Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I was in the mood for beef. But I wanted more than just a slab of protein. I wanted a complete hearty meal with lots of savory and just the right amount of natural carbohydrates and starches. Pot roast really fills that bill. And given the strong prices for beef these days, it makes great use of a less expensive cut. This pot made three meals worth of tastiness and I am grateful for this bounty.

I very much enjoyed my steak dinner: steak au poivre, home fried potatoes, corn-on-the-cob. Summer is a special time every year, even more so now. I am grateful for this harvest.

Risotto makes a dinner that is both comforting and distinctive. I added a few mushrooms for variety. Risotto requires careful attention while cooking but doesn't require too much practice to achieve good results. I am grateful for this delicious meal.

I cooked a pot roast in the oven: meat, chicken stock, tomatoes. The pot was a little small so I cooked the carrots and potatoes separately. And I made cornbread to sop everything up. I haven't made pot roast in awhile; its flavor-to-effort ratio is very high. I am very grateful for such an enjoyable and healthy meal.

Carrot souffle is one of the wonderful dishes to which I was introduced in Atlanta. This batch is the best I've made in awhile. I followed Emeril Lagasse's recipe with the addition of some ginger. The result was both delicate, thanks to the uplift from baking powder, and luscious with butter and eggs.

I have a few porterhouse steaks from Loeffel Meat Shoppe stashed in my freezer. I pulled one out, let it thaw, and put it on the grill. My classic steak dinner was served with home fries and tender steamed asparagus. This meal was summer on a plate and I am truly grateful.

Cornbread is, in my view, the perfect accompaniment to beef stew. The sweetness of the bread pairs just right with the savory tones and the bit of acid from the tomatoes. And if you want to dunk, it holds up very nicely.

I wanted something meaty and satisfying for dinner. I started water for squiggly pasta. In the mean time, I chopped and sweated some onion and garlic. I then browned some ground beef. I added a can of pureed tomatoes anc cooked for a half hour. Simple things can be very satisfying. This meal satisfied my basic hunger and was delicious.

I pulled some Del Frieda ground beef from the freezer and made myself a thick burger patty. I served my burger bunless with green beans and home fries. The burger was thick but still nicely cooked, very juicy, very flavorful beef. The sides balanced the beef nicely. I am grateful for this delicious, healthy meal.

I really enjoy the occasional steak au poivre. After cooking my steak in the pan, I made a cream sauce. Served with home fries, this is a treat of a meal for which I am grateful.

I needed some portable, efficient snacks for a trip. I used a recipe I've used before, Alton Brown's granola bars . I cooked the two batches separately. One batch came out slightly softer and pliable, a testament to how sensitive sugar is to cooking time. Both were tasty, handy, and resilient. Thanks, Mr. Brown!

I found some pearl onions at Super Saver. The first thing that popped into my head was beef bourgignon. I used some beef from Loeffel Beef Shoppe. I steamed some asparagus and whipped some potatoes. The result was delicious, rich, and healthy. I am grateful for this meal.

I like tofu and I like peanuts. This dish fits the bill perfectly. I used David Lebovitz's recipe for peanut sauce here . I squeeze water out of the tofu, cube it, and crisp it in the oven. Simple, inexpensive, tasty, healthy. Pretty quick to make, too.

I made another batch of my smoked brisket stew: I cooked potatoes, onions, carrots in chicken stock and tomato sauce; then added small vegetables and smoked brisket chunks. The result is different from a traditional braised stew and quite good. I will put this on my roster of go-to dishes.

I used some of my goat quark from Shadowbrook Farms with my morning French toast. The tangy quark goes very well with whole wheat bread. The result is rich without being over the top.

I bought some meat from Del Frieda, a local purveyor for both restaurants and consumers. Their consumer meat was conveniently packaged in small portions. I picked up several it ems. My cooking plans immediately went to this steak. I purchased a small grill so I could cook it outdoors. What a great dinner. The steak was tender and very flavorful. Nebraska steaks tend to be cut thinner, making them easier to cook. A thinner steak is probably easier to enjoy as well. Another meal filled with grace.

I had some ricotta and was in the mood for a calzone. I made a batch of pizza dough. I had thought that a half-recipe would be enough luckily I made a full batch. I made the calzone in the style of most New Jersey places---a circular dough folded in half, no sauce inside. My shaping skills are still mediocre; this looks better than I deserved. Crisp and ready to go. A delightful meal when paired with canned tomato sauce. Another grateful dinner.

I used my leftover key limes to make rice pudding. The result was excellent---the sharp tang of the key limes very nicely offset the creaminess of the rice pudding. The flavor was much stronger than what I normally think of for a rice pudding and that is what made it so enjoyable. Strong flavors are a welcome treat.

I picked up a few pieces of frozen fish fillet several weeks ago. I used this dinner to finish off that supply. I butter basted the fish with butter and olive oil. The result was delicious and healthy. I am thankful for my freezer and for this meal.

For dinner I broiled a t-bone from Super Saver. The price of beef has definitely risen; this steak was a relative good deal. Paired with home fries it made for a superb dinner for which I am thankful.