Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

What is the best chocolate cake recipe?

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 classic chocolate cake with ganache frosting that makes for the perfect dinner party dessert.

You’ll also discover a new technique for tender scones swirled with marmalade before baking, and are just right for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat!

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:

World’s Best Chocolate Cake by Helen Goh and Yotam Ottolenghi, from Food52; the original recipe comes from their book: Sweet: Desserts from London’s Ottolenghi

Texas Sheet Cake from Tastes Better From Scratch

Smitten Kitchen chocolate cake that Sonya baked for Kari’s son Mac’s first birthday

Preppy Kitchen’s base scone recipe. The marmalade scone recipe can be found in John Kannell’s new book: Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking

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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!

There are more cookbooks published every season, but which ones are worth keeping on your shelf? And which ones will you actually reach for, year after year?

This week, we’re joined by Molly Stevens and Kate Leahy, two hosts of the Everything Cookbooks podcast. Both are accomplished cookbook authors and avid collectors, and they know what makes a cookbook worth returning to.

They’re sharing the books they rely on for everything from weeknight dinners to baking, along with underrated finds and cookbooks that open the door to new cuisines and experiences.

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

1. Essential baking books for beginners and experienced bakers alike
2. Cookbooks to turn to for everyday dinners, new cuisines, and inspiration when you don’t know what to cook
3. What makes a cookbook stand the test of time, and which trends are worth paying attention to

Press play now to get recommendations from two cookbook experts, and find your next favorite cookbook today!

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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:

Most used (wouldn’t get rid of) cookbooks:

Molly: All About Dinner, by Molly Stevens

Kate: Dorie Greenspan’s Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, and she especially loves the “Almost Maida Heatter’s Buttermilk Lemon Bundt Cake” (and here’s the original recipe)

Essential cookbooks:

Kate: Sunday Suppers at Lucques, by Suzanne Goin (especially for West Coast cooks)

Molly: Richard Olney’s Simple French Food, Joy of Cooking, The Silver Palate, and Cooking Thai by Pim Techamuanvivit and Andrea Nguyen

Transportative Cookbook:

Kate: Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen, by Elizabeth Andoh

Molly: Amy Thielen’s Company: The Radically Casual Act of Cooking for Others

Baking books:

Molly: Richard Sax’s Classic Home Desserts and Chez Panisse Desserts, by Lindsay Shere

Kate: Holiday Cookies: Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season, by Elisabet der Nederlanden

Underrated Cookbooks:

Kate: I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef, by Vishwesh Bhatt and John Currence

Molly: Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Every Day, by Roy Finamore

Cookbooks for Figuring out Dinner:

Kate: Andrea Nguyen’s Vietnamese Food Any Day

Molly: Nigel Salter’s Eat: The Little Book of Fast Food

Discoveries from the Everything Cookbooks podcast:

Kate: Anna Voloshyna’s Budmo: Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen

Molly: Her co-hosts' books like Turtle Island and Kate’s Wine Style, as well as Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Acheivable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking by Margaret and Irene Li

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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!

How can you get a satisfying, vegetarian dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less?

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 have a new pantry-friendly dinner to try, plus tips for getting bakery-style muffin tops at home, and a reason to appreciate the seasonal foods that don't stick around for long.

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!

***

Links:

Cheesy, spicy black beans in 15 minutes by Ali Slagel, for NYT Cooking

Preppy kitchen pumpkin muffins with tall bakery-style tops, and the ones with streusel topping can be found in John Kannell’s new book: Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking

Sonya’s pumpkin bread from her Substack

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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!

Potatoes are one of the most versatile, affordable, and delicious ingredients… and the possibilities are endless.

This week, we’re sharing 10 recipes that make the most of potatoes in all kinds of ways, from smashed and baked to sautéed and frittered, with inspiration from Korean, Mexican, and other global cuisines.

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

1. Easy ways to turn potatoes into a meal, from sheet-pan chicken and potatoes to a spiced cabbage and potato stew
2. How to make the crispiest Pacific Northwest jojos and an unexpected twist on a potato salad
3. Simple techniques for better baked potatoes and mashed potatoes, plus creative ways to dress them up

Press play now for 10 new ways to cook with potatoes, whether you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner or a side dish worth repeating!

