While eating at a pretty divey but good bbq joint in the industrial section of town, I was missing you terribly and smiling because I kept hearing an old conversation of ours in my head...
AMY
I'm starving. What should we eat?
LISA
Something light, I think.
I'm only slightly hungry.
AMY
Ok. How about BBQ?
LISA
That's your idea of something light?
AMY
Oh, you know me.
LISA
Yep.
Wish you were here with me.
Hope all is well.
Love, Lisa
Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Cowboy BBQ Burger
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Alan's Grilled Salmon
Barbecue Beer Ribs
Mango Shrimp Kabobs
Evelyn Hall’s Baked Beans
Chili Butter Corn on the Cob
Mac and Cheese
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Tomato & Avocado Salad
Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad
Lulu's Tastiest Coleslaw
Suzanne Goin's Succotash
The Bootleg | Cuba Libre | Dark 'n' Stormy | Mai Tai | Margarita | Mojito | Sassy Sangria
Sea Breeze | Tequila Sunrise | Tequila Gimlet | Watermelon Falls
Almond Pear Pie | Apple Pie | The Best Brownies Ever | Blackberry Pecan Crisp
Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies | Crunchy Ice Cream Sandwiches
Grandma Hazel's Lemon Cake | Peach Cobbler | Plum and Toasted Almond Galette
S’mores Cookie Bars | Fresh Strawberry Pie | Whoopie Pies
People who love barbecue really love barbecue, and will go
to great lengths to find the perfect ribs. I’m one of those, so I was
thrilled to be invited to judge The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Sparks, Nevada.
For die-hard barbecue lovers and novices alike, this kind of cook-off is a slice of pork heaven.
Instead of driving around the country to sample regional styles of
barbecue, all I had to do was take a three-block stroll down Victorian
Avenue in front of the Nugget for some of the best ribs in the country.
Pit masters competed from all over the country, cooking up slab after
slab of pork ribs in pick up-sized smokers and finishing them off on
10-foot-long wood-fired grills. Some hailed from legendary barbecue
states like Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas. But many, many others
came from states that folks rarely associate with this style of
cooking—we’re talking all the way from California to Minnesota,
Pennsylvania and, yes, even New Jersey.
Cecilia was a ‘10’ on a scale of one to two. She had unmitigated primal passion. Her sexual appetite was unparalleled and horizontal. It was vertical and diagonal. When I suggested to Cecilia that we spend the Fourth of July in Hawaii, she responded by giving me a fireworks show in the bedroom that went on till daybreak.
After Cecilia made my night, I made travel plans. We would first go to Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai. Then to Maui – Kaanapali Beach and Hana.
As I was packing for the trip, the phone rang. It was Cecilia. She stammered and fumfered and did everything audibly possible without actually forming words.
“What’re you trying to tell me?” I asked repeatedly.
“I can’t go,” she finally said.
We've lived in Pacific Palisades for many years, treasuring its small town qualities as a respite from the congestion of the Los Angeles megalopolis. The 4th of July brings out the best in our community. We celebrate Independence Day by getting together with our neighbors, family, and friends. The celebrations begin in the morning with the 5k/10k run, the parade down Sunset at mid-day, an early evening picnic, and conclude with the night-time fireworks at the high school.
To prepare for the picnic, we shop at the local farmers' market, buying as many fresh vegetables and fruits as we can carry. On the 4th we spend the day cooking for the pot-luck picnic we organize with a dozen of our friends. So we'll have a good spot to watch the fireworks, we meet at 6:30pm at the park opposite the high school. We look forward to the picnic because we can catch up with our friends. Even though the picnic is pot-luck, we make extra just in case... Some of our friends who like to cook bring their specialties, like Lesli's mixed berries, while others make a run to Bay Cities or Gelson's and bring containers of deli treats and rich desserts.