Are you trying to decide what to cook for the holidays this year?

Whether you're hosting or attending a family or friends gathering, if you’re craving a delicious December, this week we’re sharing four menus to make your holiday planning and cooking more peaceful and joyful.

By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Discover four menus for Hanukkah, Christmas, and the holiday season that reduce decision fatigue and support celebrating in a way that matches your real life, not a picture-perfect ideal.
2. Find out about festive make-ahead mains, one-pan latkes, and a wide range of easy vegetable sides
3. Learn our go-to kid-friendly desserts, like our must-make chocolate-covered oranges

Listen now to take the pressure off your holiday cooking and step into a December that feels calmer, clearer, and deliciously doable!

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This episode is sponsored by Mill – the odorless, effortless, automated food recycler.

This time of year, we’re doing more cooking and hosting, which also means creating more food scraps. We love that with Mill, all those peels, bones, and bits don’t go to waste. You just toss them in, and overnight it quietly transforms everything into dry grounds. You can use them in your garden, add to compost, or schedule them to be picked-up and shared with farms.

Mill is the easiest way to prevent food waste at home. It’s one small action that makes a big difference for your kitchen, your family, and the planet.

Add Mill to your wish list or gift one now and get $75 Off with code FRIENDS!

You can learn more at mill.com/foodfriends.

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Links

Sonya’s Hanukkah Party Menu:

Sheetpan latke board Adeena Sussman

Socca pancakes by David Leibovitz, with romesco sauce from Love & Lemons

Spinach, grapefruit, avocado salad with sesame vinaigrette from Food & Wine

Ice cream with olive oil and dates by Ali Slagle for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Sonya’s ponchiki (little farmers cheese donuts)

Kari’s Intimate Hanukkah Dinner Party:

Make-ahead latkes, reheat for several serving on several boards with classic toppings

Leafy herby salad by Alison Roman

Roasted chicken drumsticks from Healthy Recipes Blog

Mac will make Sonya’s chocolate dipped cara cara’s

Boozy pear cake based on French apple cake by Jennifer Segal from Once Upon a Chef

Purchased black and...

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

***

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!

Are you overwhelmed trying to find holiday gifts? Want to give a home cook a gift they will truly use and love?

If you’ve ever wanted to give a food friend a present that feels both thoughtful and useful, this episode is your guide. As two cooks who have spent countless hours in real home kitchens, we’re sharing the gifts that genuinely make a difference: reliable tools, pantry items that transform simple meals, and unique products that help people cook and host with more ease, beauty, and deliciousness.

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

1. A wide range of gift ideas — from edible treats to equipment upgrades — all items we personally use, love, and have gifted (or been gifted!) ourselves
2. Options across every price point, from everyday essentials to splurge-worthy standouts
3. Meaningful ways to give this season that support small businesses, local makers, and your wider food community

Tune in now for our curated list of this year’s most-loved gifts for home cooks and food friends!

***

This episode is sponsored by Mill – the odorless, effortless, automated food recycler.

This time of year, we’re doing more cooking and hosting, which also means creating more food scraps. We love that with Mill, all those peels, bones, and bits don’t go to waste. You toss them in, and overnight, it quietly transforms everything into dry grounds. You can use them in your garden, add to compost, or schedule them to be picked up and shared with farms.

Mill is the easiest way to prevent food waste at home. It’s one small action that makes a big difference for your kitchen, your family, and the planet.

Add Mill to your wish list or gift one now! Their biggest sale of the season is on, and you’ll get up to $200 Off through Monday, December 1st. Missed the sale? You can still get $75 off anytime at mill.com/foodfriends with code FRIENDS.

***

Links:

Kitchen Equipment & Serving:

Immersion blender

Are you looking for new ways to use seasonal produce in salads you’ll actually crave? What if they could be meal prep-friendly?

