Arts

Cookbook Club

Each month I cook through one cookbook and share my favorite recipes, my not-so-favorites, and what I’ll make again. Then you cook along, send me a short voice memo, and I weave listener voices right into the episode. Sometimes friends from my real-life cookbook club in Portland join in too. New episodes monthly. Follow along on Instagram @cookbookclubshow.

Latest Episodes:

72: Quickbreads & Muffins Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

We love to bake — so today, we talk about some favorite recipes for these easy go-to bakes. Sara won a prize for quickbread at the Oregon State Fair, Emily brings us tips on making these treats gluten free, and Renee, as always, loves Melissa Clark.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Carrot loaf cake with tangy lemon glaze (NYT)
Banana bread (Weeknight Baking)
Spiced banana brown bread (Now & Again)
Gluten free zucchini muffins (Sprouted Kitchen)
Pumpkin bread (Smitten Kitchen)
Most adaptable one-bowl cornmeal pound cake (NYT)
Pumpkin maple muffins (NYT)
Caramelized brown butter rice krispies treats (NYT)
Perfect blueberry muffins (Smitten Kitchen Every Day)
Blueberry muffins (Grand Central Baking Book)
Cranberry crumb muffins (NYT)
Morning glory muffins (NYT)
Toasted oat & apple muffins (Small Victories)
Sled dog muffins (Simply Julia)
Lunchbox harvest muffins (NYT)
Figgy buckwheat scone (Good to the Grain)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
Our guest: Emily Pagliarulo, @ejmaletz on Instagram
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 5/15/2024): Vegetable Kingdom, by Bryant Terry

71: Persiana Everyday Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

This book grabbed Renee’s eye over the summer when she was traveling in the UK, so she brought it back and we dove in to this ingredient-focused, easy weeknight book from our neighbor across the pond.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Persian saffron chicken, fennel & barberry stew (Persiana)
Harissa & lemon roasted chicken thighs (page 80)
Bloody Mary spatchcocked chicken (page 58)
Butternut, cardamom & tahini soup (page 27)
Tahini cinnamon swirls (page 222)
Halloumi, bacon, date and apple salad (page 31)
Spicy nutty roasted cauliflower (page 160)
Zucchini, apple, peanut and feta salad (page 46)
Persian flatbread (Persiana)
Yogurt, marjoram & pul biber flatbreads (page 209)
Cheat’s dhal (page 144)
Zesty mackerel pate (page 24)
Pistachio feta dip (Persiana)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

Persiana, by Sabrina Ghayour

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
Our guest: Emily Pagliarulo, @ejmaletz on Instagram
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 5/15/2024): Vegetable Kingdom, by Bryant Terry

70: Things on Buns Apr 03, 2024

Show notes

There are very many things you can put on buns. Make your own buns, buy some at the grocery store, make a thing on a bun! We give you a whole list of ideas you can use for a meal on a bun!

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Beautiful burger buns (King Arthur Flour)
English muffins (King Arthur Flour)
Crispy oven pulled pork (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
Turkey burgers (Food Health & Happiness)
The ultimate veggie burger (NYT)
Jamie Oliver’s vegetarian black bean burger (NYT)
Potato chip fish cakes (Simply Julia)
Homemade merguez with herby yogurt (Small Victories)
Superiority burger’s crispy fried tofu sandwich (NYT)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

Mooncakes & Milk Bread

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 4/17/2024): Persiana Everyday, by Sabrina Ghayour

69: Modern Comfort Food Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Season three of our podcast and we’re finally cooking from the Barefoot Contessa! We talk about our fabulous cookbook club dinner, and whether we like cooking Ina Garten’s classic, entertaining-friendly recipes.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Warm spinach & artichoke dip
Ultimate bloody marys
Green salad vinaigrette
Creamy tomato bisque
Split pea soup with crispy kielbasa
Charred carrots with orange and balsamic
Baked rigatoni with lamb ragu
Brussels sprouts pizza carbonara
Salted pistachio meringues
Chocolate dipped brown sugar shortbread
Bittersweet chocolate cake

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 4/17/2024): Persiana Everyday, by Sabrina Ghayour

68: Birthday cakes Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

We make a lot of cakes! In this episode, we weigh the pros and cons of cake mixes vs. homemade cakes, kid cakes vs. adult cakes and talk about decorations and give you some of our best birthday cake strategies.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Pineapple upside down cake (Snacking Cakes)
Strawberry summer cake (Smitten Kitchen)
Devil’s food with salted milk chocolate frosting (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
Chocolate Midnight cake (Salt Fat Acid Heat)
Toasted coconut cake (Now & Again)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 3/20/2024): Modern Comfort Food, by Ina Garten

67: Mastering the Art of French Cooking Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

