Jul/Aug 2006

Twilight Treats

Summer heats up with gourmet goodies at your very own drive-in.

By Patrick Evans-Hylton

Ahhhhh, summer.

Hot, hazy days give way to long twilights-purple skies accented with the last streaks of the orangey-yellow sunrays and twinkling fireflies. The humidity of the afternoon turns to sweet, cool night air as the symphony of frogs and crickets kicks in.

Summer is a magical time, and we can't help but think back to our youth and the carefree days of vacation between school years. It's easy to recapture a bit of that innocence by bringing back an icon of the season right in your own back yard: a drive-in theater.

With a DVD projector bought, begged or borrowed; a well-positioned painters drop cloth as a screen; bales of hay for seats; and a cart of updated and scaled-up movie theater goodies to snack on, you've got memories in the making.

At the home of Chip and Holly Watters in rural Virginia Beach, we set up a screening for family and friends to take advantage of a perfect summer eve. Although we used the side of a barn for our screening, you could easily use the side of your home or string the drop cloth between two trees.

A pitcher of white sangria filled with fresh summer fruits, bags of popcorn with gourmet toppings, an upscale version of cereal mix and crisp cereal treats and store-bought caramel apples kept our crew happy.

Now shhh, the movie is starting ...

For the rest of this story-including our recipes for Summer Sangria, Provencal Popcorn and other twilight treats-see the July/August 2006 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands. -

For the rest of this story, see the Jul/Aug 2006 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.