Christmas Wednesday Edition: Apple Pie Moonshine

Not sure about you, but the picture above makes the adult members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen feel a little sick. It reminds us of parties in college, bad hangovers and poor judgement. Oh everclear... you devil.

But we're adults now. And we drink adult drinks. Like apple pie moonshine. This has been on our list of things to try making, and with Christmas right around the corner, we thought this would make a unique gift. 

Cool Dads word of warning: follow these directions closely. Remember, everclear is extremely flammable and dangerous. We know of what we speak. Don't pour it into hot liquid and don't use it near an open flame. Again: we know of what we speak. Here's what we recommend: once the apple juice/cider/sugar combination is done simmering, put it outside, or in the refrigerator to cool completely. We let it sit covered on our back porch for a half hour to make sure it cooled completely before adding the everclear. Safety first, kids. 

Apple Pie Moonshine
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.itisakeeper.com/7929/apple-pie-moonshine/

1 (64 oz) bottle apple juice
1 (64 oz) bottle apple cider
3 cups sugar
8 cinnamon sticks
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 (750 ml) bottle 190 proof Everclear - or the highest proof vodka you can find
6 cinnamon sticks for the jars

Bring the apple juice, cider, sugar, and spices to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Add Everclear to cooled mixture. Do not pour alcohol into the mixture while it's on the stove or hot. It is highly flammable.
Strain the cinnamon sticks out and pour into jars.
Place 1 cinnamon stick into each jar and seal. This yields almost 5 quarts of moonshine.
Let the moonshine rest for at least 2 weeks at room temperature before serving.

So, how does it taste? Not sure yet. We tried a sip immediately after making it, and the only thing we can compare it to is apple pie flavored kerosene. We're confident it's going to mellow and improve over time. We'll keep you posted. 

You've gotta admit: this is the perfect gift idea for the hard to shop for person on your list that has everything. We're pretty confident they don't have moonshine!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Potato Leek Soup

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen is composed of some of the corniest people you'll ever meet. We love puns, and we love really bad jokes. Every single time we make anything with leeks, this happens:

What we lack in quality humor, we make up for with good recipes; so there's that. Right now, leeks and potatoes are in season (hello winter produce!); and we have five bags of potatoes. Not even kidding. Needless to say, we've been trying to get really creative with them. This recipe is in regular rotation in our kitchen right now.


Potato Leek Soup
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/10/potato-leek-soup.html

1 bunch leeks (about 4) dark green stems removed
1/2 large white onion, chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
4 cups fat free chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1/2 cup 2% milk
salt and fresh pepper

Wash leeks very carefully to remove all grit. I usually cut them horizontally and separate the rings to make sure no dirt remains. Coarsely chop them when washed.

In a medium soup pot, melt butter and add flour on low flame. Using a wooden spoon,mix well. This will thicken your soup and give it a wonderful flavor.

Add chicken stock, leeks, onion, potatoes and bring to a boil.

 Cover and simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Using an immersion blender,blend the soup until smooth adding the milk and adjusting salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Once you try this soup, you'll understand why we make it so often. It's quick, it's healthy and the leeks add a delicious, subtle flavor you'll love. We serve this with paninis, or with a warm baguette, and it makes for a weeknight dinner we all enjoy- and we hope you will too!

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Stuffed Honey Ham Biscuits

Looking for a new take on the ham and cheese sandwich? Or, looking for something new to serve during the football games on Sunday? Try these awesome ham and cheese biscuits we made in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen. 

While we made them with ham and swiss cheese, you could easily customize them based on the preferences of your guests. Our smallest chef prefers mozzarella cheese, so we made a few ham and mozzarella biscuits for her. But, turkey, roast beef and any variety of cheese would work as well. 

After eating these, our Wisconsin Cool Dad even thought they'd be a delicious breakfast meal. These are so easy to make, they'd be a perfect Christmas morning breakfast! 

Stuffed Honey Ham Biscuits
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/stuffed-honey-ham-biscuits/0945f4ae-8552-4065-9b49-cd49aa3c7ac0

1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits

8 slices (1/2 oz each) Swiss cheese

8 slices (1 oz each) deli cooked ham
1/4 cup honey

Heat oven to 350°F.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut slit on 1 side of 1 biscuit, forming a deep pocket. Place 1 slice of cheese inside pocket. Top cheese with 1 slice of ham and 1 teaspoon honey.

