Father's Day Recipes

I know what guys like to eat, I know what guys want. So get out your notebook, or bookmark this page for a slew of recipes that Fathers everywhere will enjoy.

If you are too busy (or, lazy) to cook then keep an eye out for Father's Day dinner deals around town, like this Lobster Dinner from East Coast grocer, Redner's. I chatted with the manager and she said to get there early, before they run out for the day.

My own dad would make us kids a breakfast of Biscuits & Country Gravy with Sausage. Here is a simple version where I substitute homemade Buttermilk Biscuits with plain old canned Biscuits, and the ingredients come from my local Dollar Tree.

For a breakfast shortcut, Campbell"s Soup sells cans of Country Style Sausage Gravy. I haven't tried it yet, but will give a Cheap$kate Dining Review soon.

 

Hey, if you're feeling ambitious, then look up a recipe and make your own Buttermilk Biscuits, or go the easy route and watch my video below.

Pancakes are easy to make the 99 Cent Chef way, and I recommend adding fresh fruit.

For a quick breakfast, my Dad would often have a glass of buttermilk with crumbled leftover cornbread...Hmm, I couldn't get behind that as a kid.

My dad, Billy Robinson

My Dad was from Texas, and there, it's all about smoked meat. I have an easy recipe that uses a quick gas grill smoking technique. No Southern Dad would refuse Easy Pulled Pork on a Bun with sliced onion, pickle, and a lot of BBQ sauce. Check out below how I do it the cheap$kate way with inexpensive pork shoulder.

I use the same quick gas grill smoking method for a rack of tender Smoked BBQ Ribs. Again, I cook with cheap pork, but this recipe can be done with more expensive, meaty beef ribs, too.

I've had my father-in-law, Bob, over for lunch and dinner. He's a real meat-and-potatoes type of guy. So what's on the menu for his Father's Day? First off, I would make him an Old World Anglo-Saxon, hearty Shepherd's Pie (recipe here).



This most British of dishes is literally made with meat and potatoes. It's a one-pot meal and simplicity defined. Just make your favorite mashed potatoes (or follow my recipe) and spread them over a beefy, tomato paste, and Worcestershire-flavored stew, which also includes: ground meat (I used cheap ground turkey), onion, carrots, and peas. And you finish it off in the oven until piping hot. In my video recipe above, a cheap beef shank is used.

After that meal, your Dad may be put in a food coma, so make sure he has his favorite spot on the couch ready, including a foot cushion and TV remote controller.

If Dad is hogging the TV remote today for his fave sporting event, then set out all the Big League concession Hot Dog condiments. 

How does he like his Hot Dog? Plain with Mustard and Relish, Chili, Sauerkraut, and even Coleslaw are some of the toppings I would serve. Click on any name above to see how I do it. Here's a tip: try steaming hot dog buns for a minute after the weiners are done -- super yummy!

I bet your Dad would love my favorite sandwiches of late, a Rachel and a Reuben, both made with Corned Beef or Pastrami. 

Both also have Russian Dressing (mayo + ketchup), Swiss Cheese, and Rye Bread. The difference is that Rachel has Coleslaw, and Reuben has Sauerkraut. Included in my recipe links is an easy Easy Corned Beef and Easy Homemade Pastrami recipe, so dig in!

Rachel Sandwich

Reuben Sandwich

Is your guy a meat-and-potatoes type? I like to broil a Ribeye Steak & Potatoes. Nothing to it, just watch them brown and remove them from the oven when done to your liking. I like BBQ sauce on my broiled steak.

For more meaty meals to serve your Dad (or Husband) just click on any of the following recipes: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Sausage and Sauerkraut with Beer, Pulled Pork, Homemade Deli Pastrami, Chicken Stroganoff, Meatloaf, Carnitas (Mexican-style pork,) Baked Lasagna with Ground Chicken, Sweet, and Sour Pork, Mint Roasted Chicken, and Pork Bourguignon.

BBQ Chicken

Steak Carne Asada

Grilled Sausage

Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy

Roast Cuban Pork

My Louisiana niece, Candyse, is a mother to Ava. You've seen Candyse in a couple of my Mom's cooking videos. Ava's dad is Chef Tony. He's the face (creating a bunch of cooking videos) and the main chef for BBQ Guys. When I asked him what Cajun dish he wanted to cook for this blog, he chose a classic Cajun dish, Crawfish Etouffee (written recipe here). Check out the talented Chef Tony in action in my video below.



