MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN TROPICAL BBQ CHICKEN PACKETS MONDAY 06-19-17
1:25
If everything old is new again, then today’s cooking method is right on the mark. Plus, did I mention it’s super tasty?
If you’re the type of person who loves food that is super juicy, likes to make sure everyone has an equal portion and is not a big fan of washing pots and pans, then foil packet cooking is for you. And if you’re not familiar with it, let me share a simple recipe to get you started. We start by cutting 4 squares of aluminum foil. When it comes to the foil, make sure you use a heavy duty one and don’t be skimpy when cutting it. We season a few chicken breasts with salt and pepper before dipping them into some barbecue sauce. Each one goes in the center of the foil and we top them with slices of pineapple, some chunked up red bell pepper and a bit of chopped scallions. A little more barbecue sauce goes on top and we fold the foil creating a pocket so our chicken can roast. Place these on a baking sheet and into the oven it goes, or we can cook these out on our grill. When they’re done, make sure you open them carefully, because they’re going to be hot. What we end up with is the juiciest chicken ever topped with the taste of the tropics. The recipe for our, “Tropical BBQ Chicken Packets,” is online now and are perfect all year long. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “wrapped up way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN BUMBLEBERRY PIE TUESDAY 06-20-17
1:33
When is the best time of year to make bumbleberry pie? Of course when bumbleberries are at their peak, right? Well, sort of.
If strawberry pie is made from strawberries and blueberry pie is made from blueberries, then it’s pretty obvious that bumbleberry pie would be made from bumbleberries, right? Well, it would be if there was such a thing as a bumbleberry. Yet, there is a bumbleberry pie, so what’s the catch? We start by placing a refrigerated pie crust in a pie plate, fluting the edges, and popping it in the oven. While it bakes, we mix a package of blueberry gelatin, some sugar, cornstarch, a good amount of ginger ale, and equal amounts of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. We let that cook just long enough until the berries start to break up and the mixture begins to thicken. After it cools slightly, we stir in even more berries. Pour this into our pie shell and into the fridge it goes to set up. So what makes this a bumbleberry pie? It’s the combo of all the berries. And when you sink your teeth into all those juicy berries, get ready to do a happy dance. It’s that good! As always, the recipe for our “Bumbleberry Pie” is online now and it’s the perfect dessert to make all summer long. I’m Howard, with Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “Berry fresh tasting way” for you to say…
“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN WATERMELON DREAM SQUARES WEDNESDAY06-21-17 1:26
Today’s the first official day of summer and that means it’s time to celebrate with summer’s juiciest fruit.
[HOWARD]:Today’s the first day of summer, and I thought it would be fun to have Carla Penney, the National Watermelon Queen join me in the Test Kitchen. Welcome Carla! [CARLA PENNEY]: Hey Howard, thanks for having me. [HOWARD]: Carla, tell me about your role as the Watermelon Queen, and maybe something about watermelons that most folks might not know. [CARLA PENNEY]: As National Watermelon Queen, I love sharing the healthy benefits of this fun, great tasting, and year-round fruit. One thing that most people don’t know is that every part of the watermelon is edible. [HOWARD]: Every part?[CARLA PENNEY]: Yes, every part. That’s why I always like to show people that they can use the whole watermelon. The flesh, the juice and the rind. And since watermelon is 92% water, its juice is perfect for keeping us hydrated. [HOWARD]: I’ve had the rind both stir-fried and pickled and boy was it good. Carla, ready to try one of new my favorites? I think you’re going to love the combo of the buttery crust and the fresh tasting layer of watermelon cream. To get this easy recipe, just head over to our website and type in “Watermelon Dream Squares” [CARLA PENNEY]: These are amazing!!! [HOWARD]: Carla, Thanks for joining us today. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “100% edible way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN COBB MACARONI SALAD THURSDAY 06-22-17
1:31
It’s summer and that means we need to come up with a few new deli salads to keep everyone excited. Well, we’ve got one that will do just that.
