So much cooking, so little blogging

Holiday season is upon us which means lots of extra cooking and baking, as well as parties and visits and travel. I have tried a few new things that I will share with you over the next few weeks, and I am looking forward to trying even more new dishes and treats for Christmas. In the meantime, I've been trying to keep weeknight dinners easy, quick, and tasty (as usual).

For this meal, I marinated some beef then seared it in a frying pan. I served it with mashed potatoes and asparagus roasted with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Marinade
(adapted from Cooking Light's Marinated Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Ragout)

• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Note: The original recipe called for baking the steak - I cooked it on the stove top instead. I also omitted the onion and mushroom ragout for the sake of time. Instead, I boiled down the marinade to thicken it and spooned it over the steak.