Father's Day Salsa, Chicken and Pineapple Whips!

Face it, we all have a daddy but having a father is something different. And, my father is definitely different. He often jokes that he pissed The Man off upstairs by his shenanigans when he was younger. Which is why when he and my mom were pregnant the first time, he was hoping for a boy. Well, he got me. Then, when they were pregnant again, he said... its my boy! And proceeded to have twins. Girls. When he and my stepmom were pregnant, he said... this is it. This is finally my boy! And my youngest sister was born. The man just can't catch a break, even the dogs are girls.



Now, he really can't complain too much about it. After all, all of us girls love beer and I know grown ass men that don't like beer. I love cars, specifically the 70's muscle cars (1970 Chevelle 454 LS6...drool) of which came directly from my father... the cars, not the love for Chevy. And, to top it all off all of us girls are sharp as a tack to keep the old man on his toes. . . we are a witty bunch.

Now, Billy and I may differ on our viewpoints on a few things, such as Chevy's but one thing that all of us love is food. And beer. So, this weekend we are going to get together to swim, eat and drink beer.

My dad has many recipes that he's good at, for instance, chili. But, one of my absolute favorites is a very simple marinated chicken breast. He takes chicken breasts (on the bone) and marinates them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Very simple.  In addition, he usually takes bell peppers and marinates them the same way, usually letting both marinade several hours. Once they are done, he grills them. That's it. Very simple, very delicious and not that bad for your waistline!

He also makes a kick ass salsa, but I think I got another one that is a little better.

Hot Red Salsa

two cans of tomato paste
three or four cloves of garlic
a medium sized yellow onion
a bunch of cilantro
about three tablespoons of mexican oregano
cumin
dried red chiles (you find in a bag in the mexican section of the grocery store)

I take the onion, about half the bag of chiles (I like it spicy), about half the bunch of cilantro (leaves only, no stems), mexican oregano and cloves of garlic. Place it in a blender and get it to a fine consistency. Then, add both cans of tomato paste and about a half a liter of water. Then, add about a tablespoon of ground cumin. Add another good bit of water (this thins out the mixture) and blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Also, you can make this just as thick or thinned out as you wish, just add more water to the blender as you go. I like mine moderately thick, but not the consistency of tomato paste.

The last time we had my parents over for dinner, I made my easy go to recipe for dessert. I wasnt feeling well, so I bought an angel food cake- however, home made is always best... but in a pinch this is an easy recipe to throw together.

Pineapple Whippy Cake

Angel Food Cake
Dole Crushed Pineapple (including juice)
a box of vanilla instant pudding
Cool whip

Take the pineapple, with the juice and stir in with the vanilla pudding mix (don't actually make the pudding, just use the dry mix) until incorporated. Then, take about half of the Cool Whip and slowly mix in, doing it in about three small increments. You can use more if you wish, but I like the consistency of about half of the Cool Whip. Let the mixture marry in the fridge for about two hours for the flavors to blend. Then, take a dollop of the mixture and serve it over the angel food cake. You can garnish with fresh fruit such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries.

Heres to hoping all of you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Friday!