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:

62: Babka Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever made a babka? We tried a number of recipes for this enriched-dough bread with a ribbon of flavor, and we came up with very mixed results. Listen in on to see what we baked and our favorite babka recipe!

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Babka (America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)
Cinnamon babka (Claire Saffitz, NYT)
Savory babka with ricotta and herbs (Melissa Clark, NYT)
Better chocolate babka (Smitten Kitchen)
Chocolate babka (Melissa Clark, NYT)
Sprinkle butter babka loaf (Nadiya Hussein)
Birthday cake babka (What Jew Wanna Eat)

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 12/27/2023): Smitten Kitchen Keepers, by Deb Perelman

61: The Grand Central Baking Book Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Inspired by a classic Pacific Northwest bakery, this book tells us how to make those beloved treats at home. This week we talk about the bakery and the cookbook, and which recipes we enjoy (or maybe not so much!)

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Grand Central Bakery jammers (page 22)
Pecan sticky buns (page 46)
Rough puff pastry (page 176)
Tarte tatin (page 194)
Dutch babies (page 39)
Artisan pizza (page 111)
Ben’s pan pizza (page 113)
Blueberry muffins (page 27)
Old-fashioned spice cake (page 168)
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (page 56)
Classic buttery shortbread and royal icing (page 78)
Sesame cookies (page 75)
Pumpkin bread (page 33)
Cranberry orange pecan bread (page 34)
Megan’s apricot almond granola (page 51)
Savory hand pies (page 106)

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 12/27/2023): Smitten Kitchen Keepers, by Deb Perelman

60: New York Times Cooking Roundup Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

It’s not a cookbook, but the New York Times Cooking section is a huge source of recipes for both of us. In this episode, we break down some favorites for fall and Thanksgiving.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

⁠Pumpkin maple muffins (Alison Roman)
Pumpkin crumb cake (Yossy Arefi)
No-bake pumpkin cheesecake (Yossy Arefi)
Pumpkin bundt cake with maple brown-butter glaze (Yossy Arefi)
Red wine pear cardamom cake (Melissa Clark)
Pumpkin-butterscotch with spiced whipped cream (Melissa Clark)
Mango pie (Samin Nosrat & Hrishikesh Hirway)
Cranberry curd tart (David Tanis)
Dry-brined turkey with sheet pan gravy (Alison Roman)
Roast spatchcock turkey (Mark Bittman)
Buttered stuffing with celery and leeks (Alison Roman)
Brussels sprouts with pickled shallots and labneh (Nik Sharma)
Vegan green bean casserole (Gena Hamshaw)
Green beans and greens with fried shallots (Alison Roman)
Vegan mushroom make-ahead gravy (Melissa Clark)
Roasted cauliflower (Amanda Hesser)
Spicy caramelized squash with lemon and hazelnuts (Alison Roman)
Cranberry sauce (Sam Sifton)
Buttermilk-brined turkey breast (Samin Nosrat)
Citrus and persimmon salad (David Tanis)
The perfect herby salad (Alison Roman, Nothing Fancy)
Brussels sprouts slaw (Nik Sharma, The Flavor Equation)

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 11/29/2023): The Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis & Ellen Jackson

59: New Native Kitchen Nov 04, 2023

Show notes

We dig in to Freddy Bitsoie’s ode to Indigenous cuisine and ingredients on this episode, with a recap of a delicious meal we shared together with our in-person Cookbook Club.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Hominy with bacon bits (page 76)
Alaskan King Salmon with crushed pecans (page 226)
Spice-rubbed pork tenderloin (page 214)
Chocolate bison chili (page 160)
Three sisters salad with shallot vinaigrette (page 90)
Red potato soup (page 50)
Pumpkin bread pudding (page 262)
Chocolate and piñon nutcake (page 254)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

Cedar & Salt

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 & Eat Your Books (use code CC2023)
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 11/29/2023): The Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis & Ellen Jackson

58: Kitchen organization Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

Cooking is one thing, but it takes a whole lot of logistics to plan, shop, organize and keep track of the groceries, recipes and cookbooks in our kitchens. Today we’re joined by Kirsten Collins to chat about how we organize our kitchens and our deeply personal ways of organizing cookbooks.

