What do you serve when you want to host, but don’t want to spend the entire day in the kitchen?

Fall is one of our favorite seasons for gathering, from back-to-school dinners and Jewish High Holidays to casual meals with family and friends. But putting together a menu — and getting everything on the table at the same time — can feel like a lot of work.

This week, we’re sharing four complete fall menus designed to help you plan ahead, cook strategically, and actually enjoy your own gathering. By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Learn how to build a fall menu around dishes that can be prepped, cooked, frozen, or reheated ahead of time
2. Discover a fully vegetarian menu that is casual and can feed a big crowd
3. Find out the secrets to achieving tender brisket and flavorful roast chicken

Press play for practical hosting strategies and fall recipes that make it easier to get dinner on the table… and enjoy it once you do!

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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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We also highly recommend The Dinner Plan podcast and Substack for more recipe inspiration!

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Links:

Back to the Classics Rosh Hashanah Dinner:

Plum challah by Sonya and Shannon Sarna for The Nosher

Smoked fish platter

Ottolenghi fig hazelnut salad with radicchio and basil

Eggplant Caponata from The Gjelina Cookbook, the exact recipe can be found in the book, or try this slightly adapted version from The Brick Kitchen

Beer and onion braised brisket from Epicurious

Cast iron skillet potato kugel from Smitten Kitchen

Farro topped with roasted peppers and eggplants and spicy tahini dressing (recipe coming!)

Glazed apple cider doughnut cake from Smitten Kitchen

Vegetarian pizza party in Southern California Hot September

Street corn dip with tortilla chips

Mushroom pizza with kale and red onions

Potato rosemary pizza

Roasted vegetable salad with farro and goat cheese by Walder Wellness

Arugula fennel apple salad (no cheese) by The First Mess

Ice cream

Fall bounty dinner:

Harissa apricot braised chicken by Samin Nosrat from Good Things

Charred green beans and lemony yogurt by Yossy Arefi for NYT Cooking

Ottolenghi pomegranate tomato salad

David Leibovitz' oven-roasted plums over pound cake, angel food cake or with vanilla ice cream

Roast Chicken Dinner at Kari’s

Portuguese chicken and potatoes from Feasting at Home

Alison Roman’s Bitter, Leafy Salad

German chocolate cake by Tastes Better From Scratch

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What do you make when you have a package of ground chicken but no plan for dinner?

In this bite-sized episode, we share delicious moments about the best things we ate this week to inspire each other – and you!

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover a 5-star-rated, one-pot dinner of lemony meatballs and greens that’s perfect for busy weeknights.

You’ll also want to try two Italian cookies: an easy double-chocolate biscotti that can be made ahead and freezes well, and a buttery cookie with a distinctive shape and texture that would be right at home on a weekend brunch table.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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Links:

One-Pot Chicken Meatballs with Greens by Yasmin Fahr for NYT Cooking. To make this dairy-free, swap the yogurt for unsweetened coconut yogurt, or for 2 large eggs

Double chocolate biscotti by Jenn Segal from Once Upon a Chef

Torchetti al burro (Italian butter cookies) from Recipe from Italy

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What if the best recipes aren’t the newest ones, but the ones you keep coming back to?

This week, we’re revisiting some of our favorite summer meals and sharing the recipes from Season 4 that have earned a permanent spot in our kitchens.

By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Discover make-ahead salads that have become staples
2. Find a hosting-worthy sheet-pan dinner that’s easy enough for a weeknight
3. Get two cookie recipes we bake year-round — and that are perfect for cookie boxes and gifting

Tune in now for easy, reliable recipes you’ll want to make again and again!

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Links:

Tostadas:

Vegetarian Mexican tostadas from Muy Bueno Cooking

Kari also mentioned making a take on tostadas based on Roasted Broccoli and Potato Tacos by Kay Chun for NYT Cooking

Salads:

Sweet and spicy melon salad by Christian Reynoso from NYT Cooking

Savory watermelon cucumber salad from the Mediterranean Dish (similar to what Sonya makes, but hers doesn’t have feta)

Korean carrot salad recipe from Alyona’s Cooking, and watch Danielle walk you through making her viral version on TikTok

Sweets:

Sonya’s galette recipe

Sonya made a version with apricot + sour cherry and marzipan (she used frozen fruit), and Kari made a version with nectarine, peaches, and frangipane (with fruit from her Flamingo Estate farm box)

OUR TOP RECIPES FROM SEASON FOUR:

Mains:

Broiled salmon and asparagus with creme fraiche by Molly Gilbert for Sunset Magazine

