Sunday in the kitchen - Daddy's Day Edition

I sat Nate and Finn down seperately yesterday to ask them questions about their dad - who is Daddy to them? What does he mean to them? How has he influenced them? In my eyes, I watch him father his two growing boys with patience and kindness and ever-so-much love. He handles whatever daily squabble, mishap, or misbehaviour that comes our way with such a calm and gentle approach. I am inspired by his strength and grateful every single day for all of the work he does to help keep this family moving through the bustle of each day. But what do our boys see? I had to find out! 
How old is Daddy?
N: He's gonna turn 45, I think
F: (shrugs shoulders) 17? (Note: Finn was not rewarded in any way for giving that flattering answer!)
What is Daddy's job?
N: Being a father and taking pictures and working at Carman's and videotaping town council meetings.
F: Working at a camera store.
What is Daddy's favourite food?
N: Mushrooms, no wait, seafood.
F: Everything!
Do you like Daddy's music? What is his favourite?
N: Yeah. Kiss.
F: Kind of. Kiss. (I'm surprised they both give this answer as I've never heard Kiss played in our house ever! So I press Finn for more details.) He listens to it when you're not here then he turns it off. (Oh the things I'm learning!)
What is Daddy's favourite hobby?
N: Being a father. Wait, is that a hobby? Oh, taking pictures.
F: What's a hobby? (short explanation given) Oh, he likes to take pictures and he likes to go to Coffee Culture. (Coffee is a hobby in this house!)
What is your favourite thing to do with Daddy?
N: Going out with him on bike rides.
F: I like to go out with him to get some ice cream.
What is your best memory of Daddy?
N: Yesterday night. We went on a bike ride to a lot of places - to the forest, to Coffee Culture, to the train tracks, then home.
F: Getting bubble gum ice cream uptown because I got all the gum out and Daddy showed me how to make a bubble.
What story do you love to hear Daddy tell?
N: The squirrel story because it's funny! (When G was a young lad, he made a friend in Peanuts the squirrel - a neighbourhood squirrel that he fed seeds to on a regular basis. Then one day Peanuts turned on G, biting his seed-filled hand and pulling his pajama pants down as he ran away! The kids can't get enough of that story!)
F: Robert Munsch - the one that's called Zoom!
What do you love the most about Daddy? 
N: That he's nice, that he's kind, that he's fun.
F: Getting bubble gum ice cream and Daddy taking me out and getting me donuts. (Coffee Culture? Ice cream? Donuts? How do I miss out on all of these yummy outings??) Can I tell you about the worstest time? You forgot that. (Um, o.k. This isn't really where I wanted to go with this interview, but I'm intrigued by what his 'worstest time' could be!) Daddy had a bag in his hand. I was scootering with him then the bag dropped. I tripped over the bag and got this (points to his scabbed knee) and it's still there, can you believe it? Can Nathan do the bad times with Daddy too? (Yelling) NATHAN! It's your turn to tell the bad times with Daddy!
N: NO! (Yelling back) I don't have any! (Phew!)

Our day was a day we decided to start new Father's Day traditions - it started with a morning of strawberry picking, followed by a great afternoon of canoeing, fishing, barbecuing with family. We hope, weather permitting, that we will spend every Father's Day in this way. Together. In honour of Father's Day, I made what my family calls Dad's Cookies. It's a traditional chocolate, oatmeal, coconut, no-bake cookie that has been called hundreds of different names. They are my Dad's favourite, and were thus named by us in his honour. The recipe has hung in my parents' kitchen ever since I was a child, carved into a ceramic plaque by my Gramma. I have veganized this recipe simply by substituting in a dairy-free milk and dairy-free margarine. Through many experiments, I have found that rice milk works the best - soy makes them a bit on the chewy side. If you use rice milk, cut the boil time to about 3.5 minutes.