This Sunday is Father’s Day, a holiday designed to thank our fathers for all that they do. The idea for Father’s Day began in the late 20th century when Sonora Smart Dodd decided that fatherhood, like motherhood on Mother’s Day, needed to be recognized. She wanted to honor fathers across America, and particularly her own father, a Civil War veteran who raised his family as a widower when his wife died in child birth with their sixth child. On June 19, 1910, Dodd recruited members of the YMCA in Spokane, Wash., to help her celebrate Father’s Day. They went to church wearing a red rose to honor a living father and a white rose to honor a deceased father.
Unfortunately for Dodd, Father’s Day was subject to ridicule and was not taken seriously as a holiday. However in 1957, Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a letter to Congress saying that America had been ignoring fathers for 40 years. Chase said this was unfair since motherhood was celebrated during Mother’s Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson issued a presidential proclamation to honor fathers on the third Sunday in June. Father’s Day became a permanent national holiday in 1972.
Father’s Day is a time to treat our fathers to a day of their favorite activities. Some choose to celebrate with a bar-b-que, since this is a great opportunity to spend time with the entire family. To get started, here is a recipe for Big Al's K.C. Bar-B-Q Sauce, courtesy of Alan Arthur. Happy Father’s Day!
Ingredients
• 2 cups ketchup
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Photograph by Hans Gissinger