Coco Morante: A Casual Culinary Chat About Restaurants in Portland & Eugene

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Joy of Cooking Podcast

Episode Title: Coco Morante: A Casual Culinary Chat About Restaurants in Portland & Eugene
Date: December 17, 2025
Host(s): Megan Scott, John Becker, Shannon Larson
Guest: Coco Morante

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Overview

In this lively and insightful episode, the Joy of Cooking team is joined by recipe developer and cookbook author Coco Morante for a fun and wide-ranging discussion. Topics cover Thanksgiving kitchen adventures, the perennial challenge of weeknight dinners, strategies for meal planning and prep (especially with families and picky eaters), and—perhaps most mouthwatering—an extended, enthusiastic guide to Portland and Eugene’s best restaurants and food spots. Listeners come away with actionable tips, local food insight, and plenty of kitchen camaraderie.

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Main Discussion Points

Thanksgiving Recap and Kitchen Mishaps

• Gumbo Awareness
  • John shares his “gumbo for Thanksgiving” story, bemoaning his family’s lack of proper gumbo etiquette—fishing out the seafood but skipping the flavorful broth.
    “People have to appreciate it. You spend a long time doing that roux.” – John (03:24)
• Vegetable Revelations
  • Shannon’s family did a non-traditional Thanksgiving with roasted lamb, beet and lentil salad, Joy’s sheet-pan broccoli rabe (“blanch then roast!”), and a memorable sheep’s cheese-labneh-harissa dip.
    “We added a lot of garlic and yummy stuff... My 8-year-old nephew was gobbling it down.” – Shannon (03:13)
• Hate Cooking
  • Megan and John recount a “hate-cooking” session over a poorly written recipe with frustrating, overly intricate steps; silver lining: discovering a roasted cabbage technique with butter tucked between leaves.
    “We were almost at blows...there was something about the way it was written…” – Megan (04:33)

Recipe Development Insights

• The hosts and Coco trade thoughts on writing user-friendly recipes. Coco’s key advice: use accessible ingredients, avoid specialty gadgets/pans, and always consider home cooks’ realities.
  “How creative and how much deliciousness can we get into something that has really simple instructions…?” – Coco (23:35)

Joy of Cooking & Cookbook Upbringing

• Coco reminisces about growing up in a “Fanny Farmer” household but cooking Joy classics at friends’ houses.
  “Every family I know either had the Joy of Cooking or Fanny Farmer...something on the table was definitely from your book.” – Coco (13:29)
• Discussion on updating party/cocktail chapters in Joy; hosts are weighing how to keep classics while offering something new.

The Challenge of Weeknight Meals & Meal Prep

• Coco introduces her upcoming Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook, structured around 10 weekly plans with meal-prep strategies for busy families.
  • Each plan includes shopping lists, four dinners, actionable prep tasks on weekends, and flexibility for real life.
• Strategies for burnout:
  • Keep a chest freezer stocked with Trader Joe’s staples like kung pao chicken, gyoza, and mac & cheese for the kids (“the box kind wins!”).
  • “On the weekends is when my brain is more open…” – Coco (17:18)
• “Dinner Thoughts”: Megan shares her own tradition of 3pm dinner anxiety, and her mom’s system of cultivating a rotating list of family favorites.
• Raising adventurous eaters:
  • Coco finds playing it “cool” and letting kids get curious is more effective than pushing new foods. “You have to be so, so, like cool about it. I’ll just put stuff on my plate and start eating...they’ll get curious…” – Coco (20:13)

The Joys and Limits of Kitchen Gadgets

• Coco’s Instant Pot journey began with a Facebook group and led to cookbook deals. Her new book leverages both the Instant Pot and air fryer—often prepping one part of a meal in advance (grains, sauces), and finishing with fresh, quick-cooked items (e.g., meatballs in the air fryer).
• The team briefly debates the fate of gadgets like sous vide sticks and marvel at the hands-off power of pressure cooker stock.

Organization, Delegation, and Family Involvement

• Coco’s pro tip: delegate meal-planning tasks to others (“play to people’s strengths!”) and use tech tools. Her husband uses AI and apps to streamline grocery shopping based on her meal plans. “Use the planning as an opportunity to have these discussions with the people you live with—to figure out which parts...can not be on my plate.” – Coco (32:11)
• Emphasis on flexibility and not striving for “Pinterest-perfect” meal prep every week.

Lighthearted Interludes and "White Elephant" Gift Ideas (38:20)

• The group brainstorms fun, affordable kitchen or cookbook-club gifts:
  • Spiralizer (“vegetti” joke), skull pastry brushes, compact metal cookbook stands, rotisserie chicken for a laugh, Kraft cheese powder, popcorn salt.

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Restaurant Recommendations: Portland & Eugene Food Guide

[42:06 – 59:53]
Blair's listener question: Where should she and her sister eat in Portland and Eugene for their upcoming trip?

Megan’s Top 5 Portland Restaurants:

1. Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (Pizza & ice cream; sourdough crust, highly seasonal, “Portland-style” pies.)
2. Eem (Thai food meets Texas BBQ; “papaya salad is legit spicy, white curry with burnt ends...”)
3. Rangoon Bistro (Burmese; tea leaf salad, large pork dumpling, steamed ribs.)
4. Kachka (Russian; herring under a fur coat, pelmeni with fancy broth, great vodka.)
5. Navarre (Constantly changing, market-driven small plates, very “Portland”.)

Coco’s Portland Picks:

• The Heist Food Cart Pod (Woodstock)
  • Golden Triangle: Laotian, wok-fired soft-shell crab
  • Bake On The Run: Guyanese food, especially dal, and Nutella mini bakes for the kids
  • Bark City BBQ: Excellent BBQ served from a cart
• Scotch Lodge: Subterranean, cozy bar with “fancy” bar food and perfect cocktails
• Oma’s Hideaway: Unafraid of spice; “if there’s a salad, get it—fantastic”
• Jeju: “All out” tasting menu, modern Korean, house-butchered meats, $75 tasting menu is a bargain.
• Street Disco, Dirty Pretty, Holy Ghost, Lulu, Bellwether Bar: For drinks, cozy vibes, and inventive small plates

Shannon’s Portland Faves:

• Bellwether (Best burger in town; cozy and beautiful.)
• Jaoye (Innovative, beautiful food—“the cabbage is incredible”.)
• Murata (Classic sushi destination.)
• Han Oak (Hot pot menu, family atmosphere, delicious Korean food.)

