INDEPENDENCE PLAY
ideas
In N atchez,
M ississip p i,
Regina Charboneau’s back
porch picnic is Che hottest
ticket in town—especially on
the Fourth of July. “I throw a
hot dog party, and it’s nothing
formal, nothing fancy, but
oh-so much fun,” says Regina,
who lays out a simple buffet:
homemade relishes, fresh fruit,
fancy potato chips, her favorite
butter cake, and ice cold mint
juleps. “A few creative touches
go a long way toward making
this easy barbecue look more
like an event.”
PACKAGE DEAL
Regina wraps each hot dog in waxed
paper and secures them with a tiny
American flag toothpick,
below.
‘They’re like little presents for the
kids,” says Regina (seated,
left),
who started this tradition years
ago for her now-teenage sons, Luc
and Martin.
ON THE SIDE
Regina uses tin baking sheets for
trays and a galvanized saucer,
below left,
as a base for her famous
relishes and condiments: green
tomato chow chow, roasted corn
and onion relish, jalapeno mustard,
pickled red onion and red cabbage
relish, and mango ketchup.
