Do you find yourself staring at gorgeous piles of ripe, colorful summer tomatoes and longing to turn them into something special? Something unforgettable?

If you need a boost of inspiration to make use of the juicy tomatoes in your kitchen and are underwhelmed with your standard summer tomato repertoire, tune into this week’s episode to enhance your home cooking!

This week you’ll learn….

1. The trick to keeping even the juiciest BLT sandwiches neat and tidy, plus a genius vegetarian version that’s full of flavor and sure to please all the guests at your dinner table.
2. How to bake a summer tomato tart that even The Great British Bake-Off would approve of, hint: no soggy bottom pies allowed.
3. An easy recipe that turns sweet cherry tomatoes into a weeknight sheet-pan dinner, helping you get a delicious dinner on the table in minutes

Don’t miss out on these six mouth-watering tomato recipes and tune in now to transform your summer cooking!

Links

How to make a bacon weave video from Justin Chapple for Food and Wine, and his BLT recipe

An HLT sandwich from the NY Times – like a BLT but with halloumi instead

Yemenite tomato dip from Ottolenghi

Pan con tomate (Spanish tomato bread) by Kenji Lopez-Alt for Serious Eats

Hoda’s restaurant in Portland, OR

A fatoush salad with pomegranate molasses dressing by Reem Assil via Tasting Table

How to make homemade pita chips from Natasha’s Kitchen

Fresh tomato tart by David Leibovitz, and another great tomato tart from Smitten Kitchen

Paneer with burst cherry tomato sauce by Sohla El-Waylly for Bon Appetit

10 minute sausage skillet with cherry tomatoes and broccoli by Anna Stockwell for Epicurious

Simply Tomato cookbook by Martha Holmberg, and her

Have you ever wondered how restaurants and chefs get their schnitzel or chicken cutlets perfectly crispy, thin, and golden, every single time?

This week, we’re answering a caller question from our kitchen hotline all about how to master the art of schnitzel at home.

We’re sharing all our pro tips for perfecting crispy cutlets: from the best type of breadcrumbs to use to how to keep them crisp once they’re out of the frying pan. We’ll also reveal the biggest lesson we’ve learned about frying chicken…and it just might go against everything you’ve been taught!

Tune in for a bite-sized dose of home cooking inspiration, and start frying up chicken cutlets at home with confidence!

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Links:

We love Smitten Kitchen’s crispiest chicken cutlets recipe, as it shares the dredging technique we now use too.

This video by Melissa Clark of NYT Cooking will walk you through schnitzel, step by step. We like the “cascade” method for moving the oil around the pan to create a light, crispy-fried coating for any schnitzel.

You can find Sonya’s recipe for her chicken schnitzel in her cookbook, Braids.

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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!

Book a farmers’ market tour with Sonya in Portland!

Leaving home doesn’t mean leaving homemade food behind. What if your next road or plane ride included crave-worthy, nourishing meals and snacks that are ready to go before you even pack the car?

Say goodbye to soggy sandwiches and overpriced airport food! This episode is your guide to easy, delicious make-ahead meals and snacks for road trips, beach days, and airplane adventures. Whether it’s a 3-ingredient cookie you can bake days in advance, or a thermos full of a refreshing homemade slushie, these recipes are designed to travel well and taste even better on-the-go.

By the end of this episode, you’ll:

1. Discover travel-friendly breakfasts that smell like cinnamon and are filled with summer berries
2. Learn how to make snacks with real staying power – like a sweet-and-salty trail mix boosted with a protein-rich twist
3. Get pro tips for packing food so it stays cool in a hot car, a long flight, or even on a pontoon boat

Press play now to boost your summer travel with easy, packable, and seriously satisfying homemade recipes!

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Links:

Breakfast

Alison Roman’s blueberry muffin recipe, and Smitten Kitchen’s even more perfect blueberry muffins

Banana nut breakfast bars from Sohly El-Waylly for NYT Cooking

Lunch:

Quinoa patties by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks

Lemony kale avocado sandwiches by Dirty Gourmet for Sunset Magazine

Snacks:

Coconut date balls by Feel Good Foodie

Chickpea & cherries snack mix from Well Plated

Sweets:

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies from All Recipes

English flapjacks from Smitten Kitchen

Beverages:

Watermelon slushie by From My Bowl

Good juices (like the ones from JJ’s Lone Daugher Ranch), frozen and used as ice packs

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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