Happy Falker Satherhood!*

*Oops, this isn't Cake Wrecks™, is it?

(And yes, I wholeheartedly recommend

that you check out this delightful web site.)

Make that Happy Father's Day!

I learned this morning that we would be having not one,

not two, but three honorary sons for dinner.

Is my husband a lucky man or what?

Fortunately I had picked up some boneless rib eyes on sale

this past week.

Now pay attention,

because this is the most important part.

Several hours before dinner is the time to act.

First, clear out space in the fridge.

Then, set out a plate or tray with a rack on top.

Next, place the meat on the rack
and liberally season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper

on both sides.

Place in the fridge uncovered.

The meat will dry out in the fridge,

intensifying the flavors.

We cut each steak in half,

but please feel free to be a manly man and eat a whole steak.

I also would not recommend ever purchasing a steak

that was less than an inch thick.

Trust me, you will be glad you went with a thicker steak.

In the meanwhile,

it's time to make the pea salad.

We start with frozen peas.

No need to rinse or thaw as it is several hours before service.

Then chopped red onion and cooked bacon are added.



Sorry, no measurements here.



It's a process.

A journey.

A personal thing.





Then some sharp cheddar cheese is grated on top.

And finally I added about a teaspoon of sugar and enough

mayonnaise to coat the salad.

We don't like a lot of mayo, so less was used.

You might like more,

so use more.

It's your salad.

Do what you like.

This went into the fridge for the next few hours.

Our last major component for the meal was

roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with bacon,

onion and Parmesan cheese.

As I planned on cooking the potatoes on the grill,

I decided to pre-cook** them in the microwave for nine minutes.

**Pre-cook: does that mean they are raw?

What does that mean?

And why does Food Network allow its "stars" to use such terms?

Please note that the potatoes had earlier been cleaned but not peeled,

then diced and placed in heavily salted water.

I am a firm believer in working ahead of time,

so I don't mind this initial prep.

After the grill was preheated,

the pre-cooked potatoes were tossed with

lardons of raw bacon, chopped onion and olive oil

with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Two of the steaks were cooked to medium-well,

while the rest were cooked to medium-rare.


A chimichurri sauce was prepared

along with a compound butter with fresh chives and lemon pepper.

And dinner is plated.

Later, strawberry sorbet is on the menu.


Finally, though my own father has been long gone,

I am fortunate to have both a wonderful father to my children

as well as a delightful father-in-law.

Heh, guess my dear husband had to learn that somewhere, huh?

Have you thanked your father or father-figure today?