First, just a few things about my porch. It is a slice of southside bliss and is, simply put, one of the best features of my little house. Quiet and cool, it is hidden by a holly tree to the left and a cedar tree to the right and has birds chirping by day and crickets and owls by night. It seats two to three at the table, which is old and rickety and belonged to my Great Grandmother, I think. It is a fantastic place from which to watch a storm and even better yet when the weather is fine. Oh, and the weather has been exactly that these past few weeks! It has been perfect and crisp and miraculously devoid of the humidity that normally overcompensates round these parts this time of year. Ah, I wish it was always this way. Well, not really, but it has been perfect porch sitting weather and I have certainly enjoyed it to the fullest.

Last Sunday was particularly glorious on the porch, not only because of the perfect weather and pretty sunset, but on account of Saturday evening marking the long-overdue completion of Spring Cleaning out there. Finally, the holly leaves have been swept up (along with about 3 pounds of green pollen sneeze dust), the cobwebs have been un-spun and the spiders evacuated, the table has been polished and the candles replenished. It was time to invite someone over for dinner!

Now, on an evening as nice as this one was, I certainly didn't want to spend all night at the hot stove, and there is no reason that you have to either. Dinner can be amazingly uncomplicated really. I settled on an easy salad of fresh, local greens and strawberries, some small slivers of Midnight Moon, crushed almonds, fresh dill from my garden and a honey balsamic dressing. Second course was even easier still - I just doctored an Amy's Organic cheeseless, roasted vegetable pizza which literally takes 12 minutes to bake. I simply added some Farmstead Chevre from the folks at Caromont, crushed red pepper flakes, and some fresh oregano from the garden and it was mighty tasty.

For drinks we had a few bottles of Oberon, a fabulous summer brew from Bell's that is an apricot-peach-spiced-honey-frothy-hoppy concoction, for lack of a better descriptor. (FYI- It also comes in a 5 liter mini-keg, which I must say was a big hit when I arrived at the beach house with one last week.) We also cracked open a bottle of Podere Canneta Vernaccia di San Giminiano, which is one of my favorite organic Italian whites from Tuscany. It is crisp and tingly, with bright minerality and a hint of anise and almond mixed in for good measure. It might of been a bit overwhelmed by the pizza but was quite a nice match for the salad.

So, here is to more porch sitting this summer -- simple meals, delightful beverages, good company and entertaining conversation -- it is evenings like these that make my world go round!

Cheers!