polka dot suitcase

That’s me. I’m one hot momma — because not only is it 98 degrees outside, but the weather people tell me with the heat index it could hit around 107. Ugh. Hot. Hot. Hot.

Last night, I was trying to use my new birthday present: a pie iron. (For the uninitiated, a pie iron is two small squares of cast iron joined with a hinge that allows you to make toasted sandwiches — or dozens of other toasted yummies — over a campfire.) The first pre-season football game was on (go, Bills) and I thought, “What would taste better right now than a pudgie pie?” The answer was, “Nothing.”

I didn’t have the ambition to actually make a campfire, though, so I lit the grill. How much different could it be from a campfire? Well…turns out, plenty different. I’m guessing it’s because the heat of the grill was too low/too far away? But in any event, our sammies turned out to be very, very hot in the middle and just kind of soggy bread on the outside. Very sad sammies. If I’d had more ambition, I’d have taken photos. As it was, I was sammy-less…and now very, VERY hot after standing out in the heat, a foot or so from the grill.

I’d made a dessert pudgie pie with marshmallows and dark chocolate inside. The marshmallows were basically vaporized. No trace remained. Sir Buffalo Sushi made a chocolate/peanut butter version, and his peanut butter looked like it had melted, then re-cooked again. And our bread was still as pale as…well, white bread. Sigh. So you know what that means. Yes, it’s hot out. Yes, it’s crazy to do this. No, I don’t need the calories. But we’re having a campfire tonight, and I’m bringing the pie iron. Stay tuned.