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Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

By: Food Friends
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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?Food Friends Podcast 2022 Art Cooking Food & Wine
Episodes
  • Two Meatless Meal-Prep Friendly Meals! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week

    Two Meatless Meal-Prep Friendly Meals! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week
    Jun 18 2026

    What if a pot of beans, or a packet of ramen noodles, could turn into an easy make-ahead meal?

    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 vegetarian bean tostadas with make-ahead friendly elements, and that are easy to assemble fresh on a busy weeknight. You’ll also want to try a Dan Dan noodle salad with a tahini-chili crisp dressing that’s perfect for meal prep lunches, and endlessly adaptable with seasonal vegetables.

    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:

    Vegetarian Mexican tostadas from Muy Bueno Cooking

    Sonya used rojo chiquito beans which are also similar to the Domingo Rojo beans from Rancho Gordo

    Our favorite coleslaw recipe from our Substack

    Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodle Salad by Hetty Lui McKinnon for NYT Cooking

    Fly By Jing original chili crisp and the extra crunchy version

    ****

    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!
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    11 mins
  • Summer Farmers’ Market Must-Haves! 10 Recipes for Seasonal Home Cooking

    Summer Farmers’ Market Must-Haves! 10 Recipes for Seasonal Home Cooking
    Jun 16 2026
    Have you ever come home from the summer farmers' market with bags full of beautiful produce and no idea what to make first?Summer farmers’ markets are overflowing with abundant produce, but that can feel overwhelming. If you've ever wanted simple, seasonal recipes that let peak-season produce shine without spending hours in the kitchen, this episode is packed with ideas for warm-weather hosting and quick weeknight meals that you’ll rely on all season. By the end of this episode, you’ll:Learn new ways to make the most of ripe summer tomatoesDiscover a dramatic and easy way to make a delicious cherry dessertFind out how to take crisp cucumbers and combine them with a package of frozen dumplings for a 30-minute meal. Press play and make the most of every farmers’ market trip this season!***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:Tomatoes Southeast Asian Tomato Salad by Melissa Clark from The Splendid TableHeirloom tomato cracker salad by Karen Schroeder-Rankin for Southern LivingCornDeborah Madison's coconut corn from Vegetable Literacy, a favorite cookbook of Kari and SonyaGrilled corn with flavored butters by Amanda Neal for Food Network KitchenFresh beansSlow-roasted Romano beans from the AOC Cookbook, by Suzanne GoinGreen bean salad with greens, almonds, and dried cherries by Pamela Saltzman CucumberDumpling and smashed cucumber salad by Hetty Lui McKinnon from NYT CookingOkra Crispy Okra with Spicy Honey Sauce by Kwame Onwauach and adapted by Millie Peartree for NYT CookingCherriesCherries Jubilee by Daniel Gritzer from Serious EatsWild rice salad with pickled cherries by Lisa Lotts Bonus cherry recipes:Alice Water’s sour cherry clafoutis recipe, which recommends keeping the pits in the cherry for an almond flavorSonya’s pickled cherry (and watermelon recipes)More inspiration from previous episodes: Our 2025 Summer Farmers’ Market Episode includes crispy corn cakes and two gazpacho recipesOur 2024 Summer Farmers’ Market Episode Episode includes Sonya’s one-bowl sour cherry cake and cauliflower salad sandwiches. Also check out our “Corn, beans, and squash” episode for more summer produce ideas!****Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084For 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!
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    31 mins
  • What’s Your Ideal Brownie? + A Classic French Dish & A NYC Food Tour | Our Best Bites of the Week

    What’s Your Ideal Brownie? + A Classic French Dish & A NYC Food Tour | Our Best Bites of the Week
    Jun 11 2026

    How do you get a perfectly fudgy brownie with a glossy top without using a box mix?

    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 want to bake a batch of triple-chocolate brownies that are beginner-friendly, deeply fudgy, and achieve that coveted glossy crust. You’ll also discover a simple sole meunière recipe that’s buttery, lemony, and easy enough for a weeknight dinner.

    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:

    Seriously fudgy brownies from Sally’s Baking Addiction, Sonya also talked about the recipe in Sally McKenna’s book: Sally’s Baking 101 (which is different from the online version)

    More brownies we love:

    Alice Medrich’s best cocoa brownies

    Sonya’s flourless chocolate tahini brownies

    Fudgy brownies from Inspired Taste blog

    Glossy fudge brownies from Bravetart

    Sole Meuniere by Martha Stewart

    Secret Food Tours: NYC – Chinatown & Little Italy

    Kari’s best bite: pineapple pork bun at Mei Lai Wah Bakery

    And the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, whose logo was designed by the children at a local public school

    Join Sonya on a Portland farmers’ market tour through Airbnb Experiences!

    ***

    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.
    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
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