More Thrifty Gifts for Fathers' Day

I was a little more pressed for time this year than Therese, and opted for the store-bought route.  However, I was pretty impressed with what I managed to put together for less than $10, and it tiered together very nicely when wrapped.

1. 2 jars of Nutella (on sale for $2.68 each, and an additional $1 manufacturer's coupon)

2.  Vintage hardcover edition of Quo Vadis ($4 at local antique mall)

Our boys are quite young, so my husband has plenty of time to prep for father-son reading!  I tucked in a copy of Auntie Leila's reading guide as well.  This is a theme I plan to repeat in future years- my husband's family favored fantasy and mystery books so he never read many classic adventure novels like The Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, etc - a nice gift for Dad and the family library.

3. A cozy tartan robe ($2 at thrift store)

This is a perfect year round robe made of the softest cotton and was in like new condition.  Score!

Wondering what to do with all that rhubarb?

This recipe got high marks from some Church Ladies recently:

3 pounds rhubarb, cut up


Mixed with
1 bottle vodka
1/4 cup grand marnier
Simple syrup (6 tablespoons sugar heated to boiling with 1/4 cup water)


Cool the syrup before mixing into the rest of the ingredients. 
Let stand 1-2 weeks in covered container.

Recipe is flexible - it originally called for 1/2 cup of the Grand Marnier, but my source preferred with less.

It's a lovely pink color and, according to reports, is dangerously good when mixed with 7-Up.

On a somewhat related note, I'm re-reading Anne of Green Gables now and this is just homey enough to make me think of Marilla's Raspberry Cordial.  (Medicinal purposes only, right?)

Thrifty Gifts: Father's Day

I don't know about you, but whenever I see Father's Day gift guides, they tend to bring on more eye rolls than lightbulbs. They seem to break down into the crazy expensive, one-use gadgets no one actually wants, the weirdly cutesy, and items that will be enjoyed way more by the giver than by any dad I know. So here, without further ado, are some homemade gifts that will actually see the light of day once in a while.

Monogrammed hankies

Fonts (L to R): Oil Can, Eccentric, Euphorigenic

We've blogged some details on this one over the years (here, here, and here). This one is a fantastic last-minute gift; I finished the three hankies above in an afternoon. Just find some fonts you like, print and trace (if you work carefully with a light hand, you can even do this with a regular pencil), and embroider. DMC cotton floss holds up well in the wash, and is usually 30-50 cents a skein. If you are new to embroidering, Needle'n'Thread has great tutorial videos. Backstitch and stem stitch are good for monograms, with satin stitch to fill in thicker areas (as on the hankie on the left).

Matching outfits

Okay, maybe not for everyone, but it can be fun, especially for a new dad. The picture above is Simplicity 3852, which conveniently contains outfits from a baby romper all the way up to adult size in one envelope. If the men and boys in your life would appreciate something a little more subtle, matching neckties (men's, boys', and little boys') would make a great riff on a Father's Day classic. Ties are cut on the bias, so keep that in mind when picking out a print. This also means you'll have extra fabric left over, so think about including a pocket square. If that's still too much, how about some pajamas?

Reuseable Brown Bag

(source)

Do you walk to work, or bring your lunch? (Sorry, but what's a post about dads without a Dad Joke?)There are a ton of tutorials for this easy sewing project online (Here's a big roundup.) Just pick a manly fabric and you're good to go. You could even use an old pair of chinos for the fabric, making this project essentially free.

A Manlier Diaper Bag

Vogue 8990

This will be the one I'm attempting this year. While I don't think he actually minds, every so often I get a comment about having to carry around the very girly bags our hospital gives out. I'm keeping the pockets versatile, so hopefully he'll have a use for it even when we don't have one in diapers. If putting together an entire bag isn't for you, an all-in-one changing kit that he can have on hand might be just the ticket.

Baptism party help

I am in search of an idea for an economical entree to serve at a baptism party over Memorial Day weekend.  We had initially planned to grill out, but don't have a good source for hamburger patties (no Sam's Club or Costco nearby) and ground hamburger is expensive here. We expect 50-75 people, as we live in a Catholic college town with lots of large families.

Criteria:

-The baptism will follow a 10:30 Mass.  I need something that can be prepared ahead and kept warm in the oven or slow cooker while we are at church so it is ready to serve soon after we get home.

-People often serve pulled pork at these parties, but we are coming off a stretch of Confirmations, First Communions, and graduations, so I was looking for something different, although using pulled pork in a taco bar could be fun.

-Ditto for ham, following Easter.

I would love to hear your ideas!

More ways to add savory flavor

The Cook's Country site currently has an article called "Getting to Know: Umami Powerhouses" available on their site. Some of the suggestions are the same as ones I featured in this post, but there are a few new ideas as well. Check it out!

I don't have much of a post for today, as we just got back from a trip last night, but our trip included a stop at Eataly, where I had an amazing ravioli dish with a pea and ricotta filling.

I was holding a squirmy baby at lunch, so this picture is from someone on Yelp.

We haven't seen much by way of fresh peas up here in the frozen north, but you can bet I'll be trying this as soon as we do. If you live in warmer climes and can get your hands on some, this recipe looks pretty close, but I'd skip the onions and garlic. Eataly serves theirs with butter and little pieces of asparagus, but the lemon butter in the recipe sounds like a winner as well.

Five Favorite Quick and Easy Meatless Recipes

I was going to type up a somewhat elaborate recipe for today, but after a cranky baby and I woke up rather too early, I've decided that I'm in the mood for something else entirely. Here are five favorite quick and easy meatless dinner options.

If you're coming over from the the MoxieWife linkup, welcome, and be sure to check out our archives for more recipes!

Homemade Taco Salad Shells

The perfect solution when you have tortillas, but not enough for taco night. If you can get your hands on uncooked tortillas (like TortillaLand), they come out even crispier.

Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

Fifteen minutes in the oven, which is plenty of time to whip up the sauce. Serve it with some rice and a salad, and you're set!

Aztec Quiche

Use a premade pie crust to bring this together quickly. You can even make it ahead and freeze it!

Puffy Oven Apple Pancake

Because breakfast for dinner is always a good idea.

Fusilli With Spinach, Ricotta, and Raisins

For this recipe, you literally toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Italian simplicity at its finest. Fresh baby spinach would also be good here, and then you wouldn't even have to thaw anything!

Brown Rice in Half the Time

Brown rice, with its nutty flavor and complete proteins, is a natural accompaniment to meatless meals. When I just want to throw together a quick stir-fry, though, I'm probably not going to wait an hour for the rice to be ready. Cooking brown rice by the pasta method (in lots of water, and then draining it), cuts the cooking time in half, and results in more evenly-cooked, tender grains. I haven't looked back since discovering it.

To cook brown rice by the pasta method:

Fill a medium saucepan with salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and return to a boil. Lower the heat slightly and cook, uncovered, until the rice grains are tender, 20 to 25 min (keep an eye on the water level). Drain the rice through a mesh strainer or fine colander.

Maple Pecan-Crusted Salmon

This recipe was very quick and easy, and popular with everyone at my table. I've written it for two, but it doubles or triples (or more) very easily. The panko crumbs add a great crunch, so don't substitute regular bread crumbs here. Try crushed crackers or croutons instead.

• 2 (4-ounce) salmon fillets

Glaze:

• 2 T maple syrup
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom

Crust:

• 3 T finely chopped pecans
• 2 T panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325º. Combine glaze ingredients. Toast pecans and bread crumbs briefly in a skillet over medium heat, removing as soon as the pecans are fragrant. Combine with basil and salt.

Brush sides and bottom of fillets with glaze and place in a small baking dish. Brush tops very generously (use it all up). Pat half of crust onto the top of each fillet. Bake 15–20 minutes, until flaky.

Serves 2.

Five Favorite Ways to Add Savory Flavor to Meatless Meals

Linking up with Moxie Wife! If you're joining us from over there, be sure to have a look at our recipe archives for lots of Lenten meal ideas!

Several years of meatless Lents has yielded some delicious meals, and some that are ... lacking. To really make a meatless dish taste like dinner, it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve to make up for what is lacking. Here are a few favorite tricks I've learned over the years to keep your diners from asking "Where's the beef?"

1) Parmesan

(Source: Flickr user cosmos_72)

Sure, you always sprinkle a little on your spaghetti, but meatless dishes are the time to really get serious about your Parmesan. Grate it fresh off the block or slice off curls with a vegetable peeler, and use it to top bowls of soup and salad, stir it into risotto, and put a healthy layer on top of that pizza. You won't even miss the pepperoni.

2) Dried Mushrooms

(Source: Flickr user Artizone)

Simmer them in your broth, or crumble/grind them up and use them like a seasoning. Farmhouse Vegetable Soup combines them with soy sauce to make a rich broth. You can usually find porcinis and others at your regular grocery store, but Asian markets tend to have shiitakes for a more reasonable price.

3) Asian Sauces
You can get pretty adventurous with these, or just stick with soy sauce if you'd rather. Tamari is a thicker, smoother-flavored soy sauce. Fish sauce can be used pretty much anywhere you'd use soy sauce, but a little goes a very long way (and when you're not cooking meatless, try it in burgers!) Miso is a Japanese ingredient that can go with just about anything you can think of.

4) Tomatoes

There's a reason tomatoes form the base for so many condiments: they're packed with flavorful glutamates, the same flavor compounds found in beef. Brown some tomato paste (as in Gardener's Pie) or add some sun-dried tomatoes (like in our taco lentils) to get this flavor in concentrated form. And don't forget to put a small tomato in your stock pot!

5) Smoke
Roast those vegetables, caramelize your onions, toast some nuts. Getting some browning going will add a lot of depth of flavor. There's a reason grilled meat tastes so good, and the same flavors build (on a smaller scale), when you brown your vegetables. If your recipe or ingredients don't lend themselves to browning, a bit of liquid smoke or spices like smoked paprika or chipotle powder will do. This is an especially good trick for recipes like split pea or potato soup, where you might be feeling the lack of bacon.