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 make-ahead and entertaining-friendly salads, including a vibrant one with Napa cabbage. You’ll also discover a tried and true recipe for a classic French chicken liver pâté that’s perfect for parties and date nights.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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Links:

Chicken-liver pâté by Javier Huerta adapted by Sam Sifton for NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Sonya’s salads: Fennel, apple and pomegranate salad, coleslaw, a Moroccan carrot salad similar to the one from the workshop, and you can find the zucchini, za’atar, quinoa salad in Sonya’s cookbook: Braids

Canelle Vanille’s Purple Napa Cabbage Salad that inspired Kari’s, which she made with orange bell pepper, shaved beet, celery, feta, and the champagne vinaigrette from her Nicoise Salad.

Sonya’s take on a purple Napa cabbage salad

***

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!

Do you wish you could meal plan easily for busy weeks or easy entertaining?

This week, we’re sharing menus and lessons learned from our private chef days, like: how to plan menus and meal prep, adapting to clients with different tastes and needs, and most importantly, what approaches build more confidence in the kitchen.

By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Learn how to menu plan like a private chef for both weeknight cooking and dinner parties
2. The dishes and recipes clients requested over and over again, including a chicken cheddar chowder and a classic Thai curry
3. The recipes sources we rely on the most for cakes, soups, sides and more

Press play now to discover how the best kind of cooking isn’t about perfection or posting pics – it’s about care, connection, and cooking what’s needed in the moment.

***

LINKS:

Sonya’s Mediterranean-Inspired Dinner Party Menu:

• Roasted cod with tomato olive caper tapenade by Kay Chun for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
• Spinach and chickpeas by Smitten Kitchen
• Quinoa with toasted pine nuts by Ellie Krieger for Food Network (swap raisins for currants)
• Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake by Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet Magazine

Kari’s Weeknight Family Dinner Menu:

• Chicken cheddar chowder from Cooking Light Magazine, served in bread bowls, and a quicker chicken corn chowder without cheese
• Pink Grapefruit and Watercress Salad by Yotam Ottolenghi
• Farfalle with yogurt and zucchini by George Germon and Johanne Killeen for Food & Wine

Sonya’s Thai-inspired Dinner:

1. Thai green curry with shrimp from Thai Caliente
2. Easy eggplant stir fry from Vancouver with Love
3. Thai chicken satay with peanut sauce from Recipe Tin Eats
4. Butter lettuce salad with carrot miso dressing by Mark Bittman from NYT Cooking (unlocked)

Kari’s 7-Hour Lamb Dinner Party:

• 7-hour lamb with loads of garlic from Improvised Life
• Side of sauteed Tuscan kale

Do you feel overwhelmed by the onslaught of Thanksgiving recipes and techniques coming at you? Not sure where to start?

We're rereleasing this episode to help unlock your best holiday meal with foolproof recipes to satisfy and impress all the guests at your Thanksgiving table.

We’re covering 5 essentials: classic roast turkey, the creamiest mashed potatoes, rich gravy, an exciting veggie side, and a stunning dessert to finish off the meal.

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

1. Reliable tips and techniques for the perfect (never dry) turkey
2. The secret to creamy, make-ahead mashed potatoes
3. Simple, standout touches to veggies, sides, and desserts that will impress your guests

Listen now to create a Thanksgiving feast filled with essential dishes and expert tips that guarantee a smooth, memorable holiday!

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Links:

Classic plug-in turkey roaster

How to dry brine a turkey from The Kitchn

Digital meat thermometer

Sonya’s go-to roast turkey

Turkey stock from roasted turkey wings from How Sweet Eats

Classic last-minute gravy with turkey stock by Julia Moskin and Kim Severeson for NYT Cooking

Ultra creamy mashed potatoes made with a ricer or food mill by Andy Baraghani for Bon Appetit

And perfect mashed potatoes (no special gear required) by Elise Bauer for Simply Recipes

How to reheat mashed potatoes from The Kitchn

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s sticky gochujang brussels sprouts from her cookbook