Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

What if you could easily cook up an incredible meal at home for someone you love?
Date night doesn’t have to be fussy or complicated to be special, and we firmly believe it can be about cooking incredible food for anyone you're close to: a partner, family, roommates, or friends.
This week, we’re sharing our top 10 date night recipes, and by the end of this episode, you’ll:
Learn simple fuss-free dishes, like a 30-minute crispy artichoke pasta, and a no-churn ice cream
Discover interactive meals, like a home-cook-friendly Japanese hot pot
Find out about our favorite 15-minute, elegant classic French main course

Listen now to get inspired to make a memorable date night dinner at home... no hard-to-get reservations, waiting in line, or complicated cooking required!
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Links:
Japanese shabu shabu (hot pot) at home from Just One Cook, or sukiyaki from White On Rice Couple
Classic sole meuniere by Molly Wizenberg, serve with steamed asparagus
Ricotta gnocchi by Mark Bittman for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Crispy artichoke pasta by Andy Baraghani for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Crepe night with savory buckwheat crepes by Martha Rose Shulman, and chocolate crepes by Zeynab Issa, both for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Heart-shaped french toast by Sew White, and use the outside of the heart for “Egg-in-a-heart” (aka toad-in-a-hole)
Nigella Lawson’s one-step no-churn coffee ice cream
Heart-shaped pastry with strawberries and whipped cream from Bos Kitchen
Kiwi fool by Eric Triesit
Tiramisu dippers by Anna Painter for...

What are the building blocks of the perfect veggie sandwich?
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 crave a veggie sandwich that’s packed with easy-to-make homemade saurekraut, and you’ll get inspired to cook up restaurant-style pizza at home – loaded with crispy kale and savory crumbled sausage.
Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!
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Links:
Tabor Bread is one of Sonya’s favorite spots for sourdough loaves in Portland, OR
Our favorite brand of hummus is Little Sesame (not at all sponsored)
An easy reliable homemade sauerkraut recipe from The Gefilteria
Sweet Salt Food in Los Angeles inspired Kari’s pizza at home
Sourdough pizza dough made from Adrian Hale’s “Communal Table Bread - My easiest first bread recipe”
And our favorite super easy no-knead pizza dough

Looking for more answers to your home cooking questions? Every month, we'll gather on Zoom for "Around the Table with Food Friends: Live Q&A". Together, we'll connect in real time as a community and share recipes, tips, and solutions to everyday cooking struggles and successes. Join in by becoming a paid subscriber on our Substack today. Sign up here!
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What if a seasonal winter produce haul could be as versatile, delicious, and exciting as a flat of berries in peak summer?
This week we’re sharing our 10 must-have winter farmers’ market produce picks, and the recipes to go with them.
By the end of this episode you’ll:
Discover a viral sweet potato recipe that will change how you make it forever
Learn simple and quick techniques for coaxing sweetness and depth from veggies like parsnips, turnips, and cabbage
Find out about our go-to winter weeknight meals, like a sheetpan chicken dinner full of greens and a rustic cabbage skillet dish

Tune in now to learn how the winter farmers' market might surprise you, and how to turn seasonal produce into satisfying meals you’ll want to dig into all season long!
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Links
Sweet Potato:
New technique for the best whole roasted japanese sweet potatoes by Jamesyworld, + the viral TikTok cheese stuffed version from The Kitchen
And our favorite Carla Lalli Music recipe for steamed sweet potatoes with tahini butter for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Squash:
Zucotte, garlicky braised squash, by Whistling Train Farm in Kent, WA
Bok Choy/Tatsoi:
Sheetpan Scallion Chicken with Bok Choy by Kay Chunfrom for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
We also like to use bok choy and tastoi instead of lettuce in salads

Cabbage:
Venetian smothered cabbage, “Verze Sofegae”
And a shout out to our favorite cabbage soup from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Leek:
Two takes on a leef tart, one straightforward Leek puff pastry tart from It’s A Veg World Afterall, or a stunning upside down leek tart from Live Eat Learn
And we love Braised leeks from Fox and Briar too!

Turnips:

Ever bring home beautiful winter vegetables from the market, and then completely blank on what to cook with them?
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 deeply comforting, grandmother-approved borscht that celebrates winter vegetables, plus a one-pot, meatless main designed to use up every last leafy green, finished with a bold, garlicky, crispy topping that makes it irresistible.
Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration, and turn your winter produce into meals you’ll genuinely look forward to cooking.
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Links:
Sonya’s family borscht recipe from our free Substack
Utica Greens from Chesterfield Restaurant in Utica, NY; adapted by Jim Shahin for NYT Cooking
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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.
Order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!
We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at [email protected]!

Struggling to put together easy, satisfying weeknight meals during these chilly winter months?
This week, we’re taking the guesswork out of meal planning and sharing ten fast dinners for nights when you don’t want to rely on takeout or make an extra trip to the grocery store. All quick. All comforting. All genuinely delicious.
By the end of this episode, you’ll:
Discover flavorful ways to turn a single package of ground beef, turkey, or pork into a dinner that rivals your favorite takeout
Learn a simple tofu technique that transforms it into a craveable, meatless main
Explore pasta dishes beyond spaghetti and red sauce — think silky sauces, peppery greens, toasted breadcrumbs, and brothy bowls of comfort

Press play now and walk away with a handful of reliable weeknight dinners you’ll want to make on repeat all winter long!
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Links:
Turkish pasta by Rachel Perlmutter for The Kitchen (sub red pepper paste, or with a few roasted bell peppers, with a spoonful of tomato paste)
Salad pasta, by Anna Stockwell for Epicurious
10-minute Thai Basil from The Woks of Life
Egg Roll in a Bowl by Ree Drummond
Garlic butter steak bites by Coco Morante for Simply Recipes, and easy mashed cauliflower from Joyful Healthy Eats
Chicken with mustard cream sauce, by Sarah Carey for Martha Stewart
30-minute gado gado bowl by Minimalist Baker
Salmon patties by Nagi Maehashi of Recipe Tin Eats
I can't believe it's not chicken (it’s tofu!) by Nisha Vora for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Butter beans, paprika, and piquillo peppers, excerpted from Three: Acid, Texture, Contrast by Selena Kiazim
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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.
Order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!
We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at