Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

This week we’re planning a FOOD FRIENDS adventure… Kari is headed to Portland to visit Sonya! 

We’re celebrating the finale of our first season with two special episodes. This week’s part one and it’s a very real conversation we decided to record on the fly as we made plans for Kari’s visit. We talk about all the ways we hope to spend our time together. Will we cook together? Will we dine at Portland’s best restaurants? Will we make a trip to the farmers’ market together? (Of course, we will!) 

This episode is all about how you plan a visit with your best food-loving friend… all the anticipation and dreaming, without any of the weather, traffic, or other unforeseen elements that can come up during the actual visit.

We reminisce about previous episodes to seek out inspiration: will Sonya make her incredible chocolate chip cookies? Will there be roast chicken? How about beets? Tune in to hear all the ways we’re dreaming of spending our time together. 

And then, don’t forget to tune in next week to find out what actually happened! 

Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Rice balls at Money Bowl

Sonya’s favorite coffee in Portland: Exilior Coffee

Find out all about the Portland Farmers Market

Sonya’s noodles and cottage cheese 

A favorite Portland restaurant, Han Oak

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What are our favorite handheld meals? 
Empanadas! Samosas! Piroshki! Borekas! Burritos! (to name a few!)

This week we’re talking all about our favorite portable foods. We start with piroshki, the handheld pastry that Sonya recommended to Kari when she visited Seattle a few years back, then cross cultures to explore empanadas, samosas, onigiri, and borekas. We also explore the world of burritos, both the simple bean and cheese, and the overly stuffed breakfast burrito. As always, we’ll share our favorite spots, as well as tips on how to make our favorite dishes at home. Perfect handheld foods come in many forms, and this episode explores the ones we can’t stop cooking and eating. Tune in to hear more!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

How to make homemade Onigiri

Piroshky Piroshky Seattle 

Sonya’s recipe for cabbage piroshki 

Liz Alpern, of The Gefilteria, knish recipe

Zongzi rice ball recipe  

You can find Sonya’s favorite rice balls at Money Bowl in Portland

Our favorite burritos in LA: Yuca’s, Escuela, Tacos Villa Carona, and El Coyote

How to make flour tortillas at home via King Arthur

Yewande Komolafe’s breakfast burritos for the NY Times

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Summer is the time to take your meals outside! Whether you’re heading to your local park, the beach, an outdoor concert, or any other warm-weather gathering, this episode will guide and inspire you to cook and eat deliciously.

Family reunion at the park? We love fried chicken and all the classic sides like potato salad, with a few twists. If you prefer pasta salad (or are a skeptic, like Sonya), we share our favs plus an updated version that leans into tahini and parmesan. Headed to the beach? Sonya shares an unexpected takeout approach for the perfect beach picnic. And Kari reminisces about a summer fruit salad that her mom used to make that is served in an unusual but clever way. This conversation builds on our “Deli Salads” episode from a few weeks ago and offers seasonal ideas that will carry you through a delicious summer. 

What’s your favorite picnic food??

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Hawaiian mac salad from Onolicious Hawaii

Tahini parmesan pasta salad by Ali Slagle via the NY Times 

Alison Roman’s pasta salad with jammy tomatoes 

Turns out Melissa Clark developed a Green Goddess pasta salad for the NY Times

Ina Garten’s legendary pesto pasta salad with peas

Rich Rosendale’s Elote salad 

Potato and green bean salad by Minimalist Baker 

The Spruce Eats shows how to make a watermelon basket 

Vonbee passionfruit honey puree can be found at Costco or online, or check out your local H-Mart!

JJ’s Lone Daughter Ranch has Kari’s favorite juices at the farmers’ market in LA

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “veggie sandwich?” Sprouts? Avocado? Grilled asparagus??? 

If you’ve never had a great veggie sandwich, you’re missing out! Not to worry, we are here to recount the many veggie sandwiches we’ve loved, including ones we create in our home kitchens. In fact, we shared a veggie sandwich on our very first friend date — it was a perfectly crispy panini filled with greens, artichoke hearts, and melty cheese. 

We dedicate this episode to delicious sandwiches where veggies are the main event and are treated with the love and care they deserve. We explore unexpected ingredients like roasted harissa-honey carrots, beet spread, and garlicky-grilled broccoli rabe. By the end, we arrive at a shared truth: we love ALL the veggie sandwiches! 