Press dough over filling, sealing edge of biscuit; place on cookie sheet. 
Repeat with remaining biscuits, cheese, ham and honey.

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Remove from cookie sheet to serving plate. Drizzle remaining honey over tops. Serve immediately.

And now time for some football picks! Dad #1 is still in the lead with 132 correct predictions, and Dad #2 has 120 correct.

Cardinals vs. Rams

Dad #1: St Louis

Dad #2: Arizona

Steelers vs. Falcons

Dad #1: Pittsburgh

Dad #2: Pittsburgh

Redskins vs. Giants

Dad #1: New York

Dad #2: New York

Dolphins vs. Patriots

Dad #1: New England

Dad #2: New England

Raiders vs. Chiefs

Dad #1: Kansas City

Dad #2: Kansas City

Texans vs. Colts

Dad #1: Indy

Dad #2: Indy

Jaguars vs. Ravens
Dad #1: Baltimore

Dad #2: Baltimore

Packers vs. Bills

Dad #1: Green Bay

Dad #2: Green Bay

Buccaneers vs. Panthers

Dad #1: Tampa Bay

Dad #2: Tampa Bay

Bengals vs. Browns
Dad #1: Cleveland
Dad #2: Cincinnati

Jets vs. Titans

Dad #1: New York

Dad #2: Tennessee

Broncos vs. Chargers

Dad #1: Denver

Dad #2: Denver

Vikings vs. Lions

Dad #1: Minnesota

Dad #2: Detroit

49ers vs. Seahawks

Dad #1: Seattle

Dad #2: Seattle

Cowboys vs. Eagles

Dad #1: Dallas

Dad #2: Philly

Saints vs. Bears

Dad #1: New Orleans

Dad #2: Chicago

Hope you have a great weekend full of football, fun and food!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Hash

Colder weather is creeping in, and it's harder to find "fresh" produce from the farm stand, right? 

Wrong.

While you're not likely to find fresh tomatoes or sweet corn, there's still a ton of winter produce available. At the Winter Farmer's Market in Milwaukee you can find potatoes, brussel sprouts, onions, squash, sweet potatoes and beets- among other tasty finds. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen spent a dreary Saturday morning there; and left with three full bags of produce- which included a sack of sweet potatoes and a few butternut squash.

We found a hash recipe last year, and after a few modifications (mainly the addition of bacon!) it's one of the easiest recipes to throw together on a busy weeknight. 

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Hash

1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 lb. bacon, roughly chopped
pumpkin pie seasoning
seasoning salt
eggs

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine squash, sweet potatoes and bacon in a bowl, stirring well to combine. 

Pour onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray (don't over-do it, the bacon will provide plenty of grease and prevent the veggies from sticking to the cookie sheet). 
Lightly sprinkle pumpkin pie seasoning and seasoning salt over the vegetable/bacon mixture before baking for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove from oven and give the veggie/bacon mixture a flip over/toss/whatever you want to call it (this helps the veggies to cook evenly and prevents them from sticking to the pan). Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, make sure vegetables are tender before serving. 
This hash is delicious and hearty by itself, but we really enjoy it with a soft, egg on top. 

Even the smallest member of our Test Kitchen endorsed this meal, she couldn't wait to eat it. 

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen has always been big on supporting local farms and eating as locally and sustainable as possible; every ingredient we used in this meal was locally sourced- the bacon was from a whole butchered hog we received for Christmas, and even the eggs pictured above are from a local farm that delivers to us every week. We highly recommend a visit to the Winter Farmers Market: http://www.mcwfm.org/
Bring the kids along- you get free admission to The Domes! 

We look forward to sharing more hearty, fall and winter dishes with you soon!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday

Both of the test kitchens are still recovering from Thanksgiving; so we don't have a new Football Friday recipe. But hold tight: we'll have some awesome new recipes for you next week. 

