Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

Struggling to put together easy, satisfying weeknight meals during these chilly winter months?
This week, we’re taking the guesswork out of meal planning and sharing ten fast dinners for nights when you don’t want to rely on takeout or make an extra trip to the grocery store. All quick. All comforting. All genuinely delicious.
By the end of this episode, you’ll:
Discover flavorful ways to turn a single package of ground beef, turkey, or pork into a dinner that rivals your favorite takeout
Learn a simple tofu technique that transforms it into a craveable, meatless main
Explore pasta dishes beyond spaghetti and red sauce — think silky sauces, peppery greens, toasted breadcrumbs, and brothy bowls of comfort

Press play now and walk away with a handful of reliable weeknight dinners you’ll want to make on repeat all winter long!
***
Links:
Turkish pasta by Rachel Perlmutter for The Kitchen (sub red pepper paste, or with a few roasted bell peppers, with a spoonful of tomato paste)
Salad pasta, by Anna Stockwell for Epicurious
10-minute Thai Basil from The Woks of Life
Egg Roll in a Bowl by Ree Drummond
Garlic butter steak bites by Coco Morante for Simply Recipes, and easy mashed cauliflower from Joyful Healthy Eats
Chicken with mustard cream sauce, by Sarah Carey for Martha Stewart
30-minute gado gado bowl by Minimalist Baker
Salmon patties by Nagi Maehashi of Recipe Tin Eats
I can't believe it's not chicken (it’s tofu!) by Nisha Vora for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Butter beans, paprika, and piquillo peppers, excerpted from Three: Acid, Texture, Contrast by Selena Kiazim
***
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.
Order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!
We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at

What if baking at home didn’t have to require special skills of effort and instead could deliver a shareable sweet treat to warm up a chilly, busy week?
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 Alison Roman's recipe for blueberry muffins that are as easy to bake as they are to eat. Bonus: they're freezer and make-ahead-friendly. You’ll also want to try bright and citrusy classic Italian ricotta cookies – one simple batch yields a mountain of soft, lemony treats that are perfect for taking on the go, or for filling your cookie jar.
Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!
***
Links:
Alison Roman’s blueberry muffin recipe
Italian Ricotta Cookies by Melissa Huett, adapted by Melissa Clark for NYT Cooking
***
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.
Order Sonya's cookbook Braids for more Food Friends recipes!
We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at [email protected]!

What’s the secret to transforming tough cuts of meat and sturdy vegetables into fork-tender meals that feel like a warm hug on a cold day?
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a chewy brisket, flavorless chicken, or dry pot roast, we're re-releasing this fan-favorite episode to give you the foolproof techniques and tips for braising success.
By the end of this episode, you’ll:
Learn how to braise like a pro with equipment you already have in your kitchen (no Dutch oven required!)
Explore classic recipes like comforting smothered pork chops and a rich coq au vin
Discover time-saving tricks that will make a braised dish your next go-to for hosting

Tune in now to bring the magic of braising into your kitchen this season!
***
Links:
Tyler Florence’s wine-braised beef brisket recipe
Beer braised brisket with onions from Food.com, and one for the slow cooker from The Kitchn
George Graham’s Smothered Pork Chops with andouille, which are richer than his wife’s Roxanne’s version (which Kari describes in the show). Here’s a simpler version, too. Just be sure to use thin, bone-in chops and continue simmering until they are fork-tender and falling off the bone.
Traditional coq au vin by Ina Garten, or a slightly easier version by Damn Delicious
Eric Kim’s garlic-braised chicken recipe from NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Amateur Gourmet’s braised chicken recipe and video
Samin Nostrat’s soy-braised short rib recipe
Ginger beer-braised butternut squash by Alexa Weibel from NYT Cooking (unlocked)
Oven-braised red kuri squash video on TikTok from Kate Woodward (inspired by Prune by Gabrielle Hamilton)

Looking for a chili recipe that you can rely on to feed any kind of eater at your table?
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 cook up a pot of deeply flavorful vegetarian or turkey chili that’s freezer-friendly and even entertaining-worthy, and you’ll also want to try a fresh take on kale salad with a punchy pickled-raisin vinaigrette that gets better as it sits.
Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!
***
Links:
Sonya’s Vegetarian and Turkey Chili from our Substack
Kale Salad with Pickled Raisin Vinaigrette by Sheela Prakash for NYT Cooking (unlocked)
***
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 [email protected]!

Are you staring at a bag of lentils in your pantry that you fully meant to cook… and somehow never do? Or maybe you’ve got a few cans of chickpeas that always feel like a good idea in theory, but never quite turn into dinner.
If beans have ever felt bland, boring, or confusing, today’s episode is for you.
By the end of this episode, you’ll:
Discover how to make lentils, chickpeas, and other pantry beans actually craveable — from using up quick cooking red lentils in an unexpected pasta dish, to a vegetarian date-studded chickpea stew that relies on canned beans
Find out go-to weeknight bean-centric meals that you can whip up in 30 minutes or less
Learn about two fresh takes on bean soup: one that uses white beans and has been served in the US Senate for decades, and another that relies on simple black beans combined with a few surprising, flavorful winter veggies

Press play now if you want affordable, comforting dinners that finally make good on all those beans in your pantry!
***
Links:
Lentils
Our favorite coconut red lentils from our free Substack
Curried tomato tortellini soup from 101 Cookbooks
Ecuadorian lentil stew from Laylita.com
Alison Roman’s lentils with fried lemon or garlic (you can use red or yellow)
Chickpeas
Our chickpea episode with Sarah Bond from Live, Eat, Learn
Chickpea stew with dates, almonds, and orange
Chickpea butternut squash tacos by Laura Fuentes
Yotam Ottolenghi’s confit tandoori chickpeas
Other Beans:
Amy Chaplin’s spicy black bean soup, with squash, cabbage, loads of veggies
Cheesy mashed white beans with kale and parm and runny egg, from Serious Eats
Mung bean curry from Pride of India
Senate bean soup by The Country Cook
Also: Kari’s famous white bean soup with oregano and parm, and Sonya’s take on Yemenite white bean soup with zhoug
***
Got a cooking question?...