Father's Day Google Doodle kicks off a day of feasting

Father’s Day Google Doodle kicks off a day of feasting

1/10

Guests will enjoy this one.
Recipe: Grilled romaine with walnuts, Parmesan and anchovy dressing
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

2/10

This butter is spiked.
Recipe: Grilled corn with tequila-lime butter
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

3/10

Set the steak out about an hour before grilling to allow it to come to room temperature.
Recipe: Grilled flank steaks with chimichurri sauce
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

4/10

A classic pairing.
Recipe: Grilled pork with fennel
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

5/10

A grilled leg of lamb gets an infusion of ethnic finesse with a marinade of yogurt and Indian spices.
Recipe: Indian-spiced grilled lamb
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

6/10

You could finish these off in the oven, or toss them on the grill. Up to you.
Recipe: Citrus mesquite spareribs
(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

7/10

You’ll need to plan in advance for this one as the lamb needs to marinate a few hours in advance.
Recipe: Grilled butterflied leg of lamb with olive-fennel tapenade
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

8/10

Dial down the flames to a slow burn and watch pineapple luxuriously transform.
Recipe: Grilled pineapple with rum and long pepper glaze
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

9/10

We snuck in a few non-grilling recipes here, including this creamy, dreamy delight.
Recipe: Tall and creamy cheesecake
(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)

10/10

And just one more: A rich lemon curd stands at the center of this terrific pie.
Recipe: Lemon meringue pie
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

By Rene Lynch

June 16, 2013 10:32 AM PT

Father’s Day is the one day a year set aside to honor the most influential man in our lives — that would be dad — but sometimes Father’s Day is an avalanche of not-so-awesome gifts. Bad ties. Socks. Cheap cologne. Or a grilling doodad.

That’s not because dads don’t deserve better. It’s because so many dads are so darn hard to shop for!

Google gives dads a gift that won’t be exchanged this year: A Father’s Day Google Doodle. The interactive doodle is kind of a slot machine meets a cross section of the nation’s dads as they grill, chill at the beach and drink coffee. It’s a nice little tribute to dear old Dad.

PHOTOS: Father’s Day grilling: Steaks, ribs, chicken and more

Sooner or later, though, Dad’s gotta feast, right?

And it would be nice to let someone else do the grilling for a change so Dad can sit back and relax. (Unless, of course, you have one of those dads who won’t let anyone else near the grill. In which case, you sit back and relax.)

We pored through the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen’s recipes for some dishes that are sure to be a hit this Father’s Day.

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We’ve got naked ribs — seen above. It’s a recipe developed by Times Food Editor Russ Parsons, and so named because these ribs are so good they don’t need any sauce. And we have plenty of other recipes for steak, chicken and more.

We’ve got cocktail suggestions and salad recipes too.

And we did not forget about dessert. You could go with something light and sweet like a dessert you can grill: Slivers of fresh pineapple drenched with a rum and long pepper glaze. If you’re looking for something with a little more oomph, we’ve got recipes for lemon meringue pie and an ultra-luxurious cheesecake.

Just one more thing: If you decide to go ahead with any of these recipes, just remember that even though they are all pretty easy, many require marinating time, or chilling time, in the case of the cheesecake. Plan accordingly!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.

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