Dad #1 is still in the lead with a 13 point margin, putting him at  122 correct picks, and Dad #2 with 109. Now for this week's match ups:

Cowboys vs. Bears
Dad #1: Dallas
Dad #2: Chicago

Steelers vs. Bengals
Dad #1: Pittsburgh
Dad #2: Pittsburgh

Rams vs. Redskins
Dad #1: Washington
Dad #2: St Louis

Giants vs. Titans
Dad #1: New York
Dad #2: Tennessee

Panthers vs. Saints
Dad #1: New Orleans
Dad #2: Carolina

Jets vs. Vikings
Dad #1: Minnesota
Dad #2: NYJ

Ravens vs. Dolphins
Dad #1: Miami
Dad #2: Baltimore

Colts vs. Browns
Dad #1: Indy
Dad #2: Indy

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

Texans vs. Jaguars
Dad #1: Houston
Dad #2: Houston

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

Chiefs vs. Cardinals
Dad #1: Kansas City
Dad #2: Arizona

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

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

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

Falcons vs. Packers
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Green Bay

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Countdown to the Holidays: Toffee

The time between Thanksgiving and New Years really is the most magical time of the year; it's all about family, fun, football and of course FOOD! We want to help you countdown to the holidays with recipes for cookies, candies and even some homemade gifts. 

Our first recipe is so delicious and EASY: there's a good chance you have all the ingredients in your kitchen to make a batch right now. And bonus: this is one of the fastest recipes ever. We promise.

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen has been making this delicious toffee forever. This past week, Rebecca had a holiday party and didn't know what to bring. After opening the cupboard and finding a pack of saltine crackers left over from a horrible bout with the stomach flu, her mission was clear: make toffee. 

Saltine Cracker Toffee

40 saltine crackers (enough to line a jelly roll pan, or a cookie sheet with edges if you don't know what a jelly roll is)

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 cups chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line the jelly roll pan with foil- make sure you cover the entire pan, or you're going to have a sticky mess later. 

Place saltine crackers on a single layer across the pan. 

Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, let it boil for 3 minutes, or until it reaches a dark caramel color, stirring occasionally.

Pour sugar/butter mixture across the saltine crackers, making sure they are evenly covered. 

Bake for 6 minutes, or until bubbly. This step is important- you want to see bubbles, otherwise your toffee isn't going to be as crisp as it should be.

Remove pan from the oven, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let them sit for a few minutes, giving them time to melt before spreading them in an even layer. 

Let the toffee cool completely before breaking it into pieces and serving. Don't even try cutting it, it's not going to work. You're going to have to use your hands for this one. 

We hope you love this first holiday recipe as much as we do; and we can't wait to share more of our favorite recipes with you.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we're thankful for bacon, totchos and of course, our faithful readers. We love you guys- we love your words of encouragement, your recipe ideas and your feedback. It brings us incredible joy when we hear you're trying our recipes out in your own kitchens. Thanks for being the greatest fans a couple of Cool Dads could ever ask for. We might even love you more than bacon. 

And now some football picks! Dad #1 still has a 12 point lead over Dad #2, putting him at 113 correct picks, and Dad #2 has 101 correct picks. Here are our Turkey Day picks!

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

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

Seahawks vs. 49ers
Dad #1: Seattle
Dad #2: Seattle

Redskins vs. Colts
Dad #1: Indy
Dad #2: Indy

Titans vs. Texans
Dad #1: Houston
Dad #2: Tennessee

Browns vs. Bills
Dad #1: Cleveland
Dad #2: Cleveland

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

Jaguars vs. Giants
Dad #1: New York
Dad #2: Jacksonville

Bengals vs. Buccaneers
Dad #1: Cincinnati
Dad #2: Cincinnati

Raiders vs. Rams
Dad #1: St Louis
Dad #2: St Louis

Saints vs. Steelers
Dad #1: Pittsburgh
Dad #2: Pittsburgh

Panthers vs. Vikings
Dad #1: Carolina
Dad #2: Minnesota

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

Patriots vs. Packers
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Green Bay

Broncos vs. Chiefs
Dad #1: Denver
Dad #2: Kansas City 

Dolphins vs. Jets
Dad #1: Miami
Dad #2: New York

We hope your Thanksgiving holiday is full of food, family and laughter.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Sorry. And some football picks

Sorry to our loyal fans... we've been so busy picking recipes and prepping for Thanksgiving that we didn't have a Football Friday blog for you. The Cool Dads Crew is taking the week of Thanksgiving off, but we'll be back after the holidays with some delicious new recipes for you that we know you'll love.

We still have football picks for you, because it's personal between our two test kitchens! Dad #1 is still in the lead with 103 correct predictions, and Dad #2 has 91 correct picks. 

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

Falcons vs. Browns
Dad #1: Cleveland
Dad #2: Atlanta

Bears vs. Buccaneers
Dad #1: Tampa Bay
Dad #2: Chicago

Colts vs. Jaguars
Dad #1: Indy
Dad #2: Indy

Packers vs. Vikings
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Green Bay

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

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

Texans vs. Bengals
Dad #1: Houston
Dad #2: Houston

Chargers vs. Rams
Dad #1: San Diego
Dad #2: St Louis

Seahawks vs. Cardinals
Dad #1: Seattle
Dad #2: Arizona

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

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

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

Bills vs. Jets
Dad #1: NYJ
Dad #2: Buffalo

Saints vs. Ravens
Dad #1: New Orleans
Dad #2: Baltimore

We hope you have a wonderful holiday week with family, friends and food. Please know the Cool Dads Crew is especially thankful for all of our readers- we wouldn't be here without you.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

Who doesn't love chicken wings?

Well, Rebecca in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen. After a traumatic experience (not food related!) at a Buffalo Wild Wings, she's been unable to eat chicken wings again. Think: post traumatic stress disorder, involving chicken wings. But we digress.

Despite her recently acquired dislike for the humble chicken wing, she still loves the flavor of a good spicy wing sauce, creamy ranch dressing and some blue cheese. Yum. So, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen tried to recreate all the flavors of chicken wings without the actual, well, wings. 

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
2 cups cooked quinoa
3 stalks celery, diced
3/4 cup wing sauce of your choice (we prefer Uncle Dougie's)

1/4 cup ranch dressing
Blue cheese crumbles

Combine chicken and celery, adding wing sauce until well coated.

Stir in the quinoa and ranch dressing. 

Adjust seasonings (add more wing sauce if you like heat, add more ranch dressing to tone down the heat). 

Serve topped with blue cheese crumbles. 

From start to finish, this recipe took about 20 minutes (most of the time was dedicated to cooking the quinoa): and it was a dinner the adult members of the test kitchen enjoyed (too spicy for the youngest member). But when you're craving wings, this is a healthy alternative and fast to prepare. It doesn't get any better than that!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Twinkie Cake

Ah, the humble Twinkie. One of the people nearest and dearest to the Wisconsin Test Kitchen's Heart (Rebecca's mom Jody) has an unnatural love for these strange yellow cream filled cakes. There was a serious period of mourning when Hostess went bankrupt. And there was an equally serious level of celebration when they were available again. 

When we found a recipe for Twinkie cake (in time for Jody's birthday no less!), we knew exactly what we needed to make. Apparently this is some kind of Southern delicacy. While we can't speak to the roots of this recipe, we can agree that it's pretty delicious. And strange. 

Twinkie Cake
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.southernplate.com/2010/07/miss-mary-annes-twinkie-cake.html


1 box (of 10) Hostess Twinkies
4 large bananas, sliced
1 large can (20oz) crushed pineapple (drained, but not pressed dry. Keep a little of the juice for moisture.
1 large box Vanilla instant pudding (mixed with milk according to directions on box)
1 - 12 oz. Cool Whip
Maraschino cherries and pecans for garnish (optional)

Instructions
Remove Twinkie cakes from wrappers. Cut each in half lengthwise from top to bottom. Place Twinkie halves in 9 x 13 baking dish with cream side facing up. 

Layer sliced bananas, pineapple, pudding, and Cool Whip over Twinkies in that order. 

Sprinkle chopped cherries (drained well on paper towels) and chopped pecans over the top. Keep refrigerated. 

This was a fun, quick recipe that was perfect for a busy weekend and didn't even require the oven or microwave. This is a perfect Football Friday recipe to make before the game starts. 

Now, time for some football predictions! Dad #1 is still in the lead with 94 correct predictions, and Dad #2 has 82 correct. 

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

Vikings vs. Bears
Dad #1: Chicago
Dad #2: Minnesota

Texans vs. Browns
Dad #1: Houston
Dad #2: Cleveland

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

Falcons vs. Panthers
Dad#1: Carolina
Dad #2: Atlanta

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

Bucaneers vs. Redskins
Dad #1: Washington
Dad #2: Washington

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

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

Raiders vs. Chargers
Dad #1: San Diego
Dad #2: San Diego

Eagles vs. Packers
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Green Bay

Lions vs. Cardinals
Dad #1: Arizona
Dad #2: Arizona

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

Steelers vs. Titans
Dad #1: Pittsburgh
Dad #2: Pittsburgh 

Hope your weekend is full of food and fun! And think warm thoughts for the brave members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen traveling to Green Bay this weekend for the Packers Eagles game. Go Pack Go! 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Bloomin' Apples

We're sure you've seen tons of pictures on Facebook and Pinterest of all different kinds of baked apple recipes. You know... the pretty pictures of the hollowed out, perfectly baked apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside. If you're anything like us, you're immediately skeptical. Yeah, the pictures look pretty, but how do the apples taste? Does this actually work? 

