Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Cake Batter Blondies

Have you noticed in the past few years cake batter has become 'the flavor'? It's the new cookie dough of the baking world. But it's understandable- there's something very comforting and delicious about the smell of vanilla cake batter. And if you add some sprinkles to it, it immediately becomes a more festive dessert.

We made a batch of delicious cake batter blondies for our weekly Baby Meals on Wheels service. This is the perfect dessert to make if you're looking for something unique, and you're short on time.

Cake Batter Blondies
Recipe courtesy of http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/04/06/take-2-funfetti-cake-batter-blondies/

1 box yellow cake mix
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 -1/2 cup milk (less is better)
1/2 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Spray 11x7 baking pan with nonstick spray.

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl.

 Add the milk slowly. You want to cake batter to be as dense & thick as possible.

Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips. 

 Pour into prepared baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown.

Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

This is the perfect recipe to have your little chefs help with- they can pour ingredients and stir until their little hearts are content. Plus- sprinkles!!!! What kid doesn't love sprinkles?

But don't worry, this recipe may be kid-friendly, but the end result is something adults will enjoy as well. It's entirely possible the Wisconsin Test Kitchen polished off half a pan of these blondies while they were still warm. They were delicious.

Hope you enjoy this yummy dessert as much as we did!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Oven Baked Tacos

Tomorrow is Tuesday.

Nothing goes better with Tuesdays than tacos. I'm not making this up, it's science people!

With that being said, and with Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, we thought we'd provide you with an easy taco recipe that's perfect for feeding a crowd of people. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen made these tacos last weekend and not only are they delicious; but they yielded enough for leftovers the next day!

Oven Baked Tacos
Recipe courtesy of http://www.food.com/recipe/oven-baked-tacos-502861

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

8oz can tomato sauce

20.5oz. can refried beans
shredded cheddar cheese

12 small flour tortillas

diced tomato

shredded lettuce

sour cream

guacamole

salsa

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
 

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Once browned, drain the grease

 

 

Stir in refried beans and tomato sauce to ground beef; until well combined and warmed through

 

 

Spoon taco filling into tortillas and stand them up-right in a lightly greased 9"x13" pan

 

 

Top each taco with shredded cheese

 

 

Bake for 15 minutes- making sure they don't brown too much

 

 

Top with remaining ingredients and enjoy!

 

We'd never tried baking tacos before, but it was an easy way to prepare them, and the end result was delicious. Baking made the outside of the tortillas slightly crisp, and helped all the flavors to meld together perfectly.

 

Notes from the Test Kitchen

 

We really enjoyed our tacos topped with fresh guacamole and salsa, the coolness of these ingredients paired really well with the warm, baked tacos.

 

For our readers over twenty-one, might we recommend a delicious cocktail to accompany your tacos?

 

http://sweetlifebake.com/2014/04/04/pineapple-lime-tequila-cooler/

 

Let's face it- it's not an authentic celebration with out a fancy cocktail- and this would also be perfect for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

 

We hope you enjoy these tacos as much as we did!

 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

 

 

 

 

                             

                               

Friday FUNdamentals: Pancakes

Doug in the Arkansas Test Kitchen believes breakfast is one of the most versatile meals there is. Seeing as how the Wisconsin Test Kitchen has posted several egg based recipes for dinner as well, you can see we're in total agreement about breakfast being one of those awesome meals you can eat anytime of day.  

The Arkansas Test Kitchen tried making their own pancake mix. The results are going to make you flip! We warned you- we love puns! Plus, you can add fresh strawberries, bananas or chocolate chips.

To get going, you prepare the starter mix:

Starter Mix:

8 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container
 
The starter mix is versatile and can be used to make either pancakes or waffles. This week we teach you how to make pancakes. Paired with some fresh fruit and bacon- this is a dinner your whole family is going to love.

