Happy Birthday Dad

I dedicate my blog today to my dad. The master of the grill. No one makes a better brat or hamburger on the grill than my dad. Like I said in an earlier blog, food is love. My dad has alot to do with that and since this is a food blog I would like to share some of my foodie memories of my dad with you. When I used to come home on break from college my parents would ask what I would like to eat. Most times, it was a cheeseburger on the grill. I grew up in a home where both of my parents cooked. I have memories of my parents coming home late at night from a night away and them having a plate of what they called eggies and noodles. It is what it sounds like. I can still smell it when I think about it. It was their "drunk" food:) I also remember them running their bread through the grease from fried pork chops and sprinkling it with salt and pepper. My dad is infamous for getting you to eat more than you intended to. Maybe it's the greek in him. The first time Don met my parents, my dad made brats, per my request. After 2 brats , Don was done, until Dad said, "Hey Don, aren't you gonna have a 3rd?" Even though he was stuffed, he did. This was his first time meeting my parents and I think he was trying to impress them. Every holiday I try and cut and hand out dessert. After I make the first cut, my dad takes over, the pieces are never big enough:) Speaking of holidays, my mom and dad used to do them together. They would each make a certain thing. Now, with my mom gone, my dad does it all himself. He does a fantastic job. Not that I ever doubted him. He is even trying new things. He made mushroom stuffing a few years ago. Now don't even get me started on holidays, especially Chrismas. The amount of food my dad puts out is crazy, but so appreciated. He puts out a spread of snacks in the afternoon. All pretty much homemade stuff, than a huge dinner (usually prime rib), dessert, and if we would stick around late he may even pull out a sub or pizza. Growing up we all got a birthday dinner. Now, this was not some restaurant you went out to...it was a "What's your favorite, homemade dinner you wanna eat for your birthday?" We still do it, as much as possible, today. Don will always ask if I wanna go out on my b-day and I usually opt for a family dinner at home. Since retired, my dad has been a food quest....the best meatloaf. He tries combining different recipes, trying different ingrediants. Everytime I see a meatlof recipe, I immediately think of him. Seeing that he is the king of the grill, he is also the king of all tailgaters. If its a Badger game or Brewers game, more times than not, he will be tailgating or just bringing brats for everyone else. And donuts or what he calls sweet rolls,still happen every Sunday, if someone is there to buy them for.

I could go on and on, but what this all boils down to is soul food. It is the heart and soul he puts into his food that makes it special to me. It's in my genes too. Thanks for the great memories Dad, I love you and Happy Birthday.