Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

During this busy time of year, how can you get a flavorful, nutritious dinner on the table in minutes?
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 two easy chicken dinners: one you can make all on a sheet-pan in your oven, and the other all in a skillet on your stovetop.
You’ll also discover our all-time favorite pumpkin bread recipe (which you can also make with persimmons)!
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. Want to join our live monthly calls? Upgrade to a paid subscription for $5/month or $55/year.
Our Thanksgiving Zoom is coming up on November 18 at 4:30 PM PT!
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Links:
Sheet-pan Gojuchang Chicken and Roasted Vegetables by Yewande Komolafe for NYT Cooking
Herby skillet chicken with green by Melissa Clark for NYT Cooking
Baked JoJo's from Copy Cat
Sonya’s pumpkin bread recipe, with instructions on how to make it with persimmon too!
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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!
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 free Substack here. Want to join our live monthly calls? Upgrade to a paid subscription today. Our next Zoom is November 18 at 4:30 PM PT, and it's all about Thanksgiving!
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What if a clear plan and a few trusted recipes could make Thanksgiving less stressful, whether you’re hosting or bringing a dish?
We’re doing something a little different this week! Instead of our usual Thanksgiving episode, we’re joining forces with Maggie Hoffman of the popular podcast, The Dinner Plan. Maggie asks us the questions every home cook wants answered: How should you really cook a turkey? What does your Thanksgiving prep schedule look like? Which dishes are essential, and what can you skip?
By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:
Our go-to techniques for cooking a juicy, perfectly roasted turkey EVERY time
The prep schedule that helps us stay organized and keeps the holiday running smoothly with more joy
Practical strategies for menu planning, hosting, bringing dishes as a guest, and more

Tune in now to make Thanksgiving a little easier and more enjoyable this year!
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LINKS:
Sonya mentioned:
Instant pot congee (The Kitchn)
Better Than Bouillon
Cheesy rice cakes and kale (adapted for Where’s the Beef? from Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Tenderheart)
L.L. Bean wool slipper clog
Sonya’s roasted duck recipe (The Nosher)
Ina Garten’s perfect roast chicken (Food Network)
Ina Garten’s herb-roasted turkey breast (Food Network)
Gabrielle Hamilton’s Mixed Colored Carrots with Preserved Lemon Butter and Honeycomb (reprinted on Food52)
Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune
Persimmon salad with pomegranate and walnuts and radicchio (NYT Cooking gift link)
Individual cranberry pear crumbles (Bake or Break)
Classic onion dip with Ruffles
Sonya’s roast turkey method with dry brine—if desired, add fresh halved quince to both the cavity and roasting pan
Thanksgiving Essentials Food Friend Episode
Leek and celery stuffing, like this one from Alison Roman—add fennel
Squash agrodolce (Bon Appétit)
Travis Lett of Gjelina’s Bitter greens with crispy shallots and Parmesan (Bon Appétit)
Sweet potato gratin
Cranberry-Lime Pie (Bon Appétit)
Turkey stock (Food & Wine)
Turkey stock & soup from the Food Friends Substack
Leftover mashed potato pancakes (The Mediterranean Dish)
Mina Stone’s Cooking for Artists (Bookshop)
Mina’s Spicy Chickpea Stew (excerpted on Conde Nast Traveller)
Olia Hercules’ Summer Kitchens (Bookshop)

Kari mentioned:
Shallot corn butter (Just a Pinch, originally printed in Food & Wine)

