Gift Giving Guy

Friends fired up the grill this Memorial Day weekend and invited us to a barbecue. Of course, guests are under no obligation to bring a gift for the host/hostess — after all, “your presence is your present” — but it’s a thoughtful gesture to do so. My wife and I picked out a nice Riesling and slipped the bottle into a colorful, striped wine bag from the arts and crafts store, Michaels.

While wine is a simple, traditional host gift, my wife suggested that we add some spice, quite literally, to follow the grilling theme. Before the barbecue, we stopped at Penzey’s Spices and added three of their grilling spices to the host gift:

• Northwoods Seasoning
• Galena Street Rib Rub
• Jerk Chicken/Fish Seasoning

Our host and hostess kindly thanked us for the gift and pulled off a great event to start the summer.