Father’s Day Recipes That Are Not BBQ

Based on everything I read and hear from my friends and neighbors, Father’s Day often involves grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. That’s also what I ate, growing up, when we spent every Father’s Day at my Uncle Herb’s house.

But those days are long gone. My daughters and their husbands come to my house for the Father’s Day weekend and, to tell the truth, the men would really rather have something else.

In fact, they prefer to eat un-grilled.

My husband Ed would much rather have Chinese food.

He would always rather have Chinese food.

Kung Pao Gai Ding

And he would specifically wish for Kung Pao Gai Ding (Chicken with Peanuts). Of course he’d also love some homemade egg rolls, fried rice and Sichuan Beef with Orange Flavor. But with the free-for-all going on in my house when the children plus 5 grandchildren come, that’s impossible.

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Stuffed Cabbage

Especially because one of my sons-in-law would really really really like Stuffed Cabbage with his Kung Pao rather than an all-Chinese menu. It’s like a combination plate I suppose.

Jesse loves when I serve Chinese food and he loves my modern, innovative recipes. But every once in a while, you know, you need to go back to the source — the Ashkenazi Jewish source — for some old fashioned comfort. And for him that means Stuffed Cabbage.

Because Father’s Day is for the men, so, okay. No problem. He’s going to get his wish. I already made the Stuffed Cabbage and have it in the freezer.

Brownie Cookies

My other son-in-law is one of those wonderful souls who eats whatever I make. Isn’t that a pleasure? So Greg has absolutely no problem feasting on the Kung Pao plus Stuffed Cabbage potpourri.

But Greg always wants something with chocolate for dessert. Every time he and his family stay over I make some chocolate dessert hoping it’s the perfect one. Brownies. Cake. Mousse. Black Bottom Pie. He likes them all but to tell the truth I haven’t created chocolate nirvana for him yet, hoping these will do the trick.