My dear Dad, pictured at right, will be the recipient of a gift to facilitate his camping trip to the Pacific northwest later this summer. If you are left with only a few days to buy something for your father or the father of your children, here are my top five last minute ideas: 1) When I need a gift for a cook in my life, father or not, I can always find something at Wasserstrom. They have fun drink ware, professional grade kitchen gadgets, and knives. Every ~~father~~ man I know loves knives.

2) Let's be frank - father's often have reason to drink. Wrap up a bottle of locally made Watershed gin, OYO vodka, or Brother's Drake mead to soften the sleepless, frustrating moments of parenthood.

3) Give Dad an experience to remember with a Columbus Food Adventures tour or special menu dinner at a local restaurant, like the Goose Island dinner at Latitude 41. Not in Columbus? Look for tours in your area - I just came across awesome sounding bike tours in Cleveland.

4) If your pop is more of the bookish type, my second favorite father, Alex, recommends these foodie reads: Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman is "an incredibly well-thought out and put together book. He takes a lot of time to describe the techniques used in addition to the recipes." Don't mind cursing? Try Alex's other favorite, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook, replete with vividly-told stories of the New York restaurant scene.

5) From the self-promotion department: How about a gift registration for a preserving class? Many dads would love to learn how to make pickles, barbecue sauce or bacon. Register for my Preserving Series classes at Wild Goose Creative online.

We are hosting a local burger cook-out for our Dads on Sunday. What are you doing for Father's Day?

Last week I shared how to make hand-rolled beeswax candles. This week I offer recipes for this spice rub and cocoa mix. The series concludes next Monday with ideas for perfectly packaging your handmade gifts.

My parent's kitchen counter always has a crock of this spice rub alongside the baking canisters. Dad uses this rub for large cuts of meat he later smokes and as a topping for grilled salmon. Because of the sugar content, this rub will flame if used over high direct heat.

When mixed up, this spice mix has an auburn color that looks lovely in a jar topped with a coordinating holiday fabric or an old map as pictured here. Tweak the spices a little, add a label with a catchy title, and you have a tasty gift sure to be appreciated by any cooks on your list.

Dad's Spice Rub from Where There's Smoke, There's Flavor by Richard Langer fills one half pint jar

2/3 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup paprika 2 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon ground cayenne (adjust heat here) 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon ground white pepper 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon salt

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. 2. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. 3. Uses: coat meat with a layer of spice mix and grill or use as a dry rub for larger cuts of meat.

Other handmade food gift ideas: Liqueur Fruit Jam (apple, peach, or strawberry) Applesauce a loaf of bread (no-knead or cranberry) Sugared cranberries

Added to Hearth and Soul blog hop.