Great Gift Idea For Dad

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, and I’ve seen lots of interesting gift guides. You can find gifts for geeks and gadget dads, golf dads, grill dads, gourmet dads and so on. There is a tool or toy for just about any guy on your list.

So sure – you could buy dad a gift, but when you want to tell someone how much you love and appreciate them, I’m a fan of the “Here, I made this just for you” category of gifts.

My kids have put their paint covered paws on just about every possible wearable item you can think of. (Nevermind that my husband has NEVER actually worn any of these heartfelt creations.) We’ve made magnets, mugs, loose change trays and applied paint and/or photos of their cherubic faces to every useful (and some not so useful items) a man might employ.

Adorable.

The best homemade gift by far, however, has to be food. It appeals to my anti-clutter, anti-crass commercialism streak, and I love food. Who doesn’t? So what would be better than giving dad a special treat made especially with him in mind?

I have just the ticket for you: a collection of recipes that call for beer. That’s right. One of my new favorite foodie websites, TasteSpotting, has a great collection. You can start with this Beer Cake recipe. It’s like coffee cake, so Dad can finally have beer for breakfast without getting the hairy eyeball from Mom.

For lunch you could try the Baja-Style Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce and for dinner, Beer Can Chicken on the grill. Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without dessert. One of my all time favorite recipes is a Guinness stout chocolate cake – the most delicious, decadent chocolate cake you could ever imagine – but this year I think I’ll break out the ice cream maker we got for Christmas and try the Dark Chocolate Stout Ice Cream. Hooray for special occasions – and dads!

What gift ideas do you have for Father’s Day?