Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy cover art

Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

By: Food Friends
Listen for free

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 Cooking Food & Wine
Episodes
  • A 30-Minute Korean Short Rib Dinner + A Citrusy Summer Salad | Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week

    A 30-Minute Korean Short Rib Dinner + A Citrusy Summer Salad | Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week
    Jun 25 2026

    What if you could make a short rib dinner that tastes better than takeout, in less than 20 minutes?

    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 how to make Korean Galbi using beef short ribs – with a little planning, you can have dinner on the table in minutes.

    You’ll also discover a healthy summer chopped salad with an unexpected flavor combination of sweet summer peppers, juicy mango, and tangy kumquats.

    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 made a version of Galbi similar to this one from Onolicious. To learn more about Galbi (also known as Korean short ribs, or “LA Galbi”) check out this post by Maangchi

    Summer kumquat and mango salad by Melissa Mayo

    ****

    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
    13 mins
  • What to Cook this Summer: Four Seasonal Menus for Hosting

    What to Cook this Summer: Four Seasonal Menus for Hosting
    Jun 23 2026
    Are you stumped on what to serve for your next summer dinner party, backyard BBQ, or weeknight hang?This week, we’re taking the guesswork out of what to cook with four complete menus full of make-ahead appetizers, low-effort mains, and no-bake desserts that highlight peak summer produce. These are meals designed to minimize your time in the kitchen so you can maximize relaxing with friends and family.By the end of this episode, you'll discover:Four complete summer menus, including a farmers’ market feast and an homage to classic AmericanaMake-ahead friendly dishes— like a lime cilantro corn salad and smashed potato salad —that free you up to enjoy your guestsFruit-forward summer desserts, including a no-bake mango pie, and two simple snacking cakes that rely on peak stone fruitListen now to discover your next favorite easy summer menu so you can enjoy the party right alongside your guests!***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 Farmers Market-Inspired Menu:Fried green tomatoes by Grand Baby CakesFried zucchini blossoms by Nicole Rufus for The KitchnCorn salad with tomatoes, avocado and lime cilantro dressing by Melissa Clark from The Splendid TableApricot kuchen with labneh whipped cream by Adeena Sussman from Food & WineKari’s Midsummer Dinner Party Menu:Open-faced tomato sandwiches with creamy cucumber spread by Southern Living Test Kitchen Grilled salmon with citrus salsa verde by Giada de Laurentis for Food Network Frizzled-onion cabbage salad by Shilpa Uskokovic for Bon AppetitPeach ricotta cake (but with nectarines!) by Yossy Arefi for NYT Cooking Sonya’s Southeast Asian Menu:Viet-Thai melon salad by Andrew NguyenGrilled "PokPok" Thai wings from Natalie ParamoreThai-glazed corn by Kay Chun for Food & Wine"Mango Royale" No bake Icebox Mango Cake from Hot Thai KitchenKari’s Americana Menu:Raw Vegetable Pizza by Trent Pfeifer for Store Bought is FineGrilled okra rafts with cajun remoulade by Steven Raichlen for NYT CookingRoot beer BBQ sauce for basting grilled chicken cuts of your choiceSmashed potato salad from Two Peas and their PodIce cream cookie sandwiches or brownie ice cream sandwiches from Sally’s Baking Addiction Sweet salty frozen grapes by Zainab Issa for NYT Cooking For more inspiration from our archives:Here's last year's summer hosting episode with four additional menusOur No-bake desserts for when it’s too hot to turn on your ovenPlus, how to host a burger night at home that’s better than takeout!****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
    35 mins
  • Two Meatless Meal-Prep Friendly Meals! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week

    Two Meatless Meal-Prep Friendly Meals! Our Best Home Cooking Bites of the Week
    Jun 18 2026

    What if a pot of beans, or a packet of ramen noodles, could turn into an easy make-ahead meal?

    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 vegetarian bean tostadas with make-ahead friendly elements, and that are easy to assemble fresh on a busy weeknight. You’ll also want to try a Dan Dan noodle salad with a tahini-chili crisp dressing that’s perfect for meal prep lunches, and endlessly adaptable with seasonal vegetables.

    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:

    Vegetarian Mexican tostadas from Muy Bueno Cooking

    Sonya used rojo chiquito beans which are also similar to the Domingo Rojo beans from Rancho Gordo

    Our favorite coleslaw recipe from our Substack

    Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodle Salad by Hetty Lui McKinnon for NYT Cooking

    Fly By Jing original chili crisp and the extra crunchy version

    ****

    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
    11 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet