Let’s Call It Southwestern Gratin

I’ve joined NaNoWriMo this year with goal of completing the task during the onset of many gray days in Seattle, a sort of pick-me-up as I go along while the season gnaws at my will. 50,000 words in November. A new novel, approximately 200 pages, and, for me, it is the first draft of one of the novels I’ve delayed writing for years. I write prolifically and have done since a young age, mostly at my own pace, but being on deadline has always worked as motivation.

3 layers of potatoes, 2 layers of mixed treasure

I need to have healthier food readily available because writing at this pace requires hours of concentration and I don’t want to interrupt the flow to cook. Looking in the fridge last night, I saw these things and decided a layered southwestern gratin would suit for several meals. Buttered bread crumbs and a bit more cheese sprinkled around, some chipotle and garlic pepper on the decorative tomatoes with the milk-and-cream-and-green-chili sauce underneath is all it took. Crispy, creamy, spicy.

Crunchy-topped, perfect gratin. Now I’m ready for some more writing and some football! University of Washington Huskies and some Alabama Crimson Tide tonight and some Seattle Seahawks tomorrow, snow or not.