Pappy's Steak: A Father's Day Tribute

The other day, a friend of mine mentioned that it was unusual for kids to like meat.

I was a little surprised because my kids love meat. Especially steak.

To be honest, when my oldest kids were first starting out as eaters, it probably would not have occurred to me to give them steak.

And yet, at one point, my father made steak for a family dinner. It only took one bite of "Pappy's Steak," to convert my kids to enthusiastic carnivores.

My dad makes a very good steak.

He buys just the right cut, seasons it well, and cooks it to rare/ medium rare perfection. Because of this, when my kids first tried steak, it was very, very GOOD steak.

If the first steak they tried was dry, tough or unseasoned, they probably wouldn't have liked it, and may not have wanted to try steak again.

Instead, since their first steak was "Pappy's Steak," they are now willing to try, and eat, anything that we call steak. (Though they do know good food when they taste it and definitely point on when something is not as good as Pappy's Steak!)

I cannot think of my father without thinking about food, or think about food without thinking of my father.

My father's mother, my grandmother, was an amazing cook and loved to feed people. When she visited our house, she would cook all day long, and to be honest, I have a hard time picturing her without thinking of her cooking or serving food. It gave her great pleasure when people enjoyed something that she made.

My father inherited this from her.

Many of my best family memories have to do with food and I think that this is part of why teaching my kids to be good eaters was so important to me.

When my father cooks a meal for our family, it is more than just sustenance, it is a gift. We are thankful for that gift and enjoy it, and by enjoying it, we return a gift to him.

We won't see my father for Father's Day this year, but when we sit down to eat dinner, I will think of him and the ways that his love for food has influenced me and my family.

And I will give thanks for My Dad.

Happy Father's Day!