John’s Additions:

• Lardo (Sandwiches, currently featuring a special “meatloaf sandwich.”)
• Khao Man Gai (Classic Thai staple, a Portland must.)
• Gado Gado (Indonesian-inspired, sister to Oma’s Hideaway.)
• CáMù Dang (Hawthorne; “the best tom yum I’ve ever had!”)
• Paper Bridge (Northern Vietnamese; house-made noodles.)
• Navarre (See above.)

Eugene Highlights (via Producer Sarah):

• Marché Provisions (Great for snacks/drinks for hotel/Airbnb, plus a full restaurant.)
• Marché Bar (Seasonal cocktails, festive décor.)
• 86 (Speakeasy in the janitor’s closet—look for the red light!)
• Meiji (Izakaya: Japanese small plates, miso mushrooms, fried rockfish.)
• Party Bar (Formerly Party Downtown; creative, Southern-accented veg and sides; supports local farmers.)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "I realized this week that I need to promote gumbo awareness among my Pacific Northwest peers..." – John (01:08)
• "We hate-cooked a recipe." "By the time we were almost done, we were almost at blows." – Megan & John retell a tense but ultimately delicious kitchen experience (04:13–05:31)
• "Meal prep can be kind of a loose concept." – Coco, on making meal prepping realistic and flexible (30:00)
• “You have to be so, so, like cool about it. I’ll just put stuff on my plate and start eating...they’ll get curious.” – Coco, on feeding kids (20:13)
• "Use the planning as an opportunity to have these discussions...which parts of this can not be on my plate." – Coco, on delegation (32:11)
• “If you want to go out for like an all out tasting menu kind of dinner… Jeju, my husband and I, when we went...$75 for their tasting menu is unbelievable." – Coco, on Portland dining (50:20)
• "[Navarre] is like, very Portland. The menu is changing almost daily… everything I've ever ordered there has been great." – Megan (46:40)

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Important Timestamps

• Thanksgiving debriefing / hate-cooking story: 01:20 – 06:31
• Recipe development talk: 23:35 – 25:58
• Instant Pot journey & Coco’s meal prep cookbook: 26:01 – 31:36
• Meal planning & delegation tips: 31:52 – 33:33
• White elephant kitchen gift brainstorming: 38:20 – 41:41
• Portland & Eugene food recommendations:
  • Portland: 42:06 – 56:33
  • Eugene: 57:57 – 59:53
• Kai (“hot chocolate”) recipe of the week: 59:53 – 61:23

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What’s Cooking This Week? (61:41)

• Shannon: Freezer meals, tortellini soup, maybe some homey “cooking Sunday.”
• Megan: Holiday baking—fruitcakes, lebkuchen dough.
• Coco: Finished meal-prepping for cookbook launch; now winging it, with her kids craving all kinds of hot chocolate.
• John: Excited for a radicchio festival and finally using a specialty tool to shred chicories for salad.

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Where to Find Coco Morante

• Instagram: @cocomorante
• Facebook: Instant Pot Recipes group
• Blog: Leftyspoon.com

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Final Thoughts

This episode celebrates both the joy and the reality of family cooking: quick wins (Trader Joe’s gyoza), memorable “hate-cooked” meals, the magic of delegating, and the never-ending quest for inspiration. The restaurant guide is loaded with local expertise—enough to plan an outstanding food tour of Portland and Eugene. Coco’s meal prep philosophy shines as the practical heart of her cooking life: prep what helps, delegate what you can, and keep things flexible.

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Recipe of the Week

Kai (Hot Chocolate) – p.10 in Joy of Cooking. Based on Royal Navy rations—features condensed milk, custard powder, malted milk powder, optional rum or coffee.
A quick, warming, and decadent treat. Try it and tag @thejoyofcooking on IG!

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For questions, stories, or to get featured:
Call the Joy Hotline: [phone]

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Next week: Backpacking recipes! Stay tuned for affordable, packable, joy-inspired meals for your adventures.

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[Summary created using key moments, quotes, and topics directly from the podcast transcript.]

Transcript

[A]

Sa.

[B]

Welcome to the Joy of Cooking podcast. Each week we set the table for a discussion about recipes and stories from the authors of the Joy of Cooking, kitchen victories and misadventures, and what we're cooking and eating right now. We're glad you've joined us at the table today. I'm Shannon Larson, home cook, Joy of Cooking user and fan, and hasselback potato enthusiast.

[A]

I'm Megan Scott, co Author of the 2019 edition of the Joy of Cooking. I'm a food editor by day and avoider of dish duty by night. I finally broke my pie crust curse.

[B]

Congratulations.

[A]

Thanks.

[C]

I'm John Becker, 4th Generation Co author and steward of the Joy of Cooking, America's oldest family run cookbook. And I realized this week that I need to promote gumbo awareness among my Pacific Northwest peers and loved ones.

[B]

Gumbo awareness?

[A]

Yeah. So as we mentioned last week, we made gumbo for Thanksgiving. That was our contribution and it turned out great. It was delicious.

[C]

It was, yeah, it was a really good batch.

[A]

But can you explain the. The trouble?

[C]

So, you know, it was kind of a serve yourself situation, like in my cousin's kitchen and everybody was fishing out the seafood and putting it on the rice and like very little broth made it into the bowls. And I was really confused by this. And so I think it's an excuse to just make gumbo for every family occasion. Yeah, I don't know.

[A]

We gotta train. We gotta train them.

[B]

Wait, so they were just picking and choosing the meat?

