“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.” ~ Anthony Brandt

Tomorrow is Father's Day, and rather than eating out at a buffet, as we have in recent years, we decided that we will cook out here at home.  The forecast is stellar, and the two fathers, my husband and my father, will be here along with other family members.  I asked Bruce what he really would like, and he settled on fajitas.  We have often done our own version of a fajita bar when we have a number of guests - it's perfect for a variety of tastes and folks can put things together in any way that they want.

I like to offer a few main choices - steak - or in this case, flank steak; chicken, and shrimp.  My son has been known to pile all three on to his tortilla along with all of the other accompaniments!  I plan to have an addition this year that I have not normally done.  


Our good friends, the Beekmans, have some acreage outside of town where they grow a variety of summer fare - garlic being one of the crops. Now, the garlic itself is not ready yet, but the garlic scapes - those long green tendrils that shoot out of the top - are.

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In the past I have used them as I would garlic in anything that I happened to be cooking.  They are quite tender and not quite as strong.  I've decided this year to use them as the main part of a dish and see how it goes!

Many of the recipes that I checked out had the scapes sauteed - which I can totally see - but I will already have sauteed onions and peppers for the fajitas - so I'm going to try something different.  One site said to use them as you would asparagus - hmmm.  I looked a little further and discovered a "asparagus au gratin" recipe that seems perfect!  Perhaps not your typical cookout side dish - but the scape season is short - and if I'm going to try this - it has to be now.  I have copied the asparagus recipe below and will substitute in the scapes.  I'll let you know how it goes!  


In the meantime - Happy Father's Day Dad and Bruce - I love you!  And - Happy Father's Day to all of those men - fathers, grandfathers, step-grandfathers, uncles, brothers, teachers, friends - who are there for the others in their lives!

Asparagus (Scapes) Au Gratin Recipe

By Diana Rattray, About.com Guide

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Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 cup grated cheese

1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs

1 cup walnuts

2 cups asparagus

Preparation:

In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt butter; stir in salt and flour. Cook for about 4 minutes, then add milk gradually, stirring. Add grated cheese and cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove from heat. Combine cracker crumbs with the walnuts. Reserve a few tablespoons for topping.

In a buttered casserole, place a layer of asparagus, a layer of cracker mixture, then a layer of sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with the reserved crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until top is browned.
Serves 4.