Meatless Monday: Dutch Oven Apple Dumplings

Since the Arkansas Test Kitchen recently relocated into a new apartment; we've enjoyed entertaining friends and family. And since we contribute to a food blog; that always means GOOD FOOD!

We firmly believe in the concept of a dessert stomach; which means dessert is a must when we're entertaining. And a quick, easy dessert always works best. We found a Pinterest recipe we had to try, and it did not disappoint!  After one small modification; these dumplings are now requested by dinner guests!


Dutch Oven Apple Dumplings
Recipe adapted from A Little Campy

1 apple (Cored and Peeled)
1 can crescent roll dough
4 tsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup water


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease your dutch oven with cooking spray
3. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl
4. Cut your apple into 8 equal portions
5. Roll the apple pieces in the sugar / cinnamon mixture
6. Place seasoned apple pieces in a crescent triangle, and roll the dough around the apple piece
7. Place dumplings in the bottom of the dutch oven
8. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the dutch oven, trying not to splash the apple dumplings with water
9. Using a basting brush, brush melted butter on top of the apple dumplings
10. Evenly spread the remaining sugar /cinnamon mixture on top of the buttered apple dumplings
11. Cook at 350 for 20 - 35 minutes
12. Allow to cool, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream 

Give this recipe a try at your next dinner party; it's Dessert Stomach tested and approved.

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Frugal Friday: Baked Ziti

Are you like the Arkansas Test Kitchen, money going out for bills with little left over for groceries? After the Arkansas Test kitchen moved into a new apartment, money was gone in a hurry, so we focused on some delicious budget friendly recipes- like this Baked Ziti!  

The yield on this recipe is insane- we gave a third of it away to friends for their dinner, and were still able to eat it for three days after. It also freezes really well if you'd want to make half a batch now- and freeze the other half for dinner later in the month. And bonus? The most expensive ingredient in the entire meal is the two pounds of meat! Talk about budget friendly. 

And what good is pasta without some bread to go along with it?  Check out http://cooldadscook.blogspot.com/2014/03/friday-fundamentals-bread.html for an easy, delicious bread recipe.

Baked Ziti

courtesy of www.recipe.com/now-and-later-baked-ziti/

9 cups penne (tube shaped) pasta
1 cup chopped onion (approximately 1 medium large onion)
2 lbs ground meat (we used sweet Italian sausage and ground turkey)
7 1/2 cups pasta sauce (we used 2 cans of roasted garlic and 1 can of traditional)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook pasta to al dente (the pasta is going to cook longer in the oven so you do not want to over-cook it)*.
*Remember to salt the water while cooking pasta, it will help it boil faster and it will also season the pasta as it cooks
2. In a 6 qt stockpot, sauté the chopped onion in a small amount of olive oil.
3. Once the onion is sautéed, brown the meat.
4. Once the meat is browned, add the pasta sauce, cooked ziti, and 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

5. Stir to combine
6. Spoon the mixture into 2 large 9"x13" greased casserole pans.

7. Evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese on top,cover pans with aluminum foil.
8. Cook for approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees,or until the cheese is melted, and the pasta is warm throughout.

The Arkansas Test Kitchen can't wait to share more of our budget friendly kitchen adventures with you! 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Meatless Monday: Arkansas Cold Brewed Coffee

Ok, we are going to take a little break from our normal Meatless Monday posts; but instead of meatlessness (is that a real word? Well, it is now!) we're going to cool things off with iced coffee. 

Between the Arkansas and Wisconsin Test Kitchen; coffee is considered life blood. Some people LIKE coffee, others LOVE coffee, but we NEED coffee to adult.  BUT when you wake up in the morning and it's already 75 degrees outside, drinking hot coffee isn't really appealing. Thus- iced coffee! 

Arkansas Cold Brewed Coffee
6 - 8 tablespoons ground coffee
French press
Room temperature water

There are other ways to make iced coffee, but this is the Arkansas Test Kitchen's exclusive recipe.

Grind your coffee beans to a coarse grind (if you over-grind them they will slip through the screen of the french press).

Place the ground coffee in the french press and fill with room temperature water, leaving an inch or two at the top for the press.

Allow to sit on the counter for 8 -12 hours ( I have even let mine go for 24 hours).

After you allow it to sit, pour coffee into a pitcher or large plastic water bottle- something that will hold 32oz. 

Place in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill. 

So, now you've iced coffee. How do you drink it?

Our recommendation is to combine half a glass of cold coffee with half a glass of almond milk. Since the coffee is "cold" brewed, the taste is a little sweeter and not as bitter, but it is stronger. If you don't want to use milk, I would suggest adding a little water to help dilute it. But that's a personal preference.

Note from the Test Kitchen
*I make my coffee in the morning and let it sit on the counter while I am working, then pour it into the container and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

You can thank us later for all the money you're about to save at Starbucks!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Frugal Friday: Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Sometimes you need an easy, inexpensive recipe that everyone will enjoy- like Santa Fe Chicken! The great thing about this chicken recipe is it tastes like you slaved over a hot oven all day- but really the crock pot did all the work. Another bonus is, this is a budget friendly meal your wallet and family will love.

Santa Fe Chicken
Recipe courtesy of http://thefrugalgirls.com/2014/10/crockpot-santa-fe-whole-chicken-recipe.html

1 whole chicken (4 - 5 lbs)
2 packets fajita seasoning
1 medium whole onion


1. Rinse the chicken under cool water and pat dry. Remember to remove the organs from inside the chicken.
2, Slice the onion into thick slices.
3. Sprinkle the Fajita seasoning over the chicken, make sure to get inside the chicken cavity as well. 

