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In this Episode

Highlights & “Must-Listen” Moments

* 01:28 — Why the Podcast stopped (The “Icky” Business of Sales): A candid look at the costs of production and why going “unscripted” on Substack is the new frontier.

* 05:15 — The “Day-to-Day Grind”: Amy reveals how even a professional food editor loses the spark for cooking dinner (and the “Hello Fresh” solution).

* 09:20 — The “Juno The Bakery” Mystery: Why are some of the world’s best bakery books so badly written? Amy and David vent about confusing recipes.

* 11:45 — The 2-Ingredient Flatbread Debate: David’s “outrage and indignation” over viral TikTok food trends versus real culinary craft.

* 13:21 — The Homemade SpaghettiO’s Reveal: David explains Anellini pasta and how he turned a canned childhood memory into a gourmet flat-lay.

* 18:53 — Behind the Lens: David shares his specific lighting secrets (Godox AD 600) and how he makes “brown food” like chocolate mousse look like art, not 💩.

* 26:38 — Caramelized Onions: The OG Method: David’s take-down of “new” TikTok hacks for onions. Spoiler: Water is the secret, and we’ve been doing it for decades.

* 29:04 — Whatever Happened to Clementines? Amy’s moment of outrage over the “Mandarin-ization” of the produce aisle. (Thanks, Lyla Kraft)

* 39:38 — Reading with the Boston Pops: Amy shares the nerve-wracking story of reading The Night Before Christmas at Symphony Hall.

* 42:24 — A Tour of Portugalia Marketplace: A deep dive into the “Eataly of Portuguese Food” in Fall River—from the Salt Cod room to the best sardines.

* 49:20 — Creative Escapism: Why Amy started watercolor painting and the “flow state” benefits of the right side of the brain

Recipes

* Garlic Butter Steak Bites

* Chocolate Mousse (not the Portuguese version, that’s coming)

Related Recipes

* Vegetarian Lasagne

* Easy Bechamel Sauce

* Swedish Cardamom Buns

* Seared Skirt Steak with Brazilian Salsa

* Clam Shack-Style Fried Clams

Cookbook Mentions

* The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page

* The Talisman of Happiness by Ada Boni

* Who Put the Beef into Wellington? by James Winter (Rob Machado mentioned buying it)

* Juno The Bakery by Emil Glaser and Nina Schmiegelow

* Forever Paris by Marin Montagut

* The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by The Ames herself!

* The New Portuguese Table by moi

* Notes on a Banana by me

Weekend with Yankee

* The new season of Weekend with Yankee premieres in April. (Check your local PBS listings.)

Gear

* Godox AD600Pro Witstro All-in-One Outdoor Flash

Where to Find Us

* Amy Traverso

* Instagram | Yankee

* David Leite

* Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Youtube

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidleite.substack.com