In Close Range

I just made my uncle a monster of a calzone. As usual, I made a mess of the kitchen as I was assembling this masterpiece. Flour on the counter tops, with sprinklings of cheese scattered around. But the mess isI always worth seeing my uncle enjoy this delightful dinner.

While the doughy ball of goodness was baking in the oven, I was heating up some sauce on the stove. Since I was continually checking on the calzone in between stirring the sauce, I had my pot holder handy. As I stirred the sauce with the wooden spoon, I held the pot holder in my other hand a tad to close to the range. I would have never known this except for the fact that the pot holder went up in flames. I'd love to tell you more than anything that I have a picture of the flowery pot holder spitting flames, but I was a too preoccupied running it under water to snap a picture.

Surprisingly, with the size of the flame, the pot holder had very little damage. Just a singed corner. The smell of the burntness however, could lead one to believe the entire residence was in danger. Luckily, my quick thinking, blowing air, and dousing in water smothered the smell before it spread too far.

You would have thought this near ashy occurance would have been a setback. But, I forged ahead and finished cooking my magnificent meal. The best looking, and in my uncle's opinion, best tasting calzone of my career. I marveled in my new found cooking glory as he savored each and every bite. I actually felt guilty that I had created my best calzone for my uncle and not Jeff. He sure loves calzones!

That vision of beauty and the spectacle of watching it being eaten, were well worth the near burning of a beautiful home!