For my two dads

Everyday Kitchen -

I had my dad for 25 years before he died too young. As of October this year, I'll have had my stepdad for 25 years, too. How fortunate my mom has been to find two wonderful men in one lifetime.

They have lots in common, my two dads - their kindness, taking pleasure in a good joke, a natural ability to coax something beautiful out of a patch of dirt and, of course, a profound affinity for anything delicious and sweet.

Happy Father's day to my two dads; here are some of your favourite things, past and present.

Rum Raisin Squares

Anything with raisins charmed my father, but he was particularly fond of the thick, gooey filling in pies and squares.

He loved these with a cup of tea, and on a special occasion like Father's Day with a spoonful of canned cream.

The lard makes a finer crust, but if you'd rather use shortening, it will work.

The original filling didn't call for orange juice, but I like the extra citrus - it offsets the cloying sweetness of the raisins. Leave out the rum if you wish - just increase the water by 1/4 cup.

Crust:

1-3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening, not chilled but not too warm, either

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:

1-1/4 cup boiled water

1/4 cup dark rum (optional)

1/4 cup orange juice

2 cups seedless raisins

1/2 cup sugar

pinch salt

2 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. soft, unsalted butter

3 tbsp. lemon juice

Sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Rub in lard with your fingertips or with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal - don't overwork or crust will be tough.

Whisk together egg, milk and vanilla and add to dry ingredients. Stir lightly with a fork just to combine. Bring together in a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make and cool the filling.

Bring water, rum and orange juice to a boil in a small, heavy pot. Add raisins, sugar and salt and simmer together for a few minutes. Rub flour into butter and whisk into raisin mixture. Cook just until thick. Stir in lemon juice and cook another minute.

The moisture content of raisins varies, so you will have to gauge the thickness. The filling should have the texture of apple pie filling - if it's too thick, add a little more juice or water.

Divide pastry into two halves and roll them out on a floured board into 9- by 13-inch rectangles. Place one piece of pastry into the bottom of a greased baking dish and spoon on the cooled filling, covering bottom evenly. Top with second slab of pastry and fit it snugly into the corners of the dish. Brush with a little cream or milk or a lightly beaten egg and sprinkle on a spoonful of coarse sugar if you like.

Bake at 350 F 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool and cut into generous squares.

Berry Cheesecake Dessert Squares

My stepdad loves desserts with fresh fruit and this recipe is one of his go-to favourites when people are coming for dinner. He makes this with fresh raspberries, strawberries, cherries or blueberries. I don't know which I like best.

Frozen whipped topping isn't bad, but real whipped cream elevates this to something special enough to serve on Father's Day.

Likewise, the butter in the crust - margarine is OK, but butter is a treat. This is such an easy recipe, it's almost embarrassing. Almost.

2 cups graham wafer crumbs

3 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

Filling:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. each lemon juice and vanilla

2 cups whipped cream or thawed whipped topping

3 cups fresh or thawed berries or chopped fruit, well drained of any juice

Combine graham crumbs and sugar and stir in butter. Reserve 1/4 cup of the crumb mixture. Press remainder into a greased 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Beat cream cheese and sugar together until creamy and smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well. Stir in a little of the whipped cream to lighten the mixture, then fold in the rest. Carefully fold in the fruit so as not to break it up - you don't want streaks of colour through the filling, just the chunky fruit or berries. Spread evenly over graham crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Rainbow Slices

This last one would make both my dads swoon with pleasure. Talk about suckers for marshmallows - my first dad loved those packaged puff cookies with a dab of raspberry jam in the middle, while my stepdad actually makes his own marshmallow squares.

Use white marshmallows if you prefer, but the coloured ones make prettier cookies, and even dads like pretty things on their special day.

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 cups coloured miniature marshmallows

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup fine coconut

Melt butter and chocolate chips together over not, not boiling water or in the microwave. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes - you don't want to melt the marshmallows. Stir in marshmallows and nuts and combine gently but thoroughly. Shape into two 8-inch rolls on sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until firm. Remove rolls from paper or plastic and roll in coconut, pressing lightly to help it adhere, then slice with a sharp knife. It's easy work if you dip the knife in hot water and dry on a paper towel between slices.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's. Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970, St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.