Football Friday: Crab Rangoons

It's been one of those weeks in both the Cool Dads Kitchens. It's been a whirlwind of recovering from illness, taking care of sick kids and dealing with all kinds of family related chaos. Long story short: the test kitchens didn't have chance to develop a new recipe for Football Friday. But, we don't want to leave our loyal fans hanging... So we've included a link to a crab rangoon recipe that has been tried and true here in the Wisconsin test kitchen. We've made these a ton of times, and they are delicious. Pair these with some sweet and sour sauce, or spicy mustard- and you've got a great Sunday afternoon football snack.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/movie-night-the-crab-rangoonies-recipe

What we may lack in new food innovations, we make up for with football predictions!

Buffalo vs. NYJ
Dad #1: NYJ
Dad #2: Bills

Baltimore vs. Chicago
Dad #1: Bears
Dad #2: Bears

Cleveland vs. Cincinnati
Dad #1: Bengals
Dad #2: Browns

Washington vs. Philadelphia
Dad #1: Eagles
Dad #2: Eagles

Detroit vs. Pittsburgh
Dad #1: Steelers
Dad #2: Lions

Atlanta vs. Tampa Bay
Dad #1: Falcons
Dad #2: Buccaneers

Jacksonville vs. Arizona
Dad #1: Cardinals
Dad #2: Cardinals

Oakland vs. Houston
Dad #1: Raiders
Dad #2: Texans

San Diego vs. Miami
Dad #1: Chargers
Dad #2: Chargers

New Orleans vs. San Francisco
Dad #1: Saints
Dad #2: Saints

Green Bay vs. NYG
Dad #1: Packers
Dad #2: Packers

Seattle vs. Minnesota
Dad #1: Seahawks
Dad #2: Seahawks

Kansas City vs. Denver
Dad #1: Broncos
Dad #2: Chiefs

New England vs. Carolina
Dad #1: Patriots
Dad #2: Panthers

Hope your weekend is full of family, football and fun!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen: Chicken Nuggets

True confession from the Wisconsin test kitchen. Sometimes we feed our daughter Sawyer Happy Meals from McDonalds. I know, it's shameful. We pride ourselves on cooking at home and eating an organic sustainable diet. But every once in a while, we give into the siren song of the golden arches. Go ahead- judge away.

But, the way she scarfs down those strange, disgusting little chicken nuggets got us wondering... could we make chicken nuggets at home that she'd like as much as McDonalds? In a word... yes. And bonus: they're healthier, lower in sodium and made from actual chicken.

Cool Dads Chicken Nuggets

1lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup bread crumbs*
2T parmesan cheese
2 egg whites

**A note on the bread crumbs. Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we're extremely thrifty. We make our own breadcrumbs and keep them in the freezer to use for meatloaf, breadings, etc. So, we used a cup of these plain bread crumbs and mixed them with a few dashes of seasoning salt, Penzy's Sunny Paris seasoning, and 2T Parmesan cheese. Store bought bread crumbs will work just as well- just combine them with the 2T of Parmesan cheese.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and coat a 9"x13" pan with non-stick cook spray.

Cut chicken breasts into roughly 1" pieces.

Crack eggs, and put egg whites in a separate bowl

Pour bread crumbs  and cheese into a ziplock bag.

Recruit help from your tiny kitchen helper.

Initially, Sawyer was NOT into the cooking process. But once I showed her how to dunk the chicken pieces into the egg white and then place them in the bag of bread crumbs-  and shake to cover them in crumbs- she was all about it. In fact, she ended up making ALL of the chicken nuggets for dinner that night! She was so proud of the fact she made dinner, she couldn't wait to tell her Daddy all about it when he got home from work that night.

So, to review: dunk raw chicken pieces in egg white- and put them in the bag with the bread crumbs. Shake the bag in order to get the chicken pieces completely covered in bread crumbs (listening to Luke Bryan's Country Girl (Shake It For Me) is recommended, but completely optional for this step). Remove the chicken pieces from the bread crumb bag, and place them in the baking dish.

Bake them at 400 degrees for 14 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking process.

The final result?

Sawyer's feedback was, "These are even better than the ones at McDonalds!" And she promptly ate seven chicken nuggets. The fact she got to help make dinner all by herself was a huge factor in how successful the meal was. There you have it... chicken nuggets so easy a five year old can make them.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home

This is what Cool Dads Cook is all about- providing you with healthy recipes your kids will eat, and will love to help prepare. We can't wait to share some of our favorite holiday recipes with you next week!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Monday Meals: Chicken Noodle Soup

Both the Arkansas and Wisconsin test kitchens have fallen victim to various illnesses over the past few weeks. Arkansas was dealing with strep throat, while Wisconsin had the stomach flu. Cue lots of disinfecting, cleaning and chicken soup making.

Multiple studies have been done on the effectiveness of chicken soup on various illnesses; but we know one thing to be true... it tastes delicious when you're under the weather. Here's a crock pot version the Wisconsin Test Kitchen prepared this past weekend. We apologize for the lack of pictures; we were so excited to be making soup that we completely forgot...

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken stock (bonus points if you make your own, but in a pinch the store bought variety works just fine)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
3lbs whole chicken (the only whole chickens we had in our freezer were at least six pounds- don't ask... the farm we purchase them from has had an incredible year with chickens- so we used a half a chicken- bone in)
1/2 lb. dried egg noodles
2 t garlic powder
1 t dried oregano
seasoning salt
pepper

Combine stock, celery, carrots, chicken, garlic powder and oregano in slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Once chicken is cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and let it cool slightly so you can pull the meat off the bones. While the meat is cooling, skim fat off the top of the soup (also, take a slotted spoon through the soup... we found a rogue chicken bone that had sunk to the bottom of the soup. Super unappetizing if someone were to find that in their soup!).
How do you skim fat off the soup? One of two ways:

Are you eating the soup today?
If so, take an ice cube and run it over the top of the soup. It will collect the fat for you. Dispose of it. This might require multiple ice cubes.

Are you eating the soup later?
Let the soup cool completely, and put it in the refrigerator. The fat will rise to the top, allowing you to skim it off with a spoon.

Once fat removal is complete, put the crock pot on low heat and add the chicken back into the soup, and add more seasonings as needed. At this point in the soup process, I added a few shakes of garlic powder and seasoning salt.

Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions. Add them to the soup immediately before serving.

The end result is tasty, satisfying, and while it's not guaranteed to immediately cure your cold or sore throat; it will at least fill your belly and make you happy. So there's that.

Do you have any cold and flu season remedies you swear by? We'd love to hear about them!
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Hot Browns Bake

Ahh, Kentucky Hot Browns. Never heard of them? You're not alone. The first time the Wisconsin Test Kitchen heard of them, was on a Food Network Special with Bobby Flay during the Kentucky Derby. The combination of smoked turkey, Swiss cheese and bacon sounded too delicious for words.

This past week the Wisconsin Test Kitchen stumbled over a recipe for Kentucky Hot Browns Bake; and it sounded like the perfect recipe to make during football season. And lets face it... with Aaron Rodgers out for the next few weeks, and Seneca Wallace embarrassing Cheeseheads across the state- we need all the delicious comfort food we can get.

Kentucky Hot Browns Bake


8 oz package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb. package smoked turkey lunch meat
8 slices cooked bacon
8 slices Swiss cheese
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
4 eggs, beaten

 

 Unroll the crescent dough and separate into 2 squares.

Place one square in bottom of 8" pan that is greased or lined with parchment paper.
Press dough to fit pan.
Layer with half the turkey, bacon, cheese and tomatoes.
Pour half the eggs over the top.
Repeat the layers.
Top with remaining dough square.
Pour remaining eggs over top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, covered with foil. Remove foil and bake another 20-25 minutes.
Let sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes before serving.

 

Recipe courtesy of www.eatathomecooks.com

Football Friday Predictions

Chicago vs. Detroit
Dad #1: Bears
Dad #2: Lions

Green Bay vs. Philly
Dad #1: Eagles
Dad #2: Packers

Tennessee vs. Jacksonville
Dad #1: Titans
Dad #2: Titans

St. Louis vs. Indy
Dad #1: Colts
Dad #2: Colts

NYG vs. Oakland
Dad #1: Raiders
Dad #2: Raiders

Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh
Dad #1: Steelers
Dad #2: Steelers

Cincinnati vs. Baltimore
Dad #1: Bengals
Dad #2: Bengals

San Francisco vs. Carolina
Dad #1: 49ers
Dad #2: Panthers

Houston vs. Arizona
Dad #1: Cardinals
Dad #2: Cardinals

Denver vs. San Diego
Dad #1: Denver
Dad #2: Denver

Dallas vs. New Orleans
Dad #1: Cowboys
Dad #2: Saints

Miami vs. Tampa Bay
Dad #1: Buccaneers
Dad #2: Buccaneers

Hope everyone has a fun weekend full of food and football!
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen: Pad Thai

The Wisconsin test kitchen is comprised of some serious take out food junkies. The people at the Japanese restaurant know us by name; and the Chinese food delivery people were concerned about us when we hadn't placed an order in at least two weeks. Yikes.

