Father's Day Menu Ideas

While there aren't a ton of recipes on this blog just yet, there are a few I think would be great for Father's Day. Rather than posting links for you to all over the place, I created a new "Father's Day" label that you can find in the "Labels" list on the right hand side of the page. In addition to that, though, I thought I would post a few new ones. There is a grilling main dish, a side, a dessert, and a breakfast idea as well. Enjoy!

 Grilled Asian Flank Steak

This marinade is fabulous and this cut of meat is less expensive than other steak. It will get tough if you overcook it, so watch that and stay on the rare to medium side. One perfect side for this would be these.

What You Need:
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (Please let me know if you find a small container of this. I could only find this gigantic can and now I have lots of extra. However, I did find a use for it that I will post later in the week).
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste or ketchup
1/4 cup plum sauce (find in the asian section of regular grocery store)
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder)
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot (or 3 teaspoons ground ginger)
1 beef flank steak (1-1/4 lbs)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Pour 3/4 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag and add steak. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Cover and set aside remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade from the meat. Grill steak over medium to high heat 6-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.

*For medium rare, meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. Medium: 160. Well Done: 170. *

Baste occasionally with reserved marinade. To serve, slice thinly against the grain.


Asparagus with phyllo and prosciutto

What You Need:
24 asparagus spears, wood ends trimmed

6 sheets frozen phyllo, thawed
3-4 tablespoons melted butter
12 thin slices prosciutto (about 6 ounces), cut in half crosswise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prep all ingredients prior to working with phyllo dough. This will make the assembly go faster with less opportunity for the phyllo to dry out.

Steam asparagus in a steamer basket set over 1-inch of boiling water just until bright green, about 2 minutes. Blanch them under cold water (helps to retain color and flavor) Transfer to a colander to cool. Remove phyllo from the refrigerator and unroll them to lay flat. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface (cover the remaining phyllo with plastic wrap and then a damp clean towel). Brush lightly with butter. Start at the ends of the dough to keep it from cracking and work towards the center. Cut into 4 rectangular pieces. Cut the asparagus spears down to 4 inch lengths. Keep the unused phyllo dough covered with the plastic and towel when you aren't working with it. Don't leave it uncovered for more than a minute at a time and work quickly.

Place 1 piece of prosciutto on each phyllo rectangle, lining up along 1 short edge. Arrange an asparagus spear over the prosciutto, letting the tip lay beyond the top edge of the phyllo. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Roll up and secure the edge of the phyllo with butter, if necessary. When rolling, leave the asparagus tip unwrapped about one inch. Wrap foil around the exposed asparagus tip so it doesn't burn. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake until phyllo is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake

What You Need:

Cookie Crust:
30 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces
7 tablespoons butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
2 pounds (4 bars) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces

Directions:
For the cookie crust, place the cookies and the butter in a food processor and process until finely ground (alternately, you could use an electric mixer to combine the butter and cookies). Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until the crust has hardened and is set, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

For the cheesecake filling, heat 3/4 cup of the whole milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the milk comes to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, flour and remaining 1/4 cup milk in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick and glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the white chocolate until it is completely melted.

Transfer the pudding to a bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate the pudding until it is cold and set, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

*Update*: In place of the above step, I tried using a box of  Cook & Serve Pudding (4.6 oz). They sometimes have White Chocolate flavor. If you can not find it (I could not) use Vanilla flavor. Prepare the pudding according to package directions. If you are using Vanilla flavor, remove from heat once cooked and stir in 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips. Refrigerate overnight.

 The boxed mix will make 3 cups. Use only 2 cups and store your extra. This works out just great and saves you a bunch of time.





After the pudding has chilled, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and mix in the chilled pudding just until it is combined, about 30 seconds. Pour 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chilled crust. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cookies over the surface. Again, pour 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the crust and sprinkle the remaining cookies over the top. Top with the remaining filling and smooth the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve. The cheesecake can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.


Overnight Breakfast Casserole

What You Need:

3 tbsp. veg. oil
1 (2 lb.) bag frozen hash browns
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 c. cubed ham or  ground sausage (browned and drained)
10 eggs, beaten
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in skillet. Add hash browns, onions and green peppers. Cook until potatoes begin to brown. Spray a 9" x 13" pan with vegetable oil spray. Spread potato mixture in bottom of pan. Top with ham or sausage. Pour eggs over all and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir to coat all ingredients with egg. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer.