I think its fair to say that my dad has lived an unconventional life. From his stories you would think he is summarized by a compilation of savory flavors, spices and flamboyant dinner parties. His tales usually start off with memories of favorite, restaurants and dishes; described in such fine detail that your mouth begins to water. I challenge you to name a US city that he doesn’t have a recommendation for. Definitely a go to, whenever hosting a party or in a panic, in need of some culinary magic.
See, food is my dad’s magic medicine for everything. It is the foundation of my favorite childhood memories, and the consolation of my not-so-favorite memories. His bad news is rarely delivered without the comfort of a good meal quick to follow. Like this morning, seated at Over Easy (a restaurant in North Scottsdale my dad and I learned about on the food network channel) he decided to tell my brother and me that his stage four cancer has returned. Oh, and by the way, they found a new spot on his lungs, but don’t worry; the doctors have it all under control. He just has to take some pills, that’s all. He then starts going off about how good his blueberry pancakes are. We proceed to ask questions and while he answers he interjects with this might be the best sausage that he has ever had. The news was traumatic… but somehow in retrospect I laugh that he took home all of our leftovers and called me when he arrived in Nogales, to tell me that he ate my breakfast sandwich the “Dolly” and it was phenomenal, but would have been better with cheese??? Did he forget he just told me that he has cancer?
I have decided to start this blog because for as long as I can remember I have wanted to compile his recipes. This has just my renewed motivation to get started. I know nothing gives him more pleasure than describing to an audience the detail of his culinary masterpieces. It is my pleasure to share them with you and it is my hope that they bring a little magic to you and your families.
So I am starting off this blog with the menu of my very first solo cooking experience…. My first dinner date. I was a sophomore in college and extremely excited to have boy over for dinner in my very first apartment! Who better to call that my hopeless romantic dad, obsessed with old sappy films, books, and FOOD!!! Not going to lie, I fully expected to get a to-die-for recipe that would not only be delicious, but would make my date fall completely in love with me. I was disappointed to say the least when my Dad suggested that I buy the “Better Homes and Garden Cook Book”! I could hardly believe that he expected me to make something out of a cookbook?!?! Only later did I realize that cooking is harder than it looks and my skills had only made me made mac and cheese before this. Dad only wanted me to make something edible on my very first dinner date. He did help me decide on chicken, and recommended I buy a bag of “Lipton Cheddar Broccoli Rice”. I decided on BH&G “Lemon Mustard Chicken” found http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/lemon-mustard-chicken/ coupled with the rice and a store bought Caesar salad mix. The meal was a hit, and is still something I make today. Enjoy!
BTW I highly recommend the BH&G cook book because on top of great easy recipes it has a complete section on cooking basics that really helped me get started. It’s practically fool proof!
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