Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

What do you make for breakfast when you’re tired of eating the same thing every day?
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 lightly sweetened einkorn breakfast loaf studded with fruit. You’ll also discover a comforting Indian flattened rice dish, poha, made with potatoes and warming spices.
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!
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Links:
Einkorn breakfast loaf from Adrian Hale’s Einkorn Made Easy, and a similar breakfast blueberry bread with einkorn from A Modern Homestead
Einkorn flour you can buy online, and if you’re in Oregon you can find a great one from Camas Country Mill
Poha (spiced flattened rice with potato) from Indian Healthy Recipes
You can find the poha (flattened rice) online
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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’s the secret to flavorful soups that don’t involve a ton of ingredients or a ton of time to prepare?
This week, we’re back with our annual fall soup episode, with 10 recipes to keep in your rotation all season long, from quick weeknight dinners to soups worth sharing with friends.
By the end of this episode, you’ll discover
Soups you can make with 5 ingredients or less
Easy veggie soups that can be made with just water instead of store-bought or homemade stocks
Simple toppings and finishing touches that make everyday soups special enough for hosting

Press play now to find out how a few simple ingredients can make a really good bowl of soup!
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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:
Golden potato and greens soup by Andy Baraghani for NYT Cooking
Cauliflower soup with green olive salsa verde by Justine Doiron
Chickpea noodles soup by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking
Lebanese crushed lentil soup by Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie
Marcella Hazan’s 5-ingredient, 15-minute white bean soup from Simply Recipes (and the Marcella bean)
5-ingredient creamy celery soup by Martha Stewart
Samin Nosrat’s curried carrot and coconut soup from Good Things, also similarly a version where she uses butternut squash instead of carrots
Spinach and artichoke soup by Carolina Gelen
Roasted tomato and pepper soup from 101 Cookbooks (and Kari’s tomato soup is another favorite)
Albondigas de Familia Ronstadt by Linda Ronstadt and Lawrence Downes, adapted by Kim Severson via NYT Cooking
Our previous soup episodes:
Soup Season 2025
Soup Season 2024
Soup Season 2023
Soup Season 2022
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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 cooking a dinner party with your closest food friend could make hosting easier, more fun, and even more delicious?
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 our menu of some of our favorite all-time recipes, like a hosting-friendly vegetarian casserole, crispy chicken cutlets that you can make-ahead and reheat like a dream, and a fruit-filled dessert that gets better with time.
Plus you’ll discover what we love to send our guests home with!
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:
Starters:
Thin toasted small slices of homemade sourdough bread using the Communal Table Bread recipe, by Adrian Hale
Baba ghanoush by Maureen Abood made with charred eggplant + tahini
Marinated olives
Salad course:
Sonya’s rainbow salad recipe from her Substack
Mains:
Farro cauliflower parmesan by Sarah DiGregorio for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Chicken schnitzel, like this one from Smitten Kitchen
Dessert:
Cake parfaits made with strawberry sheet cake with passionfruit buttercream by Zoe Bakes for the cake layer, with a layer of our favorite fruit salad, and labneh whipped cream (like the one from this Adeena Sussman recipe)
Gift bags:
Loaves of sourdough
Slow cooker apple butter from Family Food On The Table
Chocolate chip cookies
Plum jam bars
Cookbook gifted to us:
Talisman Cookbook
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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’s the secret to a great breakfast that you’ll actually look forward to?
This week, John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen joins us to share his best breakfast ideas and the baking techniques that make a difference, from the secret to the best cinnamon rolls to how to achieve a perfectly tender cake.
By the end of this episode, you’ll learn:
How to make the best crisp-edged fluffy waffles for weekend breakfasts
Make-ahead breakfast ideas you can enjoy all week
The secret to a great quiche crust + how to keep a tomato tart from getting soggy

Press play now for practical breakfast inspiration and expert baking tips!

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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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John Kanell’s new book: Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking
For more recipes, head to Preppy Kitchen and follow John on Instagram

Make-ahead breakfasts:
Muffin recipes, including the most popular ones on the site: banana, blueberry, and chocolate
Waffles
Egg muffins

Make once and eat twice breakfasts:
Quiche
Tomato tart
Bougatsa

Breakfasts for when you want to linger:
Homemade Cinnamon rolls
Orange rolls
Pan dulce (conchas)

Most popular Preppy Kitchen recipe:
Peanut butter cookies

Some of John’s favorite recipes:
Butter chicken
German chocolate cake
Princess cake with olive oil sponge

Recipes from John’s new book:
Cinnamon swirl pumpkin muffins
German chocolate brownies
Biscuit Dough Three Ways: Sweet, Savory Cheese and Herb, and Meyer Lemon

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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 chicken piccata didn’t require dredging or sautéing and could come together in just one pot?
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 try Alison Roman’s braised chicken piccata, a one-pot version that’s buttery and lemony with caramelized garlic and crispy capers. Plus, Ali Slagle’s chickpea-tomato salad; it only gets better as it sits, making it perfect for easy lunches and meal prep.
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:
Our best bites:
Puttanesca Chickpea-Tomato Salad by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Alison Roman’s braised chicken piccata from her cookbook: Something From Nothing

Other resources and recipes mentioned:
Culinary Breeding Network
More about dry-farmed tomatoes and the ones that can be stored for 6 months or more
Tofu piccata by Kia Damon for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
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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!