For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our free Substack here. Want to join our live monthly calls? Upgrade to a paid subscription for $5/month or $55/year.
Our Thanksgiving Zoom is coming up on November 18 at 4:30 PM PT!
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What if you could make restaurant-quality pasta in just one pot?
Leave your colander behind, because this week, we’re joined by Nora Singley, author of the new book: One Pot Pasta. Nora shares the techniques behind making glossy, flavorful pasta dishes, all with the ease of cooking them in a single pot.
She’s also sharing her “Best Bite” of the week, a dish that’s full of surprises and relies on a humble can of tuna.
Kari shares her own “Best Bite,” an inventive pasta and salad combination straight from Nora’s book!
Tune in for a dose of home cooking inspiration!
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LINKS
Nora Singley’s new book: One-Pot Pasta Saucy, Satisfying, and Simple-to-Make Pastas That Come Together in a Single Pan
Stay connected with Nora on her Substack: Noodle, and follow her on Instagram
The original one-pot pasta recipe from Martha Stewart
Nora’s best bite: Tuna Surprise by Zora Tangorra for Molly Baz’s recipe club (Free trial available) (you have to taste it to believe it)
Recipes discussed in this episode that you can find in Nora’s book: Caesar on Caesar, Bottle of White Pasta e Piselli, One Pot Lasagna, Rainy day Tomato Soup and Pastina, Pasta alla Vodka alla Boursin
Other recipes mentioned:
Roasted fruit and veg with Martha Stewart
Sticky toffee pudding Nora developed for Martha Stewart
Molly Baz’s pistachio chili crisp
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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 private chefs actually cook for families during the week… and what can home cooks learn from it?
In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on our client menus. These are the kinds of meals designed to work in real life, they’re flexible, flavorful, make-ahead friendly, and built to stretch into multiple lunches and dinners throughout the week.
We’re also sharing the strategies we rely on in our own kitchens, and by the end of this episode, you’ll discover:
How to build “mix-and-match” weekly meal plans that don’t feel boring
Strategies for prepping proteins, sauces, and vegetables once and using them throughout the week
4 unique menus that feature some of our go-to dinners

Tune in now to cook like a private chef in your kitchen!
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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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SONYA: Menu #1
Main Dishes for Tuesday night (served fresh):
Ina’s Perfect roast chicken (used rosemary instead of thyme), and rosemary garlic tofu like this, served with rustic mashed potatoes and arugula parm salad, lemon vinaigrette
Mix and Match for the week:
Soup/Stew for the week: Kitchri + toppings: sliced onion, sliced cucumber, hard boiled eggs
Protein:
Mediterranean-style marinated and grilled skirt steak
A pot of brothy beans – made with pinto beans
Sides:
Crispy parm-roasted brussels sprouts
Leafy greens
Dressing: Homemade ranch
Deli salad: Golden egg salad

KARI Menu #1:
Sunday Meal Prep: pot of black beans, pot of short-grain brown rice, marinate and bake or grill lime chicken, cut up mango and/or pineapple or fruit from the farmers market
Sunday Dinner: Roasted fish (snapper, salmon, Arctic Char) with rice and roasted carrots and parsnips
Monday dinner: Lime chicken with black bean and queso fresco salad with chopped zucchini jicama, red peppers, cilantro scallion, chile powder, and lime juice
Tuesday dinner: Carrot and radicchio salad via The James Beard Foundation
Leftover rice and beans make good burritos or tacos later in the week

Sonya Menu #2:
Monday Dinner: Roasted salmon with green herbs, saffron rice, and wedge salad
Tuesday Dinner: Stuffed peppers – turkey stuffed peppers and vegetarian stuffed peppers with chickpeas and cheese
Mix and Match for the week:
Soup: Georgian tarragon soup
Protein: Greek meatballs (you can also use 100% beef, or swap beef for chicken, and add crumbled feta if desired)
Side: Cauliflower roasted with red onion and dates (used turmeric and black pepper instead of spice mix)
Dressing: Tahini sauce
Snack: Tzatziki and crudités
Deli salad: Pepperonicin chicken salad, and a similar one that doesn’t require a subscription

Kari Menu #2:
Sunday Meal Prep:
Slow cooker caramelized onions (for tomato soup)
Tomato soup
Early Bird granola, aka “Nekisia’s olive oil and maple granola” from A Grain of Salt
Pot of quinoa
Quinoa cakes and set aside ½ cup of quinoa for Erewhon greenies
Erewhon “greenies”: Blanched or steamed kale and broccoli until bright green and crisp tender, add quinoa, hemp seeds, virgin coconut oil and sea salt
Sunday Dinner: Honey garlic-glazed salmon with Erewhon “greenies”
Additional meals during the week Quinoa cakes with herby salad, leftover greenies with a fried egg, tomato soup, granola with yogurt or over a smoothie bowl or in your frozen yogurt
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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 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!
***
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:
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!