Family Friday: BBQ Cola Chicken

Oh, the humble slow cooker. 

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen just got a beautiful, brand new slow cooker a few weeks ago, and we needed to give her a test run. Yes, the slow cooker is a her; no, we haven't come up with a name for her yet. Feel free to give us suggestions!

But we digress. We found a recipe for BBQ Cola Chicken; and thought it sounded like a great recipe for family dinner, pot lucks, or even just a quick weeknight meal. We were able to put all the ingredients in the slow cooker the night before, and turn it on before we left for work. Easiest dinner ever. We need more of those....

BBQ Cola Chicken
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.thetaylor-house.com/slow-cooker-coke-chicken/#_a5y_p=2750802


4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce
1 Can of Coke
1/2 Cup Red Onion

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. You don't have to defrost them- frozen is fine.

Mix together the BBQ Sauce, Coke and Diced Onion. What kind of sauce did we use? Ummm, yeah... a sauce we like to call "We raided the fridge, and mixed together two half full bottles of BBQ sauce". Necessity is the mother of invention, kids. 

Pour over the chicken breasts

Cook on low in the slow cooker for 3 hours

Drain the sauce and shred the chicken.

Enjoy on hamburger buns with extra BBQ sauce if needed. 

We served the BBQ on small dinner rolls; and had french fries and steamed broccoli as side dishes. It was clean plates all around the Wisconsin Test Kitchen. It was our new slow cooker's inaugural meal; and she did us proud; we can't wait to see what other tasty meals she helps us prepare.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Banana Oatmeal Muffins

The Arkansas Test kitchen made these muffins recently and they were a big hit with our picky 6 year old. They are simple, easy to make, and pretty healthy. 

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Recipe courtesy of: travisjessjones.blogspot.com

2 and 1/2 cup oats - old fashioned kind, not quick cooking

1 single serving cup of plain low fat Greek yogurt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sweetener of choice - I used regular sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 bananas - cut into smaller pieces

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line 12 muffin tins with cupcake liners (regular, foil or silicone). We used paper liners and they worked fine.

Place all of the ingredients, including bananas, in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth.

Divide batter among cupcake liners and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes our clean.

The recipe yields about 12 muffins.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

The old fashioned oats are rougher and thicker than quick oats, so I recommend mixing the wet ingredients first, then the bananas, then the oats.

If you want to make more than 12 muffins, I recommend doing one batch at a time. I used a blender with 12 speeds on it and still paused several times to mix up the bananas and oats to shift the unblended ones closer to the blades with a spoon.

We hope you enjoy these delicious, healthy muffins as much as we did!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Meatless Monday: Avocado Pasta Sauce

Does anything scream "Summer!!!!" quite like a tasty, ripe avocado? Well, maybe sweet corn, vine ripened tomatoes, watermelon... SUMMERTIME!!! Hurry up and get here!!! Sorry for the shouty caps, it's snowing here in Wisconsin this morning, and after a few weeks of mild, sunny weather, we're all starting to go a little stir-crazy. 

Back to the avocado. A month ago, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen started receiving bi-weekly orders from Door to Door Organics; a website that specializes in the delivery of fresh organic produce (fruits and veggies). In our most recent box, we received 2 ripe, beautiful avocados. We thought it was the perfect opportunity to try the Avocado Pasta we had seen recipes for all over Pinterest. 

Avocado Pasta

Recipe courtesy of: http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/20/avocado-pasta/

12 ounces spaghetti (we used penne, because it was what we had in the cupboard)
2 ripe avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved


In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

To make the avocado sauce, combine avocados, basil, garlic and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, avocado sauce and tomatoes. 

Serve immediately. The sauce is delicious; it's so creamy that it's hard to believe it's dairy free. Our one piece of advice: eat this the same day... leftovers did turn an unappetizing shade of brown. 

If you're interested in finding out more about Door to Door Organics, check out their website:  www.doortodoororganics.com  

They deliver all over the country; and we've been really impressed with the two deliveries we've received so far. The produce has been fresh, and the value is great. Additionally, they send out coupons for $25 off a $75 order. This makes it easy to eat healthy on a budget. Give them a try! 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Pi Day Special: Bacon Pie

Happy Pi day to all our nerdy followers! For those not familiar with Pi day:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/03/14/392589847/pi-day-isnt-just-magical-its-mathematics-and-theres-pie

So, what kind of pie would you expect us to post about on Pi day? You guessed it... Bacon Pie! The Arkansas Test Kitchen recently made a breakfast pie, right in time for this fun holiday.

Breakfast Bacon Pie

4 eggs
2 cups milk
3/4 cups breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled- drained well
2 cups cooked hash browns
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 9" pre-made pie crusts
16 slices bacon
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste


1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together
3. Stir in the sausage, hash browns, and cheese
4. Pour mixture into pie crusts, dividing equally
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes

6. Once mixture is firm, remove from the oven
7. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees
8. Create a bacon lattice on the tops of the pies. Some of the bacon will hang over the sides of the pie pan- that's fine

Don't know where to start with a bacon lattice? We got you. The video below will give you all the help you need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5ZQr3yR2SY

9. Place pies on a cookie sheet, so the bacon grease does not drip in the oven
10. Cook the pies for 15 - 20 minutes or until bacon is the desired doneness
11. Allow pie to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Are any of you making pie to celebrate Pi day today? Share your recipes and pictures with us!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew