father's day cook-in

It's father's day. John is a good father to our flock of four + 1, and he deserves a special dinner. I wanted to have a cook-out, but there were a two things stopping me - the oppressive heat and the fact that I DON'T GRILL. So I improvised. These recipes are a little bit made up, a little bit adopted, a little bit inspired by something tasty I had somewhere.

On the menu:

Backyard BBQ Soup
Savory Sweet Potato Salad
Brown Sugar Cole Slaw

Backyard BBQ Soup

This would be a great soup to make from leftovers, but it's easy to make even if you don't have any leftovers. It can also be made in a crock pot if you have one.

chicken with bone & skin (I used 5 drumsticks and a breast)
2 large cans of baked beans (I used Bush's Vegetarian)
3 shucked corn-on-the-cobs
1 jar barbecue sauce (I used Pat's Ho-Made)
water
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350°. Put chicken in baking pan skin side up. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Salt & pepper the chicken. Cook for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, pour the beans plus two cans of water into a large stock pot over high heat. Cut the corn off the cobs and add to pot. Cover. Bring to a boil, then lower until just simmering. Stir occasionally.

After the chicken has cooked 30 minutes, pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken and cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan; add the sauce/liquid from the bottom of the pan to the soup pot. Remove the chicken from the bone and cut or tear into pieces. Add to pot. Stir. Keep covered and slow simmer for however long you want.

(inspired by a soup I had at Betty's A1A Cafe in Ormond Beach)

Savory Sweet Potato Salad

I've based this recipe on how I remember my Mom made potato salad - except I used sweet potatoes. John liked this the best :)

3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 large green pepper, finely chopped
1-2 cups mayonnaise
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dill
salt & pepper

Add potatoes to large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes - potatoes should be cooked through but not mushy. Drain in a colander and rinse immediately under cold water to stop potatoes from cooking further. Cool potatoes in a large bowl in fridge.

Once potatoes are cooled, add other ingredients to bowl and mix well, careful not to smash the potatoes. Cover with Saran Wrap and return to fridge to chill.


Brown Sugar Cole Slaw

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-4 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 bag cole slaw

Empty the cole slaw into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, brown sugar, & lemon juice. Mix vigorously with a fork. Taste - add more lemon if necessary. While mixing, add enough olive oil so that it just barely starts to look like salad dressing. Add salt & pepper to taste. While stirring, pour the dressing over the slaw. Toss until coated.

Let sit 15 minutes. Toss again. Cover with Saran Wrap and chill in fridge.