Is it July already? My, how time flies when you're busy spreading aloe on your sunburn and picking charred bits of fireworks cardboard out of the zucchini patch.

Anyway. For those of you who celebrated the Fourth of July I hope the day was a haze of happiness, as only a holiday dedicated to freedom, beer and (irony!) chips and salsa can be. For those of you who had, uh, Tuesday, I hope it was similarly lovely.

Last night as I put dinner on the table I realized that I had once again committed one of my most hated culinary crimes. Specifically, everything I had prepared so lovingly was a shade of white - the mahi mahi, the orzo, the sauteed (peeled) squash and onions, the sourdough bread. Ugh. A delicious dinner, sure, but not terribly appetizing on the whole and quite disappointing. The looks of food go a long way in our enjoyment and a tasty meal that is also beautiful is much nicer than one without visual interest.

So, yes, recent rants notwithstanding, I am not perfect cooking-wise. Last night's dinner was wonderful for ease and quickness of preparation. But in my zeal to make something nice and simple - but also nutritious and yummy - on a busy, hot day I somehow lost track of another food virtue that I hold dear. Ah, well. Tonight I'm making nachos with seasoned meat and refried beans left over from Wednesday, as well as the garden's first tomatoes and jalapeños.

Nachos make a great quick meal, especially on a mid-summer night when you'd kind of rather go out to eat (and would probably order nachos) but won't because there's a long vacation coming up and you're trying to save money in the face of $3.50/gallon gas. Plus, although not super good for you, they can be made more healthful by adding lots of tomatoes and black beans, being somewhat moderate on the cheese and subbing drained plain yogurt for the sour cream. Nachos have the added benefit of making my kids (and, lets be honest, Brainiac) think that they've gotten away with something, dinner-wise. Here's how I do mine:

Spread a bag of white tortilla chips on a 9 X 13 rimmed cookie sheet/jelly roll pan. Top chips with seasoned ground beef (leftover from tacos, say), refried beans, chili, drained canned black beans - or some combination. On top of the beans and meat, sprinkle diced tomatoes and finely sliced jalapeños (you can also use pickled jalapeño slices), finely diced red onion and a few spoons of salsa and finally grated cheese - I use a combination of cheddar and monteray jack - use what you like and melts well). Cook in a very hot oven (say, preheated to 400) just until the cheese has melted - any longer and the chips could get soggy. When done, place the entire pan in the center of the table (on top of several tea towels laid down for protection), along with bowls of more salsa, drained plain yogurt* and guacamole.

* The yogurt doesn't strictly have to be drained, but doing so makes it seem a little more sour creamish. I drain mine in a paper towel lined mesh strainer for about 20 minutes while I prepare and cook the nachos. There are special draining tools you can buy for this job, but they seem kind of pointless to me when they can be replicated so easily and cheaply.