MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN STEAK PIZZAIOLA MONDAY 04-23-18 1:26

Today our taste buds are headed off to Italy for a dish that will melt in your mouth. You’re not going to want to miss this tasty trip!

A few weeks ago, I went to a friend’s house for dinner and had one of the most flavorful steak dishes I’ve ever had. It’s called Steak Pizzaiola, and boy was it ever good. As a matter of fact, it was so good thatI made mental notes on how we could recreate it for you. So here’s how. We start by searing a couple of strip steaks that we’ve seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powder. After both sides are browned, we take the steak out and add some sliced onions, green peppers that we’ve cut into strips, a can of Italian style diced tomatoes with the juice and all, and a little salt and pepper. After this cooks for a few more minutes, we’ll add the steak back in and simmer it until it’s cooked to perfection. At that point, we take them out and cut it across the grain, into thin slices. Come dinnertime, spoon the veggie-packed sauce onto your plate, and serve slices of the tender-as-can-be steak over it. Although this is simple, the combo of the flavors makes this taste extra-special. To get the recipe for what is known as “Steak Pizzaiola,” just visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “mouthwatering way” for you to say...”OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN SWEET & CITRUSY TUESDAY 04-24-18

SHEET PAN SUPPER 1:35

What is one of the fastest growing dinner trends? It’s sheet pan suppers. Join us for today’s trendy recipe.

A big trend when it comes to making easy weeknight dinners these days is something called “sheet pan suppers.” Just in case you’re not familiar with it, it’s a pretty basic idea that allows us to cook an entire meal on a sheet pan. The results are amazing, and clean-up is a breeze. So, here’s one that we just came up with. We start by mixing together some honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, and a few spices. Now, we pour about 3/4 of this over some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that we’ve cut in half. Then, we pop them in the fridge to marinate. In the meantime, we cut some red bell peppers into strips and toss them with some fresh asparagus, and the rest of our flavor-packed marinade. All that’s left to do is arrange the chicken and the veggies on a sheet pan. I like to place a few fresh lemon slices here and there to give it an extra blast of freshness. Once this comes out of the oven steaming hot, it’s time to call the troops to the table to dig into all this goodness. You see, the marinade adds a sweet and citrusy touch, the veggies deliverfreshness, and the chicken is juicy through and through. To get the recipe for what we call our “Sweet & Citrusy Sheet Pan Supper," simply visit our website. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen,with Kelly, where today we found a trendy “sheet pan supper way” for you to say…”OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN CHEESE STRAWS WEDNESDAY04-25-18
1:33

Today, I can’t wait to introduce you to one of my all-time favorites. And I have a pretty good idea that you’re going to fall in love as soon you taste them too.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to the cheese straw. Now for those of you who have grown up in the South, these need no introduction. After all, cheese straws are like deviled eggs every Southern cook has their own special way of making them. And whether we serve them with a bowl of soup, salad or just as a snack, I promise once you try one of our easy homemade ones, you’re going to be hooked. To make them all we do is combine some shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, a good amount of flour, some softened butter, a little paprika, salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Now using our hands, we mix this together until it forms a soft dough. You see, the warmth from our hands is the key to making a good dough. When that’s done, we roll it out so it’s about 1/4-inch thick, cut it into strips, and place them on a cookie sheet before baking them off. What we end up with is the cheesiest pastry crisps that you could ever imagine. You see the sharpness of the Cheddar combined with the spices make these, addictive. So why not go online and get the recipe for our Southern “Cheese Straws.” And if you add your own twist to these, don’t forget to share them with us on Mrfood.com. I’m Howard, with Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today wefound a “classic southern way” for you to say taste… “OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN PINEAPPLE PRETZEL SQUARES THURSDAY04-26-18

1:23

It’s National Pretzel Day, so join us as we discover all that these twisted delights have to offer!

Did you know that today is National Pretzel Day? Yup, an entire day dedicated to celebrating the pretzel. Now, whether you like them soft, like the ones sold in malls and on the streets of Philadelphia, or you like them hard like the ones we find in the snack aisles, today is the day to celebrate these twisted delights. With so many varieties to choose from, it’s no wonder that Americans eat more than half a billion dollars of these annually. Now besides eating them as-is, I like featuring them in desserts, like we’re doing today. Here we turned them into a pretzel crust by crushing them, mixing them with a little butter, patting it into a baking dish and baking it off. Once it cools slightly, we top it with a sweetened cream cheese filling that’s light as a cloud, thanks to the whipped cream that we’ve folded into it. On top of that goes a fresh-tasting, chunky pineapple gelatin. Then, we pop it into the fridge. Once it firms up, we finish it with more whipped cream, and it’s ready to serve. With each bite, you get the saltiness from the pretzels, the creaminess from the filling, and the fruitiness from the pineapple. To get the recipe for our “Pineapple Pretzel Squares,” simply visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “pretzel-icous way” for you to say …“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN PERFECT PESTO POTATOES FRIDAY 04-27-18 1:33

If you love fresh basil and aren’t growing it on your window sill or planting it in your garden, boy are you missing out!

If you love fresh basil and aren’t growing it on your window sill or planting it in your garden, boy are you missing out! Aside from how amazing it tastes when it’s picked fresh, you’ll be shocked at how economical it is. And if you’re thinking, I don’t have a green thumb, no worries! You can pick up some at the market, andthen store it in a plastic container with a bit of water in the fridge, so it’s always ready for dishes like this. We start by roasting some baking potatoes that we’ve tossedwith vegetable oil and salt and pepper. While they’re doing their thing, we make an easy-throw-together pesto, which is simply some fresh basil, blended with olive oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and pine nuts. After it’s blended and the potatoes are tender, we’ll toss everything together, and that’s it! What you end up with is a side dish that’s summertime perfect. It may sound basic, but the combo of the fresh basil, olive oil, and all those seasonings makes this to-die-for. To get the recipe for what we call our “Perfect Pesto Potatoes,” all you have to do is visit our website. I’m Howard, with Kelly, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “fresh and flavorful way” for you to say …“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN ICEBOX SALAD MONDAY 04-30-18

1:34

As soon as the sign-up sheet goes out for the next church supper, or pot luck, we’ve got just the thing to jot down next to your name that’ll win you rave reviews, rave reviews.

This is the time of year when you can count on two things. Spring flowers are going to be in full bloom and “sure as the sun will rise tomorrow,” many of us are going to be invited to a potluck dinner. And whether that dinner’s at church, a neighbor’s house or we’re the ones hosting it, we have a dish that’s always the first to go. We start off by placing some cut up lettuce in a large glass bowl, or a trifle dish. Now on top of that goes a layer of red bell peppers. Over that we place some chopped red onion, a layer of frozen peas, that we’ve thawed, and some cut up celery. For the best part, we spoon on a mixture we made by combining some mayonnaise with a bit of “sour cream and garlic powder” and top that with a generous amount of shredded cheddar. We’ll repeat the layers one more time, chill it, then it’s ready to serve. And not only is this pretty to look at, it’s downright tasty. What makes it so good is how each layer complements the others creating almost a “symphony of flavors”. So here is what I suggest, go online and get the recipe for our, “Icebox Salad.” This way as a soon as the sign-up sheet for the next pot luck or church dinner gets posted, you can jot this down right next to your name. I’m Howard in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “pretty and tasty way” for you to say …“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN HILLBILLY RIBS TUESDAY 05-01-18 1:35

Budget-friendly, off-the-charts-good, and really easy. If that sounds like your kind of recipe, today’s your lucky day.

Whenever we come up with a recipe that’s off-the-charts-good, really easy, and truly budget-friendly, we tend to move it to the top of our “must-share” recipe list. And that’s certainly the case with the recipe that we’re whipping up today. It’s a lighthearted tribute to country cooking that’s perfect for this time of year. We start by searing about 4 pounds of what are known as, country-style pork ribs in a bit of vegetable oil. Actually, even though they’re called ‘ribs” they’re really not. Country-style ribs are more like a pork chop, since they’re meatier and are less fatty than “real ribs”. While those finish up, we mix together a bottle of chili sauce, some water, a bit of Worcestershire sauce, a tad of mustard, and some brown sugar. This gets poured over the ribs, we loosely cover them, and we let them simmer until they’re fork tender. See I told you it was easy. Now they may not be officially ribs, but in my book, I like them better. And after they slow cook in the homemade sweet & tangy BBQ sauce, the meat sort of melts in your mouth. You could even finish these off on the grill if you want. To get the recipe for what we call “Hillbilly Ribs,” simply visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “meaty ‘n’ saucy way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN DOGS ‘AND’ HOGS WEDNESDAY 05-02-18

1:30

What’s the first appetizer to disappear at practically any party? Any ideas? Once you hear what it is you’ll be thinking, “Oh that’s right, of course!?”

If you’ve ever been to a party where they’re serving all sorts of appetizers, you may have noticed that no matter what else they’re serving, it’s usually the bite-sized hotdogs wrapped in pastry or swimming in a sweet and sour sauce that are the first to go. Let me show you a new way to make these that’s always a hit. We start by cutting a good sized hotdog into 2-inch pieces. I think using bigger dogs makes these taste so much better. We wrap each piece with a slice of bacon that we’ve cut in half and place it seam-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. After all of them are wrapped, we sprinkle each one with a bit of brown sugar, and into the oven they go. While they bake, I like to whip up a dipping sauce for them by blending a good amount of yellow mustard with some cherries, a bit of honey, and a little cherry juice. If you want, you could even wrap the dogs ahead of time and bake them right before you’re ready to serve them. When you put these out with the dipping sauce, they’ll be the first thing to disappear. Between the smokiness of the bacon, the juiciness of the hotdog, and the sweetness from the brown sugar, you can’t miss. So here is what I suggest, head on over to our website, and get the recipe for what we call “Dogs ‘and’ Hogs,” You won’t be disappointed. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found a “dog-gone good way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN KENTUCKY DERBY BARS THURSDAY05-03-18
1:29

We’re getting ready for the Kentucky Derby, so get out your Derby best as we whip up a dessert that’s winner circle-worthy.

Ah! The Mint Julep. You know, this weekend is the Kentucky Derby, which many consider the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. Now, since most of us aren’t going to Churchill Downs this weekend, that doesn’t mean we can’t be part of all the fun and festivities. As a matter of fact, I have the perfect dessert to serve after the race. The first thing we do is line a baking dish with a mixture of crushed graham crackers mixed with butter. This is going to be our crust. For the filling, we beat together some butter and sugar until it’s creamy. To that, we add some eggs and vanilla, and when it’s fluffy, we slowly mix in some flour along with a bit of salt. Now, for the best part, we stir in some chopped pecans and lots of chocolate chips. Once this is mixed, we spoon this into the crust and pop it into the oven. After it’s baked and it’s cooled, simply cut it into bars.To go all out, we like to serve it with a homemade Kentucky bourbon whipped cream. If there’s anything I would bet on this weekend, it would be that whomever tries this will think it’s truly a winner. To get the recipe for our “Kentucky Derby Bars,” along with our “Homemade Bourbon Whipped Cream,” just visit our website.I’m Howard, with Kelly, who looks like she’s ready for the Derby, where today we found a “no horsing around kind of way” for you to say…“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”

MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE FRIDAY 05-04-18 1:30

For some holidays you might need to check your calendar to see when they fall. And then there are those that are pretty obvious. Like the one we’re gearing up for.

With some holidays you might need to check your calendar to see when they fall each year, while others you don’t. Christmas is always December 25th, New Year’s Day is always January 1st, and Cinco de Mayo well, that’s simply Spanish for the 5th of May. And to celebrate Cinco de Mayo we came up with a one-dish wonder that’s quick to throw together and is super tasty. We begin by sautéing some ground beef with a chopped onion until no pink remains. To that, we add a couple cans of tomato sauce, some fiesta-style corn, a can of enchilada sauce, a bit of chili powder, ground cumin, and some salt and pepper. While that simmers, we place 6 corn tortilla shells in the bottom of a baking dish. Now we top those with half of the meat mixture and sprinkle on some shredded cheddar cheese. We layer everything one more time and pop it into the oven. It’s sort of like building a lasagna. Serve this up with an icy margarita and let the festivities begin. With every bite you get layer after layer of everything you love about an enchilada, but with the ease of a casserole. To get the recipe for our “Enchilada Casserole,” simply visit our website. I’m Howard, in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen, where today we found an “all-in-one tasty way” for you to say …“OOH IT’S SO GOOD!!”