[A]

Yeah, basically. Yeah.

[B]

But the broth is like.

[A]

I know the broth is where it's at. Yeah, that's the flavor.

[C]

Yeah. You spend a long time doing that roux.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

People have to appreciate it.

[A]

It never occurred to me that people just may not know about gumbo and like how to eat it or I.

[B]

Just feel like it's a stew. Like you just get a ladle.

[A]

I don't know. I don't know. You would think. You would think. I hope they're not listening to this. What about you, Shannon? What did you work on last week? What did you contribute to your family's Thanksgiving?

[B]

I was going to point out. So we did a very non traditional Thanksgiving with like roasted lamb and a beaten lentil salad. And it was just fantastic. It was so good. It's like food that I want to eat. Well, I don't eat lamb very often, but like it was great and different. But we made the broccoli rabe recipe from the joy and the blanching of it made it so much better. My 8 year old nephew was like gobbling it down really. He ate the majority of the broccoli. We also added a lot of garlic and yummy stuff on top. Like I feel like that is the way that is how I'm gonna be cooking it from here on out. Like blanch it, then roast it. It was so tender and so good.

[A]

Yeah, that really tames the bitterness.

[B]

Yeah, it just made it really enjoyable. Like to the point that my nephew Bernie was like looking forward to the leftovers the next day.

[A]

Bernie is such a good name for a kid.

[B]

He's such a good kid too. He's so funny.

[A]

Broccoli rabe eating kid.

[B]

And he listens to my podcast. So.

[A]

Hi Bernie. Hi Bernie. So fun.

[B]

We also. I wanted to shout out. We also made sourdough bread and then paired whipped. We did that Bulgarian sheep's cheese that we all like with labneh and we used harissa in it too. And my brother in law almost ate the entire thing. That was. It was so easy but it was very like impressive as well.

[A]

So I highly recommend that kind of recipe.

[B]

You just put feta, labneh and like lemon juice and garlic into a food processor and we added some harissa plate paste in the food processor and then topped it as well. And it was great.

[A]

So awesome.

[B]

Thanks for your sound successful.

[C]

It's honored to contribute in.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Idea department.

[A]

Well, other than Thanksgiving stuff, we. We did something we haven't done in a while this week which is we. We hate cooked a recipe.

[B]

Oh.

[C]

It didn't start out that way.

[B]

I love it when you hate cook recipes though. I like hearing John did not start.

[C]

Out as it wasn't. We didn't go into it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Thinking that it was going to turn. It was going to turn into a hate cooking affair.

[A]

But I feel like by the time we were almost done, we were almost at blows with each other. Like we were both. There was something about the way it was written that I'm not going to name in shame because that just feels rude. But there was something about the way it was written where we kept having to read the instructions over and over and over because they were really long and there was like a specific sequence you had to add things in and it's like paragraph style. So I feel like I read the recipe 50 times in the kitchen and that was after reading it two or three times before even getting into the kitchen. And it was a really simple recipe.

[C]

It's a really simple process. Like the technique that was tripping, you know that they really kind of didn't communicate well. It's a really simple technique that I've done before. And I don't know, there was just something about the way that it was. That it was, you know, printed on the page that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it was.

[B]

Did it taste good at the end?

[C]

It was really good.

[A]

It was really good.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[C]

It was a fantastic combo of flavors. It was a great.

[A]

But there was a component of the recipe that I'm gonna make for sure. Again, I don't know if I'll ever make that recipe again, but there was, like a roasted cabbage component where you put butter, like a little bit of butter, and break it up into small pieces and put it in the cabbage wedges and then roast that at pretty high heat. Yeah.

[C]

Like, between the.

[A]

Between the leaves was delicious. And I would just eat that next time. Yeah, I'll just make that.

[B]

I'm going to be asking you what.

[D]

That was after the recording.

[A]

Yeah. And we also made the Joy Scouts recipe of the week, which was the Rombauer jam cake on page 732. It's a really fun, easy recipe. It's very retro. Like, it actually has jam incorporated into the batter. So it's not like a swirl or anything. But I've already got some ideas for changes that I want to make for the next edition of the book.

[C]

I demand a swirl in the next edition. I mean, I. I think that testing it this time, I feel like the. It's called jam cake. You gotta see jam.

[A]

But jam cake is a thing, and it's not a swirl. It's not necessarily swirl. Also, it has icing on it. So how do you do the icing and the jam swirl? Gosh.

[B]

This is where the fighting begins.

[A]

Yeah, I know, exactly. But I do have ideas. So first of all, it calls for you to sift the flour. Don't do that. Like, I don't. I don't believe in doing that. I don't know how I missed that in the revision. I'm taking that out. Don't sift it. I didn't, and it was fine. Also, I like to bake by gram weights because it's just easier and less messy. And for anyone who wants to make this, the jam is the main ingredient that doesn't have a weight. And it's 200 grams of jam that you need. So write that in your copy. I'm also going to try baking it next time in a. Instead of a bunt or a tube pan, I'm going to bake it in, like, just an 8 inch or 9 inch.

[B]

So just like making it easier and easier.

[A]

Yeah, just making it easier, easier. Doing like a sheet cake with the icing on top, I think that would just make it easier because it's such an easy recipe. And anytime you have to unmold something that's just stressful. Right. Even if it works, it's like, apologies.

[C]

About the jam, the weight for the jam. I was the one who kind of spearheaded the metrics slash weight conversions for the baking chapters. And, you know, I was like, oh, well, jam that's. It doesn't compress like flour, so it's not going to. It wasn't, didn't seem quite as essential.

[A]

It's just nice when you're already weighing everything to have that.

[B]

Yeah, you're forgiven, John.