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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:

Jojo's (fried) from Taste of Home, and JoJo's (baked) from Copy Cat

Paprika chicken and potatoes by Yasmin Fahr for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Tacos de papa dorados (crispy potato tacos) by Nancy Lopez

Potato calzone by Cooking with an Italian

Korean potato pancake by Maangchi

Frisee and potato salad by Richard Landau of Vedge Restaurant in Philadelphia, from Mainly Drizzle, originally published in Food & Wine

Tikka gomen (Spiced Potato, Cabbage & Carrots) from Baking Hermann

Deborah Madison’s Potato and green chile stew from Food 52, originally from her book: What We Eat When We Eat Alone

No-peel rustic garlic mashed red potatoes from Fork In The Kitchen

Baked potatoes with shallot corn butter from Wine Just a Pinch, originally printed in Food & Wine

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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 for breakfast when you’re tired of eating the same thing every day?

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 lightly sweetened einkorn breakfast loaf studded with fruit. You’ll also discover a comforting Indian flattened rice dish, poha, made with potatoes and warming spices.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

***

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!

***

Links:

Einkorn breakfast loaf from Adrian Hale’s Einkorn Made Easy, and a similar breakfast blueberry bread with einkorn from A Modern Homestead

Einkorn flour you can buy online, and if you’re in Oregon you can find a great one from Camas Country Mill

Poha (spiced flattened rice with potato) from Indian Healthy Recipes

You can find the poha (flattened rice) online

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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’s the secret to flavorful soups that don’t involve a ton of ingredients or a ton of time to prepare?

This week, we’re back with our annual fall soup episode, with 10 recipes to keep in your rotation all season long, from quick weeknight dinners to soups worth sharing with friends.

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover

1. Soups you can make with 5 ingredients or less
2. Easy veggie soups that can be made with just water instead of store-bought or homemade stocks
3. Simple toppings and finishing touches that make everyday soups special enough for hosting

Press play now to find out how a few simple ingredients can make a really good bowl of soup!

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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!

***

Links:

Golden potato and greens soup by Andy Baraghani for NYT Cooking

Cauliflower soup with green olive salsa verde by Justine Doiron

Chickpea noodles soup by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking

Lebanese crushed lentil soup by Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie

Marcella Hazan’s 5-ingredient, 15-minute white bean soup from Simply Recipes (and the Marcella bean)

5-ingredient creamy celery soup by Martha Stewart

Samin Nosrat’s curried carrot and coconut soup from Good Things, also similarly a version where she uses butternut squash instead of carrots

Spinach and artichoke soup by Carolina Gelen

Roasted tomato and pepper soup from 101 Cookbooks (and Kari’s tomato soup is another favorite)

Albondigas de Familia Ronstadt by Linda Ronstadt and Lawrence Downes, adapted by Kim Severson via NYT Cooking

Our previous soup episodes:

Soup Season 2025

Soup Season 2024

Soup Season 2023

Soup Season 2022

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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 cooking a dinner party with your closest food friend could make hosting easier, more fun, and even more delicious?

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 our menu of some of our favorite all-time recipes, like a hosting-friendly vegetarian casserole, crispy chicken cutlets that you can make-ahead and reheat like a dream, and a fruit-filled dessert that gets better with time.

Plus you’ll discover what we love to send our guests home with!

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

***

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!

***

Links:

Starters:

Thin toasted small slices of homemade sourdough bread using the Communal Table Bread recipe, by Adrian Hale

Baba ghanoush by Maureen Abood made with charred eggplant + tahini

Marinated olives

Salad course:

Sonya’s rainbow salad recipe from her Substack

Mains:

Farro cauliflower parmesan by Sarah DiGregorio for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Chicken schnitzel, like this one from Smitten Kitchen

Dessert:

Cake parfaits made with strawberry sheet cake with passionfruit buttercream by Zoe Bakes for the cake layer, with a layer of our favorite fruit salad, and labneh whipped cream (like the one from this Adeena Sussman recipe)

Gift bags:

Loaves of sourdough

Slow cooker apple butter from Family Food On The Table

Chocolate chip cookies

Plum jam bars

Cookbook gifted to us:

Talisman Cookbook

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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’s the secret to a great breakfast that you’ll actually look forward to?

This week, John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen joins us to share his best breakfast ideas and the baking techniques that make a difference, from the secret to the best cinnamon rolls to how to achieve a perfectly tender cake.

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

1. How to make the best crisp-edged fluffy waffles for weekend breakfasts
2. Make-ahead breakfast ideas you can enjoy all week
3. The secret to a great quiche crust + how to keep a tomato tart from getting soggy

Press play now for practical breakfast inspiration and expert baking tips!

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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!

***

John Kanell’s new book: Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking

For more recipes, head to Preppy Kitchen and follow John on Instagram

Make-ahead breakfasts:

Muffin recipes, including the most popular ones on the site: banana, blueberry, and chocolate

Waffles

Egg muffins

Make once and eat twice breakfasts:

Quiche

Tomato tart

Bougatsa

Breakfasts for when you want to linger:

Homemade Cinnamon rolls

Orange rolls

Pan dulce (conchas)

Most popular Preppy Kitchen recipe:

Peanut butter cookies

Some of John’s favorite recipes:

Butter chicken

German chocolate cake

Princess cake with olive oil sponge

Recipes from John’s new book:

Cinnamon swirl pumpkin muffins

German chocolate brownies

Biscuit Dough Three Ways: Sweet, Savory Cheese and Herb, and Meyer Lemon

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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 chicken piccata didn’t require dredging or sautéing and could come together in just one pot?

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 try Alison Roman’s braised chicken piccata, a one-pot version that’s buttery and lemony with caramelized garlic and crispy capers. Plus, Ali Slagle’s chickpea-tomato salad; it only gets better as it sits, making it perfect for easy lunches and meal prep.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

***

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!

***

Links:

Our best bites:

Puttanesca Chickpea-Tomato Salad by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Alison Roman’s braised chicken piccata from her cookbook: Something From Nothing

Other resources and recipes mentioned:

Culinary Breeding Network

More about dry-farmed tomatoes and the ones that can be stored for 6 months or more

Tofu piccata by Kia Damon for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

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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 peek inside two private chefs’ kitchens and see what they really cook — and eat — at home?

If you’re tired of the same breakfast every morning or looking for ways to make your desk lunch more interesting, this episode offers a look at how two professional cooks feed themselves on an ordinary week.

By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Get easy ideas for better breakfasts and lunches, from a unique take on oatmeal to a satisfying broccoli salad
2. Discover how leftovers and a few smart additions can help you cook once and eat twice
3. Find a classic 30-minute chicken dinner plus a vegetarian pasta dish that is full of fall flavors

Press play now to discover two chefs’ real-life meals, and get inspired with ideas for your own kitchen this week!

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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 DAY 1

Breakfast: Scottish porridge, sautéed apples and cinnamon, topped with coconut sugar and nut butter (inspired by Adam Roberts’ English porridge)

Lunch: Herby tuna salad, on top of a salad made with tomato, cucumber, and lettuce with balsamic dressing

Dinner: Chicken piccata, garlic bread, Italian chopped salad

KARI DAY 1

Breakfast: Coconut overnight oats with fresh fruit – Kari adds hemp seeds too

Lunch: Deborah Madison’s Ravioli and Tomato Salad with Masses of Basil from her cookbook, Four bean salad with green romesco by Alison Roman from her cookbook: Dining In, crumbled feta, pickled cherries and herbs to pile onto sourdough slices

Snack: Dragon fruit and cucumber

Dinner: Mississippi Chicken stuffed into sourdough ciabatta

SONYA DAY 2

Breakfast: Soft-boiled egg, Tabor bread sourdough toast points, mixed berries.

Lunch: Leftover ratatouille, leftover chopped salad, toasted pita, avocado slices

Dinner: A take on Kari’s white bean soup with parm with croutons, lemony garlic parm romano beans, simple greens salad

For dessert, a cup of tea and good chocolate, like: Beyond Good, Alter Eco, Endangered Species, and CloudForest.

KARI DAY 2

Breakfast: Full-fat Greek yogurt mixed with honey and passion fruit, with cut-up dragon fruit, cucumber, strawberries, figs, and melon

Lunch: Broccoli salad, cabbage salad with peanuts, peach and herb salad with mozzarella balls and gochujang

Dinner : Creamy pumpkin pasta with a pine nut gremolata on top

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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!