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 11/1/2023): New Native Kitchen, by Freddy Bitsoie

57: Dinner in One Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

We return to Melissa Clark in this episode, to dig in to her one-pan, one-pot, one-skillet, one-sheet-pan wonder. Joined by our friend Kirsten Collins, we go through the recipes we are loving from this collection of weeknight dinners.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Spiced pearl couscous with jammy eggplant and tomatoes (page 126)
Full English breakfast (page 34)
Cheater’s chicken and dumplings (page 203)
Caramelized carrots with pancetta, olives and crispy parmesan (page 50)
Lemony turkey and white bean soup with winter greens (page 182)
Smoky lentil stew with kielbasa and potatoes (page 214)
Turkey and bean tamale pie (page 143)
Tamale pie (Simply Julia)
Spicy tomato white beans with sage, pecorino and garlicky crostini (page 216)
Pizza beans (Smitten Kitchen)
Parmesan white beans and kale with crunchy, garlicky breadcrumbs (page 82)
Quick sausage, kale and crouton saute (Smitten Kitchen Every Day)

Tender chicken in a pot with pearl couscous, lemon and mint (page 135)
Crispy, spicy lamb with greens and avocado (page 72)
Creamy peanut chicken with charred snowpeas (page 63)
Miso-glazed salmon with roasted sugar snap peas (page 40)
Spiced pork chops with buttery peas, radishes and mint (page 64)

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 & Eat Your Books
Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 11/1/2023): New Native Kitchen, by Freddy Bitsoie

56: Pancakes & Waffles Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Let’s talk about pancakes and waffles! They’re a classic breakfast food, but spoiler alert, we eat them for dinner very frequently. We’ll share our favorite recipes and give you some tips for making these delicious treats.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Dutch baby (Grand Central Baking Book or NYT)
Sour cream pancakes (Small Victories)
Buttermilk pancakes (NYT)
Waffles (NYT)
Almond flour pancakes (King Arthur Flour)
Buckwheat buttermilk flapjacks with maple bourbon butter (The Campout Cookbook)
Multigrain pancakes (Super Natural Every Day)
Fluffy pumpkin pancakes (NYT)
Gingerbread pancakes (NYT)
Confetti cookies (Smitten Kitchen)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Cuisinart waffle iron with removable plates
Rainbow sprinkles (Nuts.com)
Whole wheat pastry flour (Azure)

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 10/4/2023): Dinner in One, by Melissa Clark

55: Everyone's Table Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

An elevated but health-focused book with a Paleo bent, this cookbook is different from a lot of other books we’ve cooked from, as well as being extremely personal. In this episode, we talk about entertaining people with dietary restrictions, which recipes we like from this book and the game-changers it gave us.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Spicy pineapple turmeric smoothie
Sticky chicken wings with spicy honey and fish sauce
Fish sauce wings (Pok Pok)
Gravlax with lemon pepper and dill
Sauteed spinach with golden raisins and pine nuts
Lots of roasted veggies with ginger chile
Cauliflower puttanesca
Sour coconut cream ranch dip with raw veggies
Chocolate and nut butter tart with sea salt and chipotle
Ginger shrub with carrot and orange

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 10/4/2023): Dinner in One, by Melissa Clark

54: Season Two Wrap-up Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

It’s been two years of Cookbook Club! On today’s episode, we tie up loose ends from the season, talk about what’s coming next and take some listener questions.

Recipes, authors and cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

Julia Turshen
Melissa Clark
Samin Nosrat
Yotam Ottolenghi
Deb Perelman
Heidi Swanson
Alison Roman
In Bibi’s Kitchen, by Hawa Hassan
Nothing Fancy, by Alison Roman
Dining In, by Alison Roman
Labne with sizzled scallions (Nothing Fancy)
Spicy marinated anchovies with potato chips (Nothing Fancy)
Fancy citrusy olives (Nothing Fancy)
A very fine spritz (Nothing Fancy)
Smashed eggs and fancy fish on crackers (Nothing Fancy)
Baked eggs with crushed chickpeas, chorizo and bread crumbs (Nothing Fancy)
Decidedly not-sweet granola (Nothing Fancy)
Smashed cucumbers and scallions over garlicky yogurt (Nothing Fancy)
That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life, by Marissa Mullen
The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child
Everyone’s Table, by Gregory Gourdet
Burma Superstar, by Desmond Tan
New Native Kitchen, by Freddy Bitsoie
Super Natural Simple, by Heidi Swanson

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 9/6/2023): Everyone’s Table, by Gregory Gourdet

53: Indian-ish Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

This cookbook feels like an embodiment of Priya Krishna’s sunny disposition, and serves as a love letter to her mom’s “Indian-ish” cooking which she ate growing up. We talk about what we made from this book, including a dump cake and some other very interesting recipes!

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Black pepper and chile baked goat cheese (page 57)
Dad’s yogurt (page 43)
Spicy olive tapanede (page 51)
Lima bean & basil dip (page 52)
Matar paneer (page 70)
Priya’s dal (page 152)
Raita (page 49)
Kachumber (page 107)
Garlic ginger chicken with cilantro and mint (page 187)
Spinach and feta cooked like saag paneer (page 83)
Tomato rice with crispy cheddar (page 170)
Quinoa kheer (page 199)
Anvita’s dump cake (page 207)
Cardamom chai (page 210)

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 9/6/2023): Everyone’s Table, by Gregory Gourdet

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Cookbook Club

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected