Yes, folks, it’s true…by the time you are reading this, the year 2017 will be half over! Sometimes, it doesn’t seem possible and other days, it seems to have flown by while I slept through it. As usual, the first week of the month has been busy, at least the first two days of it have. Tuesday was Hospital Auxiliary day for me, as we have our meeting at 9:00 a.m. and have what we just call “work shop” after that. Our workshop is in the same building so that isn’t a problem this week we worked on little tray favors for the patients at the hospital. We have made the same thing in the past, so it was a matter of cutting and gluing, with a little writing thrown in for interest. While part of the group was doing this, another group was putting the finishing touches on a wreath that is red/white/blue for the gift shop. This is our third one, so we’re getting to be experts at making them! For the tray favors, we cut a white circle from craft foam, draw the lines, with what looks like red stitching, making it into a baseball, then we cut out a cap and draw lines to make the seams, glue it to the baseball and we have a cute tray favor. Also the words “Get well soon” are written on the front and a sticker with “Compliments of YCH Auxiliary” is placed on the back. We were a very industrious group of nine ladies all doing something, and we got a lot accomplished.
As you are well aware, Father’s Day is this coming Sunday. While it is not celebrated with all the pomp and circumstance that we celebrate Mother’s Day, it is still an important day to many of us.
The celebration of Father’s Day began with Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington who first proposed the idea in 1909. She was looking for a special way to honor her father, Mr. William Smart. He was a Civil War veteran who was widowed when his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart raised all six children by himself. They lived on a farm in eastern Washington State. After Mrs. Dodd was grown, she realized how much strength and selflessness he had shown in raising them as a single parent in that day and time.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached the minister of her church and others in Spokane, Washington about having a service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father’s birthday. The minister was unable to prepare for the service that quickly, so he spoke a few weeks later, on June 19th.
From that time on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. At this same time, various towns and cities across America were beginning to celebrate a day especially for fathers. States and various organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father’s Day. President Woodrow Wilson approved of this. President Calvin Coolidge was in firm support of the idea of a national Fathers Day and in 1924, made it a national event to “establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations”. However, it took until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday in June as Father’s Day and put the official stamp of approval on a celebration that had been ongoing for almost half a century.
In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father’s Day. Mrs. Dodd suggested a red rose to honor a living father, and a white rose for a deceased dad. (This is similar to the fact that we wear red carnations if our Mother is living and white ones if she is deceased, when we celebrate Mother’s Day.) Mr. J. H. Berringer, who attended Father’s Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father’s Day Flower.
Note from Joyce: Personally, I’ve never seen anyone wearing any type of flower on Father’s Day! There are lots of beautiful cards available, if you can’t be around your father, at least mail him a card! I miss mine still and he has been gone since 1997! If you don’t have the money for a gift or a card, at least call him and tell him you love him!
Dad, Daddy, Father, Pop, Papa, Papi, or Padre, whatever you call him, Father’s Day is a day for pampering him, (if he’ll let you!).
Breakfast in bed would be a first step. Cereal, pancakes/waffles, or french toast are all simple and easy, especially if you use the frozen, re-heat in the toaster or microwave type.
For a noon meal, how about fried chicken, chicken fried steak, burgers, steak or chicken cooked on the grill, or if he has something else that is his favorite, fix that. Boiled new potatoes with butter and onions, mashed potatoes or potato salad if that is what he prefers will go well with any of the above meats. You will need a green salad to go with this and a vegetable. Corn on the cob is great and is something that is probably easily available at this time. Garden fresh green beans, peas, or scrumptious sliced fresh ripe tomatoes would be wonderful also. Dessert is not too difficult; whatever type of cake, pie or cookies he loves would be sure to please him, either made by you, or purchased.
Oven Baked Brisket
1 brisket (6-8 pounds)
1 bottle liquid smoke
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder (if desired)
Thoroughly season brisket well on both sides. Place in a roasting pan and bake at 250ºF to 300ºF, uncovered, for 4 to 5 hours. Pour one-half of the bottle of liquid smoke over the meat, turn meat over and pour the remaining liquid smoke over the meat. Cook, covered for an additional 1½ to 2 hours. Remove from oven, let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Be sure to slice across the grain of the meat to have nice slices. When the grain changes, give the brisket a one-quarter turn and continue slicing.