[A]

Yeah, it's fine. We'll fix it. We'll fix it next time. Hey, Joy of Cooking listeners, did you know the same family that taught America how to cook also taught California how to make world class Chardonnay? The same joy and passion for life that inspired Irma Rombauer to write the Joy of Cooking inspired her great nephew, Kerner Rombauer to establish Rombauer vineyards. Founded in 1980 in the Napa Valley, Rombauer has been producing acclaimed wines from California ever since. While they're famous for their iconic California Chardonnay, Rombauer crafts a diverse collection of delicious wines that bring joy to your table. Ready to taste the legacy? Visit rombauer.com joy or use code joypod all caps for 15% off your order. That's R O M B a u e r.com joy or code joypod all.

[E]

Caps must be 21. To enjoy.

[A]

This week, we would like to welcome our guest, Coco Moranti to the table. Coco is a recipe developer, the author of the Essential Instant Pot Cookbook, the Ultimate Air Fryer Oven Cookbook, and the Instant Kitchen Cookbook, and the creator of the Lefty Spoon blog. Her recipes are featured in outlets such as People, Epicurious Taste, Simply Recipes, and the Kitchen. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters. Welcome to the Table Coco.

[D]

Thanks so much for having me.

[A]

It's great to have you. We have worked together for a while, which is, it's really cool that you live here and we get to chat in person.

[D]

I know, it's so fun. I feel like I live in, like, the cookbook world and then the Simply Recipes world and your Venn diagram is both of those. So it's really fun.

[A]

Yeah. And for. So for Simply Recipes, you're like the master of Extremely simple but extremely tasty recipes, which is a huge skill for a recipe developer, I feel.

[D]

That's so nice.

[A]

But, yeah, anyone listening can find a trove of Coco's recipes on simply recipes.com, and they're really great and family friendly. What is. What have you been cooking this week?

[D]

Well, Thanksgiving was last week, so we didn't do like a Thanksgiving with my family or my husband's family. They were all in other places. So we invited my friend who we did a nanny share with a few years back when our kids were like 18 months to 3 years old, so they're besties. And. And then the mom and I are really good friends too, so it was just like, super low key. And we're both good cooks, so that part of it was really nice. It was like a solidly delicious Thanksgiving dinner with just people you like. Yeah, yeah, we had a really nice time. Yeah.

[A]

What did you make?

[D]

I made, like, the hits. I made sourdough, and then I did a stuffing and I made sourdough rolls and turkey gravy.

[A]

You did do all the hits.

[D]

Cranberry sauce, Cranberry relish. Yeah, all that stuff. And then Amy brought green beans and sauteed those with shallots and olive oil and lemon juice and a little bit of salt, and that was like perfect. Green beans. Yeah. And then, you know, wine for the grownups and apple cider for the kids. And, oh, we got pies from Cookie McCake Face.

[A]

And I don't know who that is.

[D]

She's the best. Like, boaty McBoatbaits that make it cookies. Yeah. So she's. She has a food cart down at the Heights in. Yeah. In Woodstock, and she mostly does cookies, and they're like hockey puck sized cookies. They're delicious. But she did a collab with one of the other food carts for Thanksgiving, and they were coordinating on these, like, amazing pecan pies that were her grandma's recipe. So those are really good. And then we got a kabocha pumpkin pie from Cornet custard.

[A]

Oh, awesome. I didn't know they were doing everyone's in the pie game this year.

[D]

My husband, like, tracks down all of the sweets in Portland, so he just, like, traveled, you know, all around southeast picking up delicious desserts. We had those with, like, the malt ice cream from cornet, and it was. It was so, so good.

[A]

Yeah. That sounds like a fantastic meal. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. Hard to. Hard to compete with that. I don't know how we're going to top it next time, but. Yeah, I mean, you Guys did, like, totally off the wall Thanksgiving dinners. That sounds so fun.

[A]

Yeah, I think ours was just inspired. Well, it was inspired by us not wanting to make a turkey.

[C]

Well, yeah. So last year we got roped into doing, like, extra turkey. So there was a main turkey, and we. We were told to bring more turkey.

[A]

Sidecar turkey.

[C]

Yeah, sidecar turkey.

[B]

Like, zero turkeys this year.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

No, we were just proactive about it and was like, I actually. You were the one who chose gumbo, but. Yeah. And most of it was pretty traditional.

[A]

I mean, yeah, there were all the things you'd expect and then a pot of gumbo, so.

[C]

Well. And you did your. You did a pie as well?

[A]

I did a pie. I did a chocolate chess pie.

[B]

And your crust worked.

[A]

Yeah, and the crust worked. Yeah. I finally got the flaky crust that I used to be able to make, and I honestly, I was able to remove it from the pie pan. I did the sturdy pie challenge. So we had previous guest Erin McDowell was talking about her sturdy pie challenge, and so I was able to do that, and that was very fun. I got picks to prove it.

[E]

Well.

[C]

Yeah, you did it twice in one.

[A]

Week for different events. Just feeling empowered, I guess. Coco, what is your relationship to the Joy of Cooking?

[D]

Yeah. So funny enough, my family was a Fanny Farmer cookbook family, But I feel like growing up like 90s kid, every family I know either had the Joy of Cooking or Fanny Farmer or the settlement cookbook. That was like, all of my friends parents had one of those. And so my best friend Sarah's mom was a Joy of Cooking person. So whenever we went over to their house, like, something on the table was definitely from your book.

[A]

So you've eaten from it. Yeah.

[D]

And when we would make stuff at her house, me and Sarah would do, like, the Mac and cheese or the brownies and pancakes and like, all the basic stuff. So we cooked those things. And then her mom was more in, like, the dips and the cocktails and all that. Yeah.

[A]

Nice.

[C]

In good company with Fanny Farmer. Very.

[A]

I know.

[B]

I was actually at an antique market this past weekend up near Komano island, and I found a Joy of Cooking next to the Fanny Farmer cookbook.

[A]

Makes sense. Yeah.

