What if you could host a brunch where nearly every single dish was made ahead of time?

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 the tips and strategies for starting a cookbook club, and you’ll also discover must-try recipes from Samin Nosrat’s new cookbook: "Good Things."

You’ll also get inspired to try Kari’s make-ahead-friendly seasonal brunch. The recipes and dishes are kid-friendly and are ideal for hosting large and small groups alike.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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Cookbook club links:

Samin Nosrat’s new cookbook: Good Things

Some of the recipes we cooked was her curried carrot and coconut soup recipe, chicken braised with harissa and apricots, and creamy lemon-miso poppy dressing. The roasted squash, spicy Caesar, and passion fruit parfait recipes can be found in the book!

Kari’s brunch links:

Adrian Hale’s recipe for: “Communal Table Bread - My easiest first bread recipe”, and take a sourdough bread baking class with her in person in Portland

Spinach sheet pan quiche from Smitten Kitchen

Slow cooker apple butter from Family Food On The Table, made with a combination of apple, persimmon, and pear

An easy citrus salad (you could top with passion fruit), and a fruit salad of sliced apple, persimmon, and pear

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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. You can also now find us on YouTube.

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Looking for an in-person Food Friends experience? Book a farmers’ market tour with Sonya in Portland, OR!

How do you choose from the endless holiday cookie recipes to include in your holiday baking?

Whether you’re prepping for a cookie swap, assembling homemade gift boxes, or heading to a holiday potluck, this episode is your calm, curated roadmap through the season’s abundant baking options.

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Which cookies and sweet treats pack and travel well—and how to choose the ones that keep their ideal texture for days.
2. A Martha Stewart must-bake recipe, along with nostalgic classics that delight all ages (especially the kid inside us).
3. Three standout slice-and-bake options: Dorie Greenspan’s iconic “World Peace Cookies,” a mosaic-style pistachio–dried fruit cookie, and a double-chocolate biscotti perfect for pairing with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Press play now, and bake holiday treats that will fill your kitchen with buttery warmth, sugar, and spice!

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LINKS

Nostalgic Cookies

• Peanut butter blossom cookies by The Gerror Family for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
• Sonya’s marionberry rugelach
• Spoon Cookies from Gourmet magazine

No-Bake

• Rum balls by All Recipes
• Chocolate-dipped pretzels from House of Nash Eats
• Peanut butter balls with rice kispies

Colorful

• Peppermint stripe cookies by Susan Spungen for NYT Cooking
• Confetti cookies by Smitten Kitchen
• Decorated Best sugar cookies recipe by Susan Spungen for NYT Cooking
• Grasshopper brownies by Yossy Arefi for NYT Cooking

Fruity

• Cranberry streusel bars from Bake From Scratch, recommended by Shannon Sarna
• Chewy almond-raspberry sandwich cookies from Bon Appetit
• Orange blossom water crinkle cookies from the Splendid Table, and a similar almond cookie with

What are the recipes you can return to again and again – the ones that will warm you up, can be made quickly, and that your friends and family ask for the most?

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 meatball soup recipe that can be turned into multiple meals, why the internet-famous “Glow Soup” is our go-to fall dish, and a retro chowder that comes together quickly for a quick weeknight meal. You’ll also hear about our favorite way to use up apples, and how a date sesame chocolate bar inspired modifications to a tried-and-true cookie recipe.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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Links

Chicken cheddar chowder from Cooking Light Magazine, served in bread bowls, and a quicker chicken corn chowder without cheese

The TikTok-famous Glow Soup

Slow cooker apple butter from Family Food On The Table

Sonya’s tahini chocolate cookies, she used the recipe, made with 100% all-purpose flour, and added chopped dates along with the chocolate, as well as a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top

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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. You can also now find us on YouTube.

We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!

Looking for an in-person Food Friends experience? Book a farmers’ market tour with Sonya in Portland, OR!