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Prepare a Great Meal for Dad This Father’s Day

Family Favorite Panzanella Salad

Kick dad off the grill this Father’s Day. Take over the tongs and prepare a great meal to show how much you care.

While preparing the main dish, let dad snack on Janet Crow’s (Quinwood, WV) Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip. “This recipe is a favorite with my family,” shares Janet. “It combines my daddy’s artichoke dip and my spinach dip to create one fantastic hot, creamy, and cheesy dip.”

I love this dip! It’s super easy to prepare and packed with flavor. The addition of garlic powder is a nice touch… it adds a little extra flavor to the dip. Hot out of the oven, it’s ooey gooey goodness. This recipe does make a lot. If you’re not having a crowd over, they’ll definitely be enough leftover for dad’s late night snack.

When I think of making a meal for dad, steak has to be the star of the dinner. These three steak recipes are easy to make and take on different flavors thanks to the marinade.

In the Test Kitchen, we used rib-eyes for Lisa Allen’s Grilled Steaks and, boy oh boy, they came out tasty. The marinade really adds a robust hickory flavor to the meat. A bit of the Greek seasoning (that includes salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley), is all the seasoning that the tender and delicious steak needs.

“This adds lots of flavor to an inexpensive cut [of meat],” says Pamela Rappaport (The Villages, FL) of her Marinated Flank Steak & Mushrooms. “Be sure to slice it across the grain when serving.”

I love the flavor sesame oil gives to dishes, combined with the soy sauce and other ingredients it helps to make for one great marinade. The mushrooms on top complement the steak perfectly. By cutting against the grain, it ensures that each slice is tender and delicious.

If you favor big flavors, try Ashley Muller’s (Chandler, AZ) Bold Tastin’ Grilled Steak. “This was a favorite when I was growing up,” explains Ashley. “We rarely had meat but when we did, we sure loved the bold flavors this marinade brought out!”

This marinade is SO tasty! Filled with spices like cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, and bay leaves, the marinade is definitely not lacking in the flavor department. It would complement any meat… but we have to say, it was especially good on steak.

As a side dish, Family Favorite’s refreshing Panzanella Salad goes great served with grilled steak (it’s also a good way to use stale bread).

The salad has a light, tangy dressing and crunchy homemade seasoned croutons that are absolutely delightful with the mixture of fresh veggies. Bits of soft mozzarella in every bite make this irresistible and sophisticated. A quick and easy summertime salad.

If dad has a sweet tooth, make sure to bake Kathleen Hagood’s (Gorman, TX) Fudge Cookies. While they are called a cookie, the final result is more like a brownie.

“This was his mother’s (Grandmother Zonie Bell Love Powell) recipe, which means that they can be made with just a few ingredients because she cooked foods that way, having lived through The Depression,” Kathleen reveals. “My dad is gone, but the recipe and memories remain. This heirloom recipe is pure comfort food.”

These lived up to my expectations! When everyone in the Test Kitchen enjoyed these, the universal comment was “what gives this the crunchy texture?” When they bake they have some crunchy bits and cracks on the top just like a brownie does. To me, that is a yummy dessert!

In my mind, there’s nothing better than preparing a meal to show someone how much I care. Hopefully, these recipes will help you prepare a dinner dad will love.

Also, have you seen the latest h-app-y news… Just a Pinch now has an app!

The Pinch It!™ Recipe Box app is fully integrated into your Recipe Box. So, all your recipes will be available whether you go to the app on desktop, tablet or your cell phone. Great if you’re preparing a meal at dad’s house and need easy access to a saved recipe.

I put together a post about everything the app can do (read it here). I’m really having fun using the app and hope you download it too. Happy Pinching!