Natertot Casserole

With the weather randomly changing seasons every other day in Seattle, I was feeling the need for comfort food. My comfort food generally is either Italian or something white trash. Nothing says: "Welcome home to your single wide" quite like tatertots.

Natertot Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
3 cups frozen tater tots
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (You can use any "Cream of..." soup)
1 can green beans, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
Minced Herbs to taste (I used fresh thyme and sage from my garden, but anything savory works)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 package shredded cheese (I used a Swiss and Gruyere mix this time, but cheddar is traditional)

1. Sweat onion using a little olive oil until translucent. Turn heat to medium, add herbs and garlic, heating until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add beef and brown.
2. Transfer meat mixture into a shallow 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle about half the shredded cheese over the meat mixture. Add green beans. Cover meat, cheese and green beans with undiluted soup. Top with a single layer of tater tots. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese over tater tots.
3. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.

Coffee-Marinated Beef Tenderloin Steaks

I made this last Sunday as an impromptu "candlelight supper". I didn't have a tenderloin so used some mid-quality bacon wrapped sirloin medallions from Costco. The previous ones from the pack had been tough so I moistened both sides of the steaks with white vinegar to help tenderize them and then marinated them for about 7 hours, turning every hour. I really liked the flavor and the steaks were much more tender this round! I served with steamed new potatoes (chicken broth, rosemary, bay leaf).

Coffee-Marinated Beef Tenderloin Steaks
Cooking Light: Fresh Food, Fast Weeknight Meals, Oxmoor House 2010

1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1/2 inch thick)
Cooking spray

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steaks; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 8 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Prepare grill.
3. Remove steaks from marinade, discarding marinade. Place steaks on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 2 minutes on each side or until desired degrees of doneness.

Chocolate-Swirl Gingerbread

I could have sworn I had previously posted this recipe, but maybe I just talked about it before. Either way, this is a super yummy gingerbread from Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food: From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living" cookbook, of which I am quite fond.

Chocolate-Swirl Gingerbread

Makes: 18-inch cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square pan. In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cloves.
2. Melt the butter in 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir the mixture into the dry ingredients until smooth. Stir in the molasses and lightly beaten egg.
3. Pour half the batter into the pre-pared pan. With a spoon, drizzle half the chocolate over the batter. Pour the remaining batter on top, and drizzle the remaining chocolate over the batter in a decorative pattern.
4. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Drizzling the chocolate: Using a squeeze bottle is an easy way to drizzle chocolate over cake batter.