Zucchini Tomato Gratin

I haven't met very many snooty foodies. I actually, haven't met very many foodies. Sure, I see them on TV, read about them in magazines, and look at their cookbooks. Acting like they are too good for the ingredients available at the grocery store, and implying that everyone should be able to drop $120 on lobster to mix into some pasta for a summer lunch. They throw around phrases nobody understands, and flaunt French like they were born doing it. It's fun to watch for a little while, then it starts getting old. I love reading about food, different cultures, and how food brings people together. I don't, however, love reading about surfers and chefs summering at their beach houses, catching fresh fish and foraging for wild herbs in a weekend vacation that would have paid to feed half the population in Cambodia. I believe in efficiency in the kitchen. That means I am not going to spend $25 on a random ingredient just because a celebrity chef acts like I can't live without it.
Don't get me wrong. I am a foodie. I read everything I can get my hands on about food. Not about celebrity chefs,

Sloppy Joe's and the Boyfriend

You know when you have one of those days. It's really long, really tiring, and instead of just getting a pizza or something, you dutifully head to the kitchen. Or, you decide what you are going to make on your way home from the very long day, but you need a few things from the grocery store. Then, while you are at the grocery store, with three little monkeys hanging on you, your sister calls, and asks if Boyfriend can come over. Sure. Why not. So, you buy another package of ground beef, to make the meal stretch, and another bag of chips, to go with salsa. Forty minutes later, leaving the store, your sister tells you Boyfriend's not coming. Ok, you can put the beef in the freezer.
You get home and start cooking. There's a text message from your sister:  Boyfriend is coming. Fine. Start cooking. Chopping veggies while 6-year-old Boy is freaking out because his video game isn't working. Mommy fixes it. Trying to put a load in the dishwasher while 2-year-old Boy is screaming at you because he doesn't want the yogurt you're trying to feed him, he wants whats cooking on the stove. Buttering bread. 3-year-old Boy is chanting, "I need milk. I need milk. I need milk.", while spinning figure eights in the kitchen.
It all comes to a head when dinner takes longer than you think, and after it's all said and done, Boyfriend doesn't want to eat. You narrow your eyes, wondering if he's not who he pretends to be. Then consider smashing his face into the plate of food, but realize that may not be the best choice. Instead you scrape all the extra meat you made into a container for the fridge, and call it a night. Sound familiar?
 


Sloppy Joe's

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper. Cook until soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook meat until browned (about 10 to 12 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Lower heat back to medium and add the tomato sauce, paste, ketchup, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is thick (15 to 30 minutes).

Season with salt and pepper and serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Have a little leftover? Make sloppy joe nachos with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Yum Yum!

Pomegranate Mustard Pork Chops

During the warmer days of late spring, when we are tempted to laze about outside with a cool drink and let the children play in the shade, nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen 'slaving' over a hot stove to yield a delicious roast or a stew. We crave light dishes with bright flavors and minimal effort, usually with a bit a healthy spin to try and counter act the excessive eating we have been doing during the previous, cooler months. What's funny about the meals during these months, is that they don't generate the hype that those comfort foods do.