Monday Meals: A Retrospective

Like we mentioned in our Football Friday post; we've officially been blogging for 3 years now, and have close to 300 posts! While we conduct plenty of taste tests and research every week to find new recipes, sometimes it's fun to look back at some of our tried and true favorite recipes. We thought we'd re-post some of our favorite Monday Meals recipes!

Our first Monday Meals recipe was Stuffed Peppers, which we continue to make in various forms. We love making stuffed peppers, because it's an easy way to clean out the refrigerator, and get some vegetables in your kids diet.

MANLY Meatloaf was one of our more popular blogs. Meatloaf smothered in a sweet and savory bourbon sugar glaze hit all the tastebuds. And it's scientific proof that adding bourbon to anything automatically makes it 200% more manly. #science

Balsamic Pork Roast still gets a lot of play in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen. It's our go-to recipe whenever we have a pork roast in the freezer. It's one of those amazing recipes that tastes like you put a lot of time and effort into it, when in actuality- all you did was throw a bunch of ingredients in the crock pot. 

Roast Beef Sandwiches are a great quick dinner option. They're hearty, filling and easy to prepare. And they're really excellent paired with Broccoli Soup. 

Indian Butter Chicken was a surprising blog post... we weren't sure how many of our readers were going to be interested in Indian cuisine, but WOW! To this day, it continues to be our most popular blog post. We heard feedback from so many readers about how their picky kids loved this meal. And at the end of the day: that's what Cool Dads Cook is all about- introducing new and fresh recipes that anyone can prepare into your kitchen. 

We hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, and we're back in the test kitchens this week working on new recipes.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday

Cool Dads Cook is close to 300 posts! That's pretty amazing. We've come up with 300 delicious, easy manly meals that the whole family can enjoy. It also means we've been testing 2-3 new recipes a week for the past few years. 

To answer your next question- YES. We totally run out of ideas sometimes. This week would be one of those times. With all the amazing Football Friday posts we've done over the years, we thought we'd try a Flashback Friday post, and highlight some of our favorite game day recipes. 

Bachos were one of the craziest, most delicious recipes we've ever tried. And bonus points: we created the name (a combination of bacon and nachos) ourselves. This is an ideal nacho idea for people looking to cut carbs. Or just add more bacon to their diet...

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip was fun, because both test kitchens made it on the same weekend and enjoyed it together across the country. Food is love, people. And it's a scientific fact that 98% of the population loves this tasty dip. So make it this weekend and spread the love. 

Melty Ham & Cheese Sliders was our FIRST Football Friday post ever. And even though we posted them three years ago, they still stand the test of time. It's an easy meal to feed a crowd, and there's plenty for leftovers the next day. 

Meatball Sub Casserole We don't even have words to express how tasty this casserole is. It's everything you want in a meatball sandwich: saucy, meaty and cheesy- just easier to eat while watching football! And that's a good thing. 

Black Eyed Pea Dip The Wisconsin Test Kitchen discovered this recipe a few years ago, and have been obsessed with it ever since. It's the official food of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen during Super Bowl Sunday. We like to jack the heat and make it spicy, but it's good with just a small amount of heat as well. 

Now that we've taken a fun trip down Memory Lane, it's time for our football picks! Sawyer is still in the lead with 42 correct picks, and Tristan has 38. 

Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
Tristan: Titans
Sawyer:Jaguars

Washington vs. Cincinnati
Tristan: Bengals
Sawyer: Bengals

Arizona vs. Carolina
Tristan: Panthers
Sawyer: Panthers

Detroit vs. Houston
Tristan: Lions
Sawyer: Lions

Seattle vs. New Orleans
Tristan: Saints
Sawyer: Seahawks

Kansas City vs. Indy
Tristan: Chiefs
Sawyer: Colts

NYJ vs. Cleveland
Tristan: Jets
Sawyer: Jets

New England vs. Buffalo
Tristan: Patriots
Sawyer: Bills

Oakland vs. Tampa Bay
Tristan: Raiders
Sawyer: Buccaneers

San Diego vs. Denver
Tristan: Broncos
Sawyer: Broncos

Green Bay vs. Atlanta
Tristan: Packers
Sawyer: Packers

Philly vs. Dallas
Tristan: Eagles
Sawyer: Eagles

Minnesota vs. Chicago
Tristan: Bears
Sawyer: Vikings

Thanks to all our loyal readers for the past three years of amazing blog posts. We love your suggestions, inspirations and commentary. Please keep it coming!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Applesauce

We don't know about you, but the Wisconsin Test Kitchen gets annoyed buying those little foil packets of applesauce all the time. Yes, you can't beat their convenience, but it doesn't even taste like real apples! And when you start thinking about all those packets sitting in a landfill somewhere... oof. 

So, when we received a huge bag full of fresh picked orchard apples last week, we decided to try making our own applesauce. We made Apple Butter a few years ago, but decided to try something different this year. This recipe is ideal if you're looking to make your own baby food, or even upgrade your little one's snack time. 

Slow Cooker Applesauce

10-12 medium to large apples
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Clean all apples, core and dice them. Don't worry about peeling them: the skin falls apart in the cooking process. 

Toss the apples with the sugar and cinnamon, and place in the slow cooker. Add the water, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours. 

Let the applesauce cool slightly before pureeing with an immersion blender. Pour into glass mason jars and refrigerate or freeze. Applesauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. 

This is prime apple picking season: take your little chefs on an adventure this weekend, and turn your apple bounty into healthy, delicious sauce. Let us know what you think!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Ginger Carrot Soup

So, let us tell you about the Wisconsin Test Kitchen Great Baby Carrot Debacle of 2017. Kevin made a grocery store run, and asked if there were any snacks SB wanted. "Baby carrots! I want some for my lunch this week!" 

Done. A bag of baby carrots was waiting in the fridge the next day. Until Door to Door Organics delivered the three bags of baby carrots Rebecca ordered... that's two bags of plain baby carrots, and an additional bag of rainbow colored baby carrots. Which brings our total to 4 bags of baby carrots. Far more than any one household ever needs to eat- especially since Rebecca loathes carrots with the fire of a thousand, hot burning suns. Her motto? "Unless that carrot is in a cake, I'm not eating it!" 

We used a lot of the carrots making Chicken Stock and Beef Stew, but we still had another bag of carrots to use. Uggggh- so many carrots!!! It was a happy day when Rebecca stumbled on a Ginger Carrot Soup recipe on Pinterest. 

This soup was easy to make, only required a few ingredients, and gave us a chance to use our homemade chicken stock. SOOOOOO good! The flavor of store-bought stock pales in comparison to this liquid gold. Just sayin! Plus, with cold and flu season right around the corner, this soup is full of Vitamin C and the ginger is a nice source of natural anti-oxidants. Oh, and the soup tastes good too. At least according to the carrot fans in our house!

Ginger Carrot Soup
Recipe modified from: Simply Orange Juice

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Simply Orange Juice
6-8 thinly sliced carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp fresh ground ginger

Instructions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil and cook carrots for 3-5 minutes.

Add broth and ginger and bring to boil.

Cook the carrots in the broth until tender (about 10-15 minutes)
Remove from heat and add Simply Orange.
Puree in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and serve warm. 

After the soup, we are down to half a bag of baby carrots. Enough for the lunchbox this week, and then we're done. Until the next time SB is craving baby carrots...

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Basic Chili

It's not a secret that the Wisconsin Test Kitchen loves chili. Like, really, really loves chili. We've tried some interesting, creative recipes like Venison Chili, African Chili and our recent Sweet Potato Chili. And while we appreciate a creative chili, sometimes all you want is a tried-and-true, basic chili in the crockpot on a cold day. 

That's what our smallest chef requested last week, and that's exactly what we made for her. Our past few chili recipes have been too spicy for her, so we promised to tame the heat, add extra beans (her favorite chili ingredient), and have plenty of shredded mozzarella cheese (her favorite topping) on hand. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, browned
2 (15 oz) cans dark kidney beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes
1 packet of chili seasoning
2 cups tomato juice



Directions:

1. After beef is browned, and grease drained, place in crockpot. Add in kidney beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, chili seasoning and tomato juice. Stir until well combined.

2. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.


3. Serve with your favorite chili toppings, such as cheese, sour cream or corn chips!

And now our Football Friday picks! After six weeks, Sawyer is still in the lead with 34 correct picks, and Tristan is closing the gap with 29. Here are their week 7 predictions.

