Laurie’s Cobalt World Blog

In year’s past, our family has celebrated Father’s Day in different ways.  Once, the family held an ice cream party and made outrageous sundaes.  I’d guess that many men love ice cream, but I’d venture that even more like something off of the grill.

If you choose to grill out for your Father’s Day celebration, then you’ve solved the question of what to do, what to eat, and which gifts to choose.  Or at least, you are almost there.

Gifts are hard, so let’s start there.  Here are some great Father’s Day gift ideas:

• BBQ apron (funny how some men will never wear an apron - unless they are grilling!)
• new grilling sauces to try out (how about Mama Scott’s Gourmet Sauce?)
• grill charms (work like wine charms to identify how meat was cooked or seasoned - very unique)
• an assortment of beers to sample (or, if he’s not the adventurous type, his favorite beer)
• stainless steel grill light for those late evening meals
• grill tools (come in a wide range of styles and prices - even personalized)
• grill thermometer - some even come built in a fork

You may be able to combine two great loves into one great gift.  Is your father (or the father of your children) into NASCAR?  You can actually purchase a NASCAR grill cover with his favorite design on it.  Or maybe he would love a steak brand from his alma mater or favorite college sports team.   

I can’t tell you my favorite Father’s Day gift idea because my dad might read this post.  But it’s listed here.

Now let’s talk about food for your cookout.  Plan a few surprises on the menu.  A few twists on some traditional offerings can make the meal more enjoyable and memorable.

If you are serving burgers, research the very best buns or rolls available in your area.  There’s no need to stick with the hamburger buns on the bread aisle of your grocer.  That alone can make the different between a WOW! burger and a ho-hum burger.

Select turkey, tuna, lamb, salmon, or buffalo burgers for something different.  Or maybe you just want to upgrade to ground sirloin for the special day.

Want something more upscale than burgers?  Try marinated chicken, lobster, tuna steaks, smoked brisket, high-quality smoked sausage, or the proclaimed man’s favorite - the steak. 

Here’s my favorite grilling sauce, originally from a Southern Living cookbook I received as a gift in 1978:

Steak Grilling Sauce Recipe

3 T. butter (not margarine)
1 tsp. garlic powder
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup steak sauce (I use A-1)

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add other ingredients and just bring to a slow simmer.  Apply to steak as it cooks and pass additional sauce.  (If you dip a brush into the sauce that has been used on raw or undercooked meat into the sauce, be sure to bring the sauce back to a simmer before serving for food safety.)

Makes enough for 2 1/2 lbs. of steak.

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On the side, choose bourbon baked beans for a delightful change from the old standby.  Or how about a macaroni salad that features a lb. of bacon?  That sounds like a man’s macaroni salad to me!

For dessert, try one of these:

• grilled peaches served with vanilla ice cream
• grilled caramelized bananas
• homemade ice cream (for my favorite chocolate ice cream recipe, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter - it will be in the June 1 edition)

And then there’s always mom’s apple pie a la mode, or as my husband says, with a lot of ice cream on it.  This recipe for mom’s apple pie has a bit of whiskey in it.  I don’t remember that in my mom’s apple pie, but it sounds like a winner.

I visited an outdoorsman forum to see what men’s men like for dessert.  It seemed to me that cheese cake and homemade banana pudding were preferred by more fisherman and hunters.  But they also knew the ins and outs of blackberry pie or cobbler, chocolate cake (with chocolate icing, chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup as one member suggested), key lime pie, pecan pie, and even French silk pie.  I should mention that this was a southern group.  Perhaps northern or western hunters prefer different desserts!

We have 3 1/2 weeks until Father’s Day.  That’s plenty of time plan a great menu, order your grill charms and other grill gifts, and have a very wonderful Father’s Day.

May is just around the corner and with it comes a host of banquets, recitals, graduations, and every other kind of end-of-the-academic-year occasion you can think of.

Start With A Large Glass Mug

It’s important to start with a good mug. If you happen to miss with your chosen filler, your recipient will still be thrilled with the mug itself. I recommend our cobalt blue large glass mug because it is quite handsome, and it is large enough to thrill coffee drinkers and to hold your chosen filler.

For me, fill a cellophane bag with Dove dark chocolates, pop it into a large mug and I’m a very happy person. But believe it or not, there are some people who don’t care for chocolate. It’s hard to believe, I know. For those people, start with the large mug and fill with one of these:

• cellophane bag of gourmet jellybeans
• gourmet coffee
• colorful stick candy (also available in sugar-free)
• sports ball foil-wrapped chocolates - great for coaches
• coffee flavoring
• assortment of tea bags
• homemade hot chocolate mix or individual envelopes of gourmet hot chocolate
• for teachers, pencils imprinted with his or her name
• a gift card for a local coffee shop
• a bag of spiced tea mix
• shaving soap, lather brush, and safety razor
• chocolate-covered spoons
• cake-mix-in-a-mug – just add water & oil and microwave
• small bottle of Irish cream and/or Kaluha

If you happen to know your recipients personally, then you might fill the mugs with something that you know would specifically appeal to them such as seeds for a gardener or tees for a golfer. Add a note that you hope they have a chance to enjoy some time off in the summer doing what they love most.

Make a bigger splash by putting two or four coffee cups in a basket atop some attractive filler such as Easter grass, raffia, or shredded colored paper. Add your other items - you now have room for several. Wrap the filled basket with colored cellophane and tie with a bow.

 Laurie