Chapter 57

Present – Ben, Mabel and Thom – Ben starts to prepare the hamburgers, Mabel makes the potato salad.

I take one of the knives and begin to dice the onions. Mabel asks, “Ben what are you doing?”

I reply, “I add diced onions and barbeque sauce to the hamburgers when I cook them.”

Mabel smiles and says, “I see you’ve diced some onions in your time.”

She says that because she watched as I first halved the onion then I put the onion flat on the cutting board and made slices almost through to the bottom of the onion, then I turned the knife parallel to the cutting board and sliced through the onion leaving it nicely diced.

I reply, “I learned this trick from a video on the Internet and it works great.”

She says, “Well, you make it look easier than it usually is.” Mabel continues, “Well I need to get going on the potato salad, do you have a big pot for the potatoes?”

I reply, “When the dishwasher finishes you will have your big pot.”

Mabel remarks, “Ben, we need to make an inventory of all the cookware here because I might need more.”

I agree, “I’m not sure how long we’re going to be feeding this many people but I’m sure we will if it keeps going.”

Mabel asks, “So Ben are you going to grill the hamburgers?”

I smile and reply, “Of course - anything else would be an insult to a hamburger.”

Mabel laughs at my comment and says, “I hope you have a big grill.”

I reply, “Of course I do I made sure to have one built when the cabin was remodeled.”

I finish with the onions then pull a big mixing bowl out of the cupboard. I wash the hell out of my hands and even use hand sanitizer on them. Next I toss the onions in the bottom of the mixing bowl, add a healthy amount of barbeque sauce, take the meat out of its packages and dump it in the mixing bowl. I remark, “This is great meat and should make wonderful burgers.”

I take some of the eggs, add them to the mixture and Mabel comments, “I bet those are so the burgers don’t fall apart.”

I reply, “That’s right. If you don’t use them then the patties fall apart on the grill.”

The dishwasher is finished so I open the door, dry the pot and ask Mabel, “Where would you like this.”

Mabel replies, “Let’s fill it from the instant hot water spigot and then put it on the stove. I will finish scrubbing the potatoes and cook them.”

I take the big pot to the sink, fill it from the instant hot water spigot then put it on the stove. Mabel comes over and throws several large handfuls of salt into the pot, turns on the stove and returns to scrubbing the potatoes.

I clean my hands again then I dig into the mixing bowl with both hands. It doesn’t take long until the meat is ready. I clean my hands again and then I move to the work island, and cover most of it with wax paper. I grab my patty maker out of the drawer and begin to make the patties and place them on the wax paper.

Mabel remarks, “That’s a handy gadget.”