MR. FOOD TEST KITCHENSPINACH FETA SCRAMBLE MONDAY 08-28-17
1:35
Do you know how fresh the eggs in your fridge are? Join us today as we share a tip, so you’re always in the know.
Have you ever come home after a long day, opened the fridge, and couldn’t find anything you wanted to make? I know I have. On those nights, I often grab a few eggs and get creative with whatever else I find. If you can’t remember how fresh your eggs are, here’s a trick: Fill a bowl with cold water and place your eggs in it. If they sink to the bottom and lay on their side, they're fresh. If they stand on one end at the bottom of the bowl, they might be a few weeks old, but they’re still good. And if they float to the top, they're history. So let me show you what I made the other night. I began by sautéing some spinach in a little olive oil, until it wilted. To that, I added some eggs that I beat along with some oregano, onion powder, and a little salt and pepper. Once it started to set up, I added in a chunked up tomato and some feta cheese that I almost forgot I had. After scrambling everything together, I ended up with a Greek feast that was amazing. The eggs were nice and fluffy, the veggies made it super colorful, and the feta added just the right tang. So, the next time you don’t know what to make, keep this “Spinach Feta Scramble” in mind. And as always the recipe is online. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found an “eggs-ceptionally tasty” way for you to say…
“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN POTLUCK PISTACHIO FLUFF TUESDAY 08-29-17
1:32
It’s a staple on almost every Southern buffet and at church dinners. Any ideas to what it is?
If you’ve ever been to a Southern buffet or a church dinner then it’s pretty safe to assume that you’ve seen some version of the recipe we’re making today. It’s the one recipe that always goes first. Yep, I’m talking about Pistachio Fluff, also known as Watergate Salad or Marshmallow Fruit Delight. And just in case you’re aren’t familiar with it, or maybe you’ve misplaced the recipe, let me show you how easy. All we do is mix together a couple cans of fruit cocktail, along with some of the juice, a package of pistachio pudding mix, a good amount of mini marshmallows and some chopped walnuts.
Once that’s mixed really well, we fold in a container of whipped topping, which makes this light and fluffy. And just like any other recipe that’s been passed down over time, you can bet there are different variations. Some of them include using pineapple instead of fruit cocktail, or pecans as the nut of choice. And no matter if you serve this as a go-along or a dessert, you can bet that this is one of the first things to disappear. After all, who can resist this combo? I do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for what we call, “Potluck Pistachio Fluff.” This way you’ll have the recipe at your fingertips the next time you need something quick and easy. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “classic way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN PERFECT POUTINE WEDNESDAY08-30-17
1:24
(To Kelly:) I can’t believe you ate a whole plate of them. (To Camera:) What were they? The only way you’ll know is to stick around.
It’s salty, it’s crunchy, it’s cheesy and yes, it’s messy. If you’re thinking, “What the heck is he talking about?” its poutine. Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with this Canadian creation, it’s simply French fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy. As a matter of fact, in Canada, every McDonalds has poutine on their menu, right along with the Big Mac. To make them, we start by preparing some frozen French fries according to the package instructions. I baked them, but if you want you could fry them. Now we top them with a handful of cheese curds. And since these might be new to you, cheese curds are a byproduct of cheese that are produced during the cheese making process. They have a mild flavor and sort of squeak when you bite into them. Alright, we have the fries, we have the cheese curds, now all we do is smother everything with gravy. I never said this is healthy, but I promise it’s very tasty. And whether you eat them as a go-along or as the ultimate comfort food, they’re almost impossible to resist. To get the recipe, for what we call “Perfect Poutine,” including the homemade gravy, simply visit our website. I’m Howard, with Kelly in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “Canadian-inspired way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CRAZY-FAST SHRIMP SCAMPI THURSDAY 08-31-17
1:28
Today we’re making “fast food” for dinner. No, it’s not the kind you get at the drive-thru, and you won’t have to wait in line for it.
Today, we’re making what I call “fast food” for dinner. It’s not the kind you get at the drive-thru. I’m talking about a dish that’s done, start to finish, in less time than it would probably take you to drive to your favorite burger joint. We begin by cooking one pound of linguine. If you’re pressed for time, make sure you put a pot of water on to boil as soon as you get home, so it’s ready by the time you change your clothes and open the mail. While that cooks, we melt some butter along with a bit of olive oil. You see, blending these gives us the rich taste of butter, without it burning while we sauté our garlic and spices. Once it’s tender, we toss in some shrimp and when they’re pink, we stir in lemon juice and a little parsley. Now, all we need to do is drain our pasta and serve all this buttery goodness over it. I told you it was fast, and probably not what you expected. This is my idea of fast food. So, if you love the combo of garlicky shrimp and pasta that tastes like it just came from your favorite Italian restaurant, go to our website and get the recipe for “Crazy-Fast Shrimp Scampi.” You might even want to put on a bib because slurping all these buttery noodles can get kind of messy. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “garlicky way” for you to say…
“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN SWEET PICKLE SLAW FRIDAY 09-01-17
1:29
This weekend it’s time to have one last summertime fling and we have just the thing to make it extra special.
With this weekend being Labor Day, which happens to be the “unofficial” end of summer, many of us will be squeezing in a last minute BBQ or getting the whole family together for some kind of shindig. And after a summer long of eating burgers and hot dogs with all the usual go-alongs, I wanted to share a new twist on coleslaw that I think will be very welcome. For the dressing, we combine mayo, some sweet pickles that we chopped up, a bit of the pickle juice, a splash of vinegar, sugar, celery seed and a touch of salt. As for the type of pickles, they can be sweet pickle chips, baby gherkins or even sweet and spicy pickles, if you want a bit of a kick. Now we toss this with a bag of coleslaw mix, or you can always cut up a head of cabbage and grate in some carrot if you want. This is one of those dishes where everyone will try to guess what the secret ingredient is. If you tell them, that’s up to you. I mean what’s not to love about a creamy coleslaw with an extra burst of flavor that you can only get from the pickles? To get this simple recipe, all you have to do is go to our website and type in, “Sweet Pickle Slaw,” it’s that easy. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a
“Pickle-icous way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN FRESH CHUNKY SALSA MONDAY 09-04-17
1:21
What’s the secret to adding a zing to everything from our burgers and dogs to our nachos and dip? It’s easy and fresh-tasting, so don’t go anywhere.
Before I get going today, I want to wish you a happy Labor Day. No matter what you’ve planned, whether it’s puttering around the house or having some friends and family over for a cookout, I knew today’s recipe had to be sort of labor-free. So, let me show you how to whip up a fresh salsa that goes together in no time. We start by chopping 3 tomatoes. You could do this in a food processor, but since I like my salsa chunky, I think it’s best to cut them with a knife. Now, we mix these with some finely chopped onion, a little bit of jalapeno, a couple of tablespoons of chopped cilantro, a bit of garlic, a touch of salt (that’ll bring out the flavor), the juice of a lime, and a dash or two of hot pepper sauce, depending on how spicy you like it. After mixing it, we pop it in the fridge to let the flavors come together. Now, it’s ready to put out with a bowl of tortilla chips for a fresh-tasting way to start any meal. Or how about topping your burgers and dogs with it? To get the recipe for our “Fresh Chunky Salsa” all you have to do is visit our website. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found an “almost labor-less way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN TUESDAY 09-05-17
1:34
No need to order take-out when you can whip up a “house special” in no time.
If you pick up just about any Chinese take-out menu and look under “House Specials,” you’ll probably find a dish called General Tso’s Chicken. It’s boneless chicken, that’s breaded and fried, and served with a sweet and spicy Asian sauce. We like it so much, we came up with an easy, baked version (rather than fried), that you can make at home. We begin by cutting some boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks. First we dip them in some flour, then into beaten eggs before breading them with crushed cornflakes. These go on a baking sheet where we’ll coat them with cooking spray, before popping them into the oven. Coating these with the spray allows them to crisp up while they bake, without having to fry them. While they’re in the oven, we’ll make a sauce to serve with them. It’s simply a combo of chicken broth, rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce (you can find all of these in the ethnic aisle), a little tomato paste, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a bit of sugar. After this comes to a boil, we’ll let it thicken up. When you toss this with the crispy chicken, and serve it over some cooked white rice along with steamed broccoli, you’ll have a dish that’ll become your own “House Special.” To get the recipe for “General Tso’s Chicken” simply visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “fake-out, take-out way” for you to say…
“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CRAZY CAKE WEDNESDAY 09-06-17
1:35
Today we’ve got a crazy recipe for you. You won’t believe what’s in it…or maybe what’s NOT in it. Stick around, you’ll see.
Did you know that during the Great Depression there was a shortage of eggs, butter and milk? Yeah, most of the ingredients that we bake with were scarce. Well that wasn’t going to stop any true dessert lover. So let me share with you a rich chocolaty cake that became popular back then since it was made without any of these basics. Sounds crazy? All we do is combine some flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Now we pour in some vinegar, a bit of vanilla, vegetable oil and some water before beating it together with an electric mixer until its nice and smooth. After it’s mixed, we dump it into a 9” x 13” pan and bake it off for about 30 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Once it cools, we slather on some vanilla frosting and then take some chocolate frosting (that we warmed in the microwave) and drizzle it on. And when you serve this super moist cake, everyone is going to go crazy for it. It’s one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever tasted. I do hope you’ll go on your computer, tablet or smart phone to get the recipe for what we call, “Crazy Cake.” That way you’ll have a new dessert to add to your collection. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, with Kelly (who never passes up cake) where today we found a “crazy moist way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN PULL-APART SALAD BREAD THURSDAY09-07-17
1:34
Everyone knows that salad goes with bread, but what about salad IN bread? It’ll all make sense once you see what we’re baking up today.
I have to hand it to Patty, who heads up our Test Kitchen. She came up with a new twist on monkey bread that’s pretty incredible. As you know, monkey bread is usually a sweet, pull-apart bread that’s great for breakfast or brunch. Well, today, Patty broke the rules and came up with a savory version that’s studded with veggies. Like with all other monkey breads we start by cutting our dough into pieces. Next we put them into a bowl and toss them with some melted butter along with a packet of ranch dressing mix. To that, we add some chopped sundried tomatoes, sliced black olives, a handful of scallions, and a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese. Once it’s tossed, we place it in a greased Bundt pan. This goes into the oven for about 40 minutes or until the dough is set and the outside is golden. After it cools slightly, invert it onto a platter and surround it with all sorts of salad fixings to make it even more special. To get this fun-to-make and fun-to-eat recipe for what we call “Pull-Apart Salad Bread” simply visit our website. I know you’ll be glad you did. I’m Howard, with Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a ---“baked, fresh-from-the-garden way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN BANANA PUDDING DREAM FRIDAY 09-08-17
1:25
If you love banana pudding, then you’re going to love our creamy-dreamy version of it that’s so easy to throw-together.
We often get requests for desserts that are easy to throw together, but still look company-fancy. Well, we’re listening to you, which is why we came up with a spin-off of a Southern classic. So, if you’re ready, let’s get going. We start by mixing a few boxes of banana pudding mix with some milk and stirring it until it thickens up. Once it does, we fold in some whipped topping and sour cream. The combo of these, along with the pudding, will make our dessert decadently delicious. Now, we line the bottom of a 9x13” baking dish with some vanilla wafers that have been coarsely crushed, and spoon about half of our pudding mixture over them. On goes a layer of freshly sliced bananas that we tossed with a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Now, the rest of the pudding mixture goes on and we finish it with more crushed vanilla wafers. That’s it. Maybe fancy it up with some extra whipped topping and banana slices to make it picture-perfect. To get your hands on this easy recipe, simply visit our website and look for “Banana Pudding Dream” I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it.
I’m Howard, with Kelly in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “creamy-dreamy way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”