From the pages of a girly magazine

Hubby and I were recently off on yet another motorcycling adventure.  So, there we were cruising along with me taking up the rear, when he pointed with his toe at some debris lying in the middle of the road.  Thanks to his considerate  heads-up toe alert I missed it.  




As I passed it . . . a simple magazine splayed open with pages fluttering in the breeze . . . a childhood memory came flooding into my mind.  Yup, just like that.

When I was a kid I lived in the sticks of Pennsylvania on a mountain called Blue Knob.  My summer days were spent riding my bicycle, exploring the mountains and taking long walks.  If I was lucky enough to have a buck or two burning a hole in my pocket . . . a rare occasion to be sure . . . and it was a particularly hot day I would make the half mile trek up the road to Marie's Store to get a Nutty Buddy.

Marie's Store  was one of two little stores on the mountain that sold penny candy, staples and other stuff at higher than average prices.  It was either pay their prices or drive 25 miles to the nearest town.  Sometimes it was a no brainer.


The walk to Marie's . . . who happened to be the grandmother of my future brother-in-law . . . was short.  On a really, really hot day the heat would bake off the pavement smelling of the fresh tar and shale they lay down every year. 

One day, as I was walking to get my rare ice cream treat, something unusual caught my attention as I passed by the long grass and weeds growing alongside the road.  On further inspection, I discovered it was a magazine . . . the paper wrinkled and brittle from exposure to the elements.  Curious, I pulled it out with a stick to inspect it further.  As I flipped through the pages I was shocked to discover the pages were filled with dirty pictures . . .  I was 7 or 9 at the time.  My first exposure to pornography was a 70's era soft porn magazine filled with half naked women splayed out on muscle cars.  




Slightly shocked but not particularly effected, I continued on my way.  I loved those Nutty Buddy's and was a really hot day.


The funny thing is that it had apparently made some sort of impact because 35 years later that recollection poured into my brain while I cruising along on my motorcycle on a beautiful summer day . . . not unlike the one when I found that girly magazine so many many years ago.

Tube Steak Patty Melt . . . Cheesedog Cheeseburger  . . . or . . . Hot Dog Stuffed Cheeseburger

(makes one burger . . . more than enough for a hearty appetite)

1 Premium Hot Dog

1 Mozzarella String Cheese Sticks

12 Ounces Quality Ground Beef

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Season beef with a couple teaspoons of Tony’s and mix well. Separate the beef into two equal sized patties about ½ inch thick.

Split the hot dog and brown in a bit of butter in a skillet.  Place the hot dog in the middle of a patty and place string mozzarella cheese on top of the hot dog.  

Press the edges of the beef so the meat fully covers the hot dog. Firmly form the meat around the hot dog and tightly.

Grill for about 8 minutes on each side . . . or 10 minutes total on a Forman Grill like I do.  This is not a burger you want under cooked . . . and that’s saying something from a person who likes her meat to moo when I cut into it. 

Serve on a Kaiser roll topped with American cheese and your favorite condiments.  A burger that eats like a 3 course meal.