So about a week or two ago, I was at a going-away party for a friend, sipping on bubbly and eating a plate of fresh-off-the-grill tri-tip and thinking to myself, “Why I don’t do this more often?”

Seriously, why do we think bubbly is only good for special occasions?

It was hot, as only summer in NorCal can be, and there we were, feet in the pool, drinking champagne (and not out of champagne glasses either) and it was pretty sweet.

(Also drinking Pyramid – which is on a ridonkulous sale this month at $10.99 for a 12-pack, which is why our hostess stocked up. And yes, I will tell you that almost every week this month. I have already bought a 12-pack of Hefeweizen myself, which is also good for feet-in-the-pool sipping.)

It wasn’t a fancy barbecue – it was tri tip, salad and baked home fries. But somehow that champagne really hit the spot on a hot day.

Now, if you think the bubbly stuff is too expensive for day-to-day munching – I’d point out the fact that we’ve got a bevy on sale this month for about $12. So fire up the grill and break open the bubbly!