Dad's definitely like seafood, so give Chef Tony's rich, flavorful stew a try for one of the main men in your life. Other seafood entrees I would recommend are (click on any name to see): Fish and Chips, Scallop Rolls, Fish Tacos, Fish Veracruz, a rich Portabella Crab Rockefeller, Coconut Crusted Fish & Mango Salsa, Scallops and Snow Peas Stir Fry, and Salmon Olympia.

My sister Brenda is married to Rich, and he is the Dad to 2 of my nephews, who've put many hours at the grill in various Louisiana restaurants. I always have a good time making cooking videos with them whenever I visit Cajun country, like Chef Zakk's Blackened Fish and Sweet Potato Hash right here.

My oldest nephew, Chef Matt, has a nickname for me.

Click on the following recipe names if you would like to cook a Cajun-inspired meal for Father's Day, including Zakk's Cajun Style Pasta Primavera and Blackened Fish with Sweet Potato Hash, Mom's Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo and Jambalaya, Matt's Alligator Po'Boy Sandwich, and Shrimp and Grits.

Chef Matt's Shrimp and Grits

If your Dad (or Husband) likes it raw, then I have the perfect recipe for you, my Sushi Video Series, which includes a Spicy Tuna Handroll and Nigiri Tuna Sushi (but if he's squeamish of raw fish, I have a colorful California Roll made with cooked krab, here.)

California Roll

I break it all down for you with easy-to-follow sushi rolling GIF illustrations and a Sushi Rice recipe as well. Click here to get started, or click on any recipe name above.

Spicy Tuna Handroll

I worked with a vegan Dad. We're Facebook friends, so I am enjoying his latest posts featuring his high school daughter, who just graduated. She even once posted about making a Mushroom Risotto for his birthday. Well, I don't know her recipe, but if it's good enough for her Pop, then it's good enough for all my Dad blog readers - click here to see my own Mushroom Risotto recipe.

I like to cook with mushrooms, as you can see by all the following recipes - go ahead and click on one: Mushroom Nigiri Sushi, Mushroom Soup, a Portabella Mushroom & Bell Pepper Burger, and my Portabella Mushroom Fries video below.



Here are some other vegetarian dishes your noshing Husband, Dad or Grandad will enjoy, so click on any following recipe name.

Braised Romaine Lettuce Hearts

Veggies in Cream with Pasta

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Carrot Nigiri Sushi

Baba Ganoush

If your Dad has a sweet tooth and his fave dessert is a pie, then watch my Mom's Homemade Cherry Pie recipe video below and give it a go. Okay to use any canned fruit you find on sale.

And finally, if you are an LA local (or just visiting) and looking for a restaurant to take your Father to, then check out my ongoing nighttime restaurant video series. You'll get menu highlights of a dozen or so restaurants in each of my unique Restaurant Nocturnes videos. I go out at night to bring you a culinary cross-section of dining, both high-end and low. So, just play the video below to see my latest compilation, Restaurant Nocturnes XIII. And click here, then scroll down to the end of the post to activate links to all the other ones (thirteen videos so far.)

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

National Crawfish Day - Recipes

Today, I offer praise to the humble Mudbug, or Crawfish. Also known as Crayfish and Crawdads, there are even more colorful names depending on where you reside. I know Crawfish, and hopefully, you'll learn a few things about this delicious freshwater crustacean on National Crawfish Day.

     Click on any photo to see larger.

A Crawfish is like a miniature lobster. In Europe, they are known as Longastino. I can get them here is Los Angeles.

You can cook them the same way as a lobster, too. Normally, they are boiled in a spicy broth of water with a package of Crab Boil. There are spicy packages from Louisiana and milder types carried by most grocers.

And you feed on the Crawfish tail, just like a lobster. You can even get a sliver of claw meat if the Crawfish is large enough.

Peeling a Crawfish Tail

Due to their small size, Crawfish cook quickly like shrimp. They only take 10 minutes of boiling, and then you turn off the heat and let them stew in the spicy broth -- the longer they steep in the broth, the spicier the crawfish. 

