Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy Podcast By Food Friends cover art

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 Food & Wine
Episodes
  • Doable Home Cooking: Everyday Recipes You’ll Actually Make, with Ham El-Waylly

    Doable Home Cooking: Everyday Recipes You’ll Actually Make, with Ham El-Waylly
    Mar 24 2026
    What do professional chefs do differently — and how can you use those skills at home?It can feel like a lofty goal, but in this episode, Ham El-Waylly shows us how approachable it really can be. He shares practical, real-life cooking tips and easy, flavor-building techniques that work in any kitchen, no matter how busy or overwhelming daily life feels.By the end of this episode, you’ll learn:How toasting pasta might change the way you think about spaghetti foreverA surprising method for transforming tofu into something everyone at the table will loveThe inexpensive, often-overlooked tools restaurant chefs rely on that can make a big impact when added to a home kitchenPress play to hear our conversation with the insightful and inspiring Ham El-Waylly, and discover new recipes and techniques you’ll want to try out right away!***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:You can find Ham El Waylly on Instagram, and visit his restaurant Strange Delight in Brooklyn!Check out his new book: Hello Home Cooking! Doable Dishes For Every DaySome of our favorite recipes by Ham, from NYT Cooking (unlocked):Kari’s favorite Cauliflower Salad SandwichesHis very popular Kung Pao TofuCorn and Miso Pasta SaladBrown Butter Bucatini with Charred Cabbage Recipes we can’t wait to make from Hello Home Cooking:Toasted Thin Spaghetti with Black Beans and ParmEggplant and Tofu RaguTahini roasted swordfish Date FudgeFrito Chocolate Ganache TartSome of Ham’s favorite kitchen appliances and tools:Zojurushi Rice cookerFish SpatulaThe Kunz Spoon***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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    35 mins
  • Alison Roman’s Vinegar Chicken + Secret Ingredient Gluten-Free Brownies AND Smoothies! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week

    Alison Roman’s Vinegar Chicken + Secret Ingredient Gluten-Free Brownies AND Smoothies! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week
    Mar 19 2026

    Ever had a recipe surprise you in the best possible way?

    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 new favorite crispy vinegar-roasted chicken with garlicky crushed olive sauce that’s easy enough for a weeknight and impressive for hosting guests.

    You'll also discover a one-bowl black bean brownie recipe that’s ultra fudgy, gluten-free, and comes together with simple pantry staples.

    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:

    Alison Roman’s vinegar chicken with crushed olive dressing

    Fudgy black bean brownies from Live Eat Learn

    A pineapple beet smoothie from Three Little Chickpeas

    ***

    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!
    Show more Show less
    15 mins
  • Hosting This Spring? Four Seasonal Menus for Cooking + Entertaining for Passover, Easter, and Casual Dinners

    Hosting This Spring? Four Seasonal Menus for Cooking + Entertaining for Passover, Easter, and Casual Dinners
    Mar 17 2026
    What if it could be easier to host and plan your next spring dinner party?Whether you're preparing a Passover Seder, an Easter dinner, or a casual spring gathering with friends, this episode delivers four complete seasonal menus with appetizers, mains, sides, and showstopping desserts. Every menu relies on the best ingredients of the season, includes make-ahead options, and works around common dietary restrictions and holiday traditions.In this episode, you'll discover:Dishes you can prep days in advance (both vegetarian and meat options)Simple, high-impact recipes like slow-cooked salmon, an herb-packed salad, and a cozy soup-and-grilled-cheese dinner menu that guests will rave aboutGrain-free and gluten-free desserts starring seasonal fruit like tangy rhubarb and sweet strawberriesHit play and walk away with the recipes and hosting confidence to pull off beautiful, relaxed spring gatherings all season long!***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:Previous Spring Hosting episodes with menus:Last year’s and our very first episode on spring hosting from season oneSonya’s Passover Menu:Sicilian tuna crudo by Coley CooksSonya’s golden chicken and veggie soup with matzo balls and dill pistouSlow cooked lamb with white wine and potatoes by Alison RomanRoasted fennel onion and orange by Molly StevensSephardic leek patties from Fashion Tales BlogSimplest almond torte by Chaya Rappoport of Retro LilliesGrain free carrot cake from Smitten KitchenGrain free dairy free chocolate chip pecan blondies from Ambitious Kitchen Kari’s Seasonal Dinner Party:Spinach and artichoke dip by Tastes Better From Scratch, served with baguette or chipsSteak + spring veg with spicy mustard by Claire Saffitz for Bon AppetitMalted Strawberry Cream Puffs from Midwest Living Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote with Ginger and Lime via Live Earth Farm and based on a Bon Appetit article, served over Sonya’s rice pudding Sonya’s Spring Entertaining Menu:Oma’s green mountain salad by Sara Grueneberg for Food & WineSlow salmon with citrus and herb salad by Alison RomanGreen rice pilaf by Mark Bittman for NYT Cooking (unlocked)Strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie by Smitten KitchenKari’s Casual Grilled Cheese and Soup Night:Bagna Cauda Dip with Assorted Vegetables from EpicuriousCreamy asparagus soup from Dishing Up The Dirt, paired with white cheddar grilled cheese from Love & LemonsNo-bake lemon mousse by Kristina Razon for The KitchnEpisode 263: BB French Yogurt Cake from Substack + Roasted Cabbage Salad with Kimchi Ground TurkeyA “No-Measure” French Cake and Combining Two Dinner Recipes into One! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the WeekA “No-Measure” French Cake and Roasted Cabbage Salad! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week***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!
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
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