Yesterday was cooler and overcast, a little humid but not too bad. After work, we had neighbor Nora and her daughter Rachel, and neighbors Floyd and Theresa and their two daughters Gabrielle and Allura over for dinner. At one time, Floyd had a small, portable ribs business that he'd operate out of parking lots. He's trying to get it going again, so we were thrilled when he offered to bring ribs and chops to cook. Paul and I supplied brats and sweet corn, and Nora and Rachel brought fresh veg from their garden, including sliced tomatoes with scallion, onion and garlic (all homegrown) dressed with balsamic and goat cheese. Floyd wheeled over his grill, and we had one for meat and one for veg.
Floyd's barbecue was predictably outstanding; he'd started marinating the ribs and chops early that morning and they were fall-off-the-bone perfect. The grilled veg were a huge hit, and the squash and eggplant disappeared before anything else. We ate ourselves stupid, the girls drew chalk pictures all over the driveway, and we talked until well past dark.
Everyone had such a wonderful time that we immediately began plotting the takeover of the sidestreet for a block party over Labor Day. Stay tuned. Muahahhaaha.
Posted by Jane