Some of the credit has to go to the weather, no question. But the sunshine and perfect temperatures weren't the only things keeping us smiling at our first block party on Saturday.

Imagine, the electric company sends you a check every month for the power you generate.

Jesse Jones grew up eating the classic Southern cooking his mother and grandmother made in the small town of Snow Hill, North Carolina.

With every passing day, we love our house—and our neighborhood—more and more. But our feelings about the new address shot through the roof last Friday, when we went to our first shindig at a neighbor's place two blocks down.

A friend of mine bought a house in North Carolina a few years back, and when she first moved in, she slept with a hammer, a garage-door opener, Lysol spray, and her cell phone under her pillow. (The plan, apparently, was to distract an intruder by opening the garage door while spraying Lysol in his face, calling 911, and threatening him with a hammer). As an easily scared whimp, I figured I'd probably do the same thing someday.

John Bendokas IV is the chef de cuisine at Frank’s Waterside, 7800B River Rd, North Bergen (201-861-0700).