Green Bay vs. Chicago

Tristan: Bears

Sawyer: Packers

NYG vs. LA

Tristan: Giants

Sawyer: Rams

New Orleans vs. Kansas City

Tristan: Chiefs

Sawyer: Saints

Minnesota vs. Philly

Tristan: Eagles

Sawyer: Eagles

Indy vs. Tennessee

Tristan: Titans

Sawyer: Colts

Buffalo vs. Miami

Tristan: Bills

Sawyer: Bills

Washington vs. Detroit

Tristan: Lions

Sawyer: Lions

Cleveland vs. Cinncinati

Tristan: Browns

Sawyer: Bengals

Oakland vs. Jacksonville

Tristan: Raiders

Sawyer: Jaguars

Baltimore vs. NYJ

Tristan: Ravens

Sawyer: Ravens

San Diego vs. Atlanta

Tristan: Falcons

Sawyer: Falcons

Tampa Bay vs. San Francisco

Tristan: Buccaneers

Sawyer: Buccaneers

New England vs. Pittsburgh

Tristan: Patriots

Sawyer: Steelers

Seattle vs. Arizona

Tristan: Cardinals

Sawyer: Cardinals

Houston vs. Denver

Tristan: Broncos

Sawyer: Broncos

And there you have it! We hope your weekend is full of football, fun and food.
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Pumpkin Time!

A few weeks ago, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen took a road trip down to Lake Geneva for SB's birthday weekend! We checked out Safari Lake Geneva and stopped for some pumpkins on the way home.

Note to parents: Safari Lake Geneva is awesome! SB had a blast feeding buffalo, zebu, goats, and ostrich. Plus we were able to see antelope and zebras! While we happened to go on a cool, rainy day, the animals were active and came right up to our cart for a snack. The owner told us there will be more baby animals in the spring- so make sure to check it out!

After the safari, we stopped for some pumpkins, gourds and apple cider. Gotta love fall in Wisconsin! This past weekend we finally had a chance to carve our pumpkins, and toast some pumpkin seeds. Before the pumpkins were even on the kitchen table, SB was already asking if we could toast pumpkin seeds. 

We thought we'd pass along a few recipes for different pumpkin seed seasonings. SB prefers savory over sweet pumpkin seeds, so we season ours with cumin, garlic powder and a sprinkle of sea salt. Rebecca lobbied hard for pumpkin pie flavored, but was voted down. Oh well. Please give them a try and let us know how they are!

This link from Pillsbury gives directions on how to roast pumpkin seeds, as well as some delicious seasoning ideas. Let us know which one you like best!

Here are our finished pumpkins! We ended up with a Harry Potter pumpkin, and an Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Show us your pumpkins- let us know what kind of creative ideas your little ones came up with!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Chicken Stock

It's officially soup and stew season; and the Wisconsin Test Kitchen makes A LOT of hearty, fall dishes. Last week as Rebecca was loading boxes of store-bought chicken stock into the grocery cart, she had a moment. A, "I have all the ingredients to make this at home, I need to stop buying these from the grocery store!" moment. So, the boxes of stock went back on the shelf, and the crock pots came out as soon as she got home.

Word of warning: making stock is literally an all day process. Don't decide to do this at 3pm- or you'll be up at 3am cooling and filtering the stock. Also, plan to make this when you've got a chicken carcass on hand: so, plan for a roast chicken dinner on Saturday, and make stock on Sunday. We happened to have three chicken carcasses in the freezer, so we made 3 batches of stock. Yes, we go through that much chicken stock... We now have 2 jars in the fridge and 2 in the freezer. 

Homemade Chicken Stock
Recipe courtesy of: Wonky Wonderful


1 Chicken Carcass (leftover roasted chicken, bones and all)
6 Celery Stalks & Leaves - halved
5 Carrots - halved
1 Yellow Onion - quartered
Handful Fresh Parsley
1/2 Lemon
Generous Pinch Salt & Pepper
2 Quarts (8 cups) Filtered Water

Optional: I added a bit of fresh ground ginger 

Place all ingredients into large slow cooker.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Turn off heat, remove lid and allow to cool 30 minutes.
Strain broth and transfer to airtight container.

Refrigerate until use.

Notes
*Refrigerate overnight then scrape fat from top for a low fat broth*
Use or freeze within 1 week

So, what do you make with all this delicious stock? Here are a few of our favorite Cool Dads recipes:

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

Irish Vegetable Soup

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Try a batch of our chicken stock, and let us know what you end up making with it!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Mexican Chicken & Vegetable Soup

So, I hesitate to call this Chicken Tortilla Soup, since no actual tortillas were used in the making of this soup (thanks, Whole 30!); but that was the initial recipe idea. If you're not cutting carbs, tortilla strips would be a delightful addition to this soup. 

It's an ideal game day recipe because it can sit in the crock pot all day, and it has all the elements a quality game day recipe calls for: easy to prepare, hearty, delicious, and you can eat it while watching football. Boom. 

Mexican Chicken & Vegetable Soup
Recipe courtesy of: Smashed Peas & Carrots

1-2 lb of chicken breasts (frozen or fresh)
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalepeno pepper, de-seeded and finely diced
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (32 oz) container of chicken stock (no sugar added to make Whole 30 approved)
salt and pepper
¼ cup lime juice
tortilla strips (or plaintain chips to make Whole 30 approved)


Instructions
Place chicken breasts in the base of the slow cooker with cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and chili powder and place lid on top. Cook on high 3-4 hours.

After about 2 hours, take chicken breasts out and shred. Return to the slow cooker.
Add in onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalepeno pepper, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock.
minutes before serving add in ¼ cup of lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with sliced avocados and plantain chips!

If you can't tell, SB is actually enjoying the soup. We promise. It might be slightly spicy for kids, but it's perfect for adults. 

And now football picks! Sawyer has increased her lead to 30 correct picks, while Tristan has 24. 

Denver vs. San Diego

Arkansas: Broncos

Wisconsin: Broncos

Philly vs. Washington

Arkansas: Eagles

Wisconsin: Eagles

Pittsburgh vs. Miami

Arkansas: Steelers

Wisconsin: Steelers

Jacksonville vs. Chicago

Arkansas: Bears

Wisconsin: Jaguars

Cleveland vs. Tennessee

Arkansas: Titans

Wisconsin: Titans

Cincinnati vs. New England

Arkansas: Patriots

Wisconsin: Bengals

San Francisco vs. Buffalo

Arkansas: Bills

Wisconsin: Bills

Baltimore vs. NYG

Arkansas: Ravens

Wisconsin: Ravens

Los Angeles vs. Detroit

Arkansas: Rams

Wisconsin: Rams

Carolina vs. New Orleans

Arkansas: Saints

Wisconsin: Panthers

Kansas City vs. Oakland

Arkansas: Raiders

Wisconsin: Raiders

Dallas vs. Green Bay

Arkansas: Packers

Wisconsin: Packers

Atlanta vs. Seattle

Arkansas: Seahawks

Wisconsin: Falcons

Indy vs. Houston

Arkansas: Colts

Wisconsin: Colts

NYJ vs. Arizona

Arkansas: Jets

Wisconsin:  Cardinals

We hope your weekend is full of family, fun and football!
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Sausage, Potato & Pepper Skillet

Sorry ya'll, we've been on hiatus the past few weeks. There's been a soccer tournament, gymnastics practices, Kevin coaching his own team, and well, life. Life has been insane. 

Cooking has kind of taken a back seat. We've been relying on some of our tried and true recipes, and eating a lot of sandwiches lately. A lot of lettuce wrapped, Whole 30 compliant sandwiches. So many sandwiches.

One night, Rebecca threw a bunch of random ingredients together for dinner, and the end result was so good, Kevin almost didn't get any. SB wolfed down 2 bowls, and begged for more. Needless to say, this has become a popular recipe in our house lately. And why not? The combination of sausage, potatoes and peppers is hearty, but the chicken sausage doesn't make it too heavy. 

Sausage, Potato & Pepper Skillet

1 T olive oil
4 links pre-cooked chicken apple sausage (we like Aidells), sliced into 1/2" pieces
2 large bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces
3 medium sized yellow potatoes, diced

Warm olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add potatoes and cook until soft. Add peppers, and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Keep stirring- you don't want everything to stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the peppers are slightly tender, add the chicken sausage and cook until warmed through.

Serve immediately. 

As you can see, this was kid tested and approved- SB loved this meal. Stick with us, we'll have more hearty fall recipes for you soon.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew