Days 145, 146, 147: A Father's Day Post

Here's our weekend in meals!  Real quick, I'll recap that on Friday night I went out with a girlfriend and Randy and the kids finished up the chicken and broccoli alfredo lasagna.  Saturday night (Day 146) we had my classic burgers--always so delicious and both kids gobble 'em right up!  So that brings us to today, Sunday, Father's Day, AND... my mother's birthday.  Oh yeah, it was also Abby's first gymnastics "performance."  Phew!  Lots of goings-on for our family today.

I don't consider my dad a very picky eater (I don't really consider my mom "picky", either, but I'd say that she'd be more likely to have a meal preference most often) so I planned a noon-time dinner with my mother in mind.  I wanted something fresh, summery, and flavorful!  She's also getting into Mediterranean flavors, so I made a tomato-feta "bruschetta" for an appetizer.  On the menu: roasted chicken, French potato salad, crisp-lemon vegetables, and strawberry pie with ice cream for dessert.  (*Note: my mom is allergic to chocolate and said she didn't want a birthday cake--hence the "birthday" pie for dessert.)

Tomato-Feta Bruschetta
Randy bought me a Mediterranean Cooking cookbook some time ago and I bought the same book for my mom's birthday.  The idea for this appetizer came from that book.

French bread
olive oil
1-2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1-2 minced garlic cloves (I used garlic powder since neither of my parents love garlic like Randy and I do!)
4 oz feta cheese
2-4 TB fresh oregano (roughly chopped)
salt, pepper--to taste

Thickly slice the French bread on a diagonal and then halve the slices.  You want about 8-10 halves in the end.  Drizzle them with olive oil and bake at 400* for about 15 minutes.  Or, you can just put them under the broiler for a few minutes, just keep a good eye on them!  Sprinkle with minced garlic or garlic powder.  Evenly distribute the tomato pieces, crumbled feta, and chopped oregano onto the baguette slices.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

You can find my recipe for a perfect roasted chicken here.  Today I left out the parsley and rosemary and went heavier on the lemon and thyme flavors in an attempt to achieve a more lemony chicken.

French Potato Salad
I feel like there's a lot to this salad.  More than a classic potato salad, that is.  But it's much lighter than the traditional mayonnaise-coated potato salad and I figured my mom would prefer it.  I believe it was Julia Child who introduced this recipe to her fans, and I've also seen it in Ina Garten's cookbooks.  Mine is only slightly different, but the same idea.  

2-3 lbs of potatoes (I used a combination of red and white)

2 TB white wine
2 TB chicken stock
3-4 TB champagne vinegar
1/2 -1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 TB fresh dill, finely chopped
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
salt, pepper

Wash the potatoes and boil them in salted water for about 20-30 minutes, or until just cooked through.  Then drain them and place the colander back over the pot and cover them with a towel to steam for another 10 minutes.
Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and toss them with the white wine and chicken stock. Let the warm potatoes soak up the flavor of the liquid while you prepare the rest of the dressing.  Mix the dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, and olive oil.  Pour over the potatoes and sprinkle in the scallions, dill, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Crisp-Lemon Vegetables
I call these vegetables "crisp" because they're raw (mostly).  I think this is a fun, summer salad with vegetables you can easily cook, but also serve raw.  I make a very basic lemon vinaigrette as a dressing.  Sorry for not having exact measurements on the green beans or snowpeas--when I'm at the grocery store, I just grab, so I'm making my best guesses...

2 handfuls of green beans, washed and trimmed (1/2 lb?)
2 handfuls of snow peas, washed and trimmed (1/3 lb?)
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt, pepper

Blanch the green beans in boiling water for a few minutes, then drop them into ice water to stop the cooking.  Combine the green beans, snow peas, and peppers.  Mix the lemon juice and olive oil and pour over the vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.  Garnish with lemon slices if desired.

Happy Father's Day!

I love my dad!  He is probably one of the wisest men I know.  He's very good at analyzing a situation and determining the best course of action.  OR, at reflecting on a situation and quickly saying what he would've done different and why.  My father would probably say that right now he's going through some spiritual and character alterations and growth, but I've always seen him as incredibly spiritually mature, founded, and wise.  He is very good at defending his beliefs but is always gentle and respectful about it. (1 Peter 3:15)  These are things I've quietly noticed while having the privilege of being his daughter.  Besides this, here are a few other things I've learned from my father:
1) How to explain things.  I consider myself pretty well-spoken and articulate.  People tell me this about myself often.  I attribute it to my dad.  Perhaps I didn't so much learn it from him as inherit it, but either way, it's a trait he passed on to me.

Dad singing a song he wrote for my brother at my Noah's dedication

2) How to drive.  My mom and I were subject to the near-fatal mother-daughter driving tension when I was a teenager.  Hence, my father taught me how to drive.  I also have somewhat of a "lead foot".  So does he... ;)
3) How to appreciate music--real music, good music.  I am definitely not as much of a music "snob" as he is, but most of my opinions about music come from my father.  He's a musician and I (used to) play the piano.  Unfortunately, I can't sing a note, unlike him.  But, oh well.  By the way, Dad, I'm pretty sure I still have some of your CDs...
4) That it's OK to goof around in the house as long as Mom's not home.  (Isn't that what all the best dads do?)
5) How to admit when I'm wrong or have made a mistake.  This goes back to the whole wisdom-thing, I think.  I wouldn't say that he's been wrong often, but I can recall plenty of times when he has "swallowed his pride" and nodded in agreement with something he originally thought was wrong.

Grampy and Abby (2012)

6) How to make and launch a model rocket (though I couldn't do it by myself now).  And how to be brave on a roller coaster.  That's right, I still remember how he sat with my little brother instead of me because he was crying or something.  My first time on a roller coaster and I had to sit by myself!  I still love 'em (and him) though...
7) How to appreciate good, in-season fruit.  My dad loves fruit, especially berries.  I tried plums because of him, peaches because of him, and raspberries, and blackberries, too.  So as much as the strawberry pie I made today was for my mom, it was also for my dad.  Happy Father's Day dad, I love you!

Strawberry Pie
Strawberries came late this season, and the strawberry-rhubarb peaks did not coincide.  I looked around for rhubarb, but had to decide to make a plain strawberry pie.  I wasn't sure of it and didn't look at a recipe, so I was a little nervous.  Besides the fact that it turned out juicy (which I suppose I could've added more cornstarch or even strawberry gelatin to fix), it was pretty yummy!  I did end up draining the juices before slicing into it.  I'll share the recipe when I've perfected it a little more. ;)  I have a basic crust recipe that is fool-proof, but it's the filling I will be experimenting with.  For now, I'll enjoy the trial-and-error process!

By the way, there's another man in my life who is a father and deserves some recognition today.  My husband, Randy, is an incredible father.  I am certain that one day our children will all say the same about him.  He is currently playing "hide-and-seek" with Abby while I write this blog.  He wouldn't say that being a dad came all that naturally to him when Abby was an infant.  But he's had 2 1/2 years of experience at this point, and he couldn't look more natural in the role!  Randy is a phenomenal husband and a wonderful father.  I love our family and I love him with all my heart!