Fewer Than The Dirty Thirty!

Finally rested up, I jumped out of bed and fed the puppies, but SHOULD have had three cups of coffee instead.  Little did I know, I was going to need it!

If you've ever belonged to a club, you know there's one small group of people who do everything.  Such is the case at the Elks Lodge.  The Dirty Thirty do everything.  Several actually get paid for their services.  Not so for me.

I pulled up in my truck just in time to get loaded up with all the supplies to make hotdogs and hamburgers for the Relay For Life Cancer Walk.  I was very excited because there would be NO pasta making this time.

Three of us hooked up the barbecue and headed off to the college track.  Lucky for us, the weather was perfect.  We had a contest throwing the charcoal bags into the bbq, to see who could make the most dust.  POOF and it erupted in a ball of fire

In no time, the burgers were on the grill, after we made an emergency call for scrapers and brushes to CLEAN the grill.  I never said we knew what we were doing!!  I ducked in the tent to set up the cafeteria line.  Upon my return to the BBQ, the men were watching flames shoot two feet high, burning the burgers to a nice golden black.  I grabbed a bottle of water and started dousing.  Burgers saved.

Put burger in bun and place in pan ..... repeat.  By then, the walkers were coming by grabbing them as fast as I could put them together.

There just wasn't enough help.  Four of us fed 260 people, not counting the four dogs that bit the dust, along with three burgers that fell down into the fire.  Like I said, we aren't pros!!  

I loaded up the excess stuff and headed back to the lodge to pick up dinner fixings.  This was a fun distraction.  The Highway Patrol brought their little helicopter out just for kicks.  What fun to see it take off just feet away.

Back at the lodge, the dinner chicken pieces went in the oven under the watchful eye of the Sheriff.  He's our number one barbecue and food specialist.  Unlike me, Verne makes GOOD FOOD.  He instantly conscripted me into onion cutting.  

No, I didn't tell him about my knife skills.  I just started cutting up onions ... 17 of them to be exact.  Want to know something funny?  I had my dark sunglasses on and breathed through my mouth the entire time.  I shed not ONE tear.  Amazing, right?  All those onions went in with the 14 cans of beans, three pounds of garlic (oooooh the garlic), chorizo and beef and some special spices.

These guys mixed and stirred until their arms fell off.  Then came the big test of my driving skills.  Two huge square super heavy pots were covered with foil and even heavier lids, then placed in the back of my truck.  I had a bet going about spillage.  There would be zero if I was careful.  

Except for two drips down the side due to the railroad tracks, I made it with not one drop in the back of my truck.  

Once settled in at the college again, we spent the next hour loading salad into baggies.  It's much easier to give out and it stays fresh, ready for the packet of dressing.  We loaded up clamshell containers with chicken, cups of beans, salad, rolls, butter and dressing and stacked them for the crowds.  

We were up to five helpers altogether and STILL couldn't keep up.  Luckily, in the end, we gave out the very last piece of chicken.  There were maybe a gallon of beans left.  We couldn't have done it better if we tried.

I limped back to the lodge, dropped off everything to those that clean (it wasn't going to be me .... I'd been on my feet all day) and headed home.  I was met by two very happy puppies.

It's a two advil morning before I crash on the couch, probably for the duration of the day.  Next time I'm hijacking at least two more people to join the Dirty Thirty.