Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

Food Friends
  • 4.7 (334)
  • Food
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Do you love home cooking but hunger for better recipes that help you deliver quick and delicious meals to your dinner table? Two former personal chefs turned best friends share their expertise with each other and you! Kari and Sonya have been inspiring each other in the kitchen for over 15 years by swapping recipes, tips, and trade secrets in the pursuit of better home cooking. FOOD FRIENDS is a bi-weekly podcast inspiring home cooks to try new dishes in the kitchen by sharing trusted recipes, tips, and friendship. Every Tuesday, each host delivers 3 unique solutions to seasonal home cooking, like: how to make craveable soups with your farmers market haul, the easiest one-pot meals for busy nights, or what to do with leftover rotisserie chicken. On Thursdays, we serve up a pint-sized chat about our “Best Bite” of the week, pantry essentials we can’t live without, and more. Previous guests include Seth & Lauren Rogen, actor Randall Park & writer/director Evan Goldberg, recipe developer Justine Doiron, #1 Food & Beverage Substacker Caroline Chambers, and more. If you’re looking for a boost of fun in the kitchen by discovering recipes that will make mealtime easier and more delicious with a healthy dose of laughter, then you’ll want to dig in with FOOD FRIENDS! First-time listener? Tune into Episode 2: Don’t send flowers, send soup! and Episode 4: What do you bring to a potluck?

  1. 23h ago

    Cozy Kitchen Strawberry Brownies, Birthday Bundt Cake + More | Our Best Home Cooking Bites, with Adrianna Adarme

    What do you make when you want to try something new but still want dinner to feel familiar? 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 discover Adrianna Adarme’s Best Bites of the week, including her viral strawberry brownies that will change the way you think about what a brownie can be. You’ll also hear about what she’s cooking in her "Cozy Kitchen," from classic Peruvian lomo saltado (with a genius shortcut) to a flavorful, herb-and-pepper-filled take on chicken soup. Plus, we’re sharing a timeless way to cook bell peppers and a classic buttery Bundt cake made even better with toasted pecans and a cinnamon swirl. 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: Adrianna’s A Cozy Kitchen blog, and her brand new cookbook: A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook You can also find her on IG Adrianna's best bites: Cookie melting over ice cream Strawberry brownies with white chocolate glaze Other Adrianna Adarme recipes mentioned: Aguadito de Pollo (Peruvian chicken soup) Picadillo Italian Sardine Pasta Grandma’s seco de carne (beef stew) Lomo Saltado with oven-baked fries Sonya’s best bite: Marinated bell peppers Kari’s best bite: Golden layer cakes recipe from: Rosie's Bakery All Better Fresh Cream Sugar Packed Baking Book **** 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!

    Cozy Kitchen Strawberry Brownies, Birthday Bundt Cake + More | Our Best Home Cooking Bites, with Adrianna Adarme

  2. 2d ago

    Fall Farmers’ Market Must-Haves: Our Top 12 Recipes for Seasonal Home Cooking!

    What do you make when you come home from the farmers’ market with a bag full of beautiful fall produce, and no plan for what to do with it? This week, we’re sharing our top fall farmers’ market must-haves AND how we’re using them at home to make approachable dinners, nutritious meal-prep salads, satisfying lunches, and cozy vegetarian mains. By the end of this episode, you’ll: Find new foolproof techniques for cooking fall staples like eggplant and sweet potatoesDiscover a hearty, weeknight-friendly sheet pan meal that makes the most of seasonal squashMake the most of unexpected market finds, like quince, plus ideas for turning them into something delicious Press play now for inspiration for your next farmers’ market trip — and what to make when you get home! *** 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: Join Sonya in person for a guided Portland Farmers' Market tour through Airbnb Experiences! Delicata Squash Lemon garlic roast chicken with delicata squash by David Tanis for NYT Cooking Sweet Potato Japanese sweet potato with creamy miso glaze by Faraway Kitchen Peppers Vegetarian stuffed poblano peppers by the Picky Eater Peperonata by Serious Eats Roasted red pepper and cheddar cheese egg bites from Jenn Lueke Eggplant Olia Hercules' Azerbaijani butter-braised eggplant, Sedakh Eggplant adobo by Kay Chun for NYT Cooking Apples Crunchy Brussels Sprouts and Apple Slaw by Hetty Lui McKinnon from NYT Cooking Caramelized onion, apple and goat cheese melts by Jerrell Guy for NYT Cooking Quince Poached quince by David Leibovitz, I like to serve with whipped cream, creme anglaise, or ice cream -- or turn into his quince tatin Pears Easy maple baked pears by Sally’s Baking Addiction **** 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. Order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!

    Fall Farmers’ Market Must-Haves: Our Top 12 Recipes for Seasonal Home Cooking!

