A homemade gift for Father's Day is a sweet way to show Dad some love this Father's Day. We've got lots of ideas for celebrating Father's Day at home (games night, anyone?) -- but before we get to that, here is one easy gift kids can make for their dad that will truly keep on giving: spice blend!

When you use spice blends as a dry rub on meat or veggies, it can really wake up your meals. A dry rub is just a blend of spices and salt that you add before cooking to power up your flavours. Dry rubs are a fast way to pack a lot of flavour in because unlike a marinade, you apply them last minute to the outside of the food. While they add sophisticated flavours, it’s very easy for even very young kids to mix and measure up a dry rub, and this present looks gorgeous in a pretty jar.  Don’t forget to give your mix a name -- maybe name it in honour of Dad!

Dry rubs go on meat, fish, veggies, tofu and potatoes - so, when you’re ready to use it, just lightly coat your food in oil, and then add about 2 tablespoons of dry rub, tossing and turning the food to thoroughly coat it in spice. You can use a dry rub before barbecue grilling, baking in the oven or using an air fryer. 

It’s fun to experiment with making your own, but here are a few recipes for you. 

• Barbecue rub
• Lemon pepper salt rub
• And many more here! 

You can also make a spice rub working backwards from our community-contributed Lamb Kabobs with Yogurt Cucumber Sauce recipe. Just combine in a jar:

• 1 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

And then follow the recipe for a delicious meal!

Looking for other ways to celebrate Father’s Day? Go on a food adventure; enjoy fika (think high tea, but more fun); take on some cooking projects together; or enjoy these heartfelt ideas for celebrating from home. And for more ideas, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!