Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

Can a mountain of zucchini turn into a homemade pizza you can’t stop taking “just one more” slice of?
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 standout Smitten Kitchen recipe for a thin-crust summer pizza that’s loaded with zucchini yet somehow still crispy, golden, and nutty with browned Gruyère.
You’ll also want to try a saucy, spicy breakfast dish inspired by a recent visit to a street food stand in Los Angeles.
Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!
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And join us on our live monthly calls by upgrading your subscription to paid!
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Links:
Smitten Kitchen’s summer squash pizza
Chilaquiles from ChiLAquiles on Venice and Hauser in Los Angeles
Chilaquiles master recipe from Rick Bayless, and a store-bought sauce recommendation (and great article!) by Jarret Melendez from Epicurious
Also mentioned:
Giada’s scarpaccia video and her recipe (gluten-free!)
And a vegan version of scarpaccia from Earth To Rocco

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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 your next vegetarian dinner could be packed with flavor - and made entirely on a sheet-pan in your oven?
Whether you're trying to cook more plant-based meals, accommodate a vegetarian at your table, or just need low-effort dinner ideas, this episode is full of satisfying recipes that are anything but boring.
By the end of this episode, you’ll:
Learn how to make a sheet pan lasagna dotted with creamy ricotta cheese — no layering or béchamel-making required
Discover how to turn basic veggies into shawarma-spiced mains
Find out about a gluten-free, noodle dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make

Hit play and turn your veggie drawer into crowd-pleasing vegetarian meals you’ll want to make any night of the week!
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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:
Vegetarian sheet pan lasagna from Busy in Brooklyn, and Giada’s original version
Sheet pan eggplant parm from Food & Wine, or sheet pan cauliflower parm from How Sweet Eats – and here’s a video of Sonya + Kari’s version
How to make crispy garlic breadcrumbs (to top your eggplant or cauli parm)
Mushroom shawarma from Eating Well, or Sonya’s eggplant shawarma
Roasted chickpea gyros by Sarah Bond from Live Eat Learn
Sheet pan feta chickpea tomatoes by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Vegetarian stuffed peppers from Love & Lemons
Eric Kim’s Sheet-pan Japchae for NYT Cooking (unlocked), and his sheet-pan bibimbap
Sweet potato and black bean tacos by Sarah Bond from Live Eat Learn
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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 do you make when you want a homemade dessert that feels special, but takes almost no effort to bake?
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 make a buttery plum jam crumb bar inspired by Sonya’s grandmother. It’s beginner-friendly, and so delicious you’ll want to eat the whole tray as soon as it comes out of the oven.
You’ll also discover a recipe for a quick one-skillet dinner made with sweet summer corn and chew rice cakes, and flavored with nutty miso + brown butter.
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:
Sonya’s grandmother’s plumb crumb bars
Kari’s strawberry rhubarb crumb bars
Miso brown butter rice cakes with corn by Shilpa Uskokovic for Bon Appetit

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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 you could easily fill your kitchen with the comforting aromas of sizzling sofrito, fluffy rice, and tender stews?
This week, we’re talking to Omi Hopper, TikTok creator and runner-up on Next Level Chef, and author of Cooking Con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking.
She’s sharing her favorite weeknight dinners, meal-prep strategies, and the techniques she uses to build big Puerto Rican flavor at home.
By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:
How fresh sofrito and homemade sazón can transform even simple weeknight meals
How to meal prep for flexibility, instead of a fridge full of repetitive leftovers
Flavor-packed shortcuts to get dinner to taste special without starting from scratch

Press play to hear Omi’s approach to making flavorful, satisfying food that works for real home cooks!
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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:
Omi Hopper’s new book – Cooking Con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking
You can find more inspiration from Omi on her TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and her site: Cooking Con Omi
Omi’s Recipes:
Sofrito
Alcapurrias
Roast pork shoulder
Homemade Sazon spice blend
Potato salad with apples
One pot macarone con carne (macaroni with beef)
Other dishes mentioned:
Bacalao (Puerta Rican Salt Cod Stew) from Simply Recipes
Her winning pineapple jalapeno salmon dish
Some of Omi’s favorite recipe developers;
King Rey Cooks
Tini
Michelle Disla
Cassie Yeung
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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 do you cook when it's too hot to turn on the oven (or even the stovetop)… but everyone still needs dinner?
When summer temperatures climb, even the simplest meal can feel like too much effort. If you've been relying on takeout, eating cereal for dinner, or are staring into the fridge hoping for inspiration, this episode is full of practical ideas for keeping your kitchen cool.
We're sharing our favorite no-cook and low-cook meals, make-ahead recipes, refreshing drinks, and easy summer desserts that make the most of the season without heating up the house.
By the end of this episode, you'll discover:
A 5-minute meal built around a single package of tofu
How a rotisserie chicken can become a picnic-friendly Vietnamese-inspired dinner
Two noodle dishes that rely on quick, flavorful, no-cook sauces

Press play now and build a rotation of easy summer recipes you'll rely on that will keep you well-fed and out of a hot kitchen!
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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!

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Links:
Spicy cold silken tofu with soy and scallions from The Woks of Life
Salsa cruda di Pomodoro — pasta with raw summer tomato sauce — from Lidia Bastianich
Zucchini quesadillas by Smitten Kitchen, and a wonderful squash blossom quesadilla recipe can be found in the Frida’s Fiestsa’s (a Friday Khalo cookbook)
Rainbow veggie pinwheels by Dinner at the Zoo
BiBim Guksu (spicy mixed noodles) by Maangchi
Italian grinder bean salad by Alexis de Boschnek for The Kitchn, and Edi’s favorite sun-dried tomato dense bean salad
Summer tartines four ways from Serious Eats
Chicken banh mi by Recipe Tin Eats
Lemon possets by Toni Chapman for NYT Cooking
Homemade Gatorade by Lexi at Crowded Kitchen
Frozen coconut limeade by Smitten Kitchen
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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!