It’s that time of year again when we spoil the men in our lives! I don’t know about you all but I am grateful for ALL the Dads I have in my life! This year we are sticking with Canadian owned shops for all your Father’s Day gifts! Honestly, Canada has so many amazing brands, I didn’t realize it before, but we were already making sure to support local and Canadian! These are some of Ninja’s, absolutely absolute favourite gifts that we have bought him over the years!
I read this book when I was in high school. Ninja read this book earlier and even met the author! This is a true story about a father and his 2 sons that push the limits! Paddle to the Amazon by Dan Starkey Paddle to the Amazon by Dan Starkey is such a good book! Honestly, it always surprises me that this is a true story and that they are from and started in my hometown of Winnipeg Manitoba! If the man in your life is a reader, this is a fabulous book for him!
We love to represent the beautiful place where we live. Every year I go to our Penticton Visitors Centre to see what neat treats they have for us. Ninja loves the Local T-Shirts they sell. Every city has a local store that makes T-shirts showing off the amazing place that you live in! Check it out for a unique Father’s Day gift he will love.
A few years ago, I bought Ninja this Girl Dad Hat from Blue Sky Inspired which is a small business out of Lake Country that offers so many unique items! Their crib boards are absolutely gorgeous, they have gift baskets using local supplies and ingredients, and of course fun printed hats and clothing.
One time we were at the farmers market and there was a booth from Dubh Glas, which is a distiller located in Gallagher‘s Lake, British Columbia. They make the best gin ever. Seriously, Noteworthy Gin is hands-down the best gin we have ever tasted. Ninja always keeps a bottle of it in our liquor cabinet and that’s what helps make our cocktails absolutely delicious!
Ninja’s favourite craft brewery is Tin Whistle Brewing. It’s located here in Penticton, BC right in The Cannery. It is the first carbon neutral brewery in BC AND they make delicious beer. Not only that, the people who own it are pretty incredible people too! They are big on sustainability, good beer, and supporting other local businesses nearby. They are a welcome addition to our community and our craft beer scene. I love the artwork on their labels, the fact that they’re always experimenting and have a new beer tapped every Friday, and that Ninja has someone to chat with while he waits for SBean’s gymnastics lessons every week. Lol.
Ninja doesn’t like “fruffy drinks”, or at least that’s what he calls them lol unless they come from Second Cup. This Canadian owned coffee company makes new drinks that Starbucks has never even heard of before! They are involved in community activities and have SO many tasty treats. Bring your man home a coffee or better yet, pick him up a gift certificate so he can secretly buy his own “fruffy” drinks lol.
Ninja loves music. I have found that basically anything in our local music store, Wentworth Music can put a smile on his face. New guitar strings, smile! New guitar picks, smile! A cleaning brush for his record player, smile! Lol there are so many unique and interesting items at a music store that you never think of, but that special man in your life will love.
Speaking of music, vinyls are back baby! Ninja loves to put on a record and listen to music that way. There’s just something different about listening to an album on a record player! Our local record store, The Grooveyard is amazing and you can get anything there, including one of Canada‘s greatest, Oscar Peterson.
BorIs your man a bartender? No? But does he play one at home like my hubby? Lol If he does, these Born to Shake Bitters will really make him happy! Ninja makes all of his own simple syrups but bitters? Nope lol my Sis and I found this Canadian company that sells all different flavoured bitters! Take his cocktail up a level with these awesome cocktail ingredients.
I don’t like seafood. Ninja LOVES seafood, especially shrimp. I thought I would surprise him with these Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Slaw and boy was he happy! Even I thought they looked delicious! What a perfect treat for the summer.
When I bake it is usually for lunches and for the Kids. But for as long as I can remember cookies have been a treat for the Dads. My Poppy ate 1 homemade giant chocolate chip cookie every night after dinner. We actually buried his ashes inside his cookie jar lol. My Dad loves a chocolate chip cookie after dinner with his coffee and Ninja likes cookies at anytime of the day! Lol these Meltaway Brownie Cookies were SO good! The perfect balance between a cookie and a brownie. These were fudgey and delicious!
Ninja loves pizza. When we first started dating, we ate a LOT of pizza. We MET working at a pizza place! Lol I’m basic, I like cheese pizza. Actually I love a white pizza which really goes against everything Ninja stands for when it comes to pizza lol. He loves pizza sauce and the more toppings the better! He especially loves a pizza filled with meat! I combined his favourite pizza with his favourite pasta and we had this delicious Meat Lovers Pizza Tortellini for dinner! It was a BIG winner!
Ninja enjoys a nightcap every once in a while. He has always been partial to old fashions but recently we stopped buying bourbon (IYKYK). So I was looking to find a nice cocktail using local ingredients instead and found this John Collins recipe that checked off all the boxes!
We have a restaurant in town called Orolo. They have a dip for their fries that is to die for. My Dad and I LOVE it! My Sis bought me some dried black garlic so I could try making it at home and, I did! This Black Garlic Aioli tastes almost exactly like the dip from Orolo!! I made it for my Dad and we both had heartburn from all the garlic for days… in the best way possible lol. We had them with Seasoned Air Fried Potato Wedges and YUM!
Heat Wave by Richard Castle Written by a ghost writer. This was a fun book. I used to love the TV show Castle. I started watching it because my last name was Castle (why I picked this book for Father’s Day! LOL) and who doesn’t love Nathan Fillion? PLUS he’s Canadian! Lol, every episode was filled with banter, an investigation, and a satisfactory outcome. Exactly like this book! This is a short read, kind of like watching an episode of Castle lol. I’m not sure if I will continue with the series but reading this first book really brought back nostalgic memories of one of my favourite shows.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Slaw
4
servings15
minutes10
minutesIngredients
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lime zest
4 tablespoons lime juice, separated
2 tablespoons honey
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped & separated
3 cups coleslaw, shredded
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
8 6-inch tortillas
Directions
Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chili powder. Toss shrimp to get them evenly coated with seasonings.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Cook shrimp for 90 seconds, flip and cook another 90 seconds, until the shrimp are opaque and have some golden brown caramelization on both sides.
Reduce the heat to low, add the butter, lime zest, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and honey, tossing to coat the shrimp and create a cohesive sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is thickened and coating the shrimp. Remove from heat and stir in half the cilantro to finish the sauce.
Place coleslaw, the rest of the cilantro, Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Toss until the cabbage is evenly coated with herbs and yogurt.
Warm tortillas in the microwave, oven or over the gas flame of a gas stovetop. In a tortilla add a scoop of creamy slaw and 4-6 shrimp. Spoon on some of the cilantro honey lime sauce. Finish with a squeeze of lime.
Ingredients
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
â…“ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional, for dusting)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs and vanilla, whisking until fully combined.
Stir in the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, mixing until smooth.
Gradually fold in the flour until a thick batter forms. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centres look slightly underbaked. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
1 package tortellini pasta
½ lb Italian ground sausage
½ onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
20 pepperoni, sliced
24 oz pizza sauce
Directions
Boil tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
Add ground beef and sausage to the skillet. Cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon, about 7-8 minutes.
Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Season with Italian seasoning and stir to combine.
Stir in the pizza sauce and cooked tortellini, mixing everything well. Bring to a simmer.
Top with mozzarella cheese and sliced pepperoni. Cover the skillet, turn off the heat, and let the steam melt the cheese for 2-3 minutes.
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz whiskey
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
2 oz club soda
Garnish: a maraschino cherry & an orange slice
Directions
Pour the whiskey, lemon juice, and syrup into a glass filled with ice cubes. Stir thoroughly. Top with club soda. Garnish with a cherry and/or a orange slice.
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, peeled
pinch salt
1 teaspoon dried black garlic
Directions
On a cutting board, chop the fresh garlic with a pinch of salt. Alternate chopping with a mashing motion, spreading and smearing the cloves of garlic on the surface of the cutting board, working it with the salt until it forms a paste-like consistency.
Grind the dries black garlic in a pestle & mortal until smooth and paste-like. Add a teaspoon or two of water and continue to work it.
Add to bowl with mayo and fresh garlic and stir to combine. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #429 Throne Speech. This week we get together on a Monday afternoon to discuss: back alley action, MRI, anxiety, maturing, land acknowledgment, Justin returns, Girl Guides, SOW, and performance anxiety.Â
Thank you to A Pinch of Joy for featuring my Pastitsio post at her Busy Monday Link Party last week!
This was a better week for me! It’s crazy how much better you can SEE things when you’re not constantly weighed down by fatigue, pain, and brain fog!
This week I went out for coffee & read a few amazing books. We went to the Farmer’s Market, planted a garden, saw HBear‘s art exhibit at the Penticton Art Gallery, cheered SweetPea on as she received a prestigious Girl Guide Award, the Kids went to tennis, Rock of Ages, and began prepping for grade 7 graduation! We ended the week with a fabulous end of the year performance from HBear and Ninja and the other talented PAMDA students!
5 thoughts on “Father’s Day Gift Guide & Treats”
Those prawns look spectacular!
And so many great suggestions.
Thank you! I appreciate you stopping by and commenting! Cheers
Kristin, I always love your recipes. 🙂
Thank you! I really appreciate your support. Have a wonderful week!
What great Fathers Day gifts and treats round up.
Thanks so much for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.