Father's Day is coming up Sunday and throughout the nation, children of all ages are racking their brains asking themselves, "What do I get Dad for Father's Day?" Some thought about the question some time back and have known for weeks what they would buy. Others went ahead and bought a gift weeks ago.

Some have thought about it for weeks and still haven't found just the right gift. Many have not been quite that attentive to the question. In fact some people certainly have not thought about it at all and will read this column and say to themselves "Oh, yeah. It is Fathers Day this Sunday. I'd better do something about that."

What to get Dad is a knotty question and a knotty question deserves a knotty answer. Buy a necktie. Millions of people must think so because they will do just that. If Mother's Day is a day for candy and flowers, Father's Day is the day for neckties.

It is said that American's spend more than a billion dollars each year to buy 100 million neckties. That is enough neckties to put on every man over the age of twenty in the United States.

Now, neckties may be popular, but it appears to me that some of the men in this country are getting more than their requisite one-per-man share, because I personally know several who won't get any at all -- and my guess is you do too.

Father's Day is a relatively new holiday. Mother's Day has been celebrated in various forms around the world for centuries, although when the English settled in North America, for one reason or another, they gave it up. Perhaps it fell by the wayside because they were so busy trying to survive -- and the earliest religious settlers weren't much for holidays anyway. It was observed again in the very beginning of the 20th century and became a national holiday in 1914.

Father's Day, on the other hand, came about more slowly. Listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, who was raised by her father, determined that a Father's Day celebration was long overdue. She organized a Father's Day celebration and chose June 19, 1910, to hold the first one, because her father was born in June.

In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City.

It was recognized by Congress in 1956, but it was not until 1972, that President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held the third Sunday of June.

The necktie is arguably the most popular Father's Day gift, but cards take their place as well. It is the fifth most popular card holiday with fathers, husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons and sons-in-law receiving missives to commemorate the day.

After ties, the most popular gift is dinner. Sporting goods, home improvement merchandise, electronics and gardening tools follow that. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If that is true, planning the meal becomes important.

The question changes from what should I get for Dad to what should I fix for him? One solution is to take him out for dinner, but a home-cooked meal is always welcome.

Kids in the kitchen may opt for breakfast in bed -- breakfast seems to be the easiest meal of the day. A nice dinner, however, is well worth the effort.

Since Father's Day comes just before the beginning of summer, summer-time fare is likely to be well received. Take the steaks to the grill and fix a salad and maybe a baked potato and you will likely make points. Top it off with pie and voila! You have a winner.

A tossed salad goes with such a meal, but plain old salad with the same old dressing is not likely to win any special notice. Try changing the theme just a little with Sunshine salad.

Sunshine Salad

(Serves 4 to 6)

1/2 bunch spinach

1 small head butter lettuce

1 11-ounce can Mandarin oranges

1 small red onion, sliced

Drain Mandarin oranges and set liquid aside. Combine oranges, spinach, lettuce and onions and toss together.

Dressing

Liquid from mandarin oranges

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Blend dressing ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and turns clear. Cool. Pour over greens and oranges and stir to coat.

Fruit Salad

Mix together an assortment of your favorite fresh or canned fruits such as grapes, bananas, apples, pineapple, and fruits in season. Top with a fruit salad dressing (below)

Fruit Salad Dressing

1 cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

Fruit juice

Mix sugar and cornstarch. Add boiling water and juice and cook over boiling water in a double boiler until mixture thickens and turns clear.

Lemon Pineapple Pie

(Makes two eight-inch pies)

4 tablespoons flour

5 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

2 cups boiling water

Pinch salt

2 egg yolks

1 lemon (rind and juice)

Scant cup of crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon butter

Mix dry ingredients. Add water and stir until smooth. Cook ten minutes and add egg yolks. When cooked, remove from heat and add lemon juice, rind, and pineapple. Cool slightly and place in baked pie shell.

Meringue

4 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy peaks form and all the sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing meringue to the edges of the pastry. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until the meringue is golden. Cool.

Cutting Tip: To cut the meringue-topped pies without the meringue sticking to the knife, dip the knife blade in water before each cut.

Grasshopper Pie (cool and festive)

1/2 package Oreo-type sandwich cookies

1/3 cup margarine, melted

1/2 gallon mint chocolate chip or similar ice cream

12-ounce or 16-ounce carton frozen whipped topping (or chocolate flavored whipped topping)

Chocolate syrup

Grind cookies to fine texture in a food processor. Mix with melted margarine. Pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Soften ice cream and spread over the crumb layer. Stir to soften the whipped topping and add chocolate syrup to taste. Spread over ice cream. Spread another layer of ice cream over that. Sprinkle reserved cookie crumbs on top. Cover and freeze.

Serve with a drizzle of chocolate syrup over the top.

This coming Saturday the Tooele County Master Gardeners will host a garden tour of delightful landscapes in the communities of Tooele Valley. Enjoy a visit to pretty gardens and get ideas for your own garden. The gardens will be available for viewing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 16. Get your map at Speirs Farm, 392 West 200 South in Tooele, or at Gary and Janet Fawson's home, 187 North Waterhole Way for a donation of $5 per person to the Master Gardener's association.