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