Pancake Recipe

2 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter slightly melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups starter mix
Non-stick cooking spray

1. Mix together the first 5 ingredients in a medium size bowl
2. In a large bowl measure out 2 cups of Starter Mix
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the Starter Mix
4.Mix together until well blended
5. Let mixture set at room temperature for 15 minutes
6. Spray a skillet or griddle with non stick cooking spray and pre-heat to medium high heat
7. Place 1/4 cup of batter into skillet or griddle making sure each pancake does not touch the others
8. Cook pancakes for approximately 2 minutes per side
9. Repeat steps 6 - 8 until no batter is left

 

Pancakes: they're officially what's for dinner!

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew



Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Grilled Desserts

With summer coming up and warmer weather on the way (we promise); there is nothing better than grilling out or going camping with the family.  Last weekend, the Arkansas Test Kitchen prepared two different desserts on the grill: one for the kids and one for the big kids. 

The kids did a Grilled S'mores Cone that was delicious and fun for the kids to make.

Grilled S'mores Cone

1 sugar or waffle cone per person
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 bag mini chocolate chips (we used Milk Chocolate)
Fruit of your choice (we used bananas and strawberries)
Aluminum foil

Take the cone and layer marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and fruit. Repeat layers until almost full

Carefully roll the cone in aluminum foil

Place the foiled cones on indirect, medium heat on the grill for 7 - 10 minutes (I used an upside down beer can chicken holder to hold them while they were on the grill)

 

 

 S'mores Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 bag mini chocolate chips

In the crust place an even amount marshmallows and chocolate chips, until pie crust is full. Don't heap the pie crust with toppings.

Cover the top of the pie with foil; creating a tent with the foil so it does not touch the marshmallows and chocolate chips

Place crust on indirect, low heat on the grill for 4 - 5 minutes

Allow to cool slightly, then serve.

 

 

 

 

 

We look forward to sharing more warm weather recipes with you as we get closer to summertime!

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Frosted Brownies

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen was pretty excited to welcome a new family member last week- Kevin and Rebecca's newest nephew: Chase Allen. He's adorable and we can't wait to spend more time with him in the coming weeks.

One of the traditions we have when friends and family members have babies; is to bring one complete meal a week for four weeks. It's a little thing- but it's one less thing the new parents have to worry about. So, this week we made baked pasta (wait for Monday Meals for that recipe) and some frosted brownies.

Frosted Brownies
Recipe courtesy of www.gonnawantseconds.com

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 bag dark chocolate chips

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:

6 tablespoons milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cup white sugar

8 ounces dark chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

 Line a 9X13 baking dish with aluminum foil, overhanging the edges 2 inches.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

 

 

Whisk together flour, salt and cocoa powder in a small bowl and set aside 

 

 

 Set a medium shatter proof bowl over a pan of just simmering water.  Add chocolate and butter.

Stir occasionally until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth.  Add both sugars and mix until well combined. Remove bowl from heat.

 

 

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and mix until just combined. Add the other 2 eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
 

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and fold just until the mixture is mostly combined with a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

 

 

 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of brownies comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

When the brownies are just out of the oven make the frosting immediately. Combine the milk, butter and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil; allow the mixture to cook at a rolling boil for 30 seconds then remove from heat. 

Add the chocolate chips and vanilla to the milk mixture and stir until the chips are completely melted. Pour immediately over the just baked, warm brownies.  Allow frosted brownies to cool completely in baking pan before cutting.

 

Take our word for it: these ended up being the gooiest, fudgiest brownies we've ever made. It's a good thing we were giving them as part of a meal; or we would have devoured the whole pan of them ourselves; along with a big gallon of milk. These brownies are so good in fact, you might consider having a baby, just so someone will bring you a pan of them.

Also, as you can see from the pictures, this was a great recipe to make with kids. There was plenty of measuring, pouring, and stirring for our smallest sous chef to help with. Plus, the look of pride on her face when she delivers these brownies and announces she got to help make them will be epic.

Take our advice and make a batch of these sometime soon- you'll thank us.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Budget Meals: Baked Pasta

Like we mentioned last week, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen is doing our "Baby Meals on Wheels" service for the next four weeks. One of the dishes we always make is our baked pasta; because it's creamy, satisfying and inexpensive to make.

