Food Network Staffers Share the Recipes They Always Make with Dad
Celebrate Father’s Day by making a great meal (and memories) with Dad.
LUCY SCHAEFFER
As Father’s Day approaches, we’re reminded of all the great meals we’ve shared with Dad. From grilling in the back yard to cooking side-by-side in the kitchen, every meal is full of memories and meaning. What better time than now to celebrate Dad through food?
Food has a way of bringing everyone together on days like these — even if it’s just cooking together over a video call. From time-honored family traditions to brand-new recipes, there’s always room for more memories (and another bite of something delicious on your plate). So, we asked Food Network staffers about the recipes they always make with Dad in hopes that they’ll inspire you — and your special Father’s Day celebration.
Dad's Got a Pizza My Heart
My dad and I are the cooks of the family and we pass recipes back and forth all the time as we try out new meals. Homemade pizza night has always been big at our house, but we hadn’t found one pizza dough recipe we truly loved, so we went on the hunt for the perfect dough. After many attempts, we found a sheet pan pizza recipe that fit the bill for us both with flavor and texture. We’ve swapped out the toppings with whatever we have on plenty of times with great success, but the combo of sausage and mushroom (plus a hefty amount of crushed red pepper that I add to just about everything) is still our favorite.
-Julie Hines, Managing Editor, Food Network Kitchen App
Con Poulos
My dad’s known for his grill skills. It’s just him and my stepmom at home now, though, so while he still grills, I think he anticipates our visits so he can really show off: impressively seasoned steaks, marinated kebabs, saucy ribs, you name it. We live states apart, so (unfortunately) we don’t get to grill together very often. But every time we talk our conversations always include a rundown of what we’ve made for dinner recently. I get a lot of inspiration from his grilling adventures and honestly wouldn’t have been brave enough to try grilled pizza if he hadn’t first. Food Network Kitchen’s Grilled Everything Pizza cooks up in just a half-hour, and the finished crust is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Amazing. I just might need to get out the tongs and grill a pizza this weekend — and call my dad.
-Meghan Hynes Cole, Associate Editor
Dad’s Favorite Pastime
Every year my dad and I make baklava together. To be honest, I make the baklava and my dad lingers around and then devours half the pan, but the lengthy process of buttering and layering sixteen sheets of fragile, breakable phyllo dough is a ritual we love and is time well-spent together. He says that it’s hard to get good baklava from bakeries because it always taste days-old; there’s nothing like fresh crisp layers dripping in spiced honey. Baklava is a part of my dad’s heritage, and I hope to pass onto my kids one day.
-Heath Goldman, Culinary Editor
Photographer: Kana Okada Food Stylist: Alison Attenborough Prop Stylist: Pamela or Molly
My favorite memories with my dad are in the kitchen making Cuban food together. We pull out the cookbook my abuela used to make classics like Ropa Vieja, Mojo-Marinated Pork, Cuban Black Beans and more. Last year, I surprised my dad with Ropa Vieja when he came home from a trip and he was so excited. All the years of him teaching me about the food his mother made for him paid off and I finally got to make him a Cuban meal!
-Gabriela Rodiles, Social Media Manager
My Dad grew up in the Bronx and worked at an Italian deli as a kid making fresh mozzarella. From doing it so many times, every day, he still has the muscle memory even though it’s been a long time since he has made any. I scored some high-quality homemade curd and brought it to his house on Father’s Day. We had a blast pulling mozzarella together, making different shapes, and eating it of course. I’m proud to say he still has the moves!
-Alexis Pisciotta, Culinary Purchasing and Events Manager
Just Yolking Around with Dad
Teri Lyn Fisher
Breakfast was always big in my family; homemade brunch on the weekends and even breakfast-for-dinner on weeknights happened more often than not. And when we wanted to have eggs in the mix, my dad was always in charge. One dish I specifically loved making with my dad was scrambled eggs with crispy bacon or sausage stirred in, similar to this recipe for Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo Sausage. It’s perfectly salty and a nice balance of creamy and crunchy in every bite. Plus, it was easy for me to help and join in on the fun. We still make this simple and delicious dish to this day!
-Amanda Neal, Recipe Developer
My dad doesn’t cook often, but when he does, breakfast is his thing. One of his most important food lessons? No breakfast spread is complete without bacon and eggs. As a kid, my dad taught me to how to make scrambled eggs, and I recently repaid him with a lesson on over-easy eggs. Now, when I spend the weekend at my parents’ house, we eat over-easy eggs together. Dad gets his served over buttered toast and I eat mine on an English muffin with greens, tomatoes and feta cheese. If we’re lucky, there’s also a side of bacon.
-T.K. Brady, Senior Editor
Dad Does It Best
Though my mom does most of the cooking in our house, when it comes to pasta dishes, my twin sister, Nicole, and I always request that my dad be the one to make them. Even though often he uses boxed pasta most of the time, my dad just has the magic touch when it comes to getting penne, rigatoni and spaghetti noodles just right. Nicole and I can’t get enough of his Lamb Ragu. Though this Food Network Magazine recipe uses lamb shank, we’ve had success with ground lamb, too! It’s a nice and easy way to change up our go-to weeknight dinner lineup without breaking the bank, and my dad always tells my sister and I a story or two while we’re all making it together.
-Michelle Baricevic, Online Editorial Coordinator, Food Network Magazine
My dad’s birthday always falls right around Father’s Day, so we’re lucky to have a multi-day parade of celebrations and great food for my first best pal. Some of his all-time favorites include spicy soft shell crabs, pizza, a generous slice of raisin-free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a strong Mai Tai, ideally with a dark rum float. It’s become an honored tradition to whir up crushed ice in the blender and carefully combine rum, fresh lime juice, orange curacao and orgeat for a tiki taste of the tropics. This year, we’re across the country from one another for his big days, so I’ve asked a beloved restaurant near him to pitch in and surprise him with the drinks, but once we’re able to gather, I can’t wait to shake up enough homemade Mai Tais for a rum-splashed reunion spectacular.
-Erin Hartigan, Senior Managing Editor
My dad was from Maine and was quite proud of local treats like Labadie’s Bakery whoopie pies in Lewiston. When I was a kid we’d make his take on whoopie pies together, and I’d spread the creamy filling between the chocolate layers. These from Food Network Kitchen have a marshmallow filling and are similar. Now I’m happy when my teenage sons either help out or take the lead when we’re baking on the weekend.
-Debra Puchalla, SVP, Food Network Video & Programming
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