Buying a gift for dad can be difficult. Do you go with tools or electronics? His favorite team's jersey or the ever-cliché necktie?
Instead of wasting time aimlessly wandering around the mall, try something new this year. Make him a delicious meal that doubles as bonding time over the grill. I have done this for a number of years now, and my dad has always loved it more than any gift I could have bought him.
To help get you started on your meal-making journey, I have chosen several wonderful summer recipes to share that are both easy to make and delicious. My menu and the recipes for each dish for your Father's Day meal are listed below.
Caprese Skewers
Summer Citrus Spinach Salad
Zesty Chicken Kebabs
Grilled Corn
Strawberry Shortcake
Lemonade, Water
Caprese Skewers
20 of each: Cherry tomatoes, Basil leaves,Fresh mozzarella, cubed
Italian salad dressing
20 toothpicks
Place a mozzarella cube, basil leaf, and cherry tomato on each toothpick. Plate, drizzle with Italian dressing. 8-10 servings.
Summer Citrus Spinach Salad
6 oz. baby spinach
3 oranges, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup pecan pieces
Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Top with favorite salad dressing. For additional flavor, add one avocado, cubed. 8-10 servings.
Zesty Chicken Kebabs
1.5 lbs. chicken, cubed
½ onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 pkg. mushrooms, halved
1 fresh pineapple, cubed
Italian salad dressing
15 Skewers
Marinate chicken in salad dressing for at least 1 hour. Place one piece of each ingredient on a skewer, repeating until filled. Do the same for the other skewers. Grill until chicken is browned, rotating skewer every couple minutes. Remove from grill and serve warm. 7-9 servings.
*To cook without a grill: Pre-cook chicken for a few minutes in a pan over medium-high heat, until white on both sides. Assemble skewers as directed above. Place on cookie sheets and broil in oven until chicken is browned.
Grilled Corn
8 ears of corn on the cob
¼ cup butter
Other seasonings as desired
Shuck corn and rinse. Grill until lightly blackened on each side. Brush with butter while warm. Add desired seasonings, such as cayenne pepper, lime, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, or salt. 8 servings.
Strawberry Shortcake
1 ½ pints fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup milk
Whipped cream
Slice strawberries, and mix with 1/3 cup sugar. Let stand for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 450° and grease round 8-inch cake pan. Mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter thoroughly. Stir in milk until just blended – do not over stir. Pat batter into pan, and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut shortcake into triangles while warm. Split each piece in half, fill and top with berries. Top with whipped cream if desired. 8 servings.
