Fathers Day

Sharing Ice Cream

I know this is kind of late, but happy father’s day! My dad is the best dad in the world. There is no if and or but about it:-) For him  I made dinner, because he makes dinner for us every night and i thought it would be a nice break for him to relax. The menu consisted of Salmon patties, macaroni bake and his favorite strawberry milk shakes. I didn’t do a picture of the ingredients because of how much time I had. It ended up being very delicious.

Macaroni Bake

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter.

Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps.

Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Which means to add a little of the mixture to the egg. This will keep the egg from cooking.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese.

   Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.

Top with remaining cheese.  

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread 

crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Salmon Patties

Ingredients

• teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat.

Place salmon in a medium bowl.

Flake apart with a fork.

Remove any bones and skin. (I found

Add egg and mustard; mix well.

Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Strawberry Shakes

Ingredients

• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 package of strawberry jell-o
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup milk
• ½ crushed ice cubes

Directions

Pour boiling water into blender. Add Gelatin powder and blend for 1 minute. Keep the blender running and add ice cream by large spoonfuls through hole in lid.

Turn of the blender; add milk and ice. Blend for another 30 seconds, or until smooth and thick. Serve immediately.

Menu Overview

                The salmon patties were amazing, so were the strawberry milkshakes. I personally didn’t care for the Macaroni Bake. However, my parents liked it. Cooking went without a hitch and it was a lot of fun, but next time I think I will recruit my little brother for some help:-)