Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day to all those dads out there! If you need a last minute idea on what to make your dad on this special day, here’s some foodie inspiration! (All of these recipes are my dad’s favorite picks.)

Let’s start with breakfast. My dad LOVES pancakes, and here is his favorite recipe: Nigella’s pancake mix….and no, they’re not from a box!

Since its Father’s Day, and you probably slept in and had brunch, let’s move onto dinner ideas. My dad LOVES grilling out, and here is his famous chateaubriand steak recipe. Enjoy!

Let’s forget the sides! Men like my dad and husband would be fine just eating steak and dessert, so let’s take a look at some sweets! Notice how they are all chocolate? My dad is a chocoholic. Take your pick or make all three!

This first recipe is a chocolate ice box pie. My dad requests this one a lot, whether it’s his birthday or not!

Next up…Paula’s 4-layer pudding dessert. This is my dad’s new favorite. Ever since I got the recipe from my mother-in-law Paula, my dad requests I make it every time I come over.

Finally, are you ready for something super chocolatey? Mom’s secret ingredient brownies are just that….rich, sweet, and loaded with chocolate chips. My dad brings these to work for every company luncheon they have. He loves telling people there is a “secret ingredient” and always asks if they can guess it!

Steak and Mushroom Stroganoff

photo courtesy of Williams-Sonoma’s Comfort Foods by Rick Rodgers

Love, love, love this Steak and Mushroom Stroganoff recipe from Williams-Sonoma’s Comfort Food: Warm, Homey, Rich and Hearty by Rick Rodgers. A 19th-century Russian classic, this Williams-Sonoma’ stroganoff recipe is sensational with it’s tender chunks of steak, sweet shallots, loads of sauteed mushrooms and an outrageously rich sour cream sauce.

If you don’t already own this cookbook, I strongly recommend buying it. It costs $34.95 at Williams-Sonoma, but you can get it for about $25 at Abebooks, an online website for used, new, rare and out of print books. In this comfort food cookbook, there are lots of wonderful recipes worth trying such as blueberry pancakes, buttermilk fried chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, and fresh peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I’ve made their French Toast with Caramelized Bananas, which was wonderful.

Tonight instead of going out to eat (which is our Friday night norm), I made steak and mushroom stroganoff, because I had not cooked all week! I felt the need and want to cook. 🙂 Growing up, I don’t remember eating beef stroganoff, but now I will make it all the time. This recipe is very simple, especially the sauce, which is just sour cream and dill. My favorite part are the sliced mushrooms. They have so much flavor and combine so well with the steak, noodles, and sauce. (Sometimes I’ll substitute ground beef for steak). If you have a Central Market, you need to buy your meat from them. Their steaks are tender, juicy, and fresh, unlike Kroger or Tom Thumb.

Steak and Mushroom Stroganoff
Ingredients
Beef sirloin steak, 1 1/2 pounds (can substitute ground beef)
Salt and pepper
Wide egg noodles, 3/4 pound
Canola oil, 2 tablespoons plus more as needed (I used olive oil)
Button or cremini mushrooms, 1 pound, sliced (I used cremini)
Unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons
Shallots, 1/3 cup minced
Sour cream, 1 1/2 cups at room temperature
Fresh dill, 1 tablespoon minced, plus more for garnish

Directions
1. Trim the steak of any surface fat. Cut the steak into slices 1/4 inch thick, then cut the slices into 2 inch lengths. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the egg noodles and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
3. While the noodles are cooking, brown the steak. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the steak in batches and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per batch, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer the beef to a plate.
4. When all the steak is cooked, add the mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of the butter to the frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the steak, sour cream, and 1 tablespoon of dill. Return to medium heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sour cream is heated through, about 1 minute. Do not allow to boil.
5. When the noodles are ready, drain them and return to the cooking pot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and toss to coat. Divide the noodles among dinner plates and top each serving with the steak and sauce. Sprinkle with dill and serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Recipe from: Williams-Sonoma’s Comfort Food: Warm, Homey, Rich and Hearty by Rick Rodgers.

Chateaubriand Steak

I think my Dad’s steaks are the best steaks in the world. They are so good that I will not even order a steak from a restaurant, even a fancy one! He says the key to an excellent steak is how good the meat is. We found that Central Market has the freshest and best tasting steaks (and meat in general). Before we had a Central Market, we stopped cooking steaks because none of the grocery stores we shopped at had good enough meat. However, steak has become a weekly/biweekly tradition in our family. A good cut of meat is just about as lean a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

When my Dad grills steak, he buys a cut of beef called Chateaubriand. He made it this weekend and I said it was the best steak I’ve ever put in my mouth!

To season the steak he pours a little soy sauce and Montreal Steak seasoning on one side. Super simple, super easy, extremely delicious! Enjoy!

Slice the Chateaubriand Steak into about 1-inch slices. (We like ours thin so the steaks are “well-done”, no pink).

Drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle Montreal Steak seasoning on top.

Preheat your grill and cook for about 15 minutes (4-5 minutes on one side, flip, and cook another 8-10 minutes). Adjust time for thickness and doneness. We like our steaks cooked “well-done”, no pink.

Let rest on a plate.

Serve and enjoy.

Chateaubriand Steak

Ingredients

Chateaubriand steak, enough to serve everyone in your household

Soy sauce

Montreal Steak seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat grill.

2. Slice Chateaubriand steak in about 1 inch slices.

3. Drizzle with soy sauce and Montreal Steak seasoning.

4. Grill for about 15 minutes (4-5 minutes on one side, flip, then cook another 8-10 minutes). Adjust cooking time for doneness…we like ours “well-done”, no pink.