  3. Sep 17

    What Do You Do with Beets? | Answering Your Home Cooking Questions

    Could beets become a family favorite if you just found the right way to make them? In this bite-sized episode, we share a listener's question with expert advice, simple strategies, and lots of delicious ideas to inspire your cooking! By the end of this episode, you’ll discover our favorite ways to use beets, like in colorful soups, as crispy chips, and in meal-prep-friendly salads. You’ll also learn some unexpected ways to incorporate beets into both savory AND sweet dishes. Plus, we share our best tips for the easiest ways to cook a big batch or even freeze beets for later. 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: Pineapple beet smoothie from Three Little Chickpeas Roasted beet hummus from Food 52 Persian yogurt beet dip from Unicorns in the Kitchen Jeweled roasted vegetables (mix of beets, carrots, and Brussels sprouts) from The Food You Crave Oven-baked beet chips from A Spicy Perspective Scuttlebutt sandwiches from NYT Cooking Sabich sandwiches from Food Network Beautiful Soup by Celia Barbour for NYT Cooking Sonya’s family borscht recipe Ukrainian beet salad (Vinegret) from The New Baguette Roasted beet salad over labneh from Evergreen Kitchen Roasted beets in a sherry vinegar marinade from Superman Cooks Flourless beet brownies by Jerelle Guy for NYT Cooking Chocolate beet cake by Nigel Slater for Food 52 **** 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 Do with Beets? | Answering Your Home Cooking Questions

  4. Sep 15

    8 Make-Ahead Salads for Fall

    What if your fridge were stocked with delicious fall salads, ready whenever you needed an easy lunch or a dish to bring to the next potluck Fall gets busy fast, and that’s why this week we’re sharing eight make-ahead salads that hold up beautifully in the fridge, so you can have easy, nutritious meals and sides ready all week long. By the end of this episode, you’ll find out: The best fall produce for prepping salads in advanceSimple techniques for keeping vegetables crisp, layering textures, and maximizing flavorFlexible recipes for hearty lunches, potlucks, and holidays Press play now for make-ahead salads that make busy fall days a little easier! *** 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: Sonya’s fennel, apple, celery, pomegranate salad, and we like to use this mandoline for slicing veggies thin Honey and harissa farro salad by Deb Perelman from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, via Serious Eats Quinoa with caramelized corn and scallions by Lauryn Tyrell for Martha Stewart Four bean salad with green romesco by Alison Roman from her cookbook: Dining In Warm green bean and lentil salad by Ottolenghi Lentil salad with roasted radicchio and cauliflower by Alexandra Stafford for Food 52 Pearled couscous and tomato salad from Baked By Melissa Deborah Madison’s Ravioli and Tomato Salad with Masses of Basil from her cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (and the shelf-stable tortellini Kari gifted to Sonya, which would go great in this salad) **** 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!

    8 Make-Ahead Salads for Fall

  5. Sep 10

    Cookbook Club, Fig & Almond Cake + A Vegetarian Phyllo Pie | Our Best Home Cooking Bites

    What if using phyllo dough didn’t have to be difficult, and you could make a golden, buttery pie with a mountain of vegetables? 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 seasonal cookbook full of flavorful intuitive recipes, and you’ll also find out why David Tanis’ fig and almond cake is a must-bake that's perfect for fall hosting. You’ll also learn how to make a meatless main packed with chickpeas, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes that reheats like a dream and has a surprise technique that makes it easy to make. 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: How to Start a Cookbook Club from our Substack Cookbook club pick: David Tanis’ A Platter of Figs, which is out of print, but can be found used or at your local library too Some highlights from cookbook club were: Corn, squash, and green beans with jalapeno butter Fresh shell beans with sage and garlic Berbere pizza Fig and almond cake by David Tanis for NYT Cooking Spiced veggie phyllo pie by Melissa Clark for NYT Cooking **** 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!

    Cookbook Club, Fig & Almond Cake + A Vegetarian Phyllo Pie | Our Best Home Cooking Bites