Chicken Fried Chicken
1 fryer, about 3 to 4 pounds (or leg/thigh quarters in equal weight)
Salt and pepper
Flour
Oil for frying
Cut chicken into serving sized pieces and thoroughly season chicken with salt and pepper. Roll or shake in the flour until well coated. Fry in about 1-inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook until first side is brown, turn pieces and cook on other side until done. Serve hot or cold.
Chicken Fried Steak
Round steak, cube steaks, or venison steaks, cut into serving sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Flour, milk
Oil for deep frying
Cut the steak into serving size pieces, unless you are using the pre-shaped, ready to use cube steaks. Using a meat hammer, pound the round steak or venison steak to tenderize it, season it with salt and pepper as you desire and then dredge the steak pieces in flour, then into the milk and then back into the flour. This step can be repeated if you want a thicker crust on the meat. Heat oil in skillet or in deep pot and fry the pieces of meat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep hot in a low oven until you have fried all the meat. Serve hot with white gravy you make using one or more of the packets of country gravy mix that make 2 cups each (i.e. Pioneer® Brand).
Texas-Style Pepper Steak
1½ to 2 lbs ground meat (venison is great)
Salt
Pepper
2 to 3 fresh jalapeño peppers*
4 slices American cheese (1-oz each) or 4-oz shredded cheese of choice)
Season meat with salt and pepper, then shape into 8 patties, about 3-3½ in diameter. Slice jalapeños crosswise, removing seeds if desired. Top 4 patties with cheese slices (edges folded in to match round patty) or 1 tablespoon shredded cheese and several jalapeño slices. Top with another patty and seal edges, making sure there are no openings. Cook on grill, or under broiler or bake in 350ºF oven or in a skillet until as done as you desire, turning once to brown both sides. (This is similar to the pepper steak served for years at Hermann’s Sons restaurant in Hondo).
Double Squash Casserole
4 yellow squash
3 zucchini squash
1 medium onion
1 cup picante sauce
24 saltine crackers, crushed
½ cup shredded cheese
Clean squash, cut into slices or chunks; peel and chop onion; combine in saucepan and cook in small amount of water about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well.
In a casserole dish, combine cooked squash and picante sauce and mix together. Sprinkle cheese and crackers on top. Bake at 350ºF, for 20 minutes.
Grandma’s Coconut Pie
This is a wonderful pie that both my Grandmother and my Mother, Margaret Kroeger used to make. It is easy and several of the grandchildren enjoyed it.
Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie shell (9-inch)
1 c. coconut, firmly packed into measuring cup
½ c. sugar
2 T. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Butter
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spread coconut in pie shell, set aside. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and add milk and vanilla, stir to mix well and pour over coconut in pie shell. Dot with butter and bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes, and then turn down heat to 350º and bake until firm.
Lemon Meringue Pie
(1 baked pie shell 9-in.)
1 c. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. flour
3 T. cornstarch
2 c. water
3 eggs, separated
1 T. butter or margarine
¼ c. lemon juice (preferably fresh, but bottled is OK)
1 tsp. grated lemon rind (optional)
1 tsp. lemon extract (optional)
Yellow food coloring (optional)
Directions:
Combine sugar, salt, flour and cornstarch in saucepan, whisk in water and cook over moderate heat stirring with whisk until mixture is thick and clear. Remove from heat. Beat the yolks and add some of the hot mixture to the yolks, a spoonful at a time, mixing well, and then stir this mixture into the hot mixture, return to heat and cook one minute more. Remove from heat and stir in butter or margarine, lemon juice, grated rind, extract and food coloring, if used. Cool slightly and pour into baked pie shell and top with meringue.
Meringue
3 egg whites
6 T. sugar
Beat egg whites until foamy, add sugar 1 T. at a time, whipping until whites hold stiff peaks. Place in a 425º oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dads out there, have a wonderful Day, God Bless all of you!