[D]

They have a lot of similarities. Like, just skimming through both of them. It's pretty funny. Yeah. But I don't know. I think Joy of Cooking is more party. Party.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, I think so too. I definitely. The cocktails chapter. The presence of a cocktails chapter. And then there's, like, more entertaining information in there. Yeah. Which I'm trying to figure out how this is a little off topic. Well, nothing's off topic. This is a podcast. But I'm. We're. I think we're, like, trying to think of how. How do we evolve the cocktails chapter? Because a lot of cocktail recipes are very, you know, basic and essential, so you're not really straying far from the million other cocktail recipes out there. But anyway, this is a problem that we're going to have to fight about later.

[B]

I'm guessing you'll have a few people who are more than happy to talk.

[D]

Through this and test it with you. Yeah, I feel like that's volunteer. Sounds great.

[C]

We'll be sure to let you know when that. When we're going through that chapter.

[A]

Can you talk about your upcoming book?

[D]

Yeah, yeah. So it's the Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook. And I wrote it wanting to have a template for getting through, like, busy weeks and also because a lot of my girlfriends were also saying that they wanted a cookbook like that.

[A]

So, yeah, I think that's a very common issue that you run into. It's hard to think of what to make for dinner every day.

[D]

Yeah. Yeah, it's hard to think of what to make for dinner. Like, a lot of the time I was just dreading 3pm when somebody was going to ask me, what's for dinner? What's for dinner tonight?

[A]

It's very funny because I have a substack newsletter and I have a series called Dinner Thoughts. And it's because every day at around 3, John would peek into the office when I was at work and be like, dinner Thoughts. And I would just have a meltdown because I was like, I don't know. Don't ask me that question.

[C]

Yeah, I put it that way because it was a little bit, you know, like more whimsical or something than like, what's. What's for dinner?

[A]

I think the way you asked it was fine. It was just. My reaction was not.

[C]

It was pretty dramatic more often than not.

[A]

But, like, how do you work through those feelings of just burnout or just not having any ideas about what you want to make?

[D]

Yeah, just like the most pragmatic way we deal with that is having a chest freezer with like Trader Joe's aisle prepared stuff for the nights when I'm just completely done. Because, yeah, my husband can heat those up. He can do that. So it's just like, like Fridays. I feel like a lot of the time it's like, yep, I'm done with the meal planning. And the executing all of this stuff and. Yeah, so we, we just, you know, we heat up that kind of stuff sometimes or. But as far as like getting inspired, I don't know, it's just, I feel like it's on the weekends where I feel like my brain is more open to thinking about that versus the weekdays when there's so much going on. So I think, yeah, on like Saturdays or Sundays, that's when I'm thinking about what do I want to make. And just like writing notes down. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

What are your favorite Trader Joe's freezer items to stock?

[D]

Yeah, the kung pao chicken is a big one. Solid. It's solid. We use one of the sauce packets, not two. And it's like plenty saucy. And same goes for, there's like a chicken and shiitake mushroom edamame one that we do a lot which is milder. So my kids can eat that one. They're kind of. They're not really like completely spice averse. But my littlest, if she tastes, if she tastes like any bit of spice, she'll be like, it's spicy.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Oh no, that's sad.

[A]

Well, they've gotta, you know, they've gotta build up the tolerance.

[D]

She has like part Mexican heritage and part Irish and part Jewish. So like, I don't know, maybe my other kid got more of like the chili peppers.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

But yeah, we like those.

[F]

What else?

[D]

Yeah, I feel like the gyoza just. That's like every other week. We're heating those up.

[A]

Yeah, you gotta have dumplings.

[B]

We have that in our freezer all the time.

[D]

All the time.

[A]

Yeah. I feel like we talked about that about 4 million times on this podcast of the dumplings. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, it's just the way to go when you're like, I don't know that are, I don't know for us. Macaroni and cheese and peas, you know?

[D]

Totally. Yes. Mac and cheese is one of my girls favorites and more often than not they're asking me for the box kind.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I've heard that as a common sentiment. Like you can have a killer Mac and cheese recipe, but kids want the box.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. My little one likes homemade gourmet Mac and cheese. So that's where she gets like, you know, her cred. And then my older one is like, is it the gloppy kind?

[A]

Oh, no, no, no.

[B]

Gloppy means good.

[C]

Have you tried like the roux based Mac and cheese that is the gloppy kind. Or have you actually tried the Evaporated milk one.

[D]

Yeah, I mean, we've done both.

[C]

Oh, really?

[D]

Yeah, Yeah. I grew up making the bechamel and then adding a ton of cheese and doing it that way and then more recently playing around with like different non roux based Mac and cheese. My youngest is fine with anything cheesy and gooey.

[A]

Same, same girl. How are you going about like raising open minded eaters? Because I know like, kids kind of have their own palate going on. Like you can make amazing food and they may or may not be cool with that.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, I think just like keeping it really low key. I find that the more excited I am about something, they just pick up on that instantly and they're like, I don't want it.

[B]

Wow.

[D]

So you have to be so, so, like cool about it. Like I'll just put stuff on my plate and start eating it and then they'll get curious, like more often than not. Oh gosh. Yeah. The other day I made myself toast for breakfast and I put tahini and honey and salt on top. And my younger one would, would never just like ask for that or if I put it down in front of her, she would not like it. But she saw me, you know, having my coffee and eating my fancy toast and she came over and ate about half of it off of my plate. So I don't know, it's like psychological warfare.

[A]

Okay, just play it real cool then.

[C]

Yeah. So was there a question? Like, she's like, what is that? And you're like, oh, I don't think you'd like it.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. I just go, oh, it's. It's my toast. Yeah.

[A]

I actually kind of love that. I love it too. So I was talking to my mom. So my mom was, is a very, just great, great home cook. And she cooked almost every night for a family of five, like when I was growing up. And I was just like, man, how does she do? Because her food was always really good. I remember always liking it a lot. But it's like so much work to cook, you know, five nights a week, six nights a week. And so I texted her today and I was like, how did you. Did you have a list of recipes that you were working from like a repertoire? And she was like, yeah, I had a list and every once in a while a new. I would add a new thing to the list and try it out and see how everyone liked it. And then she was like, do you remember me making corn dog casserole? Corn dog? I was like, no, I don't remember that.

