Something Old and Something New.

In early May, I wrote about the lessons I have learned from my mother in the kitchen to celebrate Mother’s Day.

But, growing up, it wasn’t just my mom who ruled the kitchen. She is a talented cook and has many skills to create amazing meals, but so does my dad.

He is a pro behind the grill and loves working with the different smoky flavors that can be found in wood chips.

He also taught me the invaluable skills needed for the creation of the “Clean Out the Fridge” or, as Adam and I like to call them, the “Garbage Salad” which has become a weekly favorite around our home.

These days, my dad has become a bit of a Paleo aficionado and enjoys creating sides with any of the garden produce I pawn off on him.

But, his specialty for years has been breakfast.

My dad has always been an early riser, claiming he did his best thinking before any one else was up.

In high school, I would be still half asleep as I headed out the door to get to school. (Which started at 7:25… AM!) If dad was out of town, I was lucky if a Special K bar and Diet Coke was my breakfast.

But, if Dad was home it was a great day.

He would emerge from his office, pass along some brown sugar topped oatmeal that he was keeping warm on the stove and tell me that he had started my car and turned on the seat warmers.

In Ohio, in January, I could have struggled through an Algebra test, fought with my boyfriend and have my mom kick me off AIM but still have a good day because of a morning like this.

He would also get up early on weekends in order to get breakfast going for the family.

On Sunday’s, it was pretty typical to wake up to the smells of crispy bacon and fresh made pancakes and waffles. However, it was also fun to get up to lend a hand because, with two other siblings, it was great to have alone time with Dad… and he might have also made hot chocolate.

The pancake and waffle batter recipe came from my mom’s dad who passed it onto my Dad years upon years ago. In the year of our engagement, Adam received the recipe and his very own waffle maker.

Adam loves making weekend brunch at home and with all the eggs from the hens, it’s really easy.  The pancakes and waffles have now become a common brunch creation on the Sunday’s we are home and able to relax.  

And, I already have visions of coming into the kitchen on a Sunday morning to maybe find a mess thanks to runny batter and large amounts of flour, but also seeing Adam creating memories with our future children with the same recipe that bonded my dad and I.

So, why didn’t I write about all of this ten days ago for Father’s Day?

Adam and I were at a wedding over Father’s Day weekend. The wedding was in Tennessee in a small town near Memphis. Adam was a groomsman so we were gone and were pretty occupied all weekend long.

Although it is a bit of a commitment, I really enjoy when one of us is involved in the wedding we attend… mainly because we get to go to the rehearsal dinner. I absolutely love rehearsal dinners. There is something so sweet and intimate about this meal the night before the big day. I also like to get to know the family members of the bride and groom.

This rehearsal dinner was hosted by the grooms parents at an old, old farm house that has been in the brides family since before the Civil War. The MOG had arranged for a local catering company to prepare the meal. She told me that they had only spoken on the phone twice about the meal because she was from northern Indiana.

What probably felt like a huge gamble to her couldn’t have turned out better. The meal was excellent and perfect for a southern, summer night at the farm.

While walking through the buffet line, the chef encouraged me to get a roll with the strawberry butter. I already had fried chicken and potatoes on my plate and typically would have passed on the roll. But, word to the wise, when a chef recommends something… eat it.

You’ll like it.

And, like it I did.

I had never had strawberry butter, but it was a perfectly sweet accompanist to the warm roll. Adam and I both gushed at the table about how wonderful it was so I went back up to the buffet line to get the recipe.

With the ever plentiful strawberries from our backyard, the sweet butter was easy to recreate at home.

And, I thought what better way to pay tribute to my dad the week of Father’s Day than pairing the rosy butter with pancakes and waffles.