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Our favorite LA spots for veggie sandwiches: Uncle Paulie’s Deli, Dune, Lodge Bread, and All Time

Creole Me Up Beet Spread can be found around Portland, OR

Annie’s Goddess dressing 

Check out Adrian Hale’s site – she’s a baker, educator, writer, and the best pita maker!

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Juicy, sweet, dark & jammy…we’re talking about the arrival of summer berry season!

There are so many ways to enjoy summer berries, and in this week’s episode, we try to recount all the ways we love to eat them. Juicy strawberries piled on top of a rich poundcake? Yes, please! Classic strawberry shortcake with flaky biscuits and freshly whipped cream? Count us in! We reminisce about the berry dishes of our childhoods, like the brilliant combination of sour cream and summer strawberries that Sonya’s grandmother used to make for her, and Kari’s family’s favorite Midwestern icebox cakes.

What’s your favorite berry? And what dish are you most excited to eat with summer berries?

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Sonya’s labneh cheesecake with strawberry sauce and her mocha raspberry icebox cake

Angel food cake with three berry compote by Hugo Matheson via Food & Wine 

Roasted strawberries by Stella Parks for Serious Eats

Smitten Kitchen’s perfect strawberry summer cake 

Edna Lewis’ blackberry cobbler

Olia Hercules Summer Kitchens cookbook, and her recipe for tomato blackberry/mulberry salad 

Midwestern strawberry pretzel icebox cake

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What’s your favorite kind of pie… Fruity and jammy? Cool and creamy? Savory? 

Kari and Sonya start the show off by talking about their favorite classic summer pies from peach to berry and explore delicious variations like crostatas, galettes, hand pies, and even a simple ice cream pie.

Then, we invite Danielle Bell to join us and share her extensive pie-baking expertise with our listeners. Danielle is an LA-based chef, a fellow FOOD FRIEND, and is part of the culinary duo “de Porres” with her partner Pablo Osorio. We hear all about Danielle’s culinary story, including her secret to her incredibly flaky, burnished crusts, and her iconic savory greens pie filling.  

Tune in this week for a heavy dose of summer pie inspiration!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Get in touch with Danielle and find out more about de Porres here, and make sure to follow Danielle and Pablo’s Instagram 

Puff pastry hand-pies via Sally’s Baking Addiction 

Sonya’s galette recipe 

Skillet pie from America’s Test Kitchen 

Alison Roman’s double-crust peach pie 

Smitten Kitchen’s sour cherry slab pie

10-minute ice cream pie from Gimme Some Oven

Edna Lewis’ lemon chess pie via The Butter Lab

Derby Pie via The New York Times

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

This week we’re talking about deli salads: egg salad, chicken salad, coleslaw, broccoli crunch salad…and more!

At Sonya’s restaurant, Beetroot, the deli case was the focal point of the kitchen, churning out classics like egg salad and tuna salad in addition to personal favorites like beet salad. In her home kitchen, Sonya likes to keep at least one type of deli salad on hand for a quick snack or on-the-go lunch. After years of catering, Kari has formed a few strong deli salad opinions of her own, especially when it comes to egg salad. The FOOD FRIENDS discuss and debate the use of mustard and pickle juice in classics like chicken salad, but also divulge their favorite veggie-centric salads that store well in the fridge for days.

This episode goes beyond the usual mayo-dominant offerings to inspire you to stock your fridge with salads you and your FOOD FRIENDS will love! Tune in for a giant spoonful of deli salad inspiration!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Ina Garten’s chicken salad via Food Network 

Sonya’s “health salad” 

Broccoli crunch salad via The Pretty Bee

Ukrainian beet salad

Cucumber salad via Food & Wine (modify by adding lots of dill)

Cowboy caviar with lots of taco seasoning, via TikTok and Taste of Home 

Scrunched cabbage salad by Cybelle Tondu via the NY Times 

Jones on 3rd in Los Angeles

Mama Lil’s hot peppers

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

A good sheet pan is an essential piece of equipment. In this episode, we talk about what we mean by sheet pans, where to buy a good sheet pan (we’ve had ours for 10+ years), what we cook on our sheet pans (spoiler: you can cook ANYTHING on a sheet pan), and even how to clean a sheet pan (those dark edges are a badge of honor!). 

As usual, we share (and debate) all the different recipes and meals we make with our sheet pans, learning from each other in the process, like when does it make sense to use parchment paper? How do you best cook fish? Can you serve a meal on a sheet pan? (ABSOLUTELY!) As usual, you can expect all our tips for cooking veggies, chicken, sausage, meatballs, tofu, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more.

We love our sheet pans and we think you’ll feel the same after you listen!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

We recommend local restaurant supply stores for sheet pans, or these excellent Nordicware pans

Sonya’s sheet pan Seattle-Style chicken teriyaki 

The Meatball Shop’s cookbook

Sheet pan sausage supper via Food Network

Sheet pan chicken parm via Rich Rosendale

Sheet pan haloumi via The Kitchn

Sheet pan eggplant parm via Food & Wine

Sheet pan harissa salmon by Colu Henry for the NY Times

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Strawberries! Rhubarb! Peas! Cherries! Turnips! Artichokes! Melons! OH MY!!

Prime farmers market season has arrived! All over the country, local markets are opening up as we march into spring and summer, creating an opportunity for us to connect with and learn from the folks who grow our food. This week we’re sharing our tips on how we approach our weekly farmers market ritual. Where do we park, do we make lists, what do we buy? And, how do we store all the produce that we bring home? 

We’ll answer these questions and many more! Get your tote bag ready!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Sonya’s Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette

Hollywood Farmers’ market and Santa Monica FM

Portland Farmers’ market

Weiser Family Farm in LA

Farm D’Ici in Portland

What Fruits Shouldn’t be Stored Next To Each Other? 

And What to Store in the Fridge?

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What’s the worst thing that can happen when you try a recipe and it fails? In this week’s episode, we share stories from our most epic fails, from gloopy risotto to an ill-fated Beef Wellington. Everyone has an off day, even us chefs! How do we recover when we have a bad day at work? 

We’re sharing insights from our worst kitchen flubs, both from our days working as personal chefs to more recent times cooking for family and friends. Kari tells us all about a catering disaster and reveals what it means to extend grace to ourselves, and by the same token, how special it is to receive that same grace from others. And Sonya shares a story about a pot of soup that once helped get her hired, and later got her fired, and how losing that job was the biggest blessing in disguise. 

This episode is for every cook who has made a dish that didn’t turn out as they planned, and especially for new cooks who might be afraid they will fail. We all make mistakes! And what we realize with one another is that it’s actually going to be okay…even better than okay. We hope this episode inspires you to take a leap and try something new you’ve been thinking about!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Instant Pot mushroom risotto by Kenji Lopez-Alt for Serious Eats

Crescent roll Beef Wellington 🙂

Mark Bittman’s Vegetable soup

Umami burger recipe from Never Not Hungry

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

This week we’re talking about pasta recipes and ideas that go beyond the comforts of red sauces like marinara and bolognese. As the weather gets warmer, we’re leaning into the bright flavors of spring. We’re sharing dishes that celebrate fresh ingredients like spinach, parsley, and peas, as well as earthy flavors like mushrooms and shallots. We also include a few super simple tips that play on classic “buttered noodles.” In this conversation, Sonya reveals a technique she learned from watching her mom that creates the creamiest, cheesiest pasta. And Kari and Sonya debate whether the inclusion of tomato paste makes something a red sauce. 

In addition to the pasta that’s waiting in your pantry, many of these dishes can be made with ingredients that are readily available in a well-stocked fridge or freezer. And even though it wasn’t intentional, we realize this episode happens to be completely vegetarian as well! Veggies and pasta for the win!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Kale Pesto from Love & Lemons

Vegan parm made with Brazil nuts from Minimalist Baker

Sonya’s noodles and cottage cheese “recipe”

Alison Roman’s creamy cauliflower pasta and carmelized shallot pasta (with tomato paste)

Carmelized zucchini pasta by Ali Slagle for the NY Times

Mark Bittman’s  or Giulia Scarpaleggia’s pasta frittata

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Do you have a go-to dish that you make from memory? Many of us lean on recipes for inspiration for our daily cooking, but there's something to be said about the meals we make off the cuff, over and over again.

This episode explores the dishes we cook straight from memory, without consulting a cookbook or app. For instance, Sonya shares her almost weekly routine of roasting chicken, a classic dish from her childhood that she constantly riffs on. Kari reveals that she never makes roast chicken, and instead shares one of her go-to meals: a tomato-based, green bean stew taht she learned how to make from a friend. We also reflect on our favorite coconut lentil dish, which we both make entirely with ingredients we always keep on hand in our kitchens. 

This conversation shows us that the dishes we make automatically, without even thinking, are sometimes the most special ones. A good FOOD FRIEND can remind us that it’s possible for a beautiful, home-cooked meal to come together quickly with a few pantry staples... and without a recipe.