With all the summertime cookouts, backyard bashes and family get-togethers, deli salads are always on the top of the “what to serve” list. But even the best of them can get pretty boring after a while, so we came up with one that is a cross between the best macaroni salad and a fill-you-up Cobb salad. We start by cooking some elbows like usual and draining them really well. While it’s cooling, we peel a couple of hard boiled eggs, because no Cobb salad is complete without them. Now, to the pasta we add diced deli ham, a bit of cheddar cheese, along with some cut up red pepper, celery, avocado and a bit of crumbled bacon. This gets combined with a dressing we made by mixing together some mayo with a splash of vinegar, a little sugar and a touch of salt. Garnish this with the hardboiled eggs and more crumbled bacon and it’s ready to serve. And unlike most pasta salads, this is hearty enough to be a meal in itself. I really do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for what we call, “Cobb Macaroni Salad,” so you can serve it at your next shindig. I’m Howard, with Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “tasty new way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN SKILLET SUMMER VEGETABLES FRIDAY 06-23-17
1:24
Want to try something new with some of summer’s best veggies? Stick around this is one yummy side dish.
This time of year, it’s hard to ignore how abundant our summer squashes are. If you’ve been to the market lately, then you know exactly what I mean. Zucchini and summer squash that are so fresh, they taste like they were just picked this morning – and they just may have been. And luckily for us, they’re at some really good prices. So what doyou say we turn them into a side dish that is summer at its best? All we do is sauté some garlic and onions in a bit of vegetable oil until they’re tender. Once they are, we add in another veggie that’s at its peak right now, tomatoes, and cook themuntil they’re tender. Now we toss in the stars of this dish, some sliced summer squash and zucchini along with a bit of oregano, basil and a little salt and pepper. A few more minutes is all it takes, and when everything is tender, it’s done. And not only is this good as a side dish, it’s also perfect as a pasta topper. It may be simple, but let me tell you, it’s nothing short of spectacular. That’s probably why it’s earned a 5-star rating on our website. I do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for our, “Skillet Summer Vegetables,” so you can turn nature’s goodness into something your whole gang will love. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “fresh picked way” for you to say… “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN HILLBILLY BAKED BEANS MONDAY 06-26-17
1:31
With the 4th of July right around the corner we’ve got a down home dish that’s perfect for any potluck.
With the 4th of July around the corner, we’ve been getting lots of questions about what side dish to make for the holiday. Well, many of you have asked for a recipe that doesn’t take a lot of work, but that has a bunch of flavor. So we thought we should bring back an old classic that’s really easy and tasty whether you serve it inside or out. In a slow cooker we combine some ground beef, a chopped onion, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and a bit of water. Now we add in three kinds of beans; a can of kidney beans; a can of butter beans (both drained), and a can of pork and beans (with the juice and all) along with some crumbled bacon to give it some smokiness. After it slow cooks, it’s done. No slow cooker, no problem. You could simply slow cook this in your oven. And if you’re grilling out, why not serve these right out of an aluminum pan or a cast iron skillet right off the grill. Either way, this is one of those “cook until you’re ready for them” kind of dishes that everyone loves. I do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for what we call, “Hillbilly Baked Beans,” so you can whip up a down home favorite just in time for the 4th of July – or really any time. I’m Howard from the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we rediscovered a “classic way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN RASPBERRY CREAM DANISH TUESDAY 06-27-17
1:35
What is the secret to turning your kitchen into a French Bakery? The answer is simple and it’s waiting for you in the freezer aisle.
When I first started my catering business years ago, one of my secret ingredients that I used in just about everything, from hors d’oeuvres to the most decadent desserts, was frozen puff pastry. It was so easy to use, and the results were always amazing. So today, I want to show you a simple, bakery favorite that starts off with puff pastry and ends with rave reviews. We unfold a sheet of thawed puff pastry and cut it into 9 squares. Then we fold each one in half making triangles. Now we cut 2 slits, about a 1/4-inch away from the edge, like this, making sure the two cuts do not meet. Next we unfold the triangle and fold the cut part back over so it looks like this. Then repeat with the other side. Then we spoon a bit of a homemade cream cheese filling on the center and top that with a raspberry. Once they are all done, we bake them until the dough is golden and crispy. After these cool slightly, we dust them with some powdered sugar and there you have it, a fancy treat that looks like it came from a French bakery, thanks to our secret ingredient, the puff pastry. The recipe for our “Raspberry Cream Danish” is online now and will never let you down. I'm Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a "French, secret ingredient way" for you to say…"C'est si bon", which is another way of saying "OOH IT'S SO GOOD!!"