Kung Pao Tofu by Ham El Waylly for NYT Cooking

Salads:

Smitten Kitchen’s simplified version of the famous roasted chicken and bread salad from the Zuni Café Cookbook

Frizzled-onion cabbage salad by Shilpa Uskokovic for Bon Appetit

Sweets:

Pistachio Halvah Rice Krispie Treats by Miro Uskokovic from NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Jam sugar cookies by Hewn restaurant in Chicago Mag

MORE RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

How to Start a Cookbok Club

The date fudge recipe Kari talked about can be found in Ham El-Waylly’s book: Hello, Home Cooking

Sonya mentioned great tostadas from El Sazaon Di Mi Rancho in Portland, OR, and her Chicken Tinga recipe

Can a mountain of zucchini turn into a homemade pizza you can’t stop taking “just one more” slice of?

In this bite-sized episode, we share delicious moments about the best things we ate this week to inspire each other – and you!

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover a standout Smitten Kitchen recipe for a thin-crust summer pizza that’s loaded with zucchini yet somehow still crispy, golden, and nutty with browned Gruyère.

You’ll also want to try a saucy, spicy breakfast dish inspired by a recent visit to a street food stand in Los Angeles.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Smitten Kitchen’s summer squash pizza

Chilaquiles from ChiLAquiles on Venice and Hauser in Los Angeles

Chilaquiles master recipe from Rick Bayless, and a store-bought sauce recommendation (and great article!) by Jarret Melendez from Epicurious

Also mentioned:

Giada’s scarpaccia video and her recipe (gluten-free!)

And a vegan version of scarpaccia from Earth To Rocco

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What if your next vegetarian dinner could be packed with flavor - and made entirely on a sheet-pan in your oven?

Whether you're trying to cook more plant-based meals, accommodate a vegetarian at your table, or just need low-effort dinner ideas, this episode is full of satisfying recipes that are anything but boring.

By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Learn how to make a sheet pan lasagna dotted with creamy ricotta cheese — no layering or béchamel-making required
2. Discover how to turn basic veggies into shawarma-spiced mains
3. Find out about a gluten-free, noodle dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make

Hit play and turn your veggie drawer into crowd-pleasing vegetarian meals you’ll want to make any night of the week!

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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Vegetarian sheet pan lasagna from Busy in Brooklyn, and Giada’s original version

Sheet pan eggplant parm from Food & Wine, or sheet pan cauliflower parm from How Sweet Eats – and here’s a video of Sonya + Kari’s version

How to make crispy garlic breadcrumbs (to top your eggplant or cauli parm)

Mushroom shawarma from Eating Well, or Sonya’s eggplant shawarma

Roasted chickpea gyros by Sarah Bond from Live Eat Learn

Sheet pan feta chickpea tomatoes by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Vegetarian stuffed peppers from Love & Lemons

Eric Kim’s Sheet-pan Japchae for NYT Cooking (unlocked), and his sheet-pan bibimbap

Sweet potato and black bean tacos by Sarah Bond from Live Eat Learn

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What do you make when you want a homemade dessert that feels special, but takes almost no effort to bake?

In this bite-sized episode, we share the best things we ate this week to inspire each other — and you!

By the end of this episode, you’ll want to make a buttery plum jam crumb bar inspired by Sonya’s grandmother. It’s beginner-friendly, and so delicious you’ll want to eat the whole tray as soon as it comes out of the oven.

You’ll also discover a recipe for a quick one-skillet dinner made with sweet summer corn and chew rice cakes, and flavored with nutty miso + brown butter.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our free Substack here.

And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Sonya’s grandmother’s plumb crumb bars

Kari’s strawberry rhubarb crumb bars

Miso brown butter rice cakes with corn by Shilpa Uskokovic for Bon Appetit

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What if you could easily fill your kitchen with the comforting aromas of sizzling sofrito, fluffy rice, and tender stews?

This week, we’re talking to Omi Hopper, TikTok creator and runner-up on Next Level Chef, and author of Cooking Con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking.

She’s sharing her favorite weeknight dinners, meal-prep strategies, and the techniques she uses to build big Puerto Rican flavor at home.

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How fresh sofrito and homemade sazón can transform even simple weeknight meals
2. How to meal prep for flexibility, instead of a fridge full of repetitive leftovers
3. Flavor-packed shortcuts to get dinner to taste special without starting from scratch

Press play to hear Omi’s approach to making flavorful, satisfying food that works for real home cooks!

