Today I’m celebrating Dads on Boulder Locavore. In preparation for Father’s Day next weekend I have some special things to share; MY favorite Dad, recipes from fantastic male bloggers I admire (that would be great for Father’s Day) and a giveaway I think any Dad would love!
Choosing to marry someone is truly a leap of faith. In the early, moony phase of a relationship it seems impossible that you as a couple could ever disagree, stand on different sides of an issue or that everything would not be perfect; after all your prospective mate seems pretty darn perfect at that stage (as do you to them).
It’s not until you enter a new phase or situation that you learn what they are made of and certainly there is no bigger test than adding children to your family. Also it’s rare in my experience that people ever get down to brass tack discussions around things like how they want their children raised religiously, their views on discipline, what their priorities are for a child’s focus when planning their family; generally parents don’t realize those topics of discussion until they are in the heat of the moment.
In the case of my husband and me, we knew pretty quickly after starting to date that we wanted to have children, perhaps ever before we knew we wanted to get married. It was not until we became parents that I stepped back to realize having kids is only the tip of the iceberg.
There are views on discipline, spirituality, education and behavior that generally only surface in the moment as parents weave their way through the unknown frontier of child-rearing. I have friends who have confided the discord with their spouse on key decision-making with raising their children which I’ve found wrenching to imagine. Tug-of-war dynamics with each spouse on the opposite end of a fundamental about which they each feel passionately, seemingly unable to find a middle ground.
As with all other couples I grew to know a completely new aspect of my husband as we’ve raised our children. There is not a day that passes I do not feel the good fortune of him as a partner and father for our two kids. He is patient and kind, teaches them compassion and understanding. He demonstrates appreciation for people from all walks of life and has taught them about bands from the 80’s I’ve happily left in my past. They’ve enjoyed the great outdoors under his knowledgeable watch and how to be critical and curious thinkers, and value education of all forms.
Where I managed the elementary school parties and weekly classroom volunteering, he’s happily taken the baton when Proof Geometry homework needs support, staying up nightly with our daughter to ensure she’s confident and capable in her learning. He’s chaperoned outdoor education field trips, served on school Boards, been a timer at more swim meets than I could count despite commuting to work an hour away; our children are a priority for him and it’s always apparent.
My dear husband has never complained once about being exhausted when staying up during Finals week into the middle of the night or when untested parenting waters have left us both with no reference points to guide our decisions. He’s a big picture thinker and doesn’t sweat the small stuff.
Our children have learned boys and girls can do anything regardless of gender; cook, build things, do robotics, extend themselves generously toward important causes due to his role modeling. He bestows core values of integrity, generosity, honesty, healthy commitment to working out issues and teaching our children to be good human beings with bright inquisitive minds, a good sense of humor and fun, and thirst for travel.
We have been fortunate to be finely tuned in our unity over approaches to enforcing consequences, offering challenges, how to guide and nuture our children’s spirits, and how to prioritize and spend our family time together, valuing that above all else. When we married, barefoot on a beach in Fiji having eloped and chosen a native ceremony, I knew our life together would be rich with adventure. But I never knew he’d turn out to be the best Dad ever. Lucky me.
Cyberspace is burgeoning with fantastic food blogging talent however the scale tilts toward the majority being women. It seems appropriate today to share some of my favorite male talent. Each of these bloggers creates fantastic dishes and/or cocktails. Their food has integrity and their photography is art to behold. I hope you’ll find some new favorite blogs in this list! I selected some of their dishes that are perfect for Father’s Day.
Epic Meatloaf Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes {Real Food By Dad}
Grilled Skirt Steak with All Purpose Steak Rub and Chimichurri Sauce {Eat the Love}
Chocolate Stout Oat Cake {Chasing Delicious} NOTE: this is not gluten-free!
Grilled Tri-Tip with Green Garlic Salsa Verde {Kitchen Konfidence}
Pork Tostadas with Slaw, Radishes, Cilantro and Salsa Verde {Verses From My Kitchen}
Pad Thai {Homecooked Kitchen Blog – Donal Skehan} with video
Citrus Margarita with Lemon, Lime and Ginger Rim {A Thought for Food}
25 Recipes for the Grill {Closet Cooking}
Triple Walnut Muffins {Souvlaki For the Soul}
Colleen says
I am sold on this griddler – I brought home pre-marinated chicken skewers yesterday after a long walk exploring the nearby Rancho de Las Golondrinas, and with summer thundershowers threatening, didn’t feel at all like going in and out to the grill. I fired up the griddler right on the countertop – it was ready in less than 10 minutes (the helpful green light went on). I laid the skewers on it, closed the lid, and in 8 minutes had tender delicious chicken with flavorful grill marks – yum! I like that it’s too hot to clean right away, so you “have to” put it off … and when you do clean it, it just all goes into the dishwasher. What a great invention. I can’t wait to try it on French toast next.
Amy H. says
I’ve learned a lot about foods over the years, like “in depth” information…one example: how to cook them to get the most nutrition out of them. (DON’T overcook it!) š I’ve learned a lot about grass fed beef, chicken, etc. as well…and with anything “grass fed”, it has to be cooked low and slow or it WILL get tough! : / Anyhow…I would LOVE to win this griddler because my husband has always been the griller in our family, but he works very long hours these days and doesn’t have the time anymore to do so. So in order to eat at least an hour and a half before bedtime, he’s been grilling a little quicker with higher heat…and well…he tends to OVERCOOK the meats just a little too much…bless his heart. š So I would love to has this so that I can take over the grilling for him, have it taste great and be able to provide a beautiful meal (he doesn’t have to cook), when he comes home from work…so all he has to do is eat & relax. : ) So this wouldn’t be just a Father’s Day gift, but his present year round. : D
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says
Such wonderful words about your husband! I hope he has an amazing Father’s Day š Thanks again for the mention. By the way, I have this Griddler, and I LOVE it. Perfect for a quick grilled chicken breast, sandwich or burger, and I really like using it for morning pancakes.
Colleen says
I love the thought of grilling and griddling on the countertop. If I win this, I will be over the moon.
Meanwhile, I am making the Thai-Style Chicken Thighs – they are marinating right now. It was extra fun going out this morning to get all the ingredients. Thank you for acknowledging good dads and for offering up these mouth watering recipes š