Father's Day Traditions

On July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day.” However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States.

Every third Sunday in June, our family gathers to honor our fathers with food, conversation, and reminiscences of times gone by.  This year, we all gathered around a table of delicious food prepared by the hands of each mother, inspired by the desires of each father.  Although there were several fathers missing from our table, we memorialized each one with a favorite photograph and spoke tender words about our loved ones who have passed on before us.

These are the men who survived the Great Depression, fought in World Wars I, II, and the Korean Conflict.  They shouldered the burdens of a torn and crippled country and built the greatest nation on Earth.  These men and women have been called "The Greatest Generation", and I hope we can carry forward the strength and integrity of their efforts.

Upon the request of several hungry gatherers, I am including the recipes of the dishes that were "Made With These Two Hands"...


Twice Baked Potato Casserole

8 medium baking Russet potatoes
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 pint sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
green onions for garnish
6 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pierce the skins of each potato and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for one hours and fifteen minutes.

While potatoes are baking, fry 6 slices of bacon until crisp.  Set aside to drain.  In frying pan, saute two cloves of minced garlic.

Once potatoes are fully cooked and allowed to cool, peel each and cut into cubes.  Place in a large bowl.  Add cream cheese, butter, sour cream and one cup of shredded cheddar.  Combine.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper.  Combine.

Spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and place potato mixture in dish.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake casserole for 30 - 35 minutes.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and warm for another five minutes.  Garnish with crumbled bacon and green onions.


 Broccoli Salad

 Salad:
2 heads fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite-size florets
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper


  Add broccoli, red onions, cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds to a large bowl.  Set aside.  Prepare dressing by mixing mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl.  Pour dressing over the broccoli salad and mix thoroughly. Transfer salad to a large plate or serving bowl.
 

Keeping it Local

With a break in the rain this weekend, I walked to Main Street Market, a project of BREADA.  Located at the corner of Fifth & Main Streets, it provides a one-stop-shop for those of us who love downtown Baton Rouge and want to support our local and regional farmers.

"Following a charrette and strategic planning process led by Plan Baton Rouge in 1998, a public marketplace was created for the downtown Baton Rouge community. In November 2002, BREADA opened the doors of Main Street Market, a gathering place for regional farmers, local chefs, local artisans and local small businesses.  
In its unique location in the Galvez Parking Garage, the Market serves as a center of commerce, a community gathering place and revitalization tool for our Central Business District. It is recognized nationally as a thriving example of a public/private partnership. Main Street Market is very proud to be supported by both the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the State of Louisiana.

The Market operates six days a week, Monday through Saturday. Main Street Market provides a daily venue for downtown employees and visitors to Baton Rouge and also serves as the location for the Saturday Farmers Market. Activities and events include music, art, chef demonstrations, gardening events, live radio and TV shows, along with nutritional and agricultural education programs. The Market hosts study clubs, civic groups and local business groups."

East Feliciana's Best Creamery for milk, cream, and butter -
"The Brian family have been dairy farmers since 1964.  Mike Brian graduated LSU in 1984 with a Bachelors Degree in Dairy Science. Mike has been working at the dairy full time since he returned in 1990. For much of that time the dairy was part of a co-op where they would milk the cows and ship the milk off the farm and to a processing plant for pasteurization and bottling. But in recent years Mike and his family decided to return to their roots, down-size their herd and focus on what they know best. So in 2010 they started Feliciana’s Best Creamery. Producing what they feel is the highest quality, small batch, old fashion cream-line milk products in Louisiana."

Forte Grove for grains -

"Over thirty-four years ago Kathleen Forte and her fiance Bill Cooper visited Dallas for the day.  They went into a quaint bakery near the SMU campus on Mockingbird Lane...the bakery was stocked with artisan breads and French pastries.  Baskets were piled high upon shelves which lined all of the walls...Kathleen said, "someday I am going to have something just like this."

Thirty years later, the mission was defined...they visited and worked in several artisan bakeries...from San Francisco, California to Long Island, New York.  Kathleen acquired special skills by studying Artisan Breads at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, and embracing Tuscan Cuisine and Baking at Toscana Saporita, in the Tuscan Region of Italy.

In late 2008, they began construction of their bakery.  It opened in Spring, 2009.  The Artisan Bread Business Louisiana may never be the same!"

 Vegetables from several local farmers -

 

 and it's time to get in the kitchen!

What shall I do with my rainy afternoon?

Stitch a bit on Mary Colleen's personally designed afghan, with the help of my treasured rescue, Ignatius J. Reilly.












 

When Sugar was King - or perhaps it still is

As a college planning resources provider in Louisiana, I have the occasion to work with students who are preparing for post-secondary education.  On May 20, 2014, I traveled to Reserve, Louisiana to work with students at East St. John High School, many of which are first generation Americans who will hopefully soon find themselves among other successful immigrants to the United States.  

They have faced many obstacles alone, but in August of 2012, they found themselves equal in their struggle with all residents of the parish as Hurricane Isaac caused severe flooding due to storm surge which peaked at Lake Pontchartrain.  St. John the Baptist Parish sits outside the federal hurricane protection levee system and doesn't have adequate drainage pumping stations like neighboring St. Charles and Jefferson parishes, but relies on gravity to drain water to the lake.

More than 6,000 people were evacuated and hundreds more were stranded by the quickly rising water.  Fortunately, although there were no storm-related deaths, about 2,000 students were displaced when East St. John High and Pontchartrain Elementary schools flooded.  Many are still continuing their education at alternative sites.  East St. John High School plans to reopen it's campus in the fall of 2015.

The parish has continued it's recovery by producing it's beloved sugarcane, which has been an integral part of the culture for more than 200 years.  Thanks to Jesuit priests, who first brought sugarcane into south Louisiana in 1751, the foundation was laid for an industry that now contributes $2 billion to the Louisiana economy.

 
An early sugar cane grinder used in the area