[C]

At all.

[A]

And I guess she made it a few times, and I. I guess I liked it, and my sisters liked it, but she and my dad didn't love it. So that. That got taken out of the rotation. But she sent me a picture. She still had the recipe in her binder, and she.

[B]

I'm so curious.

[C]

Yeah. Does it involve, like, a jiffy cornbread mix?

[A]

Yeah, cornbread mix and hot dogs cut into, like, smaller pieces. And then weirdly, it had a lot of celery in it that I just thought seemed very odd for, like, a corn dog cast. She said she left that out. She did not put the celery in, which was probably a good move. But anyway, yeah, that was her strategy was, like, just keeping a big list of stuff that we like to eat and kind of beefing it up every once in a while.

[B]

I think I need to adopt that. I mean, it's just me and my husband, but I. Sometimes I still feel, like, completely wiped out at that three o' clock dinner.

[A]

Thoughts? Question.

[B]

Like, we need a running list of, like, this is we baked potatoes. Yeah, we do that. We just did that last night.

[A]

I love that as a.

[C]

Well, there's also. There's also the hate cooking approach.

[B]

I know you're a fan of that.

[C]

Just. Just putting it out there. The repertoire can always be expanded in a hateful direction.

[B]

I'm gonna hate cook corn dog casserole.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

I feel like I kind of, like, didn't sound bad. It just. It sounded like a lot of bread for, like a main, you know, main dish. Very bready. But, you know, it could be fun. We could do another party like that. The one you did where it was like childhood. Was it childhood?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, we should do that. That would be really fun.

[A]

Then everyone can try it. And no one person has to be stuck with the whole.

[B]

I don't want a whole fan of that.

[A]

No. Okay, Recipe development question. What do you keep in mind when you're writing recipes for. For Real World kitchens and Real world families?

[D]

Oh, that's such a good question. I think one thing I like to keep in mind is what people have in their pantry and what they're comfortable shopping for. And that can kind of dictate how creative and how much deliciousness can we get into something that has really simple instructions and also has accessible, you know, foods that aren't. Aren't going to intimidate somebody or keep them from making a recipe.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And I don't know. I do a lot of this, like, air fryer and instant pot stuff for my cookbooks. And also in real life, we're constantly using those appliances. But when I'm pitching recipes to simply recipes, I'm just thinking about, like, basic kitchen, you know, equipment, not so much on the, like, technological gadgets and all that. So, yeah, just like real easy stuff. I'm never using, like, a specific mold or, you know, a strange size of pan that somebody might not have. And my own kitchen is pretty much pared down to that type of stuff too. I think pretty, like, pretty mindfully just from the type of recipe development that I've been doing for the last 10 years, it's kind of like, yeah, that. That's all sort of formed as. As a result of that. So things have gone to the goodwill that were like, fun little, like, passions in my 20s that I no longer was into. Like, we haven't used a sous vide, like an immersion circulator in years. Yeah. So, yeah, that's not around anymore.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like we have several uses for the immersion circulator, and none of them are like what they're sold to, you know, to do.

[D]

It's like, I'd be so curious. What do you do?

[C]

Well, we do like, the low temperature processing for pickles. Like, if you processed pickles at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, as opposed to, you know, boiling temps for, you know, shorter processing time, they. They end up getting really crisp. I feel like the creme anglaise, which.

[A]

We do, we make a mason jar once a year. Yeah, we'll make that in a mason jar. It's the creamiest creme anglaise that you've ever had. It's delicious.

[D]

That's awesome.

[C]

Actually, I think Marina Boud was talking about using it as a incubator for yogurt.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that would work.

[C]

But.

[A]

But yeah, we don't pull ours out very often either.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Anymore. Yeah, we don't really use it for meat.

[C]

The game changers of yesteryear.

[A]

I know.

[C]

Actually, speaking of gadgets, how did you. How did you come to the instant Pot cookbook game? Did. Were you, like, kind of into pressure cooking before you got into that or.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So back when I lived in the Bay Area, I had a group of, like, foodie blogging, food media friends, and we would all meet up and work from a cafe every week. One of us got into the instant pot first, I think. I think it was my friend Michelle. She does Nom Nom Paleo, her blog. And so she was saying she was using it for all this stuff. And then another friend of mine, Danielle, was using it for, like, completely different stuff because she's not paleo. So Michelle's making, like, her kalua pig, and Danielle's doing all of her beans and rice. And I was like, well, this thing's really versatile. Okay, Like, I'll get on the bandwagon too. And so. So we got one. I think this was, like, 2014, I want to say. And so I started an instant pot recipes Facebook page. Just as like. Well, like a repository for my own little blog recipes, but also just to be like, hey, I found this one, this instant pot recipe, and just posting other people's stuff. And that took off. Like, it has, like, hundreds of thousands of followers.

[A]

Whoa.

[D]

So that became a platform for getting approached to write a cookbook. So it all just kind of snowballed from there.

[A]

Are you still moderating that?

[D]

Yeah, I mean, moderating is like a loose.

[A]

I don't know how they work. I don't have any. I'm not a moderator, so I don't know.

[D]

I mean, it's like there's. Yeah, there's not too much to it. Yeah, yeah. A lot of little spam emails you just kind of ignore and. Yeah, little reader questions like here and there amongst all the spam emails. But it's not so bad for this.

[C]

New cookbook that you're coming out with in late December. So right around when this is going to be airing, it says that it's, like, for the air fryer and the instant pot. So I was kind of curious how many of the recipes actually use both.

[A]

Let's see.

[D]

Well, it's more. I would say it's more like meals. Make use of both. Okay, so you're prepping, like, let's say your quinoa in advance, and then when it comes to the day of, you're putting air fryer roasted vegetables with that and with a dressing and tossing it together to make a salad. So, yeah, I don't usually, like, throw something from the pressure cooker directly into the air fryer.

[A]

It's probably for the best.

[D]

Yeah, probably.

