A Couple Cooks | Small Bites

"Mindset matters. Everyone talks so much about what the perfect diet is—we debate what foods you should take out of your diet, and whether you should exercise or meditate in the morning or the night. And those are all important, but they are totally missing the point if you have a mindset that has you suffering and feeling like you're a failure." That's Robyn Downs, and along with her husband Dr. Andrew, they're fascinated with the mindsets that lead to healthy eating. This podcaster teamed up with her psychology professor husband to conduct a study on the way we think about food—and the results were surprising. They joined us to talk about their story and what mindsets can help us to be actually healthy.

Robyn & Dr. Andrew Downs

Real Food Whole Life

The Feel Good Effect Podcast

Instagram

Their online course! Actually Healthy

Vegan pot pie with sage crust | A Couple Cooks

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Want to be transported to the Eternal City without leaving your couch? We got Rome on the phone in this episode and chatted with Kristina Gill, author and photographer behind the cookbook Tasting Rome. Hear about her love affair with the city that's kept her there for nearly 20 years, and what she's learned about authentic Italian cuisine from cabbies to restaurateurs.

Kristina Gill

Instagram | Kristina on Design Sponge

Order her book: Tasting Rome

Rome Travel Guide | A Couple Cooks

Cacio e pepe | A Couple Cooks via Date Night In

Pizza dough | A Couple Cooks

Pizza with egg | A Couple Cooks

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Ever wondered what it's like to write a book—and adopt a baby at the same time? This episode is an exclusive with Alex and Sonja about the process of writing their new cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking. They share about starting A Couple Cooks, deciding to write a book, adopting their son Larson, and all the trials and triumphs in between. Along the way, you'll learn the entire process of book writing from agent to proposal to launch.

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"You have to see things not as they are, but as they could be. That's what an artist does. And that's what I am at heart." That's Majora Carter, real estate developer and urban revitalization strategist who's won a long list of accolades for her work, including the coveted MacArthur Genius fellowship. Her 2016 TED talk was one of the first 6 on that groundbreaking website. Majora joins us to talk about beautifying our neighborhoods, the value of coffee shops and groceries, and how to create "demand" for real good food. She shares about the Boogie Down Grind Cafe, a coffee shop she helped to start serving high quality coffee (and veggies) in the South Bronx, and the value of taking risks to try new things.

Majora Carter

Website | Instagram

Boogie Down Grind Cafe | Coffee lovers gift available on Instagram

Roasted Brussels sprouts with goat cheese & harissa | A Couple Cooks

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"Treat sugar like salt." That's Bill Yosses, former White House pastry chef for Barack and Michelle Obama. When the First Lady asked him to create healthier treats for her family, he discovered that dialing back the sugar actually made his desserts taste better. In this episode, we learn Bill's secrets to creating stellar, decadent tasting desserts that are "healthified" but still incredibly delicious. Plus, he shares the behind-the-scenes to making everyday meals at the White House, and President Obama's favorite dessert.

Bill Yosses

Website | Instagram

Order his book: The Sweet Spot

Chai-spiced snowball cookies | A Couple Cooks

Soft gingerbread cookies | A Couple Cooks

Maple macadamia vegan blondies | A Couple Cooks

Bliss bites | A Couple Cooks

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"I love the imperfections in a dinner party. When we micromanage, we lose all ability to see what the dinner party is about. In all truth, no matter what Pinterest tells us or what we see in a magazine, the only things that really matter are the food and the people." That's Megan Gilger, Creative Director of the Fresh Exchange blog and brand. She's passionate about getting people around the table, for events simple and elaborate. This episode is all about the dinner party: practical tips for pulling one off, and how to focus on what matters most: building relationships, shunning perfection, and making it work for you.

The Fresh Exchange

Website | Instagram

Some Fresh Exchange gatherings:

Fall harvest

A late evening on the front porch

Ladies night

Barebones Living coolers

How and why to start a cookbook club | A Couple Cooks

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It's not every day that you get to hear from an entire family of cooks, especially one that's had such an impact on American food culture. Enter the Pollan Family: Corky, Lori, Dana, and Tracy. Only missing brother Michael Pollan, bestselling author about food and agriculture, the Pollan family shares the story of growing up around the table. Mom Corky passed down a culture of cooking and eating together, which has now been passed down to a new generation of cooks. Along they way, they wrote a cookbook: accessible, everyday recipes, heavy on the vegetables, to inspire families to come together around the table.

The Pollan Family Table

Website | Instagram

Their cookbook: The Pollan Family Table

Recipes:

Pumpkin goat cheese baked gnocchi | A Couple Cooks

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"The day to day romantic vision you have of farming: that is completely gone. It's full panic mode from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. We have that in our chest from March until August." That's Taylor and Andrea Bemis on what it takes to run a farm as a husband-wife team. Theirs is Tumbleweed Farm, a picture perfect mountain-view farm outside of Portland, Oregon. What's more, Andrea is a farmer with a first-class food blog and a popular cookbook. For Dishing Up the Dirt, Andrea develops recipes with the produce she grows and photographs them in her home studio. Hear about how she got a cookbook deal to tell their story and behind the scenes of a successful organic vegetable farm. While running a farm is not as romantic as it seems, in the end it's the most fulfilling work they've known.

Andrea and Taylor Bemis, Dishing Up the Dirt & Tumbleweed Farm

Dishing Up the Dirt | Instagram

Tumbleweed Farm

Her cookbook: Dishing Up the Dirt

Recipes:

Chard quiche with almond crust

Grilled bok choy and turnip rice bowls with soy sesame sauce

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A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

"Everyone is so busy. We're constantly getting fast food or ordering out because our schedules are so, so busy. Sitting around the table and enjoying a meal, or being in the kitchen and preparing a meal with other family members, the joy and the love of that experience has gotten drowned out. And I really want to make sure that doesn't happen." That's Jocelyn Delk Adams, the personality behind Grandbaby Cakes. She's appeared on The Today Show, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and the Cooking Channel with her modern takes on her grandmother's traditional recipes. Jocelyn sat down with us to chat about her family history in the kitchen, her road to becoming a mother, and how food can have a place in expanding diversity and understanding.

Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes

Website | Instagram

Her cookbook: Grandbaby Cakes

Julia Turshen's new cookbook: Feed the Resistance

Recipes:

Creamy vegan pasta marinara | A Couple Cooks

Spicy oven fried catfish | Grandbaby cakes

Links:

This Lebanese cookbook author's career was inspired by her father's encouraging words when she was a child

Why eating the same food increases people's trust and cooperation

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