What if the key to more creative home cooking isn’t more options — but better constraints?

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 how to make a simple, no-knead, no-rise dough for Turkish poğaça—savory pastries filled with spinach, herbs, and feta. You’ll also discover a jam-swirled sugar cookie that came to us from a listener suggestion.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration!

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Our next gathering is May 13th at 4:30 PM PT! See you soon!

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Links:

Ayse’s poğaça (Turkish pastry) from Sonya

Sonya’s baklava recipe

Jam sugar cookies from Hewn Bakery in Evanston, IL, and chef Ellen King’s book, Heritage Baking (Thanks, Diane, for the rec!)

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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.

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!

Are sheet-pan dinners the ultimate weeknight shortcut, or are they overrated?

If you’ve ever tried one and ended up with soggy vegetables, unevenly cooked protein, or underwhelming flavor, you’re not alone. In this episode, we break down what makes a sheet-pan dinner work, and how to get better results from simple, oven-roasted meals.

We’re sharing a handful of spring-forward recipes, along with the small technique shifts that make a big difference.

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

1. A crispy rice sheet-pan dinner with everything you love about fried rice, without the stovetop
2. A popular Nigella Lawson’s tray bake that highlights spring produce
3. How to make sheet-pan eggs with herbs, vegetables, and feta for easy breakfasts, sandwiches, or quick dinners

If you’re looking for straightforward ways to improve your weeknight cooking, this episode will change how you use your oven!

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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!

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Links:

Chicken and pea tray bake from Nigella Lawson

Liz’s roasted broccoli salad by Pinch of Yum

Rainbow veggie sheet-pan with green tahini sauce by Jenn Eats Good

Sheet-pan crispy rice with bacon and broccoli by Ella Quittner via Food52

Sheet-pan eggs and veggies by Ali Slagle for Food 52

Puttanesca fish tray bake by Recipe Tin Eats

Viral sheet-pan Doner Kebab from Feel Good Foodie

Chili-stuffed poblano peppers from Taste of Home

Other recipes:

Rainbow salad

Maple and Miso Sheet-Pan Salmon with Green Beans by Colu Henry for NYT Cooking

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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.

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!

A Memorable Spring Menu, Seasonal Fried Rice & the Best Philly Sandwich | Best Bites with Special Guest David Page

What makes a meal truly memorable? And what’s actually worth repeating at home?

In this bite-sized episode, we’re sharing the best things we ate this week — and with special guest David Page of “Culinary Characters Unlocked” — to inspire each other and you.

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover a simple but unforgettable spring menu, a fried rice that makes the most of seasonal ingredients, and a Philly sandwich that lives up to the hype.

We also get into a few cooking techniques, from reverse-searing steak to building a seafood stew, that are worth trying (or rethinking) in your own kitchen.

Tune in for a quick dose of home cooking inspiration.

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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:

Tune into David Page’s Culinary Characters Unlocked wherever you listen to podcasts!

The menu from the birthday party: Farro & spring radish salad, spring green salad, marinated farm asparagus, thyme-scented baby new potatoes, Pacific NW smoked salmon, grilled Bavette steak

The potatoes were prepared similarly to simple roasted new spring potatoes (but add thyme!)

Green garlic salsa verde from Wishbone Kitchen

Kari’s fried rice: Use avocado oil to fry the rice first; add butter and spring onion tops and cook until softened. Add scrambled eggs into the buttery onion mixture until just cooked. Add favas to warm them up; top with fresh dill and crumbled feta.

David’s best bites:

Philly Roast Pork Sandwich from Serious Eats

SF-style Cioppino (but David prefers to cook each fish element separately)

Reverse-seared steak from Serious Eats

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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.

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!