Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads! Father’s Day is on the third Sunday of June. Did you know that on July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day?” However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States. In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday at last.
Interestingly enough, Father’s Day also falls around the time of the Summer Solstice, which occurs between June 20 and June 22. In modern culture the Summer Solstice is the start of summer, and so we tend to go for BBQ parties and ice cream cakes when it comes to Father’s Day celebrations. However, the Summer Solstice has a much deeper meaning and connection to fathers. The Summer Solstice is a time to celebrate the masculine. This longest day of the year is about radiating outward masculine aspects within all of us, the “fathering” of newborns, and all men fathers who have, in ways great and small, impacted our lives. Traditions of the Summer Solstice go back to ancient times and its reverence for growth and the father figure is a part of the season. Coincidentally we chose the month of the Summer Solstice, Litha or June, to celebrate Father’s Day as well or was it serendipity? This year in particular, the Summer Solstice has fallen exactly on Father’s Day. It’s a double celebration!
This year I chose to celebrate the Fathers in our lives with a theme that pays ode to the Summer Solstice. First thing in the morning with all the presents and summer flowers that I put out, I also set out to brew with intent a Midsummer Sun Tea. A concoction of home grown herbs that will steep in the sun all day long until sunset, when we shall sit down to a Father’s Day dinner and sip the flavorful tea that has harnessed the sun. This is a great idea for while you spend the day outdoors all day or while you Barbeque. My recipe for Midsummer Sun Tea is in my last post on Summer Solstice and Five Creative Ways to Embrace Midsummer.
For something sweet to go along with the tea I decided to make Midsummer Cookies, but I simplified it a bit and they may not be as natural as you would want your Summer Solstice Sweets to be, but I have a good reason for that. Although my cookies draw from nature’s elements of pistachios and almonds, I had to throw in some chocolate for the Dad who loves it. I whipped up a batch of Pistachio Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies that are to die for.
These cookies are super easy to make and require very few ingredients. They turn out soft and melt-in-your-mouth. The cookies are packed with unique pistachio flavor from the pudding mix and crunchy toasty bite from the chopped almond nuts sprinkled on top!
Pistachio Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 pkg. Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix (4 serving size)
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. chocolate chips
3-4 Tbsp. raw sliced almonds
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and pudding mixture with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour, adding about 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Form dough into balls and place on cookie sheets. Gently flatten the balls with your palm – these will not spread very much while baking so however much you flatten them is what the baked cookie will turn out like. Sprinkle the almonds on top of each cookie, and gently press them into the dough so they stick on.
Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container.
We are off to enjoy our Midsummer Night’s Father’s Day!