09/06/2026
Celebrating my Dad’s 81st Birthday and the Lessons Learned Around the Table
In my cookbook, You Never Cook Alone, I shared many sacred stories about cooking with the people I love. This resonated with many of you and I know that you are still making memories with your families around your tables.
Today, on my dad’s 81st birthday, I’m celebrating one of my favorite dishes he makes — his tender, love‑filled Beef Tips — and the way food has always been the love language of our family.
In our home, the kitchen and our dining room were never just rooms. They are a classroom, a gathering place, and a storytelling circle. It is where little hands learn big lessons, where patience is simmered right alongside the Sunday pot, and where the aroma of a meal means we are together.
My Mom and Dad taught me that the best recipes aren’t written on paper — they’re passed from hand to hand, heart to heart. They’re built with time, attention, and love. And now, watching my own children and grandchildren cook beside me and with one another, I still see the same magic unfolding. The table becomes a bridge between generations, and every meal becomes a memory.
If you’d like to make one of Dad’s classics, here’s the recipe I treasure:
👉 https://cookingwithelise.com/beef-tips/
Here’s to Dad, for his 81 years of wisdom, humor, and the meals that helped shaped us. And here’s to the beautiful truth that the very best lessons in life are learned around the table.
Happy, Happy Birthday, Dad! Please join me in wishing my sweet Dad a very Happy Birthday! Thank you! 😊
We enjoyed Beef Tips yesterday for our Sunday dinner. The key to making Beef Tips is time, patience, and of course love. When properly attended to, Beef Tips are a simple and delicious choice for dinner. I particularly enjoy making Beef Tips on the weekends because they are so easy, but they do need...