Plus, this is the perfect dish to make when you can't decide between red or white pasta sauce- because it uses a jar of each!

Baked Pasta

1 16oz box penne pasta
1 16oz jar Alfredo sauce
1 24oz jar marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Once pasta is finished, drain and pour into a large bowl with marinara and Alfredo sauces. Add a few shakes of grated Parmesan cheese.

Once all ingredients are well combined, pour into prepared baking dish, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pasta is warmed through and cheese is melted on top.

Cost Breakdown:

Pasta: $1.19 per box
Marinara Sauce: $3.00
Alfredo Sauce: $3.00
Mozzarella Cheese: $3.96

Total Cost: $11.15
Cost Per Serving (6 servings): $1.86

When it comes to fast, easy and inexpensive weeknight meals- it doesn't get much better than this. We hope you enjoy this budget meal as much as we do!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Friday FUNdamentals: Chicken and Rice

The two Test Kitchens were talking about upcoming blog ideas, and we both agreed that one Friday FUNdamental we had to include was chicken and rice. It's an easy, fairly inexpensive recipe that will feed the whole family and please everyone. This recipe is a staple in the Arkansas Test Kitchen.
 

Chicken and Rice

1 cup rice (I like Riceland rice, because it is packaged here in Arkansas)
2 1/2 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's, some store brands will have too much sodium and make the dish overly salty)
2 packets French onion soup mix
1 package boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (I used 9 chicken cutlets in my dish)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray a 10" X 13" dish with non-stick cooking spray
3. Place 1 cup rice in the bottom of the dish

4. In a bowl mix together water, cream of chicken soup, and French onion soup

5. Pour mixture over the rice and combine
6. Place the chicken cutlets on top of the rice mixture

7. Cook at 350 degrees for one hour and check the temperature of the chicken (it should hit 165 - 175 degrees on an instant read thermometer), and most of the liquid should been absorbed by the rice

Ways to turn this recipe up a notch:

1. You could coat the chicken with parmesan, or a poultry seasoning to give the chicken added flavor
2. Add cut up mushrooms, or other whole vegetables to the recipe
3. Instead of using cream of chicken soup, you could use cream of mushroom soup instead

We hope you enjoy this comfort dish as much as we do!

 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese... it's hard to read those two words and not think of something that comes out of a blue and yellow box. But lets face it: that's kids stuff.

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen stumbled upon a recipe for Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese; and thought it would be the perfect compliment to some tasty bone-in rib eye steaks we had picked up from the butcher shop. The thought of tasty grilled meat, partnered with creamy, slightly spicy macaroni and cheese had our mouths watering.

Green Chile Mac and Cheese
Recipe courtesy of www.aspicyperspective.com


1 lb. macaroni noodles
3 Tb. butter
8oz chopped green chiles (we used mild, but would have loved more heat) 
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 Tb. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
8 oz. cream cheese
1 lb. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Additional Toppings:
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 chopped avocados
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup sour cream


Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. Once boiling cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, add the butter, chiles, and onions and saute over medium-high heat until the onions are softened.

Whisk in the flour, followed by the milk. Once the mixture starts to simmer cut the cream cheese into cubes and stir in.

 Stir continuously, adding the shredded cheddar to the pot. Once the cheese sauce is smooth, add in the macaroni and turn the heat off. Stir to coat and salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve: Scoop the spicy mac and cheese into bowls and top with chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

Notes from the Test Kitchen:

-We were slightly skeptical of adding creamy avocado to the top of already creamy macaroni and cheese; but trust us on this one: it was a delicious addition! The tomato also added a nice acidic note to off-set the creaminess of the pasta.

-Like we mentioned above, we used mild chiles (in an attempt to make it more child friendly); but the next time we make this; we're going to use spicier peppers.

We hope you try this soon as a side dish for your next grilling adventure!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Friday FUNdamentals: Pork Belly

There was much discussion amongst the test kitchens as to whether or not cooking pork belly was a 'fundamental' or not. Here was our final verdict: it's delicious (think: bacon on delicious, yummy steroids), easy to prepare, inexpensive ($6.00 a pound) and a really impressive appetizer to serve guests. That puts the 'fun' in fundamentals for us!

