Community Cookbook: Hats off to Sonora Louise Smart-Dodd on Father’s Day, a great holiday to cook up a new recipe

I’ve found writing these introductions to be educational. I’ve learned about St. Patrick’s business with the snakes and Bronx slang for “hold the mayonnaise.” I plan to use that if I ever order a hot dog from a street vendor there.

I discovered that Spokane has a special link to Father’s Day. It may be common knowledge to Spokane residents, but it’s news to me and, I’ll wager, to many others outside of Spokane. The establishment of Father’s Day as a nationwide holiday back in 1910 is attributed to the persistent lobbying and marketing efforts of Spokane resident, Sonora Smart-Dodd. She wanted an official holiday celebrating dads and dadhood, much like Mother’s Day. So, in anticipation of this coming Father’s Day, I tip my hat to a lady (I don’t actually wear hats), Sonora Louise Smart-Dodd, known as the “Mother of Father’s Day.”

These recipes produce foods that my dad liked or would have liked. The first dish is seared ham steaks topped with a nicely seasoned mix of caramelized apple and sweet onion. Use high heat to brown the ham steaks quickly so they don’t dry out and get too salty. Pork chops or steaks can substitute for the ham.

Mom’s beef enchiladas are unique. Her cooking experience with Mexican food was limited to tacos; they were good. She created her lower-fat enchiladas after Dad developed heart problems. I don’t know how she came up with her version. They aren’t your typical enchiladas. And for dessert, I’ve wanted to tinker with a gelatin-based lime pie for some time and finally got around to it. It turned out pretty well. I’ll be making Luscious Lime Pie again.

Ham Steaks with Apple and Onion

Although I grew up in the middle of the family’s apple orchard and have spent years growing them, I’ve never been that much of a fan when it came to eating apples. This combination of ham, apples and onion is an exception. It makes a great main dish for breakfast or dinner.

2 large or 4 smaller boneless cooked ham steaks, sliced ⅜- to ½-inch thick

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons butter or margarine

2 cups, sliced into ⅜- by 1-inch pieces, onion

⅛ teaspoon salt

1½ cup, cored and sliced into ½-inch cubes, apple

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Dash of ground mustard

If using large ham steaks, cut in half. Lightly brown both sides in a preheated medium skillet over high heat. Remove the steaks. Reduce the heat to high-medium and heat the olive oil and butter. Add the onion and salt; stir. Cover with a lid and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, letting the water on the lid drip back into the pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook for two minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the lid and cook until the apple reaches the desired tenderness. Remove from the heat. Reheat the steaks in a microwave oven, if needed. Top the steaks with the apple-onion mix and serve hot.

Notes: Use high heat to brown the ham steaks quickly so they don’t dry out and get too salty. Canned pineapple chunks can substitute for apple.

Yields: Four main-dish servings

Mom’s Beef Enchiladas

Mom made these just three or four times, years ago. One of my brothers asked me to create a recipe for the dish. These are very close to Mom’s original enchiladas. They’re part Mexican enchiladas and part Italian manicotti, with a hint of Russian stroganoff. They won’t be confused for authentic enchiladas, but they’re still quite tasty.

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 cup mild or medium Pace Picante sauce

1 pound lean ground beef

3 tablespoons cooking oil

1½ cup chopped onion

1½ cup chopped bell pepper

1¼ cup dairy product (nonfat small-curd cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or a mixture of ricotta cheese and sour cream)

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

12 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas

4 ounces shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (about 1 cup)

Combine the two sauces in a medium bowl. Let sit for an hour or more to allow the flavors to blend. Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to break up the clumps. Drain and discard the fat. Heat the oil in the same skillet over high-medium heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently. Add the bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally (add a little hot water, if needed, to keep the vegetables from drying out and scorching). To make the filling, combine the ground beef, vegetables, dairy product, salt, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. If using 8-inch tortillas, trim an inch off of two opposite ends to fit them into baking pans. Warm the tortillas until flexible. Spoon about ⅓ cup of the filling along and just below the centerline of a tortilla. Roll the closest edge over the filling, then roll it up tightly enough to squeeze the filling to just short of the ends of the tortilla. Place the filled tortilla, seam-side down, into a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, six to a pan (use two pans), leaving a little space between each. Bake, uncovered, on the middle-low rack of an oven preheated to 350 degrees for six minutes. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the cheese on. Continue to bake, uncovered, for an additional 8 minutes. Serve hot with shredded lettuce and salsa, if preferred.

Notes: To warm the tortillas, place four to six in a microwavable container with a loose-fitting lid and microwave until flexible.

Yields: 12 servings

Luscious Lime Pie

Gelatin pies are nothing new, just somewhat new to me. This lime-flavored, no-bake pie uses an unusual ingredient, xanthan gum (pixie dust), to firm the filling for cleaner slices.

1 (6-ounce) regular or (0.6-ounce) sugar-free package (8-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum

1 cup boiling water

1½ cup ice cold water

2 cups whipped topping

1 (10-inch) graham cracker pie crust

Combine the gelatin and gum in a medium bowl. Whisk in the boiling water. Whisk for two minutes, making sure that the gelatin is fully dissolved. Whisk in the cold water and refrigerate for one hour. Whisk in the topping, making sure the gelatin and topping are well combined (a slight green and white marbling looks impressive). Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Spoon the filling into the pie crust. Refrigerate for 6 hours or more before serving (overnight is best). Keep refrigerated.

Notes: The xanthan gum can be left out, but the slices won’t be as firm. Whipped topping, lime zest and twists make attractive garnishes. Find xanthan gum in the baking section of most grocery stores.

Yields: One pie

Dick Sellers is a freelance writer. Contact him at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com