June is a big month of celebrations in our family. Steve and I just celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary on June 7. My son and granddaughter both have June birthdays. We also celebrate Father’s Day on my son’s birthday this year. June also serves as a month for this tired teacher to recover from the school year.
I always have the same menu for the men in my life when I prepare a meal for their special occasions. I don’t even need to ask what they want — fried chicken drummies, rice and gravy, black-eyed peas and cornbread.
I have heard all of my life that the older you get the faster time goes. As I get older, I firmly believe that this is true. It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that 37 years ago I was a new bride. Five years later, God blessed us with a beautiful baby boy — all 9½ pounds of him. I thank God every day for the blessings of my family.
Today I have three of my son’s favorite recipes that just happen to be appetizers. When Steven was little, we would go out to eat and he would always ask if we were going to order an “advertisement” before our meal. We still call them that to this day. I want to wish a happy Father’s Day to all you deserving dads out there. Thanks for reading.
STEVEN’S MEATBALLS
• These take a little time to prepare, but are well worth it. This is one of my most requested recipes. They freeze well.
6 slices bread
2 teaspoon salt
2 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 eggs
1½ cups milk
3 pounds ground beef
2 cans beef consommé
Tear bread into small pieces and pour milk over, soaking until milk is absorbed. Gradually work in ground beef, onion soup mix, salt and beaten eggs. Mix well, and shape into balls. Roll in flour, and brown in oil or shortening on top of stove. Drain and place in a large casserole dish. Pour cans of consommé over the meatballs, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
CAVIAR PIE
• Steven has loved this dip since he was a little boy. Only child in the world who would eat caviar when he was in elementary school!
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 (4-ounce) jar caviar (Romanoff’s)
2 eggs, hard boiled and shredded
Parsley
Mix cream cheese, onion, mayonnaise and Worcestershire. Place in a pie place, and chill overnight. Drain, and spread caviar on top. Place shredded eggs on top of this. Sprinkle parsley on top. Serve with Club crackers.
nI have an oversized martini glass that I like to serve this in. You can use the black or red caviar. I like to use both by placing the black on the outside edge of the glass and filling in the center with red.
SPINACH BALLS WITH MUSTARD SAUCE
• Once again, I had an elementary child asking for spinach.
2 (10-ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, cooked and well drained
4 eggs, beaten
1½ sticks butter, melted
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups herbed stuffing mix
1 large onion, chopped
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients, and form into 1-inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet, and chill for two hours. (They can also be frozen at this point to bake later.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, and serve with mustard sauce.
Mustard Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup prepared mustard
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Combine all ingredients, and chill before serving.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