We hope this episode encourages you to think about the dishes you're making without a recipe. Reach out and let us know what you're cooking up, and we'll share it with the FOOD FRIENDS community so that we can all learn!

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Sonya’s Seattle-style sheet pan chicken teriyaki 

Roast chicken with grapes by Angie Mar, via Food & Wine

Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce

NY Shuk harissa and spices, and Diaspora Co spices

Crispy smashed potato recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Curried coconut red lentils by Julia Turshen, The Kitchn

Cashew cream via The Kitchn

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

We’re celebrating spring in this week’s episode with time-honored rituals and new traditions to welcome light, warmer weather, and connection with family and friends!

In honor of the changing season, we’re sharing a few ways that we like to celebrate. Sonya offers her strategies for hosting Passover, including ways to make it a little easier and more collaborative for everyone. She’ll also share her go-to menu, as well as her favorite make-ahead dishes like savory potato kugel, which reminds Kari of a Midwestern casserole that her family serves at Easter.

Kari tells Sonya all about her delicious new “Spring Turkey” tradition; it’s a version of Thanksgiving inspired by her aunt. There’s only one rule: gather family and friends around the table to share a meal. Also, wear a pink boa!

We hope you’re as excited as we are to cook tasty, seasonal food and celebrate the arrival of spring.

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Sonya’s shawarma eggplant with zhug

Cast iron potato kugel from Smitten Kitchen

Kari’s family’s strawberry jello and pretzel “salad” from Taste of Home 

Cheesy potato casserole 

Haroset recipes from around the world, via The Nosher

Ina Garten’s Green Green Spring vegetables recipe 

Cilantro mint sauce from Chinois/Wolfgang Puck

Alison Roman’s wine-braised short rib for the NY Times 

Zoe Bakes’ pavlova recipe

Tyler Florence’s flourless chocolate cake 

Shannon Sarna’s matzah toffee

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

We are thrilled to chat with FOOD FRIEND, Grace Chon!

Grace is not only a passionate gardener, but she’s also an acclaimed photographer, best-selling author, creativity coach, and host of Creativity School — a podcast dedicated to finding and expressing creativity (we are both big fans!). 

There’s nothing better than cooking with food you’ve grown yourself, and Grace inspires us to plant and grow more in our home gardens this year. Grace shares what she’s learned from her 10+ year gardening journey, which began with growing heirloom tomatoes in pots in her parking space… proof that anyone can start a garden that yields food if they want to. She shares tips about gardening, as well as recipes on how to cook with all that bounty, and tells us all about the essential Korean herb that grows easily and is really versatile in the kitchen.

With the arrival of Spring, this conversation comes just in time to inspire you to grow something…anything!…in your garden, on your patio, or even in a pot next to your parking space.

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Links to recipes and favorites from this week’s show:

Follow Grace’s gardening adventures on @tinyfoodgarden!

Check out Grace's Website, her podcast Creativity School, and follow her on IG @thegracechon

Korean Perilla leaves: what are they and how to buy? From Sue Pressey of My Korean Kitchen 

10 ways to enjoy Perilla from JinJoo Lee of Kimchimari

How to make tomato confit, from Sonya’s TikTok

Immersion blender options for creating Grace’s favorite tomato sauce texture 

Heirloom tomatoes from Logan’s Garden if you’re near Los Angeles, or find out more about/order Goose Creek Heirloom Tomato seeds

All three of us love Belle’s Bagels 

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What are the key elements of a great lunch salad? How can you elevate a sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary? What simple kitchen tool is a game-changer when it comes to making crave-able meals? How do you make delicious lunches at home?

This week’s episode was inspired by a lunch that Kari experienced at Sonya’s house several years ago. Sonya and her husband Jonathan created a beautiful midday meal, and Kari was struck by how effortlessly it came together. Kari’s approach to lunch fits into the “grab an apple and peanut butter” category, so sitting down to enjoy a lovely lunch felt different (in a good way). Kari asks Sonya to get specific about her approach to lunch,  and this conversation explores classic lunch fare while offering a few new approaches that you might have never considered before. Sonya shares so many great tips and recipes, including her secret to the popular tuna salad she made at her restaurant, Beetroot Market & Deli. 

What inspires you at lunch?  Drop us a line and let us know!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Our favorite Benriner mandolin 

Carrots really do taste sweeter when they’re grated, via Food52

Sonya’s tuna salad recipe 

Quick pickled red onions, via Dana Velden for TheKitchn, and how to quick pickle any vegetable 

Turkish sumac onions, by Whisk Affair 

Molly Yeh’s yogurt ranch 

Annie’s Goddess dressing for salad sandwiches

Maria’s Italian Kitchen in Los Angeles

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Being a personal chef is, well…personal…and in this episode, we’re taking you on a behind-the-scenes look at our unique experiences cooking in our clients’ kitchens. We’ll share how we got to know our clients’ preferences, meal planning, shopping, and some of the unexpected realities of the job. Being a personal chef has its ups and downs, and we get real about what the profession is really like, and how it’s different from our other experiences working in the culinary world.

“Do you cook like that at home?” is a common question we’re asked. It’s easy to imagine that a personal chef cooks beautiful meals for herself every day at home, and while the reality is far different, we are going to share tips we picked up that we still use in our home kitchens.

P. S. If you’re curious about our chef beginnings, be sure to listen to Episode 11, “How We Started.” (You may be surprised to learn that neither of us went to culinary school!)

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Smitten Kitchen’s Chickpeas & Spinach 

Anne Burrell’s Braised Chicken with Almonds

Carrot Ginger Dressing from Caroline Phelps

Green Thai Curry from Hot Thai Kitchen

Lemon Pesto Spaghetti Squash from Love & Lemons 

Ali Slagle’s Turkey-Zucchini Burgers from the NY Times 

Homestyle Indonesian Cooking Cookbook 

Vicente Foods and Santa Monica Seafood

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

“I want to run some ideas by you” launches these FOOD FRIENDS into a spirited conversation where they join forces to share ideas and recipes to make casually hosting during the week that much easier.

Sonya asks Kari for advice on what to serve alongside the main dish. Kari eagerly (and firmly!) pitches ideas for suitable sides. Sonya shares her brilliant tip for a make-ahead dish that actually tastes better a day or two later, as well as a time-saving strategy that builds flavor to a delicious sauce. Kari adds smart tips on building a menu around mindful cleanup at the end of the night. The flurry of ideas and tips that emerge benefit any aspiring host (including these two food friends!).

If you want to create a delicious dinner, but feel stuck with a menu item, or just need a boost of inspiration for future hosting, this is the episode for you!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Sonya’s guest for dinner, Adrian Hale, and her amazing dough recipe. Stay tuned for her upcoming book!

Ina Garten’s couscous with pine nuts and currants

Schug/Zhoug recipe adapted from Michael Solomonov via Tasting Table  

Reem Assil’s kofta recipe 

Sonya’s recipe for Amba, or find the premade condiment online and at Middle Eastern markets 

Mark Bittman’s braised lamb with wine and prunes for the NY Times

Baked orzo recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi via The Guardian

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

What happens when FOOD FRIENDS reunite? This episode captures all the excitement of Sonya’s recent trip to Los Angeles to visit Kari. Tune in to find out where Kari took Sonya out for dinner, and what treats Sonya brought to Kari in her suitcase. 

In this conversation, we’re also exploring what it means to be together with the people we love. As we begin to travel and reconnect with our nearest and dearest, how do we communicate care when someone comes to visit? What do we bring and how do we share parts of ourselves when we travel to visit our loved ones? From home cooking and flowers to restaurant recommendations and local points of interest, this episode offers many approaches to being a host as well as a guest. The tips we share about our experiences together might inspire you the next time you find yourself in the company of one of your favorite FOOD FRIENDS.

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Pickle Soup, from Love Soup by Anna Thomas 

Sonya’s grandmother’s pumpkin pirozhki recipe  and Sonya’s Tahini Cookies (replace chocolate with chopped dried fruit) 

KariKari chili crisp

Pizzeria Mozza and Boreaks in Los Angeles

Maurice in Portland

Check out our Cookie episode to hear more about Sonya’s chocolate chip cookies, and our Party Snacks episode for more on Kari’s family’s Chex mix!

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Have you ever wondered what chefs keep in their freezers? This week we’re waxing poetic about one of our favorite appliances, divulging some unexpected staples we always keep on hand, and offering some game-changing tips on how to store favorite freezer items.

We like to think of our freezers as treasure chests filled with delicious possibilities, and we share the many ways we use our freezers to store both homemade and store-bought items. In this conversation, we’ll also discuss (and debate!!) what to do with all of the frozen treats we stash away, and ultimately we make the case that a freezer is a place for food investments of all kinds.

Whether you’re a freezer pro or a newbie, tune in for hot takes on the coldest place in the kitchen!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Kari’s favorite coffee cake comes from Pfaff’s Bakery in Pontiac, IL, and Sonya’s favorite place for chocolate cake in Portland, OR is Papa Haydn’s 

Our favorite Blueberry Pudding Cake from the late, great, Gourmet Magazine

Sonya’s potato kugel recipe 

Breakfast cookies from Sally’s Baking Addiction 

And check out our Soup Episode to learn how we make broth (it’s always in our freezer)!

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

This week’s episode answers an essential question: what’s the best pizza? You may be relieved to hear that the answer is a very loud “ALL OF THEM!” We reminisce about the pizzas of our childhood, the slices that we’ve enjoyed together, and the pizza memories that we hold in our hearts, plus a few of the ways we love to make pizza at home.  

Our conversation explores pizza in its many forms: from cracker-y thin crusts and chewy sourdough slices to Sicilian + Chicago deep dish, from a classic cheese to a pie piled high with toppings. We embrace the notion that almost anything can serve as a pizza canvas: a bagel, an English muffin - even matzo! And we’ll share some of our favorite pairings for pizza dinners.

We invite you to share your favorite pie and what you like about it, or maybe tell us about your favorite FOOD FRIEND that you wish you could have a slice with right NOW!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles, CA 

Gjelina Takeaway, Venice CA 

Kari’s Midwest favorites: Gumby’s in Champagne-Urbana, IL, Mario’s Pizza in Pontiac, IL, and Monical’s Pizza, Fairbury, IL 

Sonya’s Northwest favorites: Scottie’s Pizza Parlor, Portland OR, Ken’s Artisan Pizza, Portland, OR, and from back in the day, Pagliacci Pizza in Seattle

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

frying, encourages you to freeze your tofu (who knew!), and describes several ways that silken tofu can be delicious in both savory and sweet dishes.

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Sweet and Crunchy Tofu (made with potato starch) from Maangchi

(Frozen) Tofu Braised in Soy Sauce from Chichi Wang of Serious Eats, and How to freeze Tofu by Jessie Yuchen of Bon Appetit

Tofu Guide from Serious Eats

Silken Tofu with green onion from Garlic Delight

Vegan Mapo Tofu from David Tanis via the New York Times

Hetty McKinnon’s Creamy Vegan Tofu Noodles for the New York Times

Isa Chandra Moskowitz’ Tofu Balls and Tofu Short Ribs

Tofu Chocolate Mousse from Martha Stewart)

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

After fifteen years of friendship and collaboration, we’re finally asking each other the question: how did you get your first job as a private chef? This conversation traces each of our own unique culinary paths back to their humble beginnings cooking in homes across Los Angeles. We have no idea what took us so long to have this conversation, but are excited to discover so many unexpected similarities, including one that might be as surprising to you as it is to us! We’re also sharing some of the dishes that our clients asked us to make again and again, which we’re STILL cooking for our families and friends. This conversation really shows us that no matter how long you’ve known a friend, there’s always more to discover.

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Blueberry Pudding Cake from Gourmet Magazine

Nobu’s Miso-Marinated Black Cod via Kathryn Hill at TheKitchn 

Mark Bittman’s Vegetable Soup 

Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Mushroom Soup

Ruth Reichl’s memoirs: Tender at the Bone and Garlic and Sapphires

One of Tyler Florence’s Flourless Chocolate Cake  recipes

Sonya’s Turkey Chili! (yes, she sent it to Kari as promised :)

This week we’re exploring our favorite meatless meals that are flavorful, easy, and exciting. These veggie-centric dishes include several one-pot meals, a deconstructed lasagna, and the “casserole” we both can’t stop making. We’ll also share a few surprising ways to use up that cauliflower! While we’re both fans of starting our week with a vegetarian dinner, we also don’t have any hard and fast rules about what day or time it needs to happen. This conversation inspired us both to get back into the kitchen and cook up all our favorite vegetable mains!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Our favorite Farro + Cauliflower Parmesan, by Sarah Digregorio for The New York Times 

Bon Appetit’s Whole Eggplant Parmesan by Dawn Perry

Priya Krishna and Ritu Krishna’s Tomato Rice with Crispy Cheddar for The New York Times 

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Baked Rice via The Kitchn

Anna Thomas’ Love Soup cookbook, and her “beans + greens” recipe

Smitten Kitchen’s  Pizza Beans 

Heidi Swanson’s Baked Quinoa Patties 

Fly by Jing and Hot Mama Smoky Coffee Chili Oil 

Sonya’s Plov, while not meatless, you can modify it by omitting the meat or substituting it with your favorite vegetable or legume

From intimate dinners to huge potlucks, this week we reflect on our favorite dishes of 2022. These stand-out food moments made the cut, not because of their ingredients, but because of the special FOOD FRIENDS we shared them with and where we ate them. We are inspired by our friends’ beautiful cooking, insightful questions, and courageous projects that continue to expand the ways that we eat, cook, and talk about food.  

