Father's Day

William Jackson Smart was a Civil War veteran and widower who singlehandedly raised his six children. His daughter, Sonora Louise, heard a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909 and decided that fathers deserved their own day as well. She was successful in getting folks to observe such a day on the third Sunday in June. It’s also usually the best weather of the year making it a natural for a cook-out celebration.

If the dads in your life would like to tend the barbeque—by all means let them—but get all the side dishes prepared so he can be the master of the fire and still enjoy the festivities and relaxation. I don’t think you can go wrong with some rib-eye steaks.

Rib-eye for 6

6 rib-eye steaks, cut 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick (about 12 ounces each)
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Heat grill to high. Sprinkle the steaks with pepper on both sides, pressing it into the meat. Grill the steaks over high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare and 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium. Let the steaks rest for 3 minutes before serving.

If you have sea-food lovers in your crowd, here are two dishes sure to please—both from Paula Deen.

Low-Country Boil

¼ pound fully cooked smoked sausage per person, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup Old Bay seasoning, or more to taste
2 small new potatoes per person
1 ear fresh corn per person, shucked, silked and broken in half
½ pound large fresh shrimp per person (16 to 20 count size)-shell on
Tartar Sauce (below)
Cocktail Sauce (below)
Potato Sauce (below)

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Add the sausage and Old Bay seasoning and allow to boil for about 20 minutes so that the sausage can flavor the water. Taste and add more Old Bay if you think you need more. Add the potatoes and boil for about 15 minutes. Add the corn and boil about 10 minutes more. Finally, add the shrimp and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Taste a shrimp and if it is cooked through, drain immediately and serve on an oversize platter or table covered with newspaper. Serve with the three sauces.

Tartar Sauce

½ cup chopped green onion
½ cup chopped dill pickle
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
½ tsp. Paula’s House Seasoning (recipe below)
1 tsp dried dill weed
In a glass dish, stir together all of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Cocktail Sauce

2 cups ketchup
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a glass dish, stir together all of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving time

Potato Sauce

¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
Salt and pepper

In a glass dish, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Serve with buttered new potatoes.


Paula Deen’s House Seasoning

1 cup table salt
¼ cup pepper
¼ cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months.

There are many versions of a flag cake, including one I wrote in this column last year—but here’s one that’s a bit different from Paula that should be just right for Flag Day and Dad!

Flag Cake

1 6-oz. pkg. cherry-flavored gelatin
1 1-pound loaf pound cake, any brand (or homemade)
2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 pint fresh blueberries

Boil 1 ½ cups water. In a glass dish, stir the water into the gelatin, stirring about 2 minutes, until all of the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. Add 2 cups cold water and stir. Refrigerate this mixture for about 15 minutes until it has begun to thicken but is still loose enough to spread. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Cut the pound cake into thin slices and lay them evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread the partially gelled gelatin evenly over the cake. Refrigerate for several hours, until the gelatin has set and formed a firm layer over the cake. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until very fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread this evenly over the gelatin layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Not more than 30 minutes before serving, slice the strawberries in half. Decorate the top of the cake in a flag pattern, using the strawberries for the “bars” and the blueberries for the “stars.”