  6. Sep 8

    What to Cook on Busy Weeknights: 6 Dinners, with Maggie Hoffman

    How do you make dinner happen every night without feeling like you’re starting from scratch? If you’re staring into the fridge at 5 p.m. with no idea what to make, this week Maggie Hoffman, host of The Dinner Plan, shares smart strategies for making weeknight cooking easier, along with a lineup of deeply satisfying fall dinners that come together quickly. Think: chewy noodles tossed in a 5-minute sauce, a crowd-pleasing sheet-pan meal, and a foolproof take on pasta e ceci. By the end of this episode, you’ll discover: Flexible meal-planning tricks that help ingredients stretch furtherFlavorful, low-effort meals that can pull you out of even the deepest cooking rutTwo meatless dinners that might end up in regular rotation in your kitchen Press play now for practical strategies and quick fall dinners that will make answering the question, “What’s for dinner?” a little easier. *** 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: Follow “The Dinner Plan” now wherever you listen to podcasts Subscribe to Maggie’s Substack: The Dinner Plan for more recipe inspiration. You can also find Maggie and more about The Dinner Plan on Instagram! Maggie’s favorite pasta: Zaynab Issa's Gochujang-Sesame noodles (With Sun Ramen Noodles) Meatless dinner: Georgina Hayden's clean-out-the-fridge pasta salad, from her cookbook: Medesque (with tons of weeknight-friendly recipes) Sheet pan meal: Melissa Clark's Harissa chicken with Leeks, from her book: “Dinner Changing the Game” which has many more sheet pan recipes. Maggie also highly recommends switching from half sheet to using stainless steel quarter sheet pans for this style of cooking (they fit in a toaster oven, and are dishwasher safe!) Maggie (and our!) favorite brand of harissa paste is from NY Shuk Comforting fall dinner: Jamie Oliver's Pasta e Ceci, from his book: Jamie’s Italy. Maggie loves to make small batches of stock with leftover rotisserie chicken bones in an Instantpot. Standout from “The Dinner Plan:” Maureen Abood's Arayes from her cookbook: Lebanese Baking What to cook when you don’t feel like cooking: A great loaded up sandwich like this Feta brined-chicken sandwiches made with grilled chicken. Maggie recommends grilling proteins for multiple meals at the same time, and for recipe inspiration she recs Noah Galuten’s Grill Time! Some of Maggie’s favorite cookbooks right now: River Cafe Green by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers Vegetables the Italian Way by Giulia Scarpaleggia Carla Lalli’s new book: Food is a Feeling **** 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 to Cook on Busy Weeknights: 6 Dinners, with Maggie Hoffman

  7. Sep 3

    Easy Pickles, A Quick Way To Use Up Broccoli + A Surprising Carrot Cake with Leah Koenig | Our Best Home Cooking Bites

    What do you do when you have more vegetables than you know what to do with? 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 discover a quick refrigerator pickle that can be made with almost any veggie, and you’ll also find out about a restaurant-inspired broccoli crostini that makes a satisfying meatless dinner for busy nights. Plus! Author Leah Koenig shares her “Best Bite” too: An easy carrot-date cake that requires no special equipment, with an unexpected ingredient in the frosting. 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: Leah Koenig’s new book is: The Dessert Table: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets, which includes her recipe for Date-carrot cake with orange blossom frosting. You can find more recipes from Leah on her Substack: The Jewish Table, and on Instagram @leah.koenig **** Other links from today's show: Easy refrigerator pickles from Simply Recipes made with a crinkle-cut knife And here’s another fridge pickle recipe from Coley Cooks, if you want a less sweet pickle, with more spices. Lot 2’s pecorino-fried bread with broccoli adapted by Melissa Clark for NYT Cooking; Kari adapted it by cooking broccoli with butter and garlic, and serving it on toasted sliced bread topped with melty cheese (like young Parmesan, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Gruyere). Italian broccoli salad by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking **** 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!

    Easy Pickles, A Quick Way To Use Up Broccoli + A Surprising Carrot Cake with Leah Koenig | Our Best Home Cooking Bites

  8. Sep 1

    Hosting this Fall? Four Menus for Seasonal Cooking at Home

    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: Learn how to build a fall menu around dishes that can be prepped, cooked, frozen, or reheated ahead of timeDiscover a fully vegetarian menu that is casual and can feed a big crowdFind 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! *** 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! *** We also highly recommend The Dinner Plan podcast and Substack for more recipe inspiration! *** 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 **** 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!

    Hosting this Fall? Four Menus for Seasonal Cooking at Home
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Do you love home cooking but hunger for better recipes that help you deliver quick and delicious meals to your dinner table? Two former personal chefs turned best friends share their expertise with each other and you! Kari and Sonya have been inspiring each other in the kitchen for over 15 years by swapping recipes, tips, and trade secrets in the pursuit of better home cooking. FOOD FRIENDS is a bi-weekly podcast inspiring home cooks to try new dishes in the kitchen by sharing trusted recipes, tips, and friendship. Every Tuesday, each host delivers 3 unique solutions to seasonal home cooking, like: how to make craveable soups with your farmers market haul, the easiest one-pot meals for busy nights, or what to do with leftover rotisserie chicken. On Thursdays, we serve up a pint-sized chat about our “Best Bite” of the week, pantry essentials we can’t live without, and more. Previous guests include Seth & Lauren Rogen, actor Randall Park & writer/director Evan Goldberg, recipe developer Justine Doiron, #1 Food & Beverage Substacker Caroline Chambers, and more. If you’re looking for a boost of fun in the kitchen by discovering recipes that will make mealtime easier and more delicious with a healthy dose of laughter, then you’ll want to dig in with FOOD FRIENDS! First-time listener? Tune into Episode 2: Don’t send flowers, send soup! and Episode 4: What do you bring to a potluck?

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