We've been trying to cook more at home, and rely less on take out. We were craving some Thai food this past week, and thought we'd try making our own Pad Thai. The results were pretty great.

Cool Dads Pad Thai

 

½ lb. of dry fettuccine noodles

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup peanut butter (natural)

2½ tbs. teriyaki sauce

2 tbs. rice vinegar

2 tbs. brown sugar (either light or dark is fine)

½ tsp hot chili sauce (more if you want it spicy)

2 wedges of lime

1 tsp oil

¼ cup sweet onions, sliced

1 clove of garlic minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

chopped peanuts (for topping)

fresh bean sprouts (for topping) 

 

                                                       

1. Put on pot of boiling water for pasta. Cook the fettuccine to al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, whisk together orange juice, peanut butter, teriyaki, rice vinegar, sugar, chili sauce and lime wedges.

3. Heat oil in skillet over med-high, once hot add the onion, pepper and garlic. Stir fry, until onion is cooked, but still has a little firmness, not mushy, then add the noodles and stir fry for 2 minutes.

 

4. Pour the sauce over noodles, and stir to coat, continue folding and mixing the pasta over heat for about a minute.

 

5. Serve with a splash of teriyaki sauce, wedges of lime, chopped peanuts and bean sprouts.

 

 

 

Notes from the test kitchen

 

-As much as we wanted this to be a child friendly dish, it just wasn't. Sawyer's exact words to us were, "I prefer my noodles plain!" But for adults, this is a winner.

-We like A LOT of spice in our food, so we doubled the amount of chili sauce the recipe called for.

-This recipe would easily be enhanced with some shrimp or chicken, and other vegetables like mushrooms, celery or julienned carrots. But it's awesome just the way it is.

-Substituting rice noodles instead of fettuccine would make for a more authentic dish.

 

We were big fans of this easy Pad Thai recipe, and can't wait to make it again. What are some of your favorite ethnic dishes to make at home?

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

 

Monday Meals: Get Stuffed (Peppers)!

Ever have one of those days when you're trying to put dinner together; and you have a random assortment of ingredients- but can't find a way to turn them into an actual meal? Yeah... that happens to us too. The Wisconsin test kitchen was faced with just such a challenge a week ago. We had:

tomatoes
mushrooms
bulgur wheat
leeks
Parmesan cheese

Huh.

Yup- it sounded like the makings for a delicious batch of stuffed peppers! Stuffed peppers are great because you can fill them with whatever ingredients you want; and you're guaranteed to have a healthy, hearty meal. They're a great option for vegetarians or vegans as well as carnivores. You can't go wrong with a stuffed pepper.

A lot of traditional stuffed peppers go the ground beef or turkey route- and that's absolutely fine. However, bulgur wheat is a high-protein, low fat variation if you're looking to avoid meat. It's hearty enough to satisfy meat eaters, while at the same time providing vegetarians or vegans with a substantial meal option. The Wisconsin test kitchen uses it in salads, chilis and this stuffed pepper recipe.

Please note: we have an unnatural love for bacon... but need to balance it out sometimes.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

6-8 large green peppers
1 large leek, chopped
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cups bulgur wheat, prepared according to package directions
olive oil
salt
pepper
Parmesan cheese

Slice the tops off the green peppers, remove seeds and stems and place them in a 9"x13" pan.

Heat 2 T of olive oil in a Dutch oven (or large sauce pan). Once heated, sauté the leek and mushrooms until soft. Stir in the tomatoes until well combined. Let the combination simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. We added a few sprinkles of curry powder to add a little extra flavor to the vegetables- Italian seasoning mix or even a good quality seasoning salt will work as well.

Remove vegetable mixture from heat. Stir in the bulgur wheat until well combined. Put mixture into the green peppers. Don't be afraid to really pack them full of stuffing- it's not going to hurt anything.

