL!!!!

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen started The Whole 30 the day after Labor Day, and as of this blog being posted, are on Day 4. Takeaways: Kevin has discovered he likes Whole 30 compliant mayonnaise, and Rebecca has finally gotten over her sugar withdrawal headaches. We're having lots of lettuce wraps, vegetable slices, almond milk and fruit smoothies and eggs. Lots, and lots of eggs. 

But, we tried a Whole 30 meal the other night that we thought our non-Whole 30 followers might enjoy. This beef roast was juicy, flavorful and perfect for Football Sundays. If you're not on the Whole 30, the beef would be delicious on sandwich rolls with slices of provolone cheese. Alas, we had our beef wrapped in butter lettuce leaves- surprisingly delicious! 

This is the perfect football Sunday recipe: put the ingredients in the slow cooker early, and allow the meat to cook all day- finishing up right in time for dinner. It doesn't get much better than that!

Pepperoncini Beef
Recipe Courtesy of: The Slender Kitchen


2 lb lean beef eye round roast
1 onion, chopped
1 cup beef broth
8 oz pepperoncini with juice, jarred
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp Italian seasoning

Add everything to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Shred beef with 2 forks and serve.

And now- the most important part of the blog post: Football Picks! Once again, we're letting our tiny chefs make the weekly football picks for our blog. Week one... here we go!

Denver vs. Carolina

Arkansas: Broncos

Wisconsin: Panthers

Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta

Arkansas: Falcons

Wisconsin: Falcons

Buffalo vs. Baltimore

Arkansas: Ravens

Wisconsin: Ravens

Chicago vs. Houston 

Arkansas: Bears

Wisconsin: Texans

Green Bay vs. Jacksonville

Arkansas: Packers

Wisconsin: Packers

San Diego vs. Kansas City

Arkansas: Chargers

Wisconsin: Chiefs

Oakland vs. New Orleans

Arkansas: Saints

Wisconsin: Saints

Cincinnati vs. NYJ

Arkansas: Jets

Wisconsin: Bengals

Cleveland vs. Philly

Arkansas: Eagles

Wisconsin: Eagles

Minnesota vs. Tennessee

Arkansas: Vikings

Wisconsin: Vikings

Miami vs. Seattle 

Arkansas: Seahawks

Wisconsin: Dolphins

NYG vs. Dallas

Arkansas: Giants

Wisconsin: Cowboys

Detroit vs. Indy

Arkansas: Colts

Wisconsin: Lions

New England vs. Arizona

Arkansas: Cardinals

Wisconsin: Cardinals

Pittsburgh vs. Washington

Arkansas: Steelers

Wisconsin: Redskins

Los Angeles vs. San Francisco

Arkansas: Rams

Wisconsin: Rams

And there you have it! Our first Football Friday post of the season. Check back for plenty of delicious recipes and the standings between the two test kitchens.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Mongolian Chicken

What we're about to say is going to blow your mind. Seriously, guys... please sit down for this one. Prepare yourselves. Maybe get a glass of cold water, or a paper bag to breathe in and out of? 

We'll give you a minute. 

Ready? 

Ok. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen just made THE BEST chicken dish ever in the slow cooker. Seriously. THE BEST. As a rule, we try not to cook chicken too much in the slow cooker; chicken breasts turn out dry and have the texture of a rubber band. Most recipes just don't seem to get the cook time right, and we always end up with a dinner that's just so-so. 

Until last week. 

We've been on a Chinese food in the slow cooker kick lately (seriously guys, have you tried the Beef & Broccoli? It's stupid good); so we thought we'd try a new chicken recipe for a change. Change is good. It's real good. 

Mongolian Chicken
Recipe courtesy of: Carlsbad Cravings

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 -2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Mongolian Sauce
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2-4 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce (like Mae Ploy)*
2 tablespoons sweet Japanese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon quality hoisin sauce like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman**
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-2 teaspoons sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce for more heat (optional)***

INSTRUCTIONS

Add chicken to the bottom of your slow cooker.

Whisk together all of the Mongolian Sauce ingredients and pour 1/2 cup over chicken. 

Refrigerate the rest of the sauce. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender enough to shred.

When chicken is tender, remove to a cutting board and shred.
Meanwhile, add reserved Mongolian Sauce to a small saucepan and whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch followed by all the liquid from the slow cooker. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened. Add shredded chicken back to slow cooker along with thickened sauce. Toss to combine.

