Steak nights are an occasion at our house, a meal that typically happens on Saturday night. Firing up the grill for steaks is a celebratory event engrained from childhood, when my grandfather would splurge on massive T-bones, fry potatoes and onions, haul out the horseshoes and douse a pile of coals with lighter fluid (a tradition I have not adopted). Serving your people, “a nice, big steak,” is a reward for a productive week of work, and a way to savor the slower pace of weekends.

On Saturdays, I don’t give much thought to rounding out the meal (a salad and grilled toasts suffice as supporting players). The meat is the main event, so I seek out the best cuts from my local market. For me, that means a well-marbled cut, dry-aged steak sourced from a particular farm or ranch. Dry-aging, or cooling the meat for an extended period of time concentrates moisture and results in a rich, beefy flavor.

Chicken satay, the beloved Southeast Asian appetizer of grilled meat skewers served with peanut sauce, served as my kids’ gateway to Thai takeout. When they were younger, I described the dish as “chicken on a stick.” As in, “who wants chicken on a stick?!??" The phrase stuck, and became so familiar I accidentally ordered “chicken on a stick” at a local Thai restaurant. It took me a few beats (while my kids laughed) to figure out why the server appeared perplexed.

“Chicken on a stick” remains one of our favorites, though these days I prefer to fire it up at home. For a quick weeknight dinner, I season boneless chicken thighs with Rib Ninja while I whisk together a creamy, spicy peanut sauce (adjust the heat to your preference). To brown the chicken evenly without drying it out, you’ll want to grill the skewers over a moderate heat. If you want to turn this appetizer into a meal, serve the skewers and a drizzle of the peanut sauce over coconut rice.

Paula: Hey, what are you firing up for New Year’s Eve? I’m still hammering out the details, but two things are certain: we’ll gather around a crackling campfire and this hot, cheesy, artichoke and greens dip. Wait, the dip demands a third attendee: Triscuits. A sturdy cracker is the essential, underrated ingredient to any festive occasion.

Scott: Thanks for asking. To ring in the New Year, I am making preparations to capture the Guinness Book’s World Record for longest sigh of relief. I’ve been practicing my inhaling and exhaling all morning. While I can’t find a record on file for the longest sigh, in 2015, Suresh Gaur shouted the word “Goal!” in one continuous breath for 54.97 seconds, so I think that’s the time to beat. Plunging into this hot, cheesy dip will be an excellent recovery meal after my big win.

For countless Mexican American families and Texans, the holidays mean tamales. (Fun fact: the season starring fresh masa technically runs from the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th through Three Kings’ Day on January 6th.) Since we’re not traveling for the holidays this year, I decided to join in the fun, put my family on the assembly line, and steam a couple batches of our own. 

To procure the fresh masa, I stood in a long (socially distanced) line at El Milagro in Austin. After chatting with the gentleman in front of me, who was buying masa for his wife’s sweet tamales (made with raisins and coconut) I purchased 5 pounds of coarsely ground, unprepared masa (prepared masa is mixed with lard and ready to go), which had a sweet, earthy aroma the consistency of fresh Play Dough.