4. Place half the chopped onion inside the chicken .
5. Put the chicken in a large resealable bag or Tupperware container and allow to marinate overnight
6. The next morning, place the remainder of the onion slices on the bottom of the crock pot, and place the chicken on top of the onion.
7. Cook the chicken on low heat for 6 - 8 hours until an instant read meat thermometer reads at least 160.0

8. Serve with the onions and the juice from the bottom of the crock pot.

Notes from the Test Kitchen:
* We discussed adding a bell pepper with the the onion to add a little additional taste.

*This recipe would be delicious served in tortillas with the peppers and onions- fajita style.

Here's the breakdown on how much this budget meal costs:
Chicken $5.00
Season Packets 2 / $1.00
Onion $1.00
Total: $7.00

We had 4 meals from this chicken, which means $1.75 per serving. It doesn't get much more budget friendly (or delicious) than that! 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew

Meatless Monday: Chickpea Chicken Salad

Since becoming vegetarian, finding lunches for Rebecca in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen has been challenging. She burned out on peanut butter sandwiches and hummus wraps pretty quickly. The idea of more hummus made her gag a little. So, when she found a recipe for Curried Chickpea "Chicken" Salad, she was pretty stoked. And even more stoked when she found out how delicious it was! 

Curried Chickpea Salad
Recipe adapted from: http://www.simple-veganista.com/?s=curried+chickpea

2 cans (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 – 3 carrots (about 1 cup), diced
4 – 5 scallions/green onions (about 1 cup), sliced
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup raw or toasted cashews
1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & cracked pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, curry & garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt. Blend until combined. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, add chickpeas and roughly mash about 1/2 of the beans with the back of a sturdy fork or potato masher. Add in the carrots, scallions, raisins, cashews and mayonnaise mixture, mix well to combine. Taste for flavor adding salt and cracked pepper to taste.

This salad would be delicious served in a wrap or with sliced red peppers or celery, but was also delicious just plain, in a bowl with a spoon. 

If you're a vegan, you can use vegan mayo, or mix the salad with hummus thinned with tahini sauce. This is a great recipe for those hot, dog days of summer when you don't want to do any actual cooking. It's become Rebecca's new go-to lunch recipe. Heaven help us when she gets sick of this one... 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Meatless Monday: Balsamic Mushroom Pasta

Since one of the members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen has gone vegetarian, we've seen a 200% increase in the amount of mushrooms purchased every two weeks. Mushrooms are really versatile when it comes to swapping out meat. We use them in place of hamburger, corned beef, and are even trying a recipe to make bacon out of portobello mushroom caps.

What was that noise? Yep, that was Doug in the Arkansas Test Kitchen's head exploding at the very idea of making bacon out of mushrooms. But we digress. 

Yes, we've been swapping meat for mushrooms, but sometimes mushrooms taste really good all on their own. Since it hasn't been really warm or sunny here in Wisconsin this summer, we were looking for a hearty pasta dish for Sunday night dinner. We decided to try this yummy balsamic mushroom fettuccine dish. It's really indulgent and pairs perfectly with a glass of spicy red wine.

Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.girlgonegourmet.com/2015/01/balsamic-mushroom-pasta.html

INGREDIENTS
4 ounces fettuccine pasta
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces baby portabello mushrooms, sliced (We used a bag of assorted mushrooms- oyster, shiitake and portabello)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus a few tablespoons for garnish
salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the fettuccine according to the directions on the package. While the pasta is cooking prepare the mushroom sauce.
In a large pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once melted, add in the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes or so, just until softened.

Add in the sliced mushrooms and toss them around to get them coated in the butter and olive oil. If needed, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil if the mushrooms get too dry. Let them cook and brown for about 8 minutes.

Pour in the balsamic vinegar and stir everything together making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the other tablespoon of butter. Cook everything together for a couple of minutes and then turn off the heat and move the pan off the burner.

Pour in the cream and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Add the cooked fettuccine to the sauce and toss to combine. Add in the fresh parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper (about a ½ teaspoon of each).
Serve with additional parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Kevin was the first one to point out that it wasn't the prettiest dish we've ever prepared, but it sure did taste good. And it was easy enough to prepare, that it was the perfect weeknight supper. 

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew

Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Life on the Farm

Ok, you're right: we don't actually live on a farm. But recently the Arkansas Test kitchen took a trip to a local blackberry farm. Lil' Dude has never tried or picked blackberries before, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to take care of both!

On the way to the farm, Lil' Dude and I heard a fantastic kids song: Japanese Bananas by Alvin and the Chipmunks. 

 This was the song that we sang while we picked blackberries. Even though it was crazy hot, we had a great time on the farm, and it felt good to support our local farmers. 

After picking a gallon of blackberries, we tried making blackberry cobbler for the first time! 

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients
2 Cups blackberries
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla


1. Place blackberries and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
3. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Mix the milk, melted butter, and vanilla in a seperate bowl, and add to the dry ingredients, stirring until there are only a few lumps
5. Grease an 8"x8" baking dish
6. Spoon mixture into the greased dish, and pour the blackberries on top.
7. Place cobbler in the oven and bake for 45 minutes
8. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Since we titled this post Life on the Farm, we thought we'd give you an update on our container garden. To date, we have 5 tomato plants, 1 mini eggplant, 1 crook neck squash plant, 6 sweet banana pepper plants, 2 bell pepper plants, 1 mini bell pepper plant, 2 lunchbox sweet snacking pepper plants, and 1 cucumber plant planted. 

So far, we have harvested a handful of cherry tomatoes, 8 banana peppers, 2 mini eggplants, and a squash. The one thing we've learned is to stagger the planting of the vegetables, and not plant everything all at once. This way, our harvest will last all summer and into the fall. We hope to have enough produce soon to start trying out some new recipes!

We hope you're enjoying summers bounty as much as we are!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew