Thanks for the advice about keeping bugs at bay during a back yard barbecue.  Your suggestions led Dave to get a yard spray, safe for children and pets, that he covered the back with hours before it started.  In addition, he attached four citronella-filled torches around our deck and two other tiki torches in the yard.  He lit them once it was dark and the flames added a nice touch along with hopefully the added benefit of scaring away mosquitoes.  Dave’ s report from the back yard where he mingled with the crowd, played bean bag games and cooked more hamburgers was little to no insects.  I manned the party from inside where our main floor and basement were occupied by a lot of kids, neighbors, pasta salads and desserts.  It was a lot of fun, despite my hostess duties keeping me from totally enjoying the spread.  I didn’t miss out on one of the last pieces of Southern Crack, however, snatched up quickly among the sweet treats lining the kitchen island counter.  My friend and neighbor, Jodi, was kind enough to share the recipe she said came from country singer Trisha Yearwood:

Southern Crack (Sweet-n-Salty Bars)

Ingredients:  saltine crackers, 1 pkg. chocolate chips, 2 sticks butter, 1 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cover 2 bar pans (one large, one smaller) with tinfoil.  Spray pans with cooking spray–including edges.  Line bottom of pan with saltines, salt-side down.  Melt butter & sugar in sauce pan.  Bring to boil 3-4 minutes until mixture pulls away from side.  Pour over saltines–spread ’til covered.  Bake in oven for 5 min.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Let sit on top of hot bars until soft then spread until smooth.  Put in freezer for 15 minutes.  Serve broken pieces like brittle or cut along saltine squares.  Stores well in fridge or freezer.

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 49