[C]

I don't know. I was kind of, like, getting inspired. It was like, make something, like, nice and tender and then get it really crispy.

[D]

Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure. Well, actually, yeah, I mean, we do like Kahlua pig style, like pork shoulder. And then later in the week, I'll sometimes crisp it up into carnitas or something like that. So that actually does happen. That's a real use case.

[A]

So the book has, like, Menus for. For several weeks. And then is the idea that you're. How much of it are you prepping? How much of it are you cooking the day of?

[D]

Yeah, yeah. So there's 10 weeks, and each week has a shopping list and then four dinners.

[A]

Nice.

[D]

And so there's a set of meal prep tasks that you do on the weekend, and those are putting together, like, your vinaigrettes, your. No. Cook sauces, cooking your grains, things that make sense to. To keep during the week. And then the night of, you're maybe, like, scooping a meatball mixture into meatballs and like, cooking it in the air fryer. Things that'll take, you know, less than a half an hour to. To actually put together the night of. So it's not meal prep in the sense of, like, I have 10 containers of chicken and broccoli and rice.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. And it sounds like I like that your approach. Because I never feel like the food tastes this good when it's being reheated on the fifth day.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, totally.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

I think meal prep can be kind of like a loose concept. At least that's how. That's how I think of it. Yeah. So I have those 10. 10 weeks of plans Monday through Thursday, and then Friday is like, whatever you want. So in the. Yeah. In the back of the book, there's a bunch of, like, easy dinner ideas that don't require planning in advance. So those kind of fill in that gap. And then there's a chapter of Make Ahead Breakfasts and just ideas for what to do to throw together, like, leftover lunches and all of that. So I'm trying to kind of COVID everything in the book.

[B]

And what is the book called? Are we. Do we know the title yet?

[D]

Yeah, the Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook. Perfect. So the last one was the Instant Kitchen Cookbook. So we're just carroting it.

[A]

Hopefully this question makes sense. But do you have any meal prep, like, uber strategies? So, like, not specific recipes, but just broader ideas or habits that make meal prep and planning sustainable?

[D]

Yeah. Yeah. One thing that has been really great for making it sustainable is delegating some stuff.

[A]

I love delegating.

[D]

Yeah, it's the best. So when you have all of the institutional knowledge of, like, what's in the fridge and what's in the pantry and how can I put that all together for dinner? Because I'm the only one who, you know, cooks like that in this family, then it just all becomes your responsibility. But when you have, like, a tech Savvy husband and shopping lists. Then he can handle that whole side of it.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[D]

Yeah, he'll just, like, take a photo of the shopping list, like, input it into AI and then, like, it'll spit out what we need that's not in our house already. Because he's already, like, scanned everything in.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[D]

Sandwich and freezer. He's like the king of apps, so. Oh, we have an app for that. So AI comes in handy on his end. Like, I use my creativity and then he uses that. So every weekend he's taking our kids out and doing all the grocery shopping. And that has been awesome. So I would say, yeah, like, use the planning as an opportunity to, like, have these discussions with the people you live with to figure out which. Which parts of this can, like, not be on my plate. If you're the person who's been, you know, tasked with all that and playing.

[A]

To other people's strengths as well.

[C]

Yes. The free labor. Gotta. Gotta take advantage when you can.

[A]

Is that your least favorite part of meal prep and planning? The shopping list part?

[D]

I don't know. What's my least favorite? Let's see. Because I. I do like a lot of it. Like when I. I think my least favorite thing is trying to juggle all of it while still being present in other things. So on Sundays, you have your 12 meal prep tasks. So I've tried to give myself some leeway there. So sometimes it's just great to have that plan and then you can veer off of it a little bit. Like, well, I didn't get to all the no cooked sauces, so I'm gonna make those during the week. But it's fine because we have all the ingred, you know?

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So just like. Yeah, trying to. Trying to balance, like, being, you know, there with your family. And also, you know, you don't have to be perfect. It doesn't all have to come together exactly like it is in the plan. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, that's good to have a little bit of flexibility about it. That's kind of my weakness is I'm very completion oriented. Like, I love finishing my to do list and it's almost like, really bothers me if I don't. So I'm trying to. I'm learning to be more flexible with my. My own plans.

[B]

I think too, on, like, social media, when you see, like, meal prepping things, it's always very, like, organized and everything fits into containers perfectly. And I also, I also am, like, kind of a perfectionist and I have to stop myself from worrying about it. I'm like, is the food gonna taste good? That's great. That's really the goal. And do I not have to stress about it on, like, a Wednesday when I'm exhausted?

[A]

Great.

[B]

But it's hard. It's like you're always kind of comparing yourself.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely.

[D]

And just think, like, those people.

[A]

That's.

[D]

That's, like, for social media.

[B]

I know. That's, like, their job, right?

[A]

Yeah. You know, we're big fans of Rombauer Vineyards. They're sponsoring today's episode, actually. But honestly, their wines are fantastic, with so many joy of cooking dishes. My current favorite is their Sauvignon Blanc with our khao soi gai recipe. That bright, crisp wine cuts right through the richness of the curry. It's perfect.

[C]

Oh, absolutely. Being Oregonians, we take our pinots seriously. We're excited about their new Pinot Noir, which pairs beautifully with our chicken jambalaya. The wine has enough body to stand up to all those bold, creole flavors.

[A]

If you want to try these pairings yourself, head to ronbauer.com joy or use code joypod, all caps for 15% off. That's R O M B-A-U-E-R.com joy or code joypod, all caps.

[E]

Must be 21 to enjoy.

[A]

Say you have a whole afternoon to yourself, and you want to cook something more involved. What are you making?

[D]

Well, I love to do my sourdough. That's become a, like, a really nice hobby. So usually I'm getting into that or baking something. But, yeah, really simple stuff or like, just thinking of, oh, here's a basic that I have been wanting to have around, like, homemade stock that most weeks I don't get to. So just, like, comforting, familiar stuff like that usually is what I do. I'm not always branching out to try something.