We’re so glad you’ve joined us here this year; we love sharing these conversations with you, and we appreciate all the feedback we’ve received from your reflections.  Thank you! We are going to take a break for a couple of weeks, and can’t wait to restart the conversation in 2023.  Happy holidays and happy new year!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Diane Yen’s “Self Care Carbonara” reel on IG inspired Kari

Simply Recipes’ Braised Leeks

Sonya’s Apple & Honey Ruffle Milk Pie recipe

@ramenasayswow’s Crinkle Cake

Our food friend and cookbook author, Shannon Sarna, reveals all the details of her holiday cookie boxes and shares the recipes she must include each year, as well as some of the cookies she makes sure to leave out. She has us drooling over her cranberry streusel bars made with homemade cranberry jam (YUM!), as well as her legendary rainbow cookies from her new cookbook, Modern Jewish Comfort Food. 

We are thrilled to share this conversation and hope it gets you in the baking mood as much as it does for both of us. Tune in to hear why baking cookie boxes can be more than the alchemy of butter, sugar, and sprinkles… this special holiday tradition can communicate love, connect us to our past, and bring joy to our community.

This week’s episode leaves us asking: how do we get on Shannon’s holiday cookie list next year?

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Shannon’s new book Modern Jewish Comfort Food (it makes an amazing Hanukkah gift!)

Cranberry Crumble Bars from Baked From Scratch

Shannon’s favorite Whole Foods’ Chai Spiced Cookies, and Sonya’s favorite Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

Shannon's Black & White Cookies on The Nosher

Kari’s favorite Spoon Cookies

Sue Li’s Orange, Pistachio, Chocolate Shortbread for the NY Times

Erik Kim’s Gojuchang Caramel Cookies for the NY Times

Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies From Tutti Dolci and

Classic Buckeyes!

“Classic Latkes & Country Ham” might not be an obvious holiday food pairing, but these two iconic dishes hold special places in our FOOD FRIENDShip.  

Sonya collected several key insights that led her to the latke of her dreams: crispy golden edges with a tender center. Surprisingly, one of those insights came from a catering experience with Kari, which helped Sonya to rethink the way she prepared latkes for a crowd. The conversation takes an unexpected turn to Christmas ham, a dish that has been shared for several generations by Kari’s family AND played a key part in Sonya’s life. 

The stories in this episode hint at several universal truths: crispy potatoes are good in any form, our friends are often our best teachers, and love can be expressed in many ways… even with a ham sandwich. 

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Sonya’s daikon and potato latkes with ponzu dipping sauce

A ham “recipe” that’s similar to Kurt Lauritzen’s, aka Kari’s dad

Michael Solomonov’s potato leek latkes

Kari’s favorite recipe for cheesy potatoes from Jessica Merchant (it’s the closest to her mom’s version)

Our favorite shaved veggie salads from Food and Wine and the NYTimes

You too can order Linda’s Latkes!

The buttery, crunchy Chex mix Kari ate throughout her life is the traditional version that comes from the recipe found on the cereal box. Recently, Kari discovered an updated version of Chex mix that inspired us to talk all about our favorite party snacks, including muddy buddies and ranch fun dip! These snacks are equally fun at a party as they are in a lunchbox, or on a long car ride.

Along with talking about our favorite childhood treats, in this episode we embrace our pasts and respective backgrounds, finding a deeper love and respect for the memorable foods that we may have once taken for granted.

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Furikake Chex Mix Snack from Hana Asbrink at Food 52 (It’s become our new favorite!)

Sohla El-Waylly’s Miso Party Mix

Classic Muddy Buddies! You can replace the peanut butter with tahini, or almond butter

Ranch Fun Dip from Sohla El-Waylly at Bon Appetit

French Onion Labne Dip from Romel Bruno at Food52

Welcome to our first guests! Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen have been hosting Thanksgiving together for close to twenty years. In this episode, they share stories about how they host and cook massive Thanksgiving gatherings, their favorite and not-so-favorite recipes, and how they’ve merged their different backgrounds (and tastes) to create new traditions with their friends and family.

Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of laughter as we debate the merits of cranberry JELL-O salad, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, deep-fried turkey, and more!

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Slow Cooker Mac n’ Cheese

Traditional Cranberry JELL-O Salad (Lauren likes to add mandarin oranges)

The recent NY Times take on Cranberry JELL-O Salad

Serious Eats’ on How to smoke a Turkey

The Best Way to Fry a Turkey (but also, maybe don’t?)

This week we break down the elements for hosting a successful potluck meal, whether it’s for Thanksgiving or any time of year. We’ll share our favorite dishes, as well as tips for both hosting or attending potlucks.

As always, Kari and Sonya will share their unique culinary experiences like Kari’s favorite Midwestern “salads” that her family makes at Thanksgiving, both of which include Cool Whip. And Sonya shares a couple of different approaches to potato salad, including a classic Soviet potato salad that includes canned peas… and Kari’s not so sure about it.

For us, Thanksgiving and potlucks are a time to throw out the playbook and do what feels right to you. All traditions and food memories are welcome, even when they include Cool Whip and canned peas.

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Links to recipes from this week’s show:

Kari’s favorite farro salad: Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad by Melissa Clark

Sonya’s favorite Spinach and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Chickpeas, also by Melissa Clark

Kari’s family’s jello salad recipes

Sonya’s Salad Olivier recipe, a Soviet-style potato salad

Dorie Greenspan’s Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Sonya tells Kari all about the life-changing frittata made by her chef friend, Lauren Chandler. Who knew this simple egg dish could be so delicious with a few key, unexpected, ingredients?

Frittatas and egg casseroles are the perfect dishes to feed a crowd during the holiday season, or really any time of year. Kari and Sonya also talk about Kari’s breakfast egg casseroles, and the benefits of having a dish you can make the night before, and easily pop into the oven in the morning.

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Links to Lauren Chandler’s reference recipes + her notes about the frittata:

Bon Appetit’s - How to Master Frittata for a Crowd, as was as their How to Make a Perfect Frittata: Rules to Follow and Mistakes to Avoid

Lauren adds: “This was the jumping-off point. They say any dairy, but I used 1/2-cup of heavy cream per dozen eggs. The creaminess was definitely also due to the heavily caramelized onions. Also, I added 3/4=cup shredded Tillamook cheddar per dozen eggs, as well as herbs.”

Links to our favorite related recipes:

Just a Taste’s Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole is perfect for fall

Melissa Clark’s Green Strata with Goat Cheese and Herbs

Susan Spungen’s Sausage Egg and Kale Casserole

Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Recipe

The kind of quiche Sonya grew up with, from Peas Love & Carrots

Kari is known for bringing jars of delicious, nourishing soups and broths to her friends’ doorsteps. Homemade broths and soups can be the best gift you can give someone, especially if they’re under the weather or going through a rough patch. In this episode, we talk about all the ways we like to make bone broth, mineral broth, and vegetable broth, and how we turn those broths into soup.

Links to some of our favorite related recipes:

Rebecca Katz’ Mineral Broth, and her book The Cancer Fighting Kitchen

Serious Eats collection of stock and broth recipes

Ina Garten’s chicken noodle soup recipe

Sonya’s chicken pelmeni recipe

Sonya’s quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie led her on a 10-year journey of tasting, testing, and asking hundreds of questions all in the name of creating her ideal version of America’s most iconic cookie. In this episode, we examine the ingredients that make a great chocolate chip cookie, delving into specifics about butter, chocolate, and more. Sonya reveals details about the many chocolate chip cookies that she loved before creating her ultimate recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Kari confesses that she prefers to eat her cookies frozen and that her freezer is stocked with cookies of all kinds, including the colorful boxes sold by enthusiastic young girl scouts. Our conversation explores a spectrum of cookie making and eating that’s sure to leave you with a serious craving for your perfect version of a chocolate chip cookie!  

Links to some of our favorite recipes:

Bon Appetit’s Brown Butter and Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christina Tosi’s (of Milk Bar) famous chocolate chip cookie with non-fat milk powder

America’s Test Kitchen self-proclaimed, perfect chocolate chip cookie

Sonya’s Chocolate Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Alison Roman’s Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread