Happy Birthday Papa!!!

My parents in FL with the boys this summer.
 

Friday night was my Dad's birthday, so I of course had my parents over for dinner.  As I've stated before, I love to cook, but I have to say, my favorite person to cook for is my Dad.  He enjoys the food so much every time, plus, with my parents being empty Nester's, my Mom just doesn't cook very often.

For his 66th birthday, I decided to try to incorporate all of his favorite foods into a meal.  I made BBQ chicken thighs (his favorite cut of chicken) coated in a dry rub and basted in a pumpkin beer bbq sauce, sweet corn risotto (he loves both corn and risotto, so I decided to combine them together), and a zucchini and squash augratin (this I just added in as an ode to the end of summer).

BBQ Chicken Thighs

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs coated in a dry rub for at least 3 hrs (recipe to follow)
BBQ basting sauce (recipe to follow)

Grant went ahead and threw these on the grill for me, so I can not take full credit, but they were delicious!

dry rub
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp ground onion
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

BBQ basting sauce
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's original bbq sauce
1/2 bottle pumpkin beer
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey


Sweet Corn Risotto

1 box of chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-3 spins of the pan of evoo
1/2 stick room temp butter, sliced into pads
1/2 cup parm cheese
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of Herbs de Provence
pinch of white sugar
1 cup of frozen sweet corn kernels

For some reason, people find risotto to be intimidating, but it just takes patients and time, I suggest pouring yourself a glass of the wine you are using to cook it to enjoy while it cooks!

In a medium size pan, heat the chicken stock at medium heat.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the onion.  Do not brown, just cook until it is clear, season with salt and pepper, then add 2 pad of butter and the rice.  Cook the rice and make sure it is fully coated (this will take a few mins).  Deglaze the pan with the wine, and once it has cooked out, add a ladle of the warm chicken stock.  Stir and cook until it has dissolved, and continue until the rice is to the correct texture (cooked through, but still firm).  Add more salt and pepper, herbs de provence, and sugar.  Then add the corn and remaining butter and cheese.  Once it is cooked through, it is ready to serve!

Zucchini and Squash Augratin

I saw Paula Dean do a zucchini and squash casserole and thought I could turn it to a healthy augratin!

3 zucchini's, sliced and halved
3 summer squash, sliced and halved
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
lots of sharp shredded cheddar
garlic powder
salt and pepper
a few spins of the pan of evoo


In a large skillet, heat the evoo at med heat.  Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the squash and zucchini and cook until tender and season with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  In a casserole dish, add the squash/onion mixture, yogurt, and a few hand fulls of cheese, and a dash more of the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Top with more cheese, then bake at 350 for about 20 mins.

Dad's bday dinner!