Cookbook Club

Bryant Terry is a visionary in the vegan cooking world, and we tried out this well-known cookbook. We talk about nesting doll recipes, brilliant vegan flavor boosters and decide whether this book could ever work on a weeknight. (And yes, we know we sound a little breathy in the audio on this episode, we’re working on it!)

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• All-green everything salad with creamy sage dressing (page 148)
• Cornbread muffins (page 37)
• Dill pickled fennel (page 44)
• Red rice with spring vegetables (page 74)
• Sweet potato, russet potato and tempeh hash (page 183)
• Millet, red lentil and potato cakes (page 175)
• Lentil soup (page 215)
• Creamy carrot coconut soup (page 208)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Spotify dinner playlist

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: [email protected]
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
• Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 6/12/2024 most likely — thanks for your patience!): Mi Cocina, by Rick Martinez

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:

• Weeknight baking, by Michelle Lopez
• Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: [email protected]
• 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

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: [email protected]
• 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

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: ⁠[email protected]⁠
• 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

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: [email protected]
• 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

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:

• Momofuku Milk Bar
• Mary Berry’s Baking Bible

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Erin McDowell’s rainbow frosting
• The Kitchn’s funfetti cake recipe roundup
• Unicorn cake topper

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
• E-mail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠
• 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

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:

• Killing It, by Camas Davis
• Gordon Ramsay cooking scrambled eggs

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: [email protected]
• 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

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: ⁠[email protected]⁠
• 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

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: [email protected]
• 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

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: ⁠[email protected]⁠
• 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