My neighbor called me Sunday morning. "Want to come for lunch? I've got some lady peas and green beans, and I'm going to fry some chicken thighs." Bruce is a prodigious cook, so I rarely turn down an invitation, but his offer of fried chicken assured my place at the table. He had also made rice and gravy with tomatoes chopped up in it, "I read in a cookbook that this is an old-fashioned trick, so I decided to try it." It gave the gravy a nice slightly pink color and touch of sweetness.
Because it's July and there are fresh tomatoes everywhere, he made a basic lettuce-and-tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette. He popped a basket of warm Sister Schubert rolls on the table with butter. We finished off the meal with a scoop of homemade buttermilk ice cream left from the 4th, topped with stewed fresh peaches. I cried "uncle" at that point, took a nice packet of leftovers, and waddled the 3 houses down to my home to take a nap. Topping off this lovely afternoon? A glimpse of the first hummingbird of the season, and, later, lots of drenching rain.
