Today is barbecue day. Not the kind of barbecue where you fire up the grill and have Dad (or the "man" of the house") sit in a folding chair outside in the 90plus degree heat with a beer in his hand turning meat from one side to the other. Around here, Father's Day does not equal something cooking on the grill.
Barbecue day in my house is far less taxing. I am getting ready to "fire up" the crock pot and start the process for pulled pork sandwiches, Mike's favorite. In the ever constant debate about barbecue, we stand on the side of pork over beef and mustard/vinegar over ketchup/brown sugar.
The recipe I use is no secret, so I'll tell you where to look. It's the Williams-Sonoma recipe for Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches. And the name doesn't lie...it is easy...pork, spice blend, water & onion. After you pull the pork, add your favorite sauce (we use Sticky Fingers brand) and you're done. All you have to decide is the kind of sandwich bun, pickles or no, and your personal assortment of sides.
The next item on our plate is another Williams-Sonoma favorite, Corn Fritters. They are amazing! You can used canned or fresh corn. They are sweet and salty and a great change up from corn on the cob! There are two downsides to this recipe. One, they are best when eaten right away and two, you can never make too many...they won't sit on the plate, but will disappear immediately. You've been warned!
Since I'm the only vegetarian in the house, I always add a fresh salad to the menu. Today I'm going to make a classic Greek Salad, minus the olives. Sorry, I just can't make myself like olives...I've tried. I'm going to use a salad dressing developed by my friend, Nancy. Without question, it's my go-to salad dressing for every occasion. It's delicious and in Nancy's own words "not a home-made recipe, but a simple adaptation to a store bought packet"!
Nancy's Balsamic Salad Dressing
Buy the Italian Good Seasons packet and cruet from the grocery store. Not the Zesty Italian, but the original.
Pour balsamic vinegar into the cruet half way up to the water (W) line.
Add red wine vinegar up to the water (W) line.
Add whatever salad oil you prefer up to 1/4 inch below the oil (O) line. (Nancy remarks that she doesn't typically use olive oil as it gives the dressing a heavy flavor...I agree!)
Add water up to the oil (O) line.
Add the Good Seasons Italian packet, shake and enjoy!
Now, all you need is dessert. We will probably have key lime pie (again Mike's favorite) or homemade vanilla ice cream. What?? No cupcakes!! We have cupcakes in my house almost every day. This is all about the things he loves...family, good food and today, the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. It's going to be a good day.
So, if you haven't completed your Father's Day menu, try mine! Pulled pork sandwiches, corn fritters, fresh salad, definitely watermelon (can't believe I forgot to mention the watermelon!), key lime pie and just for fun, homemade vanilla ice cream. Visit www. Williams-Sonoma.com and search their recipe file for Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Corn Fritters. You won't be disappointed.
Before I sign off, I'm going to dial it back a few years to Father's Day when I was growing up. Our meal would've been fried shrimp, succotash, sliced tomatoes and onions, steamed Chesapeake Bay blue crabs coated in a spicy blend of Old Bay Seasoning, saltine crackers and cold beer or 7-up! Our dining table would've been covered in newspaper and decorated with rolls of paper towels, crab crackers and mallets and small dishes of melted butter. The Baltimore Orioles would be on TV if they were playing. My Dad would've done all the cooking (he was a great cook) and our gifts of Old Spice soap and after shave and homemade cards would've been lovingly accepted. I can close my eyes and smell the Old Bay Seasoning and Old Spice. I love you Dad and miss you every day.
Today is about making memories. I hope you have a great Father's Day!
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