Last weekend the Wisconsin Test Kitchen went to the local butcher shop to pick up some steaks to grill (yay for warm weather!)- and found pork belly at the meat counter. We couldn't resist. After a little investigating via Pinterest, we found an easy recipe we had all the ingredients for.

Honey Pork Belly
Recipe inspired by http://justonecookbook.com/recipes/honey-pork-belly/

3/4 lb. pork belly

Oil

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 garlic cloves

 

Slice pork belly into 1/4" pieces.

 

 

 

Chop garlic finely.

 

Heat oil in a large frying pan and start cooking pork belly on high heat when the frying pan is hot. The oil might splatter, so be careful.

 

 

 

When both sides of the pork belly are brown, turn off the heat. Remove pork belly from pan. Once the pan has cooled slightly, completely wipe any oil or residue from the pan.

 

 

 

Add pork belly back to the pan, and turn the heat to medium. Add the honey, soy and fish sauces, and garlic to the pan. Cook over medium heat until the ingredients start to glaze the meat.  Try not to burn the sauce.

 

 

 

Once sauce is warmed through, your pork belly is complete!

 

 

This was an appetizer the Wisconsin Test Kitchen devoured in record time. Considering a comparable appetizer in a nice restaurant would run at least $12; we were pretty happy with the end result. While pork belly might not be an ingredient you cook with all the time; it's an easy ingredient (remember: bacon on yummy steroids) and it's guaranteed to impress dinner guests. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

 

 

 

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: MONSTER Cookie Bars

The youngest sous chef in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen is in four year-old Kindergarten and is fortunate enough to have one of the most patient, creative, kind teachers we've ever seen. Seriously... she has two classes of twenty, four year-olds a day, and she doesn't lose her sanity. I don't know how she does it.

Anyway, when we were asked to contribute a dessert to a dinner the PTA was hosting for the teachers during parent teacher conferences, we couldn't say no. And once we saw a delicious recipe for Monster Cookie Bars from Bakerella; we were all over it.

Monster Cookie Bars
Recipe courtesy of Bakerella.com

2⅔ cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
⅔ cup butter, softened
1½ cups light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate morsels
1 cup white chocolate morsels
1 cup M&M’s
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, use a wire whisk to mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until blended. Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Then add vanilla and mix.

4. Slowly add the flour and mix until combined. Stir in dark and white chocolate morsels, M&M’s, dried cranberries and coconut.

5. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes until done. If the top starts to get too brown, you can cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

6. Once cool, cut into 20 bars.

This recipe was incredibly easy to make, and the finished product was delicious. We're hoping these delicious treats take some of the stress out of parent teacher conferences this week.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Budget Meals: Hawaiian Chicken

It's the start of a new week; which inevitably means there's going to be one of those, "Oh shoot; I forgot to take something out of the freezer/bribe the delivery guy to show up with dinner in a timely fashion/we're out of milk which means cereal for dinner is out of the question" type moments. Breathe. Cool Dads Cook has your back. We have a dinner so easy, you don't even need to defrost anything. And you only need 4 ingredients.

Hawaiian Chicken

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Vidalia Onion Barbecue Sauce (or any sweeter style barbecue sauce)

1 20oz. can crushed pineapple
Minute rice

Put chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, top them with the pineapple and the barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Once chicken is done, use two forks and shred the meat. Stir all ingredients to combine well. Serve over rice.

Cost Breakdown

Barbecue sauce: $5.12
Crushed pineapple: $2.62
Chicken: $3.98 per pound, we used approximately 2.5 pounds: $9.96
Rice: $1.05 for 6 cups cooked

Total Cost: $18.75

Yield: 6 servings

Cost Per Serving: $3.13


This recipe is great if you're craving some Chinese food, or sweet and sour chicken- and at $3.00 a serving, it's a lot less expensive than take out! We hope this helps to take some of the stress out of your weekday meal planning!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew