Monday, August 17, 2009

Panic At The Flea Market, Great Grillin' And Some Improv

Panic At The Flea Market

Going to the flea market used to be a Sunday tradition, but we've had so many projects going on around here that we've been skipping it. Yesterday, though, we thought we should start bringing the tradition back. After all, the flea market only runs through October and that will be here soon enough.

The temperature was climbing and we didn't get out the door as early as we had planned. By the time we got there, it was in the upper 80's and the humidity was high. There wasn't a cloud in the sky for the sun to hide behind. You could break a sweat just by standing still.

We had made our way around the outer perimeter and down one row of vendors. As we started down the second row, our daughter said she was too hot to keep walking. I knew she was disappointed that she hadn't gotten a new video game at one of the booths, so I thought she was just being pouty and I didn't take it too seriously. After a few more steps she again said she couldn't walk any farther, but this time we noticed she had gone very pale. Clearly, she wasn't being pouty, she was sick. Just as my husband reached out to pick her up, she folded in half. He grabbed her before she could hit the ground.

We carried her to a concession area while people looked at us curiously. She and I sat down at a picnic table while my husband got her a cold drink. She took a few sips and then we carried her to the car and left with the air conditioning blaring.

She was fine after that. By the time we had finished lunch, her color had come back and she said she felt good. She stayed indoors most of the day because we had the air conditioning on and we didn't want her to get over heated again. I think it was just a case of being overcome by the heat. It was scary when it happened, though.


Great Grillin'

The heat and humidity never let up, but it was still a great day to grill. We decided we wanted to make something fun for dinner, and what's more fun than mini burgers? We used ground chuck, and instead of rolling it into meatball sized balls and flattening them, Mr. Willoughby spread the meat into a large rectangle on a cookie sheet. He then cut it into rectangles, the way you would slice a pan of brownies and put them on the grill. We used small brown and serve style buttermilk rolls as buns and created a topping buffet with condiments, cheese, onions and mushrooms.
We all enjoyed having several little burgers instead of one big burger because you could create completely different toppings on each one. We also decided that cutting the meat into rectangles would be a fast way to make regular sized burgers for a crowd. It's much faster than hand shaping each patty.

Some Improv

I picked up a new variety of marshmallows yesterday, chocolate and vanilla swirl. I had never heard of them before, so as soon as I saw them, I knew I had to get them. We had been planning to have a fire in the fire pit and I thought they might be fun to toast.


It was still awfully hot and muggy last night, so we decided against having a fire. We had been excited about trying the new marshmallows, though, so a little improvisation was needed.

We used wooden skewers and toasted them over the flame on the gas cooktop.
Yes, the one in the picture is mine. I did get a little carried away and held it over the flame for a bit too long while I was trying to get a picture. It became engulfed in flames while I was zooming in. It was still tasty, though!

For my own piece of mind, I must remind you that, if you're crazy enough to do this in your own kitchen, be extremely careful. Children (and adults trying to take pictures) should be carefully supervised!

8 comments:

Tattoos and Teething Rings said...

Mmmmm, I love mini-anything! Sliders are a favorite in our house. And those marshmallows look so goooood; I love mine extra crispy.

Lissaloo said...

That would be so scary, poor kiddo, I'm glad it turned out ok.
The Burgers look great, what a good idea- so much quicker than making a bunch of patties :)

Chicago Mom said...

I am glad to hear your daughter is okay! I would have assumed my kid was just being pouty too.
Why is it that anything in mini from is cute? :) Love those little burgers!
A store near us has toasted coconut marshmallows, but the chocolate swirl ones sound better.

Denise said...

Sliders are a favorite of mine. These look very tasty. Thank goodness she is okay, this heat is getting to everyone, but its still better than snow.

Kathy said...

What a fantastic idea with the burgers! I do make meatloaf in a square pan and then make sandwiches from the leftovers, but burgers hmmm...great idea! I have never seen the marshmallows. We have only the white.

So scary when things happen to the kids! My daughter had siezures when she was little and it has been quite a while since she had one, but I still look at her closely, just waiting for one. Glad your daughter is fine!

thamesarino said...

super scary event... I get easily overwhelmed with the heat and we have been having WAY too many ozone alert days here at home too. Do you get those... where they tell you the air quality is so yucky you have to stay inside, if you're young, old, or sensitive... they are a huge drag... and it is the high humidity that does it... anyway, I'm glad she's ok!
The burgers just made me hungry at 11:20 pm... they look so tasty! I'm imagining mine is the one with blue cheese dressing? mmmmm! great idea for making fast burgers! : )

Purple Flowers said...

Glad to hear your daughter is fine. It was probably heat exhaustion.
I like the mini burgers that you made - they look like fun to make and eat.
I love me a toasted marshmallow. Your family seems to have alot of fun - I think it's great!

glovin said...

What a fantastic idea with the burgers and it is the high humidity that does it... anyway, I'm glad

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