Food

By STEWART SMITH
Entertainment Editor

"The Sandlot" is one of those films that just plain works.

It probably shouldn't, but it does. Children are often notoriously difficult to work with, to say nothing of actually getting performances out of them that aren't horribly cringe-inducing. So when you've got a movie like "The Sandlot" that is eternally watchable, endlessly quotable and features solid performances from most of your pre-teen cast, well, you've got a pretty great kids movie.

Yes, it might be the nostalgia talking -- "The Sandlot" was one of those movies I watched ad infinitum as a kid -- but having just recently revisited the film with a much more critical eye, it still holds up. I think a lot of it has to do with the simplicity of the story which is, at its core, about Scotty Smalls, a new kid in town who just wants to fit in so he steals his dad's baseball -- which he has no clue that it's signed by THE Babe Ruth -- so he and the neighborhood guys can play ball together. And, naturally, the ball gets eaten by The Beast, a dog of near-mythic proportions (or so the boys think, anyway). So of course the gang does what any kids in their situation would do to get the ball back: everything but go knock on the door. What follows is a string of often hilarious attempts to retrieve said ball.

What makes this so great, though, is that the wacky attempts at retrieving the ball only take up the last third of the film. Where a lot of kids films would spend the majority of their runtime focusing on the wacky hijinks surrounding the ball retrieval, "The Sandlot" takes its time getting there. We spend most of the film getting to know these kids and their world. And make no mistake, the sandlot is its own world for these boys, a world where they talk like they want, play ball like they want and absolutely nothing else matters other than making sure they have enough baseballs to keep playing the game.

This is what I love so much about "The Sandlot." Yes, some portions of it are pretty exaggerated, but the movie as a whole feels genuine. So much of "The Sandlot" just rings true, especially in its portrayal of adolescent boys: their banter, their hesitant acceptance of a kid who can't play as well as they can, their obsession with the game, the way they talk. Especially the way they talk. I've heard some parents complain about some of the language the boys use, but, well that's just how boys of that age talk. They like to act grown up, and to an adolescent boy, nothing feels more grown up than tossing out a curse word or two on occasion.

But an accurate depiction of young boys in summer isn't why you're kids will enjoy it. They'll enjoy it because it's funny. These kids have a great chemistry together and it genuinely feels like they've been friends for years, so not only do the character parts feel solid, the comedy flows easily from them as they quip and trade barbed insults back and forth. It's also endlessly quotable. My friends and I still routinely spout the line, "You're killing me, Smalls!" in moments of exasperation and toss out "You play ball like a girl!" or "He's an L, 7 weenie!" as spurious insults. I could go on, but it's almost guaranteed your kids will have a few new catchphrases in their lexicon after watching this.

"The Sandlot" is one of those rare films that still holds up from my childhood, but that's largely because the filmmakers realized that focusing on character instead of crazy kiddie hijinks makes for a more lasting movie. Anyone looking for a light, fun flick to help kick off the start of baseball season with their kids over spring break need look no further.

Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

1 pound Rotisserie-style chicken, shredded
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
24 fajita-sized flour tortillas
2 cups smoked Gouda cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup of Ranch salad dressing
½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Pineapple Pico de Gallo (see recipe below)

FOR PINEAPPLE PICO DE GALLO:
1/4 cup small diced Roma tomato
1/4 cup small diced red onion
1/4 cup small diced pineapple
1 jalapeno, minced (no seeds)
1/2 lime, juiced
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Toss chicken with 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce. Set aside. Place one flour tortilla on your kitchen work surface, and top with 2 tablespoons each of your cheeses, one slice of red onion, and enough chicken to cover. Cover with another flour tortilla. Repeat with all tortillas. Brush one side of each quesadilla with oil. Grill in skillet or griddle (oil-side down) until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. While browning, brush alternate side of tortilla lightly with oil. Flip and grill for 1-2 minutes. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Place on serving platter and serve with pineapple pico de gallo and homemade Barbecue Ranch dressing, made from 1 cup of Ranch salad dressing mixed with ½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.
To make the pineapple pico de gallo, Combine all ingredients and mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving. Makes 3/4 cup.

Easy Black Bean Nachos

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can Ranch-Style black beans
1 regular package shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 bag round corn tortilla chips
Sour cream
Salsa

Directions

Drain half the liquid from black beans. Pour into a food processor and run for 30 seconds, until almost pureed. Place air tight container. Spoon two teaspoons of beans onto each chip. Top with 2 teaspoons of shredded cheese. Microwave at 75-percent power for 35-45 seconds. Serve with sour cream and salsa for topping.

Sand Cake

Ingredients

1 large package Golden Oreos, crushed in blender or food processor to look like sand
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small packages French vanilla instant pudding prepared according to directions
16 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
Gummie worms

Directions

Beat cream cheese with butter. Blend cream cheese mixture with pudding. Fold in Cool Whip. Alternate layers of Oreo “sand” and pudding mixture. Layer in children’s sand pail, ending with Oreo crumbs (5 Oreo layers, 4 pudding layers). Add gummie worms as desired throughout the cake. Use a toy shovel to serve from sand pail. Can be made the night before. Serves 12.

Updated Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 12:20 p.m. CST

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