Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

What recipes actually stick with you when you discover a new cookbook?
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 warmly spiced turmeric banana snacking cake. It's easy to make, easier to eat, and it comes from the "Diaspora Spice Co Cookbook" —the featured book at a recent cookbook club gathering.
You’ll also want to try a bright, simple carrot and cauliflower soup that feels especially right for spring cooking.
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. And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!
Our next gathering is May 13th at 4:30 PM PT! See you soon!
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Links:
The Diaspora Spice Co Cookbook
Turmeric Banana Snacking Cake shared by Have a Little Something
Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup by Melissa Clark 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.
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!

Ever wonder what private chefs actually cook for themselves when they’re tired, busy, craving comfort food, or stuck in a cooking rut?
If your meals have been feeling repetitive lately, this episode offers a look at two real days of home cooking with new ideas to get you through the week. Through practical meal planning, freezer clean-outs, farmers market finds, and smart store-bought shortcuts, we share the kinds of meals we actually make on a regular day—approachable, flexible, and satisfying.
By the end of this episode, you’ll:
Discover make-ahead breakfast: including a new take on chia pudding, a prep-friendly frittata, and a whole-grain muffin you can bake in minutes
Learn simple ways to rely on your freezer to get dinner on the table — all you need is a bag of dumplings and a bunch of greens
Find out how lunch can come together in 10 minutes or less and still feel fresh and substantial

Press play now for a behind-the-scenes look at what two food-loving home cooks actually eat in a week — and leave with ideas you’ll want to make right away!

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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!
Our next gathering is May 13th at 4:30 PM PT! See you soon!
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Sonya Day #1
Breakfast: Blackberry coconut chia pudding topped with fruit and almonds (blackberries and strawberries)
Lunch: Jammy eggs, sauerkraut, fruit, veggies, sourdough crackers (Share crackers brand)
Dinner: Berbere meatballs from NYT Cooking (unlocked), oven roasted sweet potatoes cubes with lemon rounds and onion wedges, spring salad with radishes and snap peas
Kari Day #1
Breakfast: Breakfast brownies, a recipe I’m testing, but using this chocolate amaretti cookie as a starting point, subbing in oats, banana, dates, wheat bran, etc. Recipe forthcoming!
Lunch: Beef kimbap from H Mart, dragon fruit, crunchy ramen chips
Dinner: One-pan dumplings with kale by Ali Slagle from NYT Cooking
Sonya Day #2:
Breakfast: Millet muffin from Super Natural Every Day alongside a yogurt bowl with ground flax, pepitas, wild blueberries, goji berries, kiwi
Lunch: Spring chicken salad (with leftover chicken roasted chicken breast, sugar snap peas, scallions, celery stalk + leaves, mayo, whole grain dijon), strawberries, Bittman’s sourdough, simple green salad with lemon and olive oil
Dinner: Black bean soup + “all the greens salad” with lettuce, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, bok choy, mint, scallion in a sesame soy dressing
Kari Day #2:
Breakfast: Life-changing egg frittata: I followed ratios with eggs, heavy cream, sharp cheddar, and caramelized onions; added tarragon, oregano, basil, blanched greens and ½ cup of pickled jalapenos.
Lunch: Green leaf lettuce with lemony vinaigrette (use both whole grain and dijon mustard, add maple syrup, omit the thyme, use good olive oil) with tons of dill, chunks of avocado, and nasturtium from my garden
Dinner: Beef bulgogi (pre-marinated from H Mart), lettuce wraps with kimchi, spinach, and bean sprouts, and the hoisin sauce approved by my friend Malin :)
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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 if the key to more creative home cooking isn’t more options — but better constraints?
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 learn how to make a simple, no-knead, no-rise dough for Turkish poğaça—savory pastries filled with spinach, herbs, and feta. You’ll also discover a jam-swirled sugar cookie that came to us from a listener suggestion.
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!
Our next gathering is May 13th at 4:30 PM PT! See you soon!
***
Links:
Ayse’s poğaça (Turkish pastry) from Sonya
Sonya’s baklava recipe
Jam sugar cookies from Hewn Bakery in Evanston, IL, and chef Ellen King’s book, Heritage Baking (Thanks, Diane, for the rec!)
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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!

Are sheet-pan dinners the ultimate weeknight shortcut, or are they overrated?
If you’ve ever tried one and ended up with soggy vegetables, unevenly cooked protein, or underwhelming flavor, you’re not alone. In this episode, we break down what makes a sheet-pan dinner work, and how to get better results from simple, oven-roasted meals.
We’re sharing a handful of spring-forward recipes, along with the small technique shifts that make a big difference.
By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:
A crispy rice sheet-pan dinner with everything you love about fried rice, without the stovetop
A popular Nigella Lawson’s tray bake that highlights spring produce
How to make sheet-pan eggs with herbs, vegetables, and feta for easy breakfasts, sandwiches, or quick dinners

If you’re looking for straightforward ways to improve your weeknight cooking, this episode will change how you use your oven!
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This episode is brought to you by: Little Sesame Hummus
We’ve both been longtime store-bought hummus skeptics… until Little Sesame.
Their hummus is unbelievably smooth, bright, and fresh-tasting, and it’s a product we feel good about — it was created by passionate chefs, they use regeneratively farmed chickpeas, and it's clean label certified.
And now, Little Sesame has launched snacking options available at Targets nationwide. The lineup includes: a hummus snacker with pretzel pita chips, protein hummus with 10g of protein per pack, and hummus for kids — a grab-and-go pack perfect for lunch boxes and long car rides.
Find Little Sesame at Targets nationwide or visit eatlittlesesame.com to find a store near you. Use code SNACKING10 for 10% off.
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Links:
Chicken and pea tray bake from Nigella Lawson
Liz’s roasted broccoli salad by Pinch of Yum
Rainbow veggie sheet-pan with green tahini sauce by Jenn Eats Good
Sheet-pan crispy rice with bacon and broccoli by Ella Quittner via Food52
Sheet-pan eggs and veggies by Ali Slagle for Food 52
Puttanesca fish tray bake by Recipe Tin Eats
Viral sheet-pan Doner Kebab from Feel Good Foodie
Chili-stuffed poblano peppers from Taste of Home
Other recipes:
Rainbow salad
Maple and Miso Sheet-Pan Salmon with Green Beans by Colu Henry for NYT Cooking
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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!
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!

A Memorable Spring Menu, Seasonal Fried Rice & the Best Philly Sandwich | Best Bites with Special Guest David Page
What makes a meal truly memorable? And what’s actually worth repeating at home?
In this bite-sized episode, we’re sharing the best things we ate this week — and with special guest David Page of “Culinary Characters Unlocked” — to inspire each other and you.
By the end of this episode, you’ll discover a simple but unforgettable spring menu, a fried rice that makes the most of seasonal ingredients, and a Philly sandwich that lives up to the hype.
We also get into a few cooking techniques, from reverse-searing steak to building a seafood stew, that are worth trying (or rethinking) in your own kitchen.
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. And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!
***
Links:
Tune into David Page’s Culinary Characters Unlocked wherever you listen to podcasts!

The menu from the birthday party: Farro & spring radish salad, spring green salad, marinated farm asparagus, thyme-scented baby new potatoes, Pacific NW smoked salmon, grilled Bavette steak
The potatoes were prepared similarly to simple roasted new spring potatoes (but add thyme!)
Green garlic salsa verde from Wishbone Kitchen

Kari’s fried rice: Use avocado oil to fry the rice first; add butter and spring onion tops and cook until softened. Add scrambled eggs into the buttery onion mixture until just cooked. Add favas to warm them up; top with fresh dill and crumbled feta.

David’s best bites:
Philly Roast Pork Sandwich from Serious Eats
SF-style Cioppino (but David prefers to cook each fish element separately)
Reverse-seared steak from Serious Eats

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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!