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN REUBEN DOGS WEDNESDAY 06-28-17
1:33
This 4th say goodbye to boring hot dogs and hello to ones that are deli-delicious. Just wait until you see how easy.
With the 4th of July around the corner, if you’re looking for a way to make your holiday meal a bit different, and when I say different, I don’t mean crazy different, but just enough to make what you’re serving really stand out, then let me show you how to turn a plain old hot dog into a deli classic. First of all, if you’re planning on cooking hot dogs, I think they taste best if we boil them first, and then put them on the grill or in a grill pan. That way they plump up and get juicy, and then we can char them as much as we want. Now sure we could serve these as is, but like I said, we want them to stand out. To do that we place them in a bun, top them with some warmed sauerkraut, a little Russian dressing and some shredded Swiss cheese. These can go on the top rack of our grill for a few minutes (just long enough to melt the cheese), or if you’re cooking them indoors, pop them in a toaster oven for a few minutes. Either way, we end up with the juiciest dogs you’ve ever eaten, combined with the tang of the sauerkraut and gooeyness of the cheese. To get the recipe, simply go to our website and type in, “Rueben Dogs,” and while you’re there make sure you download our free “Let’s Get Grilling,” ecookbook just in time for the 4th. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “hot diggity dog way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN ALL-AMERICAN BROOKIE BARS THURSDAY06-29-17
1:22
Is it a cookie…or a brownie? Well the verdict is still out. All I know, this is to-die-for.
When it comes to desserts, I have two favorites; chocolate chip cookies and decadent brownies. To me nothing is better than either of these served right out of the oven. Well, there is one thing better… and that would be a batch of our brookie bars, where we combine the two of them into one all-American treat. We start by preparing a box of brownie mix according to the package instructions, following the directions to make them cake-like, and we pour this into a baking dish. Now for the part that takes this over the top, we drop spoonfuls of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough over the brownie batter. And to make this truly all-American, sprinkle on some red, white, and blue candies before popping it in the oven. And if you’re wondering why we call these brookies; it’s because they’re part brownie and part cookie. When these come out of the oven, you’re going to have to use all your will power to let them cool before digging in. So get ready for a doubly chocolate experience that’s mind blowing. To get the recipe for our, “All-American Brookie Bars” in time for the 4th, all you have to do is check out our website. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “red, white, and blue way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN SHEET PAN MAC ‘N’ CHEESE FRIDAY 06-30-17
1:35
Mac and cheese made on a cookie sheet? Sounds crazy, but it’s not. As a matter of fact it’s all the rage.
When it comes to making dinner, I think there are a few things that we all would agree on. It’s gotta be easy, it’s gotta taste good and clean up should be quick. So with that said, I’m so excited to share with you something called sheet-pan cooking. And today we’re making one of our ultimate comfort foods, sheet-pan style. We start by cooking some elbow macaroni like normal and draining it real well. While that sits, in the same pot, we combine some cheddar cheese soup, a good amount of milk, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, a bit of butter and a few spices. After the cheese melts, we take the pot off the heat and slowly stir in a few eggs along with the cooked pasta. Once that’s mixed, it gets spread on to a rimmed baking sheet and topped with more cheese and some crackers that we crushed and mixed with melted butter. When this comes out of the oven all cheesy delicious with the edges crispy, it’s ready to cut into squares. So if you want to get in on the latest cooking craze, why not start with our, “Sheet Pan Mac 'n' Cheese.” And as always, to get the recipe, simply visit our website. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “new twist on an old classic way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”