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Share Dad's Best Recipes!
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Kate Rowe
As promised when we asked for Mom's Best Recipes, we haven't forgotten Dad! Here's your chance to let us know about Dad's best recipes. Whether they cook one special meal or all the meals for the house, dads definitely have their place in today's kitchen. So come on all you kids, spouses and dads and share those best recipes with us in the comment section below by April 16th. We'll collect the best entries to highlight in a Father's Day feature in our e-newsletter, fl@vors, and on this Whole Story blog.
To give you some inspiration, my dad is an accomplished cook and grill master, but his "best recipe" is Potatoes Anna. He makes an incredible version in a very well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Requesting this treat is not something to be done too lightly, as this dish requires the peeling and thin slicing of a large quantity of potatoes. Then comes the layering, buttering, seasoning and cooking until the outside is browned and crisp and the inside is tender and melting. For the final touch, he inverts the whole potato cake onto a plate. It's a beautiful sight to behold!
So, what's your Dad's best recipe?
32 Comments
Comments
My dad will be 82 in a few weeks and with all of his best recipes come a vast store of wonderful memories. From his practically-a-meal-untoitself potato salad, which we ate every year at the 4th of July picnic, to the potato pancakes that never make it to the table at Hanukkah to the chili whose recipe has been shared so often... My dad makes really good, basic food. But one of our favoites is one from his own childhood. His father used to make him pizzas on English muffins. My dad makes his own sauce and then tops the English muffin with mozzarella and toasts them in the oven. These are such a quick and easy treat that when he brings them up to us, inevitably we finish them in minutes and my kids call downstairs and "order up" more of GrandDad's pizzas!
04/10/2009 3:48:48 PM CDT
My dad makes about a million great dishes but his buffalo mozzarella roll that is the best appetizer on the planet. It contains, Sundried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Garlic and Basil and is molded and shaped with love.
04/10/2009 9:37:22 AM CDT
My Dad makes a recipe that is so simple, yet has been requested at every family function since I can remember. We find as we get older those family gatherings seem to get fewer and fewer so around any holiday I start getting a craving for these little guys. As most recipes goes it usually consists of a shake here, and a shake there, but here goes (also it always tastes better when he makes them!)
Steak house Shrooms
Whole Mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned and inside hollowed out
Sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1 stick butter
Breadcrumbs
Worchestire
Red Wine Vinegar
Dip each mushroom in butter and set on baking sheet. Mix together cheese, some butter, breadcrumbs, red wine vinegar and worchestire. This is a to taste recipe, but since the mixture is a stuffing for the mushroom it should be sticky and form a nice ball. Stuff mushroom, drizzle butter on top, and place in oven at 450-500 on broil until they form a nice crust. ENJOY!!!
04/10/2009 6:20:14 AM CDT
" dad's best recipes "... sweet post..make me want to come home for dinner with my dad and his best recipes..brocoli with tomato sauce..delicious..!
04/05/2009 9:10:45 AM CDT
I'm hoping I can share as the dad in question. :-)
I make my own black bean burgers, buns included. I take a can of black beans and, after smashing them with a fork, mix in an egg, about a cup of bread crumbs, and a small chopped onion. Then I add oregano, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and basil to taste, before stirring in a tablespoon of hot sauce. (I prefer habanero sauce, but will use jalapeño sauce if that is what I have.) The recipe makes five burgers, which I so far have cooked only on a skillet.
The buns come from a sourdough recipe I found a few years ago on the Internet, so I take no credit for them, but the burgers are all mine, and they're a hit even with my children.
My next trick will be to find a way to make a black bean meatloaf.
04/06/2009 12:17:10 AM CDT
My dad is definitely a grill master, too. He makes the best steak - we NEVER go out to steakhouses because his taste so much better! He's also great at grilling chicken and marinades it in Gazebo Room All-natural Salad Dressing and Marinade. So good! We have a 4th of July picnic at our house every year and my dad is always manning the grill!
04/06/2009 6:30:00 AM CDT
My Dad is a GREAT cook. He worked a lot, but he still cooked almost as much as my Mom, just because he likes it. That's how they created a son who is obsessed with food. In my family, everyone cooked, and ate, and talked about food.
My Dad makes the best steak, the best barbecued chicken, the best fried chicken, the best chicken fried steak, and the best chocolate fudge. He also is great at other Southern foods like greens, peas, etc.
And of course he is the master breakfast cook.