One of the most famous cookbooks of all time, Mastering the Art of French Cooking was a revelation at the time, bringing French cuisine to American cooks. This huge collection of recipes is a little intimidating — but in this episode, we break it down to share the things we’ve made and loved along the way.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Pissaladière niçoise (Vol 1, page 151)
Salade niçoise (Vol 1, page 542)
Eggs En Gelee (Vol 1, page 547)
Meringue-nut layer cake with butter-cream frosting and filling (Vol 2, page 497)
Cream puffs (Vol 1, page 177)
Baked cucumbers/parslied cucumbers (Vol 1, page 500)
Fondue de poulet a la creme (Vol 1, page 262)
Scrambled eggs (Vol 1, page 125)
Chocolate souffle (Vol 1, page 619)
Oeufs en Cocotte (Vol 1, page 123)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 3/20/2024): Modern Comfort Food, by Ina Garten

66: What We're Cooking Now Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

We are coming off the holidays, entering a new year, battling winter weather and sitting down to share how cooking is going in our homes these days. Freezer clean-outs, fresh new year recipes and more!

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Indecision grilled chicken (Small Victories)
Shepherd’s pie with a sweet potato crust (Whole30)
Roasted red pepper sauce (Whole30)
Roasted pork shoulder with butternut squash and tomatoes (Whole30)
Cinnamon rolls (NYT)
Bacon and egg spaghetti (Dinner in One)
Cranberry-orange “snow” scones (Alexandra’s Kitchen)
Slow-roasted salmon (Salt Fat Acid Heat)
Recipes from In Bibi’s Kitchen
Tangy braised short ribs (NYT)
Recipes from Evolutions in Bread
Recipes from Elements of Pizza
Vanilla meringues (NYT)
Pavlova wreath (Leigh Ann Wilkes)
Chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars (NYT)
Coconut curry chickpeas with pumpkin and lime (NYT)
Pumpkin crumb cake (NYT)
Baked pumpkin donuts (NYT)
Seeded nut loaf (Mary Berry’s Baking Bible)

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 2/21/2024): Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child

65: Ever Green Vietnamese Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

We loved Andrea Nguyen’s first book, “Vietnamese Food Any Day.” How does her new release stack up for us? Renee and Sara talk about building block recipes, too-long-descriptions, eating cake until our stomachs hurt and more.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

10-10-10 Perfect Rice (page 65)
Umami tofu crumbles (page 50)
Nuoc Cham dipping sauce (page 32)
Fast-fried shallots (page 46)
Chicken-vegetable pho (page 161)
Pressure cooker beef pho (NYT)
Char siu pulled jackfruit (page 229)
Baked char siu pulled-jackfruit bao (page 121)
Gingery vegetable and beef stir fry (page 254)
Char siu roasted cauliflower (page 227)
Greens with magical sesame salt (page 201)
Vietnamese mocha cake (page 266)
Spice-citrus marble cake (page 269)
Egg coffee (page 287)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

David Chang on MSG & umami (YouTube)
MSG as a misunderstood ingredient (CNN)
MSG’s bad rap (Five Thirty Eight)

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 2/21/2024): Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child

64: Weeknight dinners Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

The holidays are over and weeknight cooking is back. If you’re like us, maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and worn out on it — in that case, tune in for some easy weeknight dinner inspiration to get your dinner mojo back.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Shakshuka (Dinner in an Instant)
Shakshuka (Dinner in One)
Green shakshuka with avocado and lime (NYT)
Rao’s meatballs (NYT)
Pasta alla Gricia (NYT)
Curried chicken with cauliflower, apricots and olives (Sheet Pan Suppers)
Lemony chicken with potatoes and oregano (NYT)
Garlicky chicken with lemon-anchovy sauce (NYT)
Spicy honey chicken thighs (Cooking Light)
One-pot turmeric coconut rice with greens (NYT)
Oven-baked polenta (NYT)
Spiced chickpea stew with coconut and turmeric (NYT)
Turkey burgers (Food, Health & Happiness)
Beautiful burger buns (King Arthur Flour)
Furikake salmon (Japanese Cookbook for Beginners)
Reverse seared steak (Serious Eats)

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 1/24/2024): Ever-Green Vietnamese, by Andrea Nguyen

63: Smitten Kitchen Keepers Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

This week we’re coming back for more Deb Perelman with her newest book, Smitten Kitchen Keepers. Are they keepers? How do we like these compared to her other books? Tune in to find out.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Devil’s food cake with salted milk chocolate frosting (page 267)
Luxe s’mores bars (page 235)
Carrot cake with brown butter and no clutter (page 263)
The blondie chipwich (page 237)
Tomatoes with cottage cheese and bagel seeds (page 32)
Blueberry pancake cobbler (page 41)
Endive salad with apple matchsticks (page 53)
Double shallot egg salad (page 59)
Carrot tarte tatin (page 119)
Winter squash soup with red onion crisp (page 77)
Cozy chicken and dumplings soup (page 85)
Braised winter squash wedges (page 111)
Deepest dish broccoli cheddar quiche (page 145)
Honey thyme baked feta (page 284)
Spicy crushed olives with pistachios (page 287)
Toasted sesame almonds (page 288)

Join our Cookbook Club!

Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 1/24/2024): Ever-Green Vietnamese, by Andrea Nguyen

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