Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateAllSummer #CollectiveBias
Father’s Day is quickly approaching! Celebrate your Dad with this Sweet and Smoky BBQ Dry Rub, custom grilling gift basket and memorable Father’s Day card!
If you know me, you know I love celebrating holidays, big or small. I love decorating my house in special themed décor. I love all the holiday traditions, from silly little candy grams for Valentine’s Day, to my in-laws annual Italian fish dinner for Christmas Eve. And I even love all the little holidays and special occasions, like Father’s Day, birthdays, and weddings, in between.
So I guess, I’m saying, I love to celebrate life! Which is what it’s all about, right?
One quickly approaching holiday is Father’s Day. Growing up we didn’t do much to celebrate Father’s Day. Not that we weren’t grateful for our Dad, I just think since Father’s Day is in the summer, after school lets out, Father’s Day kind of got forgotten since there were no teachers to remind us and help us create a special Father’s Day craft or card.
In fact, it was my Dad who instilled in us that sending handwritten notes and cards, not buying large or expensive gifts, is the best way to show someone you love and care about them. Yup, I have vivid memories of heading to the store with my Dad and siblings to pick out the perfect card for various family members’ birthday or to send to loved ones for various holidays.
And even though my Dad would probably tell you, that all he wanted for Father’s Day was to spend time with us kids, now as an adult, I feel like more than ever, I need to find the perfect card each year to say thanks.
So now, I continue the tradition taught to me by my Dad and could spend hours reading all the greeting cards, making sure I select the perfect one for every special occasion.
And the beautiful thing about life, is that as the years have gone by, there are now more Dads in my life. I now have a Father-in-law, who is completely different than my Dad in many ways, but also the same as he loves his kids (and daughter-in-law) unconditionally and is proud of their accomplishments. It has also been fun to watch my brother-in-laws and friends become Dads (and my brother and Eric become awesome uncles), and see them grow and mature as they navigate their new roles.
So, with Father’s Day this Sunday, and with so many deserving Dads in my life, I thought it would be fun to celebrate them all. So, I decided to head to Walmart, just like I used to do with my own Dad, to pick out some American Greetings Father’s Day cards. What I love about greeting cards is that they can say the things that maybe you can’t. They can be funny or heartfelt, and are a simple way to let someone know that you care.
In addition to giving cards, I always try to give thoughtful gifts. I like giving handmade or unique gifts and will often put as much time and thought into picking out a gift as I do a card. So, since most Dads love to grill, this year, I decided to put together some Father’s Day grilling gift baskets for my Dad and Father-in-law, which include some store bought grilling accessories in addition to some homemade BBQ sauce and my Sweet and Smoky BBQ Dry Rub (recipe below).
Since I’m on a bit of a tight budget right now, for all the other Dads I know, I plan on just gifting them a jar of the homemade Sweet and Smoky BBQ Dry Rub and a carefully picked out grilling themed American Greetings Father’s Day Card; which I think they will all love.
While I was at Walmart stocking up on Father’s Day cards and my grilling gift basket supplies, I also grabbed a few more greeting cards that I needed for other upcoming special occasions. You see, not only is Father’s Day right around the corner, but our immediate family has six birthdays during the summer, with two the week after Father’s Day, AND my sister just had a baby, so I wanted to grab a card and something special to send to her.
I’m pretty please at how my Father’s Day grilling gift basket turned out and the Sweet and Smoky BBQ Dry Rub is my go to homemade dry rub, perfect for pretty much anything you want to throw on the grill, from chicken to veggies, and is a great spice blend to have on hand all summer long.
Father’s Day Grilling Gift Basket
Supplies:
Large metal bucket
2-3 packages American Greetings Tissue Paper (in desired colors)
American Greetings Father’s Day Card
Small glass jar with lid
1 batch Sweet and Smoky BBQ Dry Rub (recipe below)
Paper gift tags
American Greetings gift ribbon
Large glass jar with lid
Homemade or store bought BBQ sauce
Assorted grilling tools:
Oven mit
Thermometer
Metal spatula
Metal tongs
Silicone brush
Apron
Kitchen towels
Koozies
Smoking wood chips
Directions:
Place a large amount of tissue paper at the bottom of the bucket to help fill the bucket and so your items don’t fall to the bottom.
Place additional tissue paper around the edges of the metal bucket.
Fill glass jars with homemade BBQ sauce and dry rub. Label each gift tag and tie to jar with gift ribbon.
Fill bucket with desired grilling accessories, American Greetings Father’s Day card and homemade BBQ sauce and dry rub.
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
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In a small bowl, whisk together all the spices.
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Transfer spice blend to a glass jar or plastic food storage container and seal tightly until ready to use.
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Use as desired to season pork, beef, chicken, lamb or vegetables.
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Store spice blend in sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to six months.
How are you celebrating Father’s Day? Please share in the comments below! Celebrate all those special occasions in life, stock up on American Greetings cards at Walmart! Don’t forget to take advantage of the current Ibotta offer, from 6/21–8/31 purchase any American Greetings® Card at Walmart and Earn $1 on Ibotta, while supplies last (*Each card must be priced $2.97 or higher pre-tax). And for more fun ways to celebrate Father’s Day, summer birthdays and just because, click here.