However, there are no "recipes" to speak of. He has it all in his head and his recipes are really just roadmaps. He doesn't really follow or need recipes.
I think that's more how Dads cook in general.
04/06/2009 7:19:09 PM CDT
My Dad was not a cook but he managed to come up with some unique & tasty snacks. One of his favorites he just called Goop! He would take Karo Dark Corn Syrup & mix it with creamy peanut butter & regular butter. Mix until smooth & then spread on bread or saltine crackers. This was a great after dinner snack or dessert. Yummy!
04/09/2009 8:35:28 PM CDT
My dad is a shocker of a cook. Greatest Barbie man that eva lived!! For the proper Aussie Barbie, you need Prawns and Calamari Rings, coated in Sweet Chili Sauce and grilled to perfection...ya know not burned. A Carlton Draught goes really good with the cooking process, too!
04/09/2009 3:50:10 PM CDT
As a dad who loves to cook, feeding friends, family and whomever is around, one of my best recipes is Chipotle Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes, a little spicy and very delicious!
4 large russet potatoes
2 tbsp diced chives
2 tbsp diced green onions
1/2 stick butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk
1 - 8 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp All Spice Cafe Chipotle Garlic Hot Sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Bake potatoes, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop potatoes into a mixing bowl. Add milk, butter, Chipotle Garlic Sauce, salt and pepper. Mash potatoes . Add green onions, chives and cheddar cheese. Mix well and stiff back into the potato skin halves.
Place under broiler (a couple of shelves below the broiler) and cook until the tops are golden brown.
Truly delicious!
04/09/2009 2:21:02 PM CDT
I wrote a tribute to my father recently on what would have been his 90th birthday. I'd be happy to have you use any part of it. He was a doll (if NOT the world's best cook).
Here is the post on my blog:
http://ourgrandmotherskitchens.com/2009/02/12/father-abraham/
Happy Father's Day to all..........
04/08/2009 2:28:39 PM CDT
My late father was a "sandwich man" in an upscale restaurant when he first came to this country from Cuba in the late 1940s. He did not cook, per se, but among my friends he had the reputation of making the best "monster" sandwiches, so called because they were big enough for a monster to eat. He always got the best ingredients - the bread (Italian or French) from the bakery, the cold cuts from the Italian deli, the tomatoes and lettuce from the produce man. When I was a child, we would walk up the avenue on Saturday mornings gathering our ingredients, then go home and make and eat the sandwiches. I try to duplicate them, but they don't taste like his did. They were simple sandwiches, with simple, but fresh ingredients. Everyone loved them, and still talks of them.
04/08/2009 4:08:54 PM CDT
I have a great Cuban chicken dinner recipe. I live in Monterey, Ca. and when I was craving a Cuban sandwich, none could be found. I came up with the following recipe to cure my craving. Take a thick cut pork loin chop and butterfly it. Rub inside of pork with your favorite mustard and season both sides with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Stuff the middle of the pork with Mozzarella cheese, your favorite sliced ham, sliced dill pickles and a sprinkle of dried Oregano. Tie the chop closed with cooking twine. Saute with olive oil for about 4 minutes a side. Serve with tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)and black bean puree. Canned prepared beans blended, heated through and topped with cotija cheese.
04/08/2009 7:34:01 PM CDT
My dad is not a great cook...he is many other things to our family, but he was not meant to be the head chef. One thing that he used to make when my mom was busy was Frito Pie. I mean, simple enough yes, but even now when I smell/see Frito's it takes me back to my childhood!
He would make some yummy chili (or buy it) and give us a small bag of fritos, scoop chili inside the bag and top with shredded cheese. Really doesn't get much easier or yummier that that! Thanks Dad, I love you!
04/09/2009 9:09:27 AM CDT
My dad makes the very best asparagus risotto on the planet! He grills the asparagus first and then starts the risotto. He is very patient and the risotto comes out perfectly every time.
04/09/2009 9:11:20 AM CDT
My Dad makes the BEST cornbread in the south! He will only use a cast iron skillet and has to pre-heat it to just the right temp! Has to use buttermilk! If forced to use "sweet milk" he is never pleased. Served up hot with lots of butter! Wow - I cna smell it now. Food brings us such great memories with just a mention or smell!
04/09/2009 9:15:32 AM CDT
My dad was the reason we ate at our house! His roast chicken is famous in our family and he made it every friday night. Family dinner was a requirement before we all went our seperate ways for the weekend and was a dinner full of talking, laughing, shouting and storytelling. Now that I'm grown with my own family the same rules apply - roast chicken on Friday nights for our family dinner!
