Friday Fun: Under Pressure (Cooker)

Cool Dads love nothing more than a new kitchen gadget to play with. A few months back, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen was gifted with a pressure cooker to try making homemade chicken stock. Seriously: the amount of money we spend on chicken stock every two weeks at the grocery store is ridiculous. It's time to learn to make our own. 

But, the poor pressure cooker has sat in the basement unused for months. Until last week! Kevin came home from work with five pounds of beautiful beef short ribs, and we needed to find a way to cook them quickly. Pressure cooker to the rescue! It just so happened our pressure cooker cookbook had a recipe for short ribs, and we had all the ingredients. That almost never happens. It was obviously meant to be. 

If you haven't cooked with a pressure cooker before, make sure to read the instruction manual and do your homework: you don't want to blow up your kitchen. But once you determine if you're cooking on high or low pressure, you're good to. Once you get the hang of it, your pressure cooker can be the most versatile tool in your kitchen: we mentioned making stock, but you can use it for canning and preserving, and to cook thick cuts of meat quickly. Our short ribs were done in 35 minutes and were incredibly tender and juicy. We're already trying to figure out the next thing we can cook with it! Bonus points- pressure cookers are fairly inexpensive, depending on the size you want. This is the model we have:
Granite Ware Pressure Cooker

We also received a cookbook with a ton of different recipes in it:
Great Food Fast; which is where the short rib recipe came from! 

Bacon & Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

5 strips bacon
3-4lbs. bone-in short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
salt and pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup red wine
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons cornstarch, whisked into 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

With the cooker's lid off, heat bacon on high, until nearly crisp. Remove bacon, coarsely chop, and set aside.

Sprinkle short ribs with a generous amount of salt and pepper, and add to the bacon grease in the cooker to brown on both sides. 

Add chopped bacon and remaining ingredients (except for cornstarch and butter), and securely lock the pressure cooker's lid. Set the cooker for 35 minutes on high. 

Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before performing a quick-release for any remaining pressure.

Transfer the cooked short ribs to a serving platter and set the cooker to high until the cooking liquid is simmering. Whisk the cornstarch and water mixture into the liquid and cook 2 minutes, until thickened. Stir in butter and a pinch of salt and pepper before ladling the sauce over the short ribs to serve. 

So, what say you, loyal readers? Have you cooked with pressure cookers in the past? What are some of your favorite recipes? Or, do you have a new kitchen gadget you're loving? Leave us a note in the comments section!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Apple Pie Muffins

After months of looking, Rebecca in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen finally landed a new job! Cue the champagne bottles popping and the applause. But, it's been an interesting adjustment after having her off work for a few months. The whole family needs to start pitching in to get laundry done, the house cleaned and food prepped. 

On her last day of "sabbatical", Rebecca made four dozen muffins to keep in the freezer for easy breakfasts during the week. Both Sawyer and her cousin Penny are obsessed with Rebecca's Banana Muffins, but we thought we'd mix it up and try Apple Pie Muffins as well! The Greek yogurt adds a nice pack of protein (without the fat), and the sweet, crumbly topping on these muffins actually tastes like pie crust! All members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen gave these muffins two big thumbs up. 

Apple Pie Muffins
Recipe courtesy of: Chelsea's Messy Apron

Ingredients

Muffins
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup peeled and chopped apple (we used Granny Smith)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Crisp cinnamon sugar topping
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons quick oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar, not packed
2 and 1/4 tablespoons oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 cavities of a muffin tin and lightly flour. Do not use muffin liners as these muffins will stick to them. Set aside.

In a large bowl, pour in the flour. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour and return it to the flour container. Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until combined.

In another bowl, mix together a large egg, Greek yogurt, olive oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Mix until well combined.

Peel and finely chop the apple. Toss with the lemon juice and discard any extra lemon juice that doesn't coat the apples. Toss with the flour mixture. (this is important to keep the apples dispersed evenly throughout the muffins).

Mix the wet and dry ingredients until JUST combined. Over-mixing yields denser muffins.

Fill up 9 muffin cavities evenly with the mixture -- each cavity will be a little over 3/4ths the way full.

In another bowl, toss together the flour, quick oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour in the olive oil and mix to combine. Add a bit more oil if too dry or a bit more flour if too wet.

Top each muffin evenly with this crisp topping.

Fill the empty cavities of the muffin tin with water to ensure even baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a fork when inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the muffins from the tin. Use a spoon to coax the muffins out after about 5-10 minutes.

Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before enjoying if desired. Muffins best enjoyed within 3 days.

YUM! These muffins might be our new favorite go-to breakfast. Whether or not they're better than the Banana Muffins is still to be determined...

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Salsa Verde Chicken

Sorry it's been a few weeks since we've had a recent blog post; both Test Kitchens  have been extremely busy with members starting new jobs, Boy Scout activities and soccer practices and games. Life never seems to slow down, does it? 

But a busy life isn't a good excuse for not eating healthy food. When life gets hectic it's easy to consider the drive-thru for a quick dinner for the family. Let us help save you from the drive-thru: with four ingredients and a small amount of prep time, we can get a delicious, healthy dinner on the table in no time. 

We all know the Wisconsin Test Kitchen has an unnatural love of tacos. We tried a new crock pot recipe that might be our go-to taco recipe going forward! This Salsa Verde chicken couldn't have been easier to make (bonus! You can even use frozen chicken breasts!); and it gets dinner on the table in no time flat. 

Salsa Verde Chicken
Recipe courtesy of: Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Frozen is ok)
2 cups salsa verde
1 bottle beer*
2 teaspoons cumin
salt and black pepper
1 jalapeno, stem removed and diced,

DIRECTIONS:

Add chicken to the slow cooker. Top with salsa verde and beer, and sprinkle with cumin and season with a few generous pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. Use a pair of tons or a spoon to turn the chicken so that both sides are coated. Cover. Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat, or 7-8 hours on low heat.

The chicken is ready when easily shreds with a fork. Shred the chicken in the slow cooker, and toss with the juices. Then remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and serve warm. Or, store the shredded chicken in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

We served the chicken with tacos, but it made A LOT. It was delicious later in the week on top of salad greens, and served with brown rice. It's a great batch recipe to make and have leftovers for an entire week. You'll find a million different things to make with this delicious, juicy chicken. Give it a try, and let us know what you made with it! 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Family Friday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

It's almost that magical time of year: cookouts in the yard, cocktails with friends, and letting the kids run around the yard and play. The most important tool you need to have (in addition to a good grill!) are a variety of easy, go-to recipes you can make quickly; and spend more time with family and friends. 

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen was invited to a party last weekend, and needed to make a quick, last-minute dessert. We checked the ever-helpful Pinterest, and found The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter pie. Done. Sold. It's going down. 

And, we even cheated and bought store-made pie crusts (sorry, party hosts if you're reading this!); which made the entire recipe no-bake. Making a double batch of this delicious pie took less than 20 minutes from start to finish. It doesn't get much easier than that. The pie does need to chill for at least an hour, so make sure you factor that into your cooking plans. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Recipe courtesy of: The Pioneer Woman

FOR CRUST
25 whole Oreos
4 tablespoons melted butter
_____
PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 package (8 ounce) softened cream cheese
1-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 package (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed

Mini chocolate chips

Crust:
Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs. Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Or, just buy a store-bought pie crust and call it a day. Totally up to you. We won't tell, we promise.

Filling:
Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

So, the next time you get invited to an impromptu bbq or dinner party; volunteer to make dessert. This recipe will make you look good. We promise.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew