I’m guessing everyone punked out because of Labor Day, the one month I finally DON’T punk out. There’s a real O. Henry vibe going on here lately.
I went with a peach-glazed chicken with peach, tomato and corn salad. As for the rest of you punks:
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A Little Greener Every Day returns to the fray with some southern pulled pork and cole slaw. All the more impressive because it was made with pork loin, a lean cut and not traditionally used for pulled pork. Well played!
Which we all know is right up my alley, because pork, but will serve as this month’s Cautionary Tale: these things have themes, yes? Yes. Unless I’m mistaken and cabbage is a fruit, in which case I apologize.
Anyway, I have to disqualify non-theme-followers from Smugness Prize running, even while I drool over the pulled pork. Thank god I’m in North Carolina, where I can easily satisfy the pork craving I now have.
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A Form of Function essentially tells the Supreme Court to SHOVE IT with some tasty-sounding spicy roasted eggplant with tomatoes and cilantro. Yes, her fruit is the tomato. You can decide for yourselves whether you choose to view this as a cop-out or not; I am merely the messenger.
There are, sadly, no photos, so you’ll have to go read the post. Which you really need to do because this sounds damn good, even for a non-eggplant fan. Total cost: $1.74 per person.
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Dark Side of the Fridge is also disqualified from this month’s Smugness Prize because they’re so fucking cheap that they’ve won twenty thousand months in a row. Still, that doesn’t stop them from playing.
This month, as though to rub our noses in it, they see how close they can come to $5 with this salad-y thing with peaches and tomatoes (fruit?) and pecans and buttercrunch lettuce and it looks delicious with the roasty peaches even if I’m not 100% sure what it is.
Thank god they’re disqualified, because at $2.46 per person, it’s almost like they’re one of the rest of us.
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Just Emily made tacos, so I officially love her because tacos are one of my favorite foods. Steak, with a melon-y, minty, cucumber-y, peppery salsa that looks as refreshing as it sounds. Plus, the london broil was marinated in, among other things, ginger beer and sriracha so: yay. Also: you’re welcome for dinner any time, assuming you’re cooking dinner.
She also – FANFARE! – is this month’s Smugness Prize winner, with her dish clocking in at $1.20 per person.
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Thanks, everyone, for playing this month! Just Emily, enjoy your month of being smug, and let us know what we’re cooking up next month.
The first Tuesday in October is the 6th.
Thursday Night Smackdown 
Woot! I’m sick right now so I’ll stop by soon once I’m back to full brain capacity for a theme for next month.
As for dinner, I’d love to cook for ya. I’m in Brooklyn, you’re in Jersey, we could make it work.
Oh, Little Green, you should have said something . . . I’m sitting over here with a quarter bushel of peaches – I’d have been happy to share!
I made a calzone-looking thing with leftover pulled pork and apples. Never had time to write the post, and it wasn’t very good anyway. See y’all next month.
Since unemployed, any small task I’m given, my brain goes into full throttle. So, for next month, here’s what I came up with:
It’s time to bastardize your two (or more) favorite cuisines! The ever popular, mostly outdated fusion cooking style is the challenge. Be creative or play it safe (Indian-Thai), just don’t be a jackass serving falafel in a taco shell.