Let cook an additional 30 minutes on low to absorb sauce. Taste and add additional Asian Sweet Chili Sauce for more sweet heat, Sriracha for spicier, brown sugar for sweeter if desired. Serve with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Do yourself a favor, and add this to your weekly dinner rotation ASAP. Your family will thank you! 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Friday Fun: Slow Cooker Bolognese

We've talked before about how convenient and helpful batch cooking is. Some of our favorite batch recipes are:
Beans & Rice
Whole Chicken in a Crockpot
Stuffed Meatballs

And we now The Wisconsin Test Kitchen has a new favorite batch recipe to add to the list: Slow Cooker Bolognese sauce. For those not familiar, Bolognese is a thick, meaty tomato sauce that pairs well with linguine or penne pasta. We made enough for dinner (and a few lunches) throughout the week, and 2 large containers to throw in the freezer for dinners later on. This was one of those meals all three members of the house agreed on: SB even cleaned her plate, and she's not typically a fan of red sauce. 

The recipe does require some prep work, and is the perfect Saturday or Sunday afternoon project. But it will save so much time and hassle later on, when you're scrambling to find something that resembles dinner. We made the sauce, along with four pounds of the stuffed meatballs. With football season right around the corner, you can never have too many homemade meatballs, right?? 

Slow Cooker Bolognese
Recipe courtesy of: Little Spice Jar

INGREDIENTS
2½ pounds fresh tomatoes (see note)
3 tablespoons oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced or coarsely grated
2 stalks celery, finely diced or coarsely grated
2 medium carrots, finely diced or coarsely grated
3 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup tomato paste
21/2 - 3 pounds ground beef (I used 85% lean) (see note)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon italian seasoning, 1 pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1-28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 bay leaves
1-2 parmesan rinds
¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped (plus more for serving)
¾ cup half and half (or heavy cream!)

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Core the fresh tomatoes and mark an "X" on the top and bottom so it's easier to peel. Add the tomatoes and allow the tomatoes to boil for 15 minutes. Drain and submerge the tomatoes in cold water to immediately stop from cooking further.
In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and allow to cook for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Drain any unnecessary grease with the exception of about 1-2 tablespoons. Add the garlic along with the tomato paste and let cook for 30 seconds.
Increase the flame to medium-high, add the ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, the Italian seasoning, and the red pepper flakes. Allow the meat to brown, add the apple cider vinegar and allow the met to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the ground meat to the crockpot along with the diced tomatoes, san marzano tomatoes, bay leaves, parmesan rinds, and parsley. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper, and allow the Bolognese to cook for 8 hours on the LOW setting of your crockpot. Add the half and half and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta sprinkled with parmesan cheese and additional parsley.

Do you have a batch cooking recipe you rely on? We'd love to hear from our readers! 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Pork Chop Stroganoff

As we've mentioned before, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen usually gets a whole butchered hog every year for Christmas. It's a very generous gift that keeps us in tasty, tasty (locally grown and organic) pork all year long. It allows us to feed smoked pig butt to our entire fantasy football league on draft day, Easter ham for the whole family, and ribs and cutlets all summer long. 

We usually have a TON of pork chops and have been burned out on the same recipes we've been making week after week. So, we took to the trusty Pinterest to find a new recipe. We're adding this one into our rotation immediately! The creamy, mushroom gravy paired well with the juicy, tender chops. We served this with roasted potatoes, and with a side of broccoli rabe. It was an easy, delicious weeknight dinner we'll be making again soon.

A few notes from the Test Kitchen: the recipe we followed called for thick cut pork chops... we have thin cut. As a result, we didn't brown the chops, because we didn't want them to get dried out. If you're using thick cut- follow the directions and brown them- it will seal the juices in, and add more flavor. If you're using thin cut- place the chops in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 3-4 hours. 

Pork Chop Stroganoff
Recipe courtesy of: Cooktop Cove

4 large bone-in rib pork chops
1 tbs butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope pork gravy mix
½ cup water
⅓ cup sour cream

Instructions
1. Combine the soup and gravy mix in a bowl, add to the slow cooker and place the mushrooms on top.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet and brown the pork chops on both sides, in two batches if necessary, before placing in the slow cooker on top of the mushrooms.

3. Deglaze the skillet using the water, scraping up any meaty or fatty cooked-on bits from the pan using a wooden spatula and pour the contents of the skillet over the pork chops before covering and cooking on low for 6 - 8 hours. 

4. Remove the pork chops and stir the sour cream through the mushroom gravy until smooth, then pour over the chops and serve with steamed rice.

With the kids heading back to school, sports and social leagues starting back up, life is hectic- no doubt. So do yourself a favor, and let the crock pot cook dinner for you tonight!