MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN REINDEER CRUNCH SALAD MONDAY 12-18-17
1:35
If you want to brighten up your menu this season,stick around, because we’ve got something that’s light and bright.
We’ve been whipping up all sorts of recipes this month so you’ll have plenty of choices for holiday entertaining or for hosting those big dinner parties. And with all that, we realized we haven’t shared with you any salads that are holiday special. That is until now. We start off by washing a bag of mixed baby greens and spinning them dry. Even though they come prewashed, I think that salad greens taste fresher if we rinse them first. It’s like splashing water on your face when you wake up. Ok, to those we toss in some dried cranberries, and a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds. And you can find them at the market next to the nuts. In goes some chopped red onion and a good amount of goat cheese that we’ve crumbled. And now for the part that makes this so incredible, we combine some raspberry preserves, balsamic vinegar, a good amount of Dijon mustard and black pepper. Once that’s mixed together, we whisk in some olive oil and a splash of water. Come dinner time, drizzle on the dressing and dig in. This is just as welcome as a side salad as it would be if we hearty it up with some shrimp or grilled chicken. I do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for what we call, “Reindeer Crunch Salad,” along with a free “Holiday Helpers” ecookbook, which is perfect forthis time of year. I’m Howard, with our little reindeer Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “lighter and brighter way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN HERBED AU GRATIN POTATOES TUESDAY 12-19-17
1:29
Do you know what side dishes you’ll be serving with Christmas dinner? No worries, we’ve got plenty of ideas as well as an updated classic that’s priceless.
Christmas is right around the corner, and since everyone expects some kind of potatoes as part of the holiday line-up, we’ve created an updated version of au gratin potatoes that promises to be a hit. We start by peeling and slicing a couple pounds of baking potatoes. Sure, we can do this with a sharp knife by hand, but it’s a lot easier if you use a mandoline or a food processor. Now, we toss these with some melted butter and layer about a quarter of them in a baking dish.And to give these lots of flavor, we sprinkle them with some chopped onion and some Parmesan cheese that we’ve seasoned with a few spices. We repeat this, alternating the potatoes, cheese, and onion with some heavy cream until everything is used up. We cover it and into the oven it goes until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden.And whether you serve this with beef, turkey, or ham it’s going to be the star of your dinner. You can even assemble this ahead of time and bake it right before serving. To get the recipe for our “Herbed Au Gratin Potatoes,” along with lots of other holiday side dish recipes, simply visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “creamy and flavorful” way for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN SLOW ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN WEDNESDAY12-20-17
1:24
Today we’re making a fancy-looking main dish that promises to be the star of your holiday table.
With Christmas just days away, if you haven’t decided what to serve, it’s time to get serious. My suggestion, if youwant to go all out, is to serve beef tenderloin. It’s easy, it’ll melt in your mouth, and it goes with anything from your favorite potato casserole to that over-sized pan of lasagna that Aunt Mary brings every year. This is a whole beef tenderloin. You can buy it like this, which is considered trimmed. It’s a bit more expensive than buying it untrimmed, but this way there’s no waste.Now, depending on how many people you’re expecting, you can roast the whole thing, or use half, and freeze the rest like we are today.Either way, we season it with some kosher salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper, and sear it in a skillet or grill pan to seal in the juices before finishing it off in the oven.While that roasts, we’ll whip up a flavor-packed mushroom sauce to serve over it. When you bring this to the table and ladle on the savory sauce, all eyes will be focused on how juicy it is. As a matter of fact, I can’t think of a better Christmas present for your taste buds than this. To get the recipe for our “Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin,” along with the mushroom sauce, all you have to do is visit our website.I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “fancy-schmancy holiday way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN FROSTY THE CHEESEBALL THURSDAY 12-21-17
1:35
Have you ever built a snowman? Ifyou have, I bet it’s nothing like the one we’re building today. And ours will never melt.
With today being the official start of winter, I started thinking about how much fun I had as a kid building snowmen. My brother and I would make them so tall that they would tower over us. Now even though I’m grown up, I still like making snowmen. That’s why today we’re building an edible snowman that I think should show up at your next get-together. Come on, let me show you how easy. We start by combining some cream cheese with a bit of mayo, bacon bits, chopped walnuts, scallions, and chopped parsley. And to give this a “wow” factor we add in some horseradish and a bit of crushed pepper flakes. Once it’s mixed, we divide it into 3 balls; a big one, a medium-sized one, and a small one. These wi ll become the body of the snowman. To give our snowman some personality, we decorate it with black olives for the eyes, a carrot for the nose, and a couple of pretzel sticks for the arms.Go ahead, get creative! And after you surround it with some cut veggies for dipping, it’s time to dig in. Not only is this adorable and a great conversation starter, it’s pretty addictive too. To get the recipe for what we call “Frosty the Cheeseball,” simply visit our website. I’m Howard, with our little elf, Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “fun, holiday way” for you to say…
“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CHERRY BUBBLE BREAKFAST BAKE FRIDAY 12-22-17 1:29
Christmas morning needs three things: family, presents, and our Cherry Bubble Breakfast Bake. Now while we can’t help you with the family and presents, we can help you with this easy recipe.
With all the company in town this week, and the hustleand bustle that comes hand-in-hand with Christmas morning, we’re going to need something fun and festive for the troops. That’s why we came up with this fruity breakfast bake that’s easy to make, simple to serve, and that’s sinfully satisfying. We begin by opening a couple of cans of refrigerated biscuits and cutting each one into 6 pieces. Once that’s done, we add a little almond extract to a can of cherry pie filling and give that a good mix. Now, we toss the biscuit pieces with the cherry mixture until they’re coated, and place them into a baking dish.A few sliced almonds go on top and into the oven it goes. While it’s baking, we’ll throw together an easy, 2-ingredient glaze that we’ll drizzle over it once it’s baked. See, I told you it was easy. And once your house guests or any of your sleepy heads get a whiff, they’ll be headed to the kitchen in search of what smells so darn good. So don’t wait another minute, go online, and print out the recipe for our “Cherry Bubble Breakfast Bake,” I know you’ll be glad you did. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “cheery cherry pull-apart way” for you to say…
“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN LEFTOVER HAM BONE SOUP MONDAY 12-25-17 1:29
Merry Christmas! I hope you stick around because it’s pretty quiet around here today, and I could use some company.
Before I get started today, I’d like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. I want to thank you for allowing us into your home every day, so we can share some time together. I also want to thank the entire Mr. Food Test Kitchen team for all that they do day-in and day-out. Without them, what you see here, and on our website, wouldn’t be possible. Now, for those of you who are serving up a big, bone-in ham this year and want to know what to do with the bone once all the meat’s carved off of it, let me show you.What we like to do is place it in a pot with enough water to cover it, and let it simmer for an hour or so. While that’s finishing up, we sauté some chopped onion, diced carrots and potatoes, and some minced garlic. Then, we add the veggies to the ham stock along with some white kidney beans, a bit of corn, some leftover diced ham and a few spices.We’ll let that simmer so the flavors come together. Grab yourself a spoon and some crusty bread and get ready to dig into a hot and hearty soup that you would never think started with a leftover bone. So, after all the presents are opened and everyone’s bellies are full, head over to our website and look for what we call “Leftover Ham Bone Soup. “I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, wishing you, and yours a Christmas full of…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CHOCOLATE-CROWNED TUESDAY 12-26-17 CHEESECAKE SQUARES 1:23
With Christmas behind us, it’s time to start thinking about what to serve as we welcome in the New Year. And we’ve got a dessert that you’re going to love.
I hope you had a great Christmas, I know I did. And with New Year’s just around the corner, you might be thinking, “What am I going to bring to that New Year’s party that I was invited to?” After all the cooking you did this past week, you’re going to want something that’s easy. Well, the cheesecake squares we’re making today are just that. We start by cutting a store-bought frozen cheesecake that we’ve partially thawed into 1-inch squares. If you end up with a few odd-shaped pieces from the edges, save those for the kids or for nibbling on later. Now, we pop these into the freezer, and, while they’re firming up, we melt some chocolate chips with a bit of shortening until its smooth. After placing our cheesecake squares on a wire rack, we spoon the chocolate over them and top each with a fresh raspberry. Do these look like a million bucks or what? And only you‘ll know how easy they are to make! Whether you bring these to a New Year’s party or serve them at home, they’re sure to be a hit. To get the recipe for our “Chocolate-Crowned Cheesecake Squares” simply visit our website. I’m Howard, with Kelly in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “decadent and easy way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN MEATBALL CALZONE WEDNESDAY 12-27-17 1:30
We’ve got a change-of-pace main dish that’s perfect for game day, or really any day. These guys are monsters.
By now most of your leftovers are probably gone, even though your company may still be sticking around. If that’s the case, or not, we’ve got an idea that’s very welcoming after eating all that holiday fare. It’s an overstuffed meatball calzone that’s great whether you’re taking down holiday decorations, or watching football. Let me show you how easy. We start with some store bought pizza dough that we cut into two, and we use our fingertips to form a circle. We top half of each one with some store-bought frozen meatballs. On top of those, we place some sliced mushrooms, a bit of spaghetti sauce and a good amount of mozzarella cheese. Now we fold the dough over the meatballs and pinch the edges together so the filling won’t ooze out. Brush it with a bit of olive oiland make a few slits on top before baking them until the crust is golden and the filling is piping hot. Since they’re so big, each one can easily feed two. And when you cut them and serve them with more sauce, get ready for a meal that’s comfort food at its best. I do hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for our, “Meatball Calzone,” so you can make something that everyone will look forward to after eating all that turkey and ham. And talk about game day perfect. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “hot and hearty way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CHEESY CRAB POPPERS THURSDAY12-28-17
1:35
While Christmas might be behind us, that doesn’t mean all the holiday entertaining is over with. And we’ve got just the thing to help you out.
With New Year’s right around the corner and all the football get-togethers coming up, we came up with a bite-sized appetizer that’s a cross between a cheesy cornbread and the best crab cake you’ve ever tasted. Sounds incredible, huh? Well, it is! To throw this together all we have to do is combine a box of corn muffin mix with some Panko breadcrumbs, a good amount of shredded cheddar cheese, some cream cheese, butter, an egg, milk, sliced scallions, and a few spices. After this is mixed, we stir in some crabmeat. Youwant to do this gently, so the chunks of crab don’t break up. Now we roll them so that they’re about the size of cocktail meatballs and fry them until the outside is golden and the center is cooked through. And if you’re thinking, “Can I make these ahead?” Sureyou can! Simply reheat them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Maybe serve them up with some remoulade or cocktail sauce, and let the party begin. To get the recipe for our “Cheesy Crab Poppers” all you have to do is visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “get the party started way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”
MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CHAMPAGNE CUPCAKES FRIDAY 12-29-17 1:33
We’re counting down the minutes until we show you this decadent dessert.
Before I joined the Mr. Food Test Kitchen team, which seems like forever ago, I had a catering company and on New Year’s Eve we would serve a drop-dead-gorgeous cake with an icing that was amazing. So when I was thinking of what recipe I should share with you today, I thought it would be perfect, but cupcake size. We start by making a white cake mix according to the package instructions, except rather than adding the water, we add the same amount of champagne or Asti Spumante. If you want, toss in some gold decorating sugar like I used to in my catering days. You can find it in the baking section. It’ll make these nice and sparkly. Now we spoon the batter into cupcake tins, lined with gold or silver liners, and into the oven they go. While they’re baking, we make an icing which is simply some softened butter beaten with powdered sugar, vanilla and a splash more champagne. Once they cool, we slather or pipe them with icing and finish them with more gold sugar. Not only do these look fun and festive, the taste is crazy good. You see the creaminess of the icing paired with the fluffy cupcake and a hint of the bubbly makes them a real treat. I hope you’ll go online and get the recipe for our, “Champagne Cupcakes,” so you can welcome in the New Year with a bang, or shall I say a “pop”. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “bubblicious way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”