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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Omi Hopper’s new book – Cooking Con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking

You can find more inspiration from Omi on her TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and her site: Cooking Con Omi

Omi’s Recipes:

Sofrito

Alcapurrias

Roast pork shoulder

Homemade Sazon spice blend

Potato salad with apples

One pot macarone con carne (macaroni with beef)

Other dishes mentioned:

Bacalao (Puerta Rican Salt Cod Stew) from Simply Recipes

Her winning pineapple jalapeno salmon dish

Some of Omi’s favorite recipe developers;

King Rey Cooks

Tini

Michelle Disla

Cassie Yeung

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What do you cook when it's too hot to turn on the oven (or even the stovetop)… but everyone still needs dinner?

When summer temperatures climb, even the simplest meal can feel like too much effort. If you've been relying on takeout, eating cereal for dinner, or are staring into the fridge hoping for inspiration, this episode is full of practical ideas for keeping your kitchen cool.

We're sharing our favorite no-cook and low-cook meals, make-ahead recipes, refreshing drinks, and easy summer desserts that make the most of the season without heating up the house.

By the end of this episode, you'll discover:

• A 5-minute meal built around a single package of tofu
• How a rotisserie chicken can become a picnic-friendly Vietnamese-inspired dinner
• Two noodle dishes that rely on quick, flavorful, no-cook sauces

Press play now and build a rotation of easy summer recipes you'll rely on that will keep you well-fed and out of a hot kitchen!

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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Spicy cold silken tofu with soy and scallions from The Woks of Life

Salsa cruda di Pomodoro — pasta with raw summer tomato sauce — from Lidia Bastianich

Zucchini quesadillas by Smitten Kitchen, and a wonderful squash blossom quesadilla recipe can be found in the Frida’s Fiestsa’s (a Friday Khalo cookbook)

Rainbow veggie pinwheels by Dinner at the Zoo

BiBim Guksu (spicy mixed noodles) by Maangchi

Italian grinder bean salad by Alexis de Boschnek for The Kitchn, and Edi’s favorite sun-dried tomato dense bean salad

Summer tartines four ways from Serious Eats

Chicken banh mi by Recipe Tin Eats

Lemon possets by Toni Chapman for NYT Cooking

Homemade Gatorade by Lexi at Crowded Kitchen

Frozen coconut limeade by Smitten Kitchen

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

Are you up to your ears in corn and scrambling for new ways to use up one of the best summer ingredients?

If you’re looking for easy and inspired recipes to enjoy this seasonal darling, then you’ll want to tune in to this fan-favorite episode.

By the end of this episode, you'll:

1. Uncover the secrets to cooking perfectly grilled corn on the cob
2. Get inspired by a 30-minute corn-filled ramen with miso butter
3. Learn how to make “corn ribs,” a popular restaurant dish that’s easy and delicious to recreate at home

Press play now to satisfy all of your corn cravings!

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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Compound chili lime butter

How to make corn ribs from Food Wishes

Sonya' s corn soup recipe from our Substack, and a similar corn soup with basil by David Tanis for the NY Times, as well as a chilled corn soup with basil oil from Food52

Soy butter corn ramen by Hetty Lui McKinnon for the NY Times

Sarah Jampel’s spicy corn coconut soup for the NY Times

Ham El-Waylly’s corn and miso pasta salad for the NY Times

Sue Li’s grilled corn and avocado salad with feta dressing for the NY Times

“Ears and Ears” Orecchiette and corn pasta similar to what Kari makes

Colu Henry’s orecchiette with corn, jalapeno, and feta for the NY Times

Sonya’s corn, romano bean, tomato pasta dish

Korean corn cheese by Darun Kwak for the NY Times

Other mentions:

Our episode with Javier Lara: The three sisters: Indigenous wisdom for growing, sharing, and home cooking squash, beans, and corn

All Time restaurant in Los Angeles

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

What salads can really hold up for days and transform into multiple meals?

In this bite-sized episode, we share delicious moments about the best things we ate this week to inspire each other – and you!

By the end of this episode, you'll want to make a 5-star broccoli salad that's meal-prep-friendly and full of Italian flavors. You’ll also want to try a summery cucumber-avocado salad that's perfect for piling onto toast or for serving at your next gathering.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our free Substack here.

And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!

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Links:

Italian broccoli salad by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking

And Quinoa and broccoli spoon salad by Sohla El-Waylly for the NYT Cooking

Also, we love this Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches recipe from Ham El-Waylly

Obsessively good cucumber avocado salad from Smitten Kitchen

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Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here.

Are you a local to Portland or planning a visit? You can now book a private farmers’ market tour with Sonya through Airbnb Experiences! Or order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!