4:20 Tomato

There's nothing worse than standing in front of the fridge after school pick-ups and knowing there is no way I'm going to talk myself into a salad while I prep some yummy little snack for the children.

This is coffee time. This is treat time. This is when every attempt I make to eat well shrivels and dies while the romaine stares sadly at me from the crisper. My vegetables grow more limp and lifeless each day as I grab the eggs and bake something . . . with sugar in it. Cause let's face it, when it's raining outside, sweet and warm is the only way to go.

I'm usually still sipping on the pot of coffee I start for my husband in the morning- so coffee is a given. Unless I've developed a bad case of the coffee shakes, like I did earlier this week.

Caffine was off the table. Sugar only exasperates the tremors so a batch of cookies or scones was out too.

Standing sadly in my kitchen, looking longingly at my percolator and jar of flour, I noticed a once beautiful tomato that screamed at me, "It's now or never!"

So I . . .

1. Cranked up the broiler,

2. Cut off the top of the tomato (since it was the part that looked past prime), drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled it with Kosher salt and a bit of pepper, plopped it face up on some foil and slid it onto the top rack. After about 8 minutes (I wasn't timing it, just keeping my eye on it), the tomato skin was getting bubbled and wrinkly and the top looked as if it was ready to burn if I left it any longer.

3. I sprinkled a pinch of parmesan over the top and replace the tomato under the broiler for just a minute more 'til the cheese was melted and bubbly.

Holding the slightly cooled tomato in my hand, I ate it like a muffin. Warm, cheesy, tomato-ey perfection.

The protein in the cheese banished the shakes. The warmth of working over the oven along with the warm treat satisfied my hot hunger. The slight sweetness of the broiled tomato was just enough to slate my sweet tooth.

As I sat, tomato in hand, looking over my seed packets and garden plans, I decided to pencil in a few more large variety tomatoes. I already know what I'm going to do with them!