Now it's time to eat the hot, tiny Crawfish tails. Just watch my video below to see how I do the deed. And a warning, I do suck the head of a Crawfish just like a real Cajun does - it's loaded with a whole lotta juicy flavor.

How to Eat a Crawfish - Video

I learned to peel a cooked Crawfish early on. When a bag of boiled Crawfish is dumped on the table, you'd better know how to make quick work to get the tail meat, or you will be left behind. Like with anything, the more you peel them, the speedier you will get.

     30-pound bags of live Crawfish

The meaty Crawfish tail is small like a bay shrimp, but milder in fishy flavor. Sometimes referred to as seafood, they are not from the salty water of the sea, but are from freshwater ponds, swamps, and bayous. These days, you are more likely to get them from Crawfish Farms that are just shallow freshwater ponds. 

In the wild, a mudbug, or crawfish, will burrow into mud and create a Crawfish Mound or Chimney. I have seen them in ditches or fields that flood. The burrows are for protection from predators. An adult crawfish digs deep, a foot or more.

I lived in Louisiana in my high school daze, where Crawfish culture has risen to edible art. Think of any recipe you would make with shrimp, and you can substitute Crawfish tail meat instead. 

During Crawfish Season, from about February to May, you can buy them at supermarkets and even gas stations with a deli counter. 

You can buy them live or already cooked. They cost anywhere from $3 per pound for live to $5 per pound for cooked whole Crawfish. My fave Louisiana local market, Rouse's Supermarkets, has good deals on freshly boiled crawfish sold in large coolers at the entrance and inside the store in the seafood section.

You can buy precooked and peeled Crawfish Tails in frozen 12-ounce or one-pound packages in the $10-$15 range. The cheapest packages come from China. The tail meat is usually smaller than locally raised crawfish. And they are somewhat controversial, as the low cost puts a financial strain on Louisiana-farmed crawfish. 

Crawfish are tasty any time of day, even in a breakfast Omelet with Cheese & Crawfish. A recipe by my brother from another daddy, the Swamp Chef.

While on the expensive side, they will provide an ample entree, enough to serve your family --especially if you follow Chef Tony's Crawfish Etouffee recipe, below. 

My family usually orders them cooked, but almost every local has attended or thrown a live Crawfish Boil in their backyard at one time or another. 

My niece Candyse (top center) and her family.

If you are feeding a party, budget about 3 pounds of whole Crawfish per person. A basic Crawfish Boil usually has lemon halves, corn, and potatoes that start in a spicy boil for an hour - the live Crawfish are added for about 10 more minutes or until they are bright orange/red and done. Turn off the heat and let it all soak up the spices for half an hour.  

I've yet to meet a local Louisiana adult or child who does not like cooked Crawfish. Now the exception is if Crawfish is extra-spicy, of course, so you may want to pull them early from the crab boil broth if you have kids or sensitive palates to contend with. Get out plenty of paper towels or napkins; it's a messy meal.

Cajuns in Louisiana have come up with tasty local Crawfish entree or appetizer recipes, everything from a spin on Fettuccine Alfredo with Crawfish to an Omelet stuffed with Crawfish, and even a flaky Crawfish Pie or Turnover.

My brother from another daddy, the Swamp Chef, has decadent Cajun Nachos made with, you guessed it, Crawfish. And it's built on a bed of tortilla chips topped with a can of red beans, cheese, Crawfish tails, and more cheese, oh, and don't forget the hot sauce!

 Be sure to hang in there past the wacky video intro with my nephew Zak and the Swamp Chef, followed by the Cajun Nachos recipe.

Cajun Nachos - Video

Crawfish for Thanksgiving? If you have had oysters in your Turkey Stuffing, then it's not too much of a stretch to make a Crawfish Stuffing!

A fave Louisiana potato chip purveyor, Zapp's, does a crawfish-flavored version. How do they taste? They are very salty, of course, and have a mild shrimp taste.

I'll leave you with a selection from the deli case of Rouses Market in Gonzales, Louisiana - a great local grocer with a fine selection of frozen Crawfish Entrees.