Dad's Birthday

My Dad is a simple man...I called him to tell him Happy Birthday in the morning and asked what he wanted to do.  Go out for dinner or cookout at home...his response was whatever everyone else wants to do.  Cooking out was the final decision after going in circles.  I know that he likes short ribs so I went to La Michoacana to pick up short ribs once again.  I really enjoyed the marinade that I made last week so I did it the same way. 

I picked up some chicken drumsticks since they always taste great on the grill.  I had made extra rub last weekend for the beef skirts so I threw it on the chicken. 

As for the side, I figured nothing better than a potato salad.  I have always loved this potato salad I made and for my Mom to tell me she never cared for potato salad and that she liked the one I made...is saying something.  A quick run down of whats in my potato salad: Obviously potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, red bell pepper hard boiled eggs, and olives.  Now I typically use yogurt for the dressing, but La Michoacana did not have plain yogurt so mayo it was!  For the dressing, I threw in some herbs and spices and toss it all together.  Another typical item is bacon, but had to accommodate my brother since he still is not eating meat.  I know right...All that for just a potato salad!

For my brother, I made a quick Asian/Hawaiian marinade for his tilapia and grilled that for him

Finally, what is a cookout without grilled spring onions?!  Instead of wrapping it in foil, I tossed it with a quick Asian sauce and grilled it directly!

Alright, I lied...one more item.  My Dad had also requested the Thai Mussel I made several weeks ago.  So we had that as an appetizer. 

No one is more honest than Asian parents.  If it taste bad...they will make sure to let you know.  If it is not cooked to their standards...you will not hear the end of it.  If they did not enjoy it...the whole entire family would know very quickly.  To my luck, everything was approved by their standards!