The Sandlot
The Sandlot– a perfect movie for when it’s too hot to go outside and all you want is baseball themed junk food. If I can’t be as active as I was when I was a kid, at least I can still eat like one?
I always think of The Sandlot as the 1993 “middle child” between Stand By Me and Now and Then. And the “parents” are Field of Dreams and A League of Her Own. It works right? Set in early 1960’s California, the film follows puny goofus Scotty Smalls as he awkwardly acclimates to a new town and a new dad. Luckily, local kid hero Benny “the Jet” Rodriguez takes Scotty under his wing and intros him to his teammates– a motley crew of smack talking boys obsessed with all things baseball and the neighborhood sandlot on which they play. Fun times are had and, aside from projectile vomiting and the face rape of Wendy Peffercorn, everything seems to go swimmingly. That is, until Scotty gets the group into a real big pickle. What follows is an epic “quest” to secure a priceless baseball taken by the BEAST (that is, COLOSSAL dog) next door. And then, of course, there’s a really cool cameo at the end… but I won’t spoil it.
All this to say, if you’re over 30 and you haven’t seen The Sandlot, YOU’RE KILLIN’ ME SMALLS! You probably mix your wheaties with your mamas toe jam! Either way, welcome– you’re going to laugh a lot, maybe shed a happy tear, and definitely start craving s’mores. We’ll see if you have any room though after the massive hot dog and shoestring fries…
PLAY BALL!
The Movie
The Menu
A far better idea than chaw-- but still unwise to consume before getting on the Tilt-A-Whirl... Start by grilling your lime slices over high heat in a griddle pan. When you get a few nice griddle lines on one side, flip over and grill the other side (the process should take about 4 minutes all in). Set aside. Mix roughly 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper and 1/2 tsp salt on a flat plate. Moisten the rim of your chosen glasses with a bit of lime juice, and press the rims down into the pepper salt-- rotate a few times to ensure a solid coating, adding more pepper and/or salt as needed. Repeat with your other glass and set aside. In a cocktail shaker, mix all remaining ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into your glasses with more ice, and serve! Super delicious, and highly unlikely to cause you to upchuck (unless you're dumb and don't know your limits). A Herculean sized hot dog(s) with ingredients for each of our fave kid players! This ain't no LZ weenie. You got a Dodger Dog (for Benny) sandwiched inside a quarter pound Nathan's famous NYC beef frank (Babe Ruth's fave), laid on some stretchy melted yellow cheese for gum chewing Yeah-Yeah, pickle relish for Scotty Smalls (who is ALWAYS in a damn pickle), caramelized peppercorn onions for Peffercorn loving Squints, two kinds of mustard for Tommy and Timmy "repeat" Simmons, crumbled bacon for Hamilton "Ham" Porter, sliced hot chilis for Kenny who always brings the heat, and finally-- nothing at all for Bertram. 'Cause he got real into the 60's and no one ever saw him again... Add in a side of air fried PF Flyer extra dirty shoestring fries and you'll be full for FOR-EV-VOR. FOR-EV-VOR. FOR-EEEEV-VOOOOR. Rinse and dry your potato(es) and slice with a mandolin into thin strips using the 1/8 inch blade. Preheat your air fryer to 380. Toss your potato strips with spices and 1 tsp of canola oil-- place in preheated fryer basket, making sure not to crowd them too much (you can fry in batches if you need to). Air fry each batch for roughly 8 minutes, tossing every few minutes to ensure your shoestrings don't burn. Once crisped and golden, remove to a parchment lined cookie sheet and add more salt to taste. Keep warm while you preheat your oven to 375 and prep your dogs. Begin by thinly slicing your 1/2 onion (WEAR PROTECTIVE EYEWARE IF NECESSARY SQUINTS). Toss with remaining oil, add a couple of hefty cranks of ground peppercorn, and heat over medium low in a small nonstick skillet. Cover tightly, allowing your onions to caramelize over the course of 20 or so minutes. While you wait, gather the rest of your hot dog ingredients! We're going to be authentic here, grilling your Dodger Dogs while you slowly boil/steam your gargantuan beef franks. Layer your two slices of cheese inside your hot dog bun and bake for just a few minutes to let the cheese melt. Once your dogs are ready, slice your beef frank almost in half, and set your Dodger Dog inside. Lay inside your melty cheesy bun, and add pickle relish to one side, caramelized onion to the other side of your dogs. Top with a drizzle of each kind of mustard, and sprinkle your bacon crumbles and sliced chilis over top. Serve with shoestring fries and ketchup on the side, and hope you can fit it all inside your mouth because it's GD GOOD. In honor of the the Great Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, The Titan of Terror, the Colossus of Clout, the King of Crash! And childhood 🙂 On an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet, lay out your graham crackers broken into squares, and top alternately with Baby Ruth bars and marshmallows. Set your broiler to low and broil, closely monitoring to make sure nothing burns. When good and toasty, smush together and do as "Ham" Hamilton instructs-- you SCARF.
Smoky TeQUIIIILA Margaritas
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"The Beast" with pf flyer shoestring fries (extra dirty)
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Babe-y Ruth S'mores
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Epilogue
Wondering where the kids of The Sandlot are now? Here ya go!
Be forewarned though, some of it’s bleak. So maybe look at this cute real life Hercules instead.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!