Father's Day Gifts!

I decided to go with edibles for this year's Father's Day gifts for my dad and the father-in-law. These guys can be very hard to shop for, and I know I can never go wrong with a plate of peanut butter cookies.  But I wanted to add something a little personalized.  My mom told me my dad had been wanting a tomato plant, and as luck would have it, Colby's mom had several specially-developed-at-OSU-to-be-blight-resistant varieties ready to go, and she said I could have one.  Done!  Colby's dad had been hinting pretty heavily that he'd like me to try making the rhubarb sauce just like his mom used to make.  No pressure.

I found this recipe, which I chose because it could be used as a topping or just eaten, kind of like applesauce, which is how Colby's dad ate it as a kid.

Here's the link:  rhubarb sauce

And here's the recipe, if you don't feel like clicking over:

3 large servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rhubarb, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tb water (really, that's all!  I was incredulous, but it was fine--the rhubarb's moisture comes out as it cooks.)

Directions:

• Wash rhubarb and chop into 1/2" pieces.
•  In a sauce pan, add rhubarb, sugar, and water. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer until rhubarb is soft and slightly thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. If rhubarb is not the desired intensity of color, add only a few drops of red food coloring to enhance the red appearance. (I did not do this, even though my sauce wasn't very red.)
• Remove from heat and cool. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve.

It was SO EASY.  And I thought it tasted good, although I haven't heard the verdict yet on whether it lives up to Lillie Copeland's sauce.

So, after it was done, I put it in a jar I had around, and then needed to cover up the old label that was on the jar.  I made one out of felt, and used puff paint to write "Rhubarb Sauce."  But then I felt like I couldn't just hand my dad a plain-old tomato plant, so I embroidered the name of the plant variety onto a felt tomato that I tied to the plant.  I don't have a picture of it on the actual plant, but it looked pretty cute.

The embroidery on the tomato could refer to the plant variety, or as my dad preferred to assume,
the identity of the recipient.

Anyway, it made my little gifts feel more personal.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Colby got a porch swing.  I did not make it, but watch for an upcoming post regarding a cushion for it!  That is all.