Mr. Food Test Kitchen Perfect Fri Ed Shrimp Monday 01-16-17

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN PERFECT FRIED SHRIMP MONDAY 01-16-17 1:27

Everyone’s talking about these and soon…so will too. Are you ready to take the plunge?

When we came across this recipe on our website that has five-star ratings and comments like; “I will never make fried shrimp any other way,” and “Absolutely perfect and so easy,” I knew I needed to share it with you. Let me show you how easy it is, and after you try it tell me what you think. We start off by combining some flour, baking powder, salt and a bit of ground red pepper in a shallow dish. In another dish, we beat together a couple of eggs and a little milk. Now we dip some raw large shrimp into the flour mixture, and then into the beaten egg before going back into the flour. Next we fry them in some hot oil until they’re golden on both sides. When putting these in hot oil, I like to grab them by the tail just to play it safe. One bite of these “as is” or dunked in your favorite dipping sauce, and I think you’ll understand what all the hullabaloo is all about. To get the recipe and read all the comments, all you have to do is go online and look for what we call, “Perfect Fried Shrimp. “I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “crispy flavor-packed way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN BAPPLE BREAD TUESDAY 01-17-17 1:35

What’s the key to the best banana bread ever…the secret is coming up next.

Everyone seems to have their favorite banana bread recipe. Some like to add chocolate chips while others insist it’s not prize worthy unless there are walnuts in it. Now we think both of those are good options, but without really ripe bananas, nothing else matters. If your bananas aren’t ripe, place them on a baking sheet and pop them in a warm oven or toaster oven for 15 or 20 minutes and before you know it, they’re perfect. Then we place them in a bowl and beat them until they’re the consistency of … baby food. We beat in some sugar and we let this sit for a few minutes. Allowing them to sit actually brings out their natural sugars. Now we add some applesauce, which lightens it up, along with a couple of eggs and mix it before adding our basic dry ingredients, and a splash of vanilla. This goes into a loaf pan and into a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. By now your tongue is probably hanging out of your mouth since your kitchen smells so darn good. And whether you slather on some butter or eat it as is, I can promise this is going to disappear quick. As always, you can get this recipe online. Just look for the recipe of the day, which we call, “Bapple Bread, “since it’s a combo of two of our favorites, bananas and apples. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “super moist way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!” MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN MAMA MIA’S TORTELLINI SOUP WEDNESDAY 01-18-17 1:31

It’s January and that means it’s National Soup Month. Just wait until you see what we have cooking in this pot.

It’s January and that means it’s National Soup Month. What better time of year is there to celebrate a dish that warms us up and makes us feel all good inside? So whether we’re looking for one to fill us up or get rid of the sniffles, the one we’re making today is always welcome. We start by sautéing a chopped onion in a bit of olive oil ‘til it’s tender. To that we add a couple cans of diced tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a bit of chopped garlic and a few off-the-shelf spices. We let this cook for a few minutes. Then we add a good amount of water, and some condensed chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, we add some frozen or refrigerated cheese tortellini and a bunch of fresh spinach. As soon as the tortellini is tender, it’s time to call the troops to the table. My guess is they’ll be there licketty-split since who can resist homemade soup that’s this hearty. Between the rich tomato broth and the plump cheese-filled pasta, what’s not to love? As always, the recipe for, “Mama Mia’s Tortellini Soup“ is online now. I’m Howard, with Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “fill-you-up way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN TWO-TONED SHREDDED POTATOES THURSDAY 01-19-17 1:31

With what we’re making today, you won’t have to choose between a sweet potato and a baking potato. Stick around … I’ll explain.

Over the last few months, we’ve shared lots of recipes to help you get out of that dinnertime rut. But just recently we’ve been getting lots of requests to take that a bit further by helping you with not only the main dish, but also your side dishes. So here you go, and it’s real easy. We start by shredding a couple of baking potatoes and a few sweet potatoes. Now, sure we can shred these by hand but even easier, we can always use a food processor. After they’re grated, we cover them with some salt water so they don’t turn brown. While those are soaking, we bring some sugar, corn syrup and a bit of water to a boil. We’ll take that off the heat, stir in a little butter and some apple juice. While that cools, we drain our potatoes really well and put them in a casserole dish. Then we pour on the sauce and into the oven it goes. And when it comes out, are we ever in for a treat because it’s part white potato, part sweet potato and all taste. And this goes just as well with roasted chicken as it does with your favorite meatloaf. The recipe for our “Two-Toned Shredded Potatoes” is online now and can be just the ticket you’re looking for to get you out of your “what goes with dinner rut”? I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today, we’ve given you “a new go-along” that’ll have you saying … “OOH IT”S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN BACON AND CHEESE LOVER’S PIE FRIDAY 01-20-17 1:34

If you woke up this morning and had a hankering for cheese, we know why and we have the perfect cure for it.

If you woke up this morning and had a hankering for Gouda or Swiss, it’s no wonder, since today is National Cheese Lover’s Day. Yes, it’s an entire day devoted to every kind of cheese you can think of. Everything from the mildest ones to ones that are so potent they’ll knock your socks off. So to celebrate them, we’re throwing together a bacon and cheese pie that’ll make any cheese lover happy. The first thing we do is grate our cheese. Here we’re using Swiss and cheddar, but if you’d rather use Muenster and Jarlsberg or Havarti and Colby Jack, that’s fine. Half of this goes in a pie crust and we top that with a generous amount of crumbled bacon and some chopped spinach. The rest of the cheese goes on and we pour on some eggs beaten with half ‘n’ half and a few seasonings. This goes into the oven for about 45 minutes and once it sets, we let it cool slightly so it can firm up. Does this look cheesy delicious or what? If you’re a cheese lover you almost want to dive into it head first. And whether you call it quiche or, “Bacon and Cheese Lover’s Pie” my guess is you’ll be smiling from your first forkful to your last. And as always you can find the recipe online. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found an “easy cheesy way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN APPLE COOKIE COBBLER MONDAY 01-23-17 1:23

It’s Girls Scout cookie time so make sure you have plenty of milk in the fridge. And wait until you hear about the new cookie they’ve just added. It’s delicious, isn’t it? GS: Um Hmm!

If you’ve been to the mall, the market or just about anywhere lately, then you know that it’s Girl Scout cookie time. As a matter of fact, this year is the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts selling cookies. And to help us celebrate, we have some Girl Scouts with us today. Thanks for bringing in all these cookies. GS: You’re welcome! We’re glad to be here. And this year besides all of our regular flavors, we’re introducing a new flavor. HR: And that is … GS: S’mores! Howard: S’more cookies! And they have all the flavors that you’d expect to find in a campfire s’more. They’re amazing! GS: And the best part of selling cookies is that all the profits raised, after paying our baker of course, go to funding Girl Scout projects in our community. And to mark this centennial celebration, we came up with an old- fashioned cobbler that uses cookies in the topping. It’s simply tart apples that we tossed with cinnamon sugar, then baked and finished with a crumbly topping, featuring crushed Samoa cookies. And when you serve this hot, maybe topped with vanilla ice cream, it’s to-die-for. To get the recipe for what we call, “Apple Cookie Cobbler,” as well as to find out where you can get Girl Scout cookies in your area, all you have to do is go to our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen with lots of hungry Girls Scouts, ones who are ready to dig in and enjoy lots of … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!” Dig in guys. MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CHEESY POTATO TOT CHICKEN TUESDAY 01-24-17 1:26

We’ve breaded our chicken in bread crumbs, crumbled potato chips and even crushed crackers. What’s next? The answer is coming up in just minutes.

We’ve breaded our chicken with bread crumbs, crumbled potato chips and even crushed crackers. Those are good, but compared to how we’re making it today, they aren’t nearly as exciting. You see, we’re taking everyone’s favorite potato tots and turning them into a coating that’s downright awesome. Let me show you. The first thing we do is break up some potato tots into what looks like crushed cookies. We mix that with some shredded cheddar cheese and a bit of salt ‘n’ pepper. After trimming up our chicken breasts, we dip those into a couple of beaten eggs and then into the potato and cheese mixture. After they’re breaded, onto a baking sheet they go and we spritz them with some cooking spray. These only take 20 minutes or so in a hot oven and when they’re crispy and the chicken is cooked through, they’re done. What we end up with is a super moist chicken breast with a coating that’s packed with everything we love about potato tots with the added bonus of the cheese. To get a copy of this recipe, go online and look for what we call, “Cheesy Potato Tot Chicken.“ I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “why didn’t I think of this way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN TEXAS SHEET CAKE WEDNESDAY 01-25-17 1:33

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the Texas-style cake that we’re making today proves that.

When someone mentions that something’s from Texas, what is the first thing you think? Of course…it has got to be big, because everything’s bigger in Texas. Well, today we’re whipping up a Texas-style cake that may not be big in size, but it’s guaranteed to be big on taste. We start off by melting a couple sticks of butter along with some water and a good amount of cocoa powder. Once that’s smooth, we pour it into a bowl to cool. And when it’s cools, we stir in our basic dry cake batter ingredients along with a couple eggs and some sour cream. That’s going to make this nice and moist. Now, rather than putting this into a traditional cake pan, we’re going to bake this off on a large rimmed baking sheet. While that’s baking we throw together our frosting, which is simply some butter that we’ve melted along with a splash of milk and a bit more cocoa powder. To that we beat in some powdered sugar and a little vanilla. Once the cake cools, we’ll slather on the frosting and cut it into squares. Maybe top each piece with a Texas-sized walnut and go to town. You won’t have to ring a cow bell more than once to round up your posse. I do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for our, “Texas Sheet Cake,” so you can share a big favorite the next time you corral your gang together. I’m Howard with Kelly (I think you need a smaller sized hat) in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “BIG Texas-sized way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!” MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES THURSDAY 01-26-17 1:26

With prices at the market so low, we knew we needed to take advantage of nature’s goodness. Boy, are these ever good.

If you’ve walked through the produce aisle lately, then you’ve probably noticed that many of our root vegetables are at rock bottom prices -- you know like potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, parsnips. The reason is, they’re so abundant right now, which drives down the price. So what do you say we take advantage of them by cooking them up a whole new way. We start off by cutting a few potatoes, carrots, red onions, parsnips (they’re the ones that look like blond carrots) and rutabagas into 2” chunks. And if you’re not familiar with rutabaga, they’re the ones that are about the size of a softball and have a light purple blush to them. Now we toss them with some olive oil that we’ve seasoned with a bit of garlic powder, salt, pepper and a sprig of freshly chopped rosemary and we roast them off. You see rosemary is the herb that looks like a pine tree. If you see it at the market, pick it up. Otherwise dried is fine. Do these look good or what? The reason I like to roast them is that it brings out their natural sugars. The step-by-step recipe for our, “Roasted Root Vegetables,“ is online now so you can take advantage of their abundance and low prices. I’m Howard with Kelly in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen – Kelly you want to try these – where today we found a “basic, yet outrageous way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN PORK LO MEIN FRIDAY 01-27-17 1:35

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, and we have an Asian-inspired dish that is worth celebrating.

Did you know that tomorrow is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, and this is the year of the rooster. Although there are many traditions that take place during this celebration, one that I felt was worth sharing is the importance of being with family. So I figured I’d show you how easy it is to throw together an Asian-inspired dish to share with yours. We start by cooking some spaghetti and draining it like always. Today, we’ll refer to it as “Mein”, since mein in Chinese means noodle. While that sits, we sauté some pork tenderloin that we’ve cut into strips in a bit of peanut oil. Once it’s browned, we take it out of the pan and in the same skillet, we add some sliced scallions, carrots, mushrooms, snow peas and garlic. In minutes, once everything’s tender, we put the pork back in, along with some chicken broth seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. When it’s piping hot and you pour it over the noodles, dinner is done. Between the fork-tender pork, all the veggies and flavorful sauce …you can bet your family will want to be together for this meal. The recipe for our “Pork Lo Mein“ is online now just in time for the Chinese New Year. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “very lucky way” for you to say … “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”