Hurray for Dads!!!  Call it fortuitous, but celebrating dad’s day and summer just seem to go hand in hand.  Maybe its because dad’s are just naturally outdoorsy…  mowing the lawn, building things, and of course Master of the Grill.   So unless it’s pouring buckets, I can think of no better place to gather in celebration than the great outdoors.

Usually a casual family affair, coordinate your group via a fun email invitation using evite.com or smilebox.com.  Why not liven the mood by suggesting your guests wear kitschy ties or their loudest camp shirt – entice them with a prize if you wish.

Since the day is all about dad, you’ll need to come up with a menu of his favorite fare.  Well, within reason anyway… my mind started wandering towards the tomato aspic salad my father enjoys; which the family endearingly refers to as hemorrhage salad.  I don’t really thing we need to subject every one to all of his” unique” tastes, do we?

Our family get togethers usually start out with a welcome beverage , and then it’s every man for themselves.  We love our Caesar’s – a vodka and tomato clam cocktail which is a great aperitif.  Everyone has their preference on how they like it seasoned – with Tabasco, horseradish, Worcestershire, salt and pepper  (virgin are also pretty tasty).  If you haven’t tried one before, you really are missing out.

To make it easy for you to check out, I have posted a recipe for the classic cocktail below:

Caesar Cocktail

In a highball glass rimmed with celery salt (or salt and pepper if you like), over ice, add:
1 1/2 oz vodka
fill with Clamato juice
Season with:
3 dashes Tabasco sauce (or your hot sauce of choice – sriracha or Asian chili garlic sauce also work well)
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Ground Horseradish – to taste
Salt and pepper

Garnish with a wedge of lemon or lime, and a celery stick.  Or you can rock your garnish with a pickled green bean, Cucumber spear, bacon wrapped shrimp… get creative!

Having an ice chest filled with cool refreshments as everyone leisurely relaxes outdoors is a must.  You may want to try a selection of craft or local beer and encourage guests to try something different.  Set out some shooter or small plastic glasses along with an open bottle of each selection in order to sample the wares before uncapping a bottle. With refreshments in hand, your guests will be looking for something to snack on…

I’m not sure about everyone else, but my dad has some pretty unusual tastes.  Being subjected to these preferences growing up, I guess us kids acquired same as we don’t hesitate to belly up for the same fare.  For us, a great appetizer spread would look  taste something like this:

• Cheese tray – Mix and match your firmness and strengths along with a varied cracker assortment.  You can never go wrong with aged cheddar, spiced gouda, Boursin (black pepper flavor is yum!) and I always go for the sweet, savory and spicy combo of jalapeno jelly poured over brie.  My bad… being a day in honor of testosterone, of course it should be a MEAT and cheese tray.  Throw on some sliced peppered salami, garlic coil and ham cubes and all will be well with the world.

• Smoked oysters – No family get together is complete without these oily tidbits on a stick.  Not sure how to dress these fugly bivalves up, so I say just crack a couple cans, set out a box of toothpicks and enjoy.

• Chips and nuts – Crunchy snack food always pairs well with beer, grilling, life, etc. so you may want to set out a few bowls of  your faves to grab by the handful.  We are not really chip peeps, but a good bag of pretzels with a mustard raspberry dip works for me!!

 

Now, onto the main course – a MIXED GRILL.  The idea here is to get the grill loaded to the gills with a cornucopia of meats.  The idea may seem a little foreign, but I was first exposed to this style of grilling in New Zealand and it seems to work great for outdoor group gatherings.  Your guests can mix and match what tickles their fancy, or try the whole shebang!   Season using a rub or marinade  a variety of meats such as flank steak, lamb chops, sausages, chicken pieces to cover all of your food groups.

Don’t even think that you will have any extra room over the flames for other frivolous food groups – like say, veggies.   You are probably best to cover these in the form of a salad or two.  Like the “other” food group – potato’s – in a simple, chunky salad.  The below salad looks like it would be the order of the day, as it has loads of BACON.  The recipe sounds pretty darn tasty too… check it out here.

Dad is a tomato guy (see hemorrhage salad and Caesar cocktail above).  So for the trifecta of tomatoey goodness I am including this dead simple, super yummy salad:

Sliced Tomato and Onion Salad with Blue Cheese

• Slice large ripened tomatoes into steaks and layer on platter
• Slice red onion into rings, separate and layer over tomatoes
• Drizzle with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Top with finely chopped fresh basil and crumbled blue cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

And here it is… Dad’s favorite dessert and the grand finale!!  PAVLOVA.  This is a wonderfully light dessert, and is best served with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries.   Sheer dessert nirvana.   And now dad can drift off in his lounge chair feeling well  loved and looked after, counting sheep, clouds or heavenly fluffy pavlova’s.

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