Once peppers are stuffed, sprinkle the tops with a little bit of Parmesan cheese (omit this step if you're going the vegan route). Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

This is a hearty, delicious meal that's a sure-fire way to get vegetables into your kids diets, and provide a meal adults will love too. Let us know some of your favorite stuffed pepper ingredients- we'd love to try some new variations!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Football Friday: Carne Asada Tacos

Cool Dads don't admit defeat, especially when it comes to their grilling. When it comes to grilling, the Cool Dads take the approach of the US Postal Service: neither wind, nor rain, nor snow will keep them from grilling tasty food. In the Wisconsin test kitchen, we take pride in grilling year round. This past February when it seemed like winter was never going to end; we cranked the heat up a few more degrees in the house, made a pitcher of margaritas and slapped some burgers on the grill... which was buried in over a foot of snow. But it's amazing what a grilled cheeseburger and a tasty Corona margarita will do for your soul.

With the traditional definition of grilling season coming to a close soon (not yet in Arkansas); the Arkansas test kitchen was looking for some new ways to grill. We came across the ultimate tailgate recipe: Make Your Own Tacos using Carne Asada (which means Grilled Meat), and tomatillo salsa. This recipe is great; because your guests can customize their tacos, based on their preferences.

Carne Asada Tacos

Taco Recipe:
1 package flour tortillas warmed
1 lb. Carne Asada Meat (recipe below)
1 package taco rice (I used Knorr brand)
1 can black beans
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, died
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 package Kraft Mexican style cheese
Salsa Verde (recipe below)

Carne Asada Recipe:

Juice from 2 lemons
6 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Salt (to taste)
1 lb. Flank or Skirt steak
Oil for the grill

1. Place lemon juice, water, garlic powder, salt and steak into a Ziploc bag, and massage the marinade into the meat.
2. Place meat and marinade combination into the refrigerator for 1 - 3 hours
3. Preheat grill or grill pan (if grilling inside) to medium-high heat
4. Oil grill, then place meat on the grill
5. Grill approximately 3 minutes per side

6. Place meat on a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting
7. Cut meat into 1/2" strips, then cut into small chunks for easier taco assembly

Salsa Verde Recipe

10 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2 jalapenos, halved and seeded
1 bunch fresh cilantro(leaves and stem)
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

1. Add all ingredients into a medium sauce pan of boiling water
2. Reduce heat to a simmer
3. Cook until everything has softened, approximately 10 minutes
4. Let cool
5. Transfer tomatillos, jalapenos, cilantro, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor
6. Puree until smooth
7. Season with salt as needed
8. Thin with liquid from sauce pan if needed

If you have never hear about Tomatillos, click this Wikipedia link to tomatillo. And also? You're seriously missing out. Tomatillo salsa is the bomb!

These tacos didn't last long in the Arkansas test kitchen. The meat was well seasoned, and the other ingredients helped to make a flavorful, healthy dinner.  Q-doba and Chipotle don't have anything on these delicious tacos. My family has already told me I have to make these again. What better compliment can you get?!

And now- some football picks! This is a serious week for fantasy football- it's Wisconsin test kitchen vs. Arkansas test kitchen, and we anticipate some major smack talk! Not to mention, the Arkansas test kitchen is composed of Bears fans, and we all know the Wisconsin test kitchen is part of Packer Nation... which means Monday night is going to be relentless.

Tennessee vs. Saint Louis
Dad #1: Titans (what does STL have left to play for anyway?!)
Dad #2: Titans

Buffalo vs. Kansas City
Dad #1: Chiefs
Dad #2: Chiefs
Dallas vs. Minnesota
Dad #1: Cowboys
Dad #2: Cowboys
New Orleans vs. NYJ
Dad #1: Jets
Dad #2: Saints

Washington vs. San Diego
Dad #1: Chargers
Dad #2: Chargers
Carolina vs. Atlanta
Dad #1: Falcons
Dad #2: Panthers
Philly vs. Oakland
Dad #1: Raiders
Dad #2: Eagles
Tampa Bay vs. Seattle
Dad #1: Seahawks
Dad #2: Seahawks

Baltimore vs. Cleveland
Dad #1: Browns
Dad #2: Browns
New England vs. Pittsburgh
Dad #1: Patriots
Dad #2: Patriots

Houston vs. Indy
Dad #1: Colts
Dad #2: Colts
Green Bay vs. Chicago
Dad #1: Bears
Dad #2: PACKERS!!!! Besides, Jay Cutler has that sprained uterus, and won't be playing...
Hope you have a great weekend filled with football, food and family.
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Cook Crew