At the risk of gender profiling, let's agree women and men don't always eat the same foods. Gals will subsist on tofu and sprouts to lose weight. We may even fake we like it. Guys typically can't and they certainly won't pretend to like it. On Father's Day, they shouldn't have to. So here's a recipe shout-out for the boys. Use these Father's Day menus of man-pleasing foods to satisfy the y-chromosome! Dad will flip over any one of these Fathers Day menus Happily, recipes are easy and mostly inexpensive.
There's an urban legend, propagated by marketers that to give dad a nice Fathers Day, it's necessary
to spend big. Take it from this penny pincher parent--that's not true. For very little money, you can
make big fun, especially on Fathers Day. How? With food--the secret to most any dad's heart is
through his stomach. Here are kid-friendly recipes, man-pleaser menus and party food dads love that
dad will eat up! These Fathers Day recipes get kids involved and teach children useful cooking skills,
too. Here are some of the most successful Fathers Day fetes.
* Fix-your-own outdoor buffets. Give dad a day off from the grill and use Fathers Day as an
opportunity to teach older kids how to use a grill safely. Popular inexpensive kid-friendly recipes and
party food dads love include make-your-own-chili dogs, tacos, hamburgers or pizza (wrap pizzas
loosely in foil and bake on the grill).
* From-the-sea feast. Take dad fishing and then cook what's caught. It's good to have some back-up
salmon in the freezer just in case the big one gets away, though! Grilled fish makes great kid-friendly
recipes. Have children clean and wash fish. Then spray aluminum foil with cooking spray and wrap
fish in foil. Whisk a dressing of olive oil (not EVOO for high heat), dill, sage, garlic, pepper, celery and lemon juice. Marinate fish and
bake. Firmer-bodied fish like trout, catfish, swordfish and tuna steaks work well for grilling. Or make
fish kebabs--kebabs are perfect for man-pleaser menus. Skewer shrimp colored peppers, yellow
squash and cherry tomatoes (season with lemon marinade). Kids love assembling kebabs--just make
sure they do so carefully.
* Cold party food bar (for hot Fathers Day gigs). Set out deviled eggs, baked beans, a relish tray, cole
slaw, fresh fruit chunks, a veggie tray, chips and ham sandwiches. The dad in this house loves Polish
roses--snipped green scallions wrapped in baked ham and cream cheese. Children love making
these super-easy kid-friendly recipes and dad will love eating them!
* Crock pot buffet of party foods dads love. Cook outdoors in a crock pot or 3-section food steamer.
Put sausage and sauerkraut in a crock pot and cook outside. Meatballs work well too. Add frozen
meatballs, grape jelly and ketchup for sweet and sour meatballs. For meatballs in gravy add French
onion soup, sour cream and mushroom soup to frozen meatballs. Steam mussels in one of the
sections. Or make nacho dip (Velveeta cheese and Ro-Tel tomatoes--easy-peasy kid-friendly recipes
for Fathers Day!)
* Indulge dad's sweet tooth. Make an outdoor dessert buffet of party food dads love. Cheesecake,
strawberry shortcake, pies and cupcakes are popular on man-pleaser menus. Dads also love gelatin
mixed with fruit and whipped topping. These kid-friendly recipes make good summer coolers.
* Enjoy a world food bar of man-pleaser menus. No money for travel? Throw an around the world
party with food dads love. Men's favorites include souvlaki and baklava from Greece, brats from
Germany, hummus and pita chips from the Middle East, pierogies from Poland, tiramisu from Italy and
tropical fruit salad from the Caribbean.
The man-pleaser menus will be a Fathers Day hit with dads and kids. Phot is me getting ready to make up some homemade salsa!