Dad's Roast Chicken
3-4ib whole chicken (organic is best!)
Wash off and pat dry
Place in glass baking dish
Fill baking dish with 1 inch water
Cover the chicken with the following spices:
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
Bake at 375 for 1 1/2 hours (or shorter/longer depending on your oven)
Carve up with your kids and enjoy!!!
04/09/2009 9:16:14 AM CDT
My dad's best recipe is chicken filled with a mass from white bread, onions, garlic, parsley, eggs and chicken liver. French Fries and salad to it... absolutely delicious! :o) love it!
04/09/2009 9:19:46 AM CDT
I have to say that Dad wasn't always the most creative cook. He stuck mostly to spaghetti, meatloaf, and anything he could grill (aka, overcook).
But one of his "recipes" that I enjoy even to this day, were his "Pizza Potatoes" - bake a potato in the oven and mash it up in a bowl. Top it with marinara, sauteed veggies and a generous helping of mozzarella, then broil until the cheese is bubbling. These days, I make large batches of my own marinara in a slow cooker, and freeze it so I always have it on hand for Daddy's weeknight specialty. Add in a salad, and you've got the perfect meal!
04/09/2009 9:21:57 AM CDT
My dad makes the best cheesecakes in the world! Seriously, all of my family members tell him "don't buy me a present for my birthday this year, just make me a cheesecake!" lol. Every mother's day my church has a big breakfast for all the mom's after each mass. My dad always makes like 7-8 cheesecakes every year to cover all the different breakfasts. The moms LOVE it. They remember the cheesecakes and come back every year just for them. He makes a lot of different varieties. His classic is a cherry cheesecake, but he has also made an oreo cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, and my favorite: strawberry cheesecake. I think they taste so good because he LOVES baking them, and all that love goes right into his delicious cheesecakes.
04/09/2009 9:30:20 AM CDT
One of my dad's best recipes is pizzaguina. Its a family tradition for years and years and he makes it about 2 or 3 times a year. (Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving if we're lucky) Pizzaguina is an italian stuffed calzone like pizza. It is made with the best soppresata sausage, firm mozzerella cheese, 10 boiled eggs and 2 raw eggs. You create a filling with these ingredients after mixing them together that gets placed betweeen two layers of homemade pizza dough. You bake in the oven at 375 for 30 min. The cheese melts and the pizzaguina tastes wonderful. You can eat it hot or cold. By far, this is the best thing that my dad makes and a tradition I will continue. He's a great cook!!
04/09/2009 9:47:04 AM CDT
My Dad, who died in 1982, made the easiest, best salad dressing. 3 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 tsp. mustard powder (more or less to taste). Add a bit of sea salt if you like, and pour. Delicious!
04/09/2009 9:48:33 AM CDT
I learned how to cook from my pops. I am a HUGE cook because of him. Food means EVERYTHING! Love, community, sharing, etc. MY favorite Dad recipe is his turkey soup. I swear it heals cancer, haha. Easy Turkey Soup
Simmer for 1.5 hours, covered
2 cartons of Chicken Broth, additional water if needed
2 – 3 turkey legs, (with bones)
1 15 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
3 – 4stalks of celery
pepper & salt
remove meat from bones
Add and simmer for 1/2 hours, covered
4 – 5large carrots, sliced, 1/2 inch
2 – 3leeks, sliced, sliced, 1/2 inch
2 15 oz cans of butter beans, rinsed
1 cup of fresh parsley
Enjoy!!!
04/09/2009 10:01:11 AM CDT
My dad makes the best steamed fish. Of course it works well with live fish but you don't get that here in Austin. But I do try to choose the freshest fish that I can find.
http://ifyancanyoucan.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/cantonese-styled-steamed-fish/
04/09/2009 10:14:02 AM CDT
My dad made the best Chili Cheese Coneys.
Not much of a recipe, but lots of fond memories of eating these (with him complaining about slaving over a hot stove) and watching baseball with the old man.
Cook the hot dogs in the oven on broil (and not in boiling water - that makes 'em too soggy); load up the dogs & buns with Wolf chili (no beans), lots of plain ol' mustard, choppped onions and grated cheddar cheese. Then, put the whole mix in the oven on broil just long enough for the cheese to melt and the buns to get a tad toasty. Usually takes just a couple of minutes.
04/09/2009 10:24:33 AM CDT