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen vetted Bloomin' Apples for you. The verdict? Yes, they are delicious. Yes, they are easy. Yes, they're worth it. Truly, the hardest part of this recipe was cutting and coring the apples. This is also a kid-friendly recipe that your little chefs will love helping make.


Bloomin' Apples
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.thegunnysack.com/2014/09/bloomin-baked-apples-recipe.html

That's our tiny chef... counting out the caramels to go inside the apples. It's a nice opportunity to work on some math skills as well! 

2 Honeycrisp apples (or other crisp apples)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
4 caramels
Optional toppings: vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To get the blooming apple look, you need to cut the apples. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the apples. Scoop out the core. I don’t have an apple corer so I used my metal 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon. Then, use a thin knife to make two, deep circular cuts around the center of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. Flip it back over and you can see all of the cuts.

Place the apples in an oven safe dish and put two caramels into the center of each apple.

Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 second, stir and continue heating for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (Check apples after 25 minutes and continue cooking until tender. Some apples can take 45 min to 1 hour to soften.)
Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls.

Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with cinnamon. The ice cream will cause the caramel in the center to harden so eat quickly or put the ice cream scoop on the side.

We found the apples were most delicious when paired with a little salted caramel ice cream and a small dollop of whipped cream. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Samosas

Looking to add an Indian flair to your weekly meals? Our guest bloggers from the Brookfield, Wisconsin Test Kitchen tried making samosas (Indian pocket sandwiches) and were so excited with the results, they couldn't wait to tell the Cool Dads Crew all about it. Since we owe our vegetarian followers a new recipe, we thought this would be a good one to share.

Spinach, Butternut Squash and Feta Cheese Samosas
Recipe courtesy of: We Eat Together

Samosa Ingredients
1 cup frozen butternut squash
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
¾ cup feta cheese
a pinch of masala
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of black pepper
red pepper flakes to taste

Nasoya egg roll wrappers

Dipping Sauce Ingredients

1 cup cubed mango
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 T salt
1/2 t hot curry paste
Sriancha Hot Chili Sauce to taste

Samosa Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Steam cubed butternut squash until soft, add defrosted spinach, feta and spices and mix well.
Cut egg roll wraps in half diagonally.
Fill each wrap about 1 T of filling, and seal in a triangle shape, using water to seal the edges.

Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper, lightly spray each samosa with cooking spray.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce instructions: add all ingredients to blender and combine until smooth. 

These samosas are a full meal by themselves, but are also excellent served with a curry dish or basmati rice. With the holidays right around the corner, this would also make a festive appetizer at your next party.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Bacon Dip

Cool Dads love few things more than bacon. And pairing football and bacon together seemed as natural as peanut butter and jelly. So, when the Wisconsin Test Kitchen found a recipe for bacon dip, it was on! 

Bacon Dip
Recipe courtesy of: http://kitchenmeetsgirl.com/gooey-cheesy-warm-bacon-dip/

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream (we used Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sliced green onion (we had some jalapenos left over from the stuffed jalapeno poppers we made a few weeks ago, so we chopped up 2 of them and used them instead of onions).


Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon and green onion. 

Spoon mixture into a 1-quart baking dish

 Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and hot.
Serve with bread slices, crackers, or veggies.

Now that your mouth is watering, it's time for some football picks!
Coming into week 10, Dad #1 is still in the lead with 85 correct picks, and Dad #2 has picked 72 correct picks. Here are this weeks predictions:

Browns vs. Bengals
Dad #1: Cincinnati
Dad #2: Cleveland

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

Dolphins vs. Lions
Dad #1: Miami
Dad #2: Detroit

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

49ers vs. Saints
Dad #1: New Orleans
Dad #2: New Orleans

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

Steelers vs. Jets
Dad #1: Pittsburgh
Dad #2: Pittsburgh

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

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

Rams vs. Cardinals
Dad #1: Arizona
Dad #2: Arizona

Giants vs. Seahawks
Dad #1: Seattle
Dad #2: Seattle

Bears vs. Packers
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Chicago

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

Hope your weekend is full of food, fun and football.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew