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.

We came to the Southern Living parking lot carrying coolers, paper sacks, plastic bags, and even a roasting pan to fetch a very special pre-Memorial day treat--smoked pork butt.  Southern Living's Managing Editor Kenner Patton  organizes the annual smoke-fest as a fund-raiser for the Briarfield, Alabama, volunteer fire department, of which he is a member.  Let me just say that Kenner and his crew produce very fine pork shoulders--fork-tender and juicy with deep, smokey flavor. 

We enjoyed ours for lunch today, with all the fixings--baked beans, slaw, light (white) bread, sweet pickle slices, Coca-Cola Cake, and apple dumplings.  To top it off, Executive Food Editor Scott Jones shared a magnificent bottle of Frank Family Vineyards 2005 Napa Valley Zinfandel.  You may be more accustomed to beer with your butt, but Zin is considered the perfect barbecue wine.  What a wonderful way to celebrate the upcoming weekend. 

At this point, Kenner had been up only 32 hours; he was headed home to start another smoking session for butts to be delivered tomorrow. We didn't get his recipe, but check out the article "Barbecue 101: The Art of Low and Slow" in the June issue of SL.  Or follow this link to award-winning pitmaster Chris Lilly's recipe.

Every year this time, I get the urge to have a "celebrate spring" patio party. I like to invite lots of people. But I'm also frugal and a make-it-easy-on-yourself hostess. So this year, I set a budget of $100, and resolved to make most things ahead. I started with ingredients I already had on hand and worked from there.

Friends, I'm coming out of the cellar and exposing my dark secret to all of you: I like box wines.  I've been a fan of these practical affordable beverages for a while, and have been gradually tasting various brands (it takes a while to drink a whole cask, so it's slow going).  Here's what changed my perspective: I drink a glass or less at a time (medicinal of course), and after a few days of being open, the bottles were undrinkable. Down the drain they went.  Ever mindful of my budget, I reckoned I could save $50 a month or so if I switched to the box. But how to persuade my foodie friends  to give these just-right-for-weeknight-friendly wines a chance?

 Farm-to-table is a huge term these days, but it's rare that we get to see the process start to finish.  I  did a few weeks ago, and it was fun. 

When we decided to organize a small wake for Ed, our friend who died, the first thing I thought about was what to cook. Funerals and food have a long, notable tradition in the South—bringing food is a way of showing caring for the bereaved and respect for the departed. As soon as word of a death is publicized, friends appear at the door, offering comfort with pound cake, chicken, ham, or deviled eggs.  It seems to be written into our DNA.