I read an article in some magazine (Food and Wine, I think it was) about a guy who challeneged himself to cook for a week without going to the grocery store (and he didn’t do a huge stock-up before that week). He just wanted to use the things he had on hand with a lot of creativity. I don’t know if I could do it for a whole week, but I did it last night, and it turned out great.

How to make what I had:

GLAZED PORK LOIN WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES

• 1 pork loin (I had half of one in the freezer, which is plenty for two people; chicken, turkey, or duck would work too, though I am not one to keep a duck lying around. I would eat that bad boy as soon as possible!)
• Vegetables suitable for grilling (I used red bell peppers and mushrooms, which I had in the crisper)
• Olive oil (always around)
• Kosher salt, freshly-ground pepper (always around)
• Jam (apricot would work; I used cherry-rhubarb No Pants Jam that I made a week or so ago)
• 2 large garlic cloves (always around)
• Cayenne pepper, jalapeño, or chipotle pepper (I found a sad-looking little chipotle in my garlic drawer, so I used that)
• Rice or bread or whatever, optional

1. Prepare the vegetables. Cut them into grill-suitable pieces; I just stem and seed the peppers and cut them in half the long way, so they’re unlikely to fall through the grill grates. I skewered the mushrooms on the skewers from the grill kit Ruby got me (thanks, Roob!). Brush with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Make your boyfriend go grill the vegetables. If you don’t have a boyfriend, improvise. Options include doing it yourself, recruiting a friend or neighbor, or just standing there crying until someone does it for you. I don’t recommend the crying method. It makes you look like a wuss.
3. While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the pork loin. Make sure it’s fully thawed, and trim any visible fat.
4. Make the glaze. Mince the garlic and hot pepper finely. They’re not going to get much cooking time, so they need to have as much surface area as possible. In a bowl, combine a glug of olive oil (maybe a tablespoon or so), the minced garlic and pepper, about half a cup of jam (microwave it for a bit if it’s too solid), a teaspoon or so of salt, and lots of freshly-ground pepper.
5. Get the veggies from the grill. Put them in a 200-degree oven to keep warm.
6. Grill the pork loin. Go about 5 or 6 minutes per side on a medium-hot grill. Brush it generously with glaze on all sides during the last few minutes of cooking.
7. Bring the pork inside and tent it with foil. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.
8. Arrange the vegetables artfully on the plate. This looks nicest if you use the plates your wonderful friend Sarah gave you as a wedding gift, but since you are not yet married, you obviously wouldn’t be so gauche as to do that.
9. Aw, hell, use the plates. Sarah isn’t stuck up like that.
10. Slice the pork into very thin slices. Fan them out on the plates over the vegetables. Garnish with the remaining sauce. Serve with rice or bread, if desired.

Yum. I wish we hadn’t gobbled it up so there would be leftovers. That would make a really good sandwich.