We survived our first road trip of the season! Ten hours of quality family time in close quarters. No back seat videos for this brood. And, after our car's odometer hit 150,000, no more air conditioning, either. Yes, shared suffering is the glue that holds this family together.

Aiming to leave at sunrise, we hit the road closer to lunch time. Any old lunch won't do, so we search for some offbeat mom-and-pop place and end up at a spot attached to a turkey farm and serving, oddly enough, nothing but turkey and Thanksgiving fixin's - just the thing in the hot, hot summertime.

But, hey! The kids drink a week's worth of milk in one sitting, thanks to unlimited free refills.

On the road, the kids come up with new ways to torture each other and us (as if lack of AC wasn't enough). I pass the time by issuing increasingly outrageous threats. I start the trip with, "If you do that to your sister again, no more gum" and end with, "Say you're sorry or you're going right out that door and we're not slowing down. We've got to make time!"

Finally, we arrive at our friend's house anticipating our promised dinner, which turns out to be cold bologna sandwiches. Now, I realize we traveled to see our friends, not the food, but I've got to wonder: What do these people eat when they don't have company?

Believe me, I understand not wanting to heat up the kitchen, but that's why you have a grill. Here's a variation on a classic dish just in time for tomato season and a great side for the Fourth of July. Or, if you can stand the heat, go ahead and bake the unwrapped tomato halves on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, broiling the top for a few minutes to brown, if desired.

Grilled Herbed Tomatoes

4 medium sized ripe tomatoes

1 cup panko or other bread crumbs

1 big clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

4 fresh basil leaves, minced

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Salt and pepper

Slice tomatoes in half and remove seeds. Salt tomatoes lightly, and drain, cut side down, on paper towels for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toss together breadcrumbs, garlic, cheese, basil and butter. Season to taste. Spoon breadcrumb mixture onto cut side of tomato halves, pressing lightly. Wrap each tomato half with heavy foil and grill, crumb side up, for 15 minutes or until just heated through. Makes 8 servings.

E-mail maryjo@saucycook.com