[A]

You're not making a croquembouche on a random Sunday afternoon. It is a croquembouche. It's the tower of.

[C]

It's a labor of love.

[A]

Yeah. Profiteroles.

[D]

My mother had one at her bat mitzvah.

[A]

I mean, they are stunning. They are beautiful and delicious. I made one one time for a recipe test for Joy, and I will probably make one one more time as another recipe test.

[C]

Okay, well, that's what I'm demanding for for my birthday.

[A]

That's our recipe of the week, people. No, I'm just kidding.

[C]

You just mentioned stock making. I was just kind of curious if you. If you ever use the instant pot for that.

[D]

Yes, like, every time oh, yeah. Oh. So, yeah, here's an example for Thanksgiving. I was realizing that I didn't really want to leave all of the gravy making until the last minute. So we had like the spatchcock turkey that had been brining with the neck and like the cut out back and one other piece, the tail that was like hanging on by a thread when it came from the store. So yeah, that got cut off. So those went in the air fryer, all seasoned up for like a half an hour and then into the instant pot for stock in the morning. So that was. Yeah, that was like the base for the gravy. And then pan drippings went in later and it made it super easy.

[B]

How long does it take to make stock in an instant pot?

[D]

So there's like how long it takes under pressure and then there's how long it takes from start to finish. So a lot of the time you'll see instant pot recipes and it's like cooks in 30 minutes, but okay. It's like you've got this pressurized pot of liquid and it's going to take some time to come down before you can, before you can open it. So my stocks cook for like 25, 30 minutes and then I let the pot depressurize for like 20, 30 minutes.

[B]

That's still not bad.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Nice. Yeah.

[C]

I don't think I've made pressure cooker stock in a while, but I used to really like using a stove top bottle. I would try to do bigger batches, you know, get at least four or five quarts out of it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Have to use instant pot sometimes.

[A]

Yeah, we've just been doing it the old fashioned way with a stock pot.

[B]

Yeah, that's how I do it.

[A]

Now.

[B]

I'm like, now I want to try because we, when we make stock, we make like five to six quarts in our big, our big stockpile. But it takes forever. It's delicious, but it takes a really long time. So you have to just like be home.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And watch it and smell it, which isn't the worst thing, but.

[D]

Yeah. Well, and it's, it takes less time. And also if you're not home for a few hours, it's fine.

[F]

Yeah.

[D]

It's just gonna sit there on the keep warm setting and you can get to it within like 10 hours of it finishing cooking.

[B]

I like that.

[D]

Yeah. Nice, big advantage.

[B]

Okay, so I did have a co worker come up to me and a friend come up to me today and she's like, I need help before next Friday. She's in a cookbook club. This is a question for all three of you because you're cookbook people, and they're having a white elephant cookbook club hangout. And I said that I would ask, what would you get for a white elephant gift for a cookbook club? And I'm seeing her tomorrow, so I need really great answers.

[C]

White elephant.

[A]

White elephant. Trying to remember what's when. It's kind of a joke or kind.

[B]

Of joke, but also it can be, like, useful, too, right? I think it can be useful, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

A spiralizer.

[B]

Spiralizer, Yeah.

[C]

A vegetti. No, I don't.

[A]

Just wanted to say that word.

[C]

I did not. I said it reluctantly.

[B]

I know the pressure's on, but I was like, it's a good question. Holidays are coming up.

[D]

My brother has gotten me some really cute little kitchen things over the years that I think would be fun. Like, our pastry brush is called a Scully. I can't remember what company makes it. It's probably like, Kikkerlund or one of those ones that's in all the gift shops. And it has silicone pastry brush. The brush part, and then the head of it is like a little skull. White skull with a black top hat. That's the handle.

[A]

That's a good idea. Oh, that's cute.

[D]

It's really nice, but it's, like, compact. It's not like you're, like, foisting some obnoxious thing upon somebody.

[C]

Yeah, that's better.

[D]

Spiralizer.

[C]

This is what happens when I don't have time to think about it.

[A]

The only thing I can think of is, like, not very funny. It. It's very practical, but it's something that I've used. We bought it kind of on a whim months ago, and I've been using it a lot and really loving it, which is this little. It's like a little metal cookbook stand that folds and folds flat, basically, so it doesn't take any space to store it. So whenever I'm not using it, I just tuck it behind something. But it. It props up. Even the. Like, it's great for joy. Like, even a huge book like that. It's really good, and it's really lightweight. And it's. They come in fun colors. They're like. I don't know what. It's just. It's metal with different colors.

[C]

It's got, like, an enameled.

[A]

Yeah, enamel.

[C]

That's the surface.

[A]

But I think it was maybe 10 bucks, and I think that's. I've used it a ton. I don't Know the brand because we got it somewhere and I immediately took it out of the packaging.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But anyway, it's. It's been great. I love it.

[B]

It's a great idea. I did see someone at. I don't know where I saw this, but someone brought a rotisserie chicken for a white elephant one time and I thought that was hilarious.

[A]

Food safety.

[B]

Well, I think they opened it pretty quickly.

[C]

Maybe like a big jar of hollandaise mix or. No, that's just disgusting.

[A]

Go to the restaurant supply and get a big carton of potato buds. The garlic and butter flavored potato buds apparent, according to my hairdresser. They are really good. So actually good, but seems silly.

[D]

Ooh, or like the Kraft cheese powder.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Cheese powder.

[C]

It's not from a box canister of powder.

[F]

Ooh.

[D]

Or popcorn salt. You know, just like.

[A]

That's a good idea.

[D]

Things you never think to buy that you have. Like when you go somewhere.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I like that.

[B]

I think she'll be pleased. Thank you.

[A]

Let me know if I know.

[B]

It was a lot of pressure. Sorry.

[A]

Oh, you really sprung that one. We didn't have time to think about it. That kind of leads us into our question of the week. So each week we answer a caller question. And this week we're talking about Portland restaurants. And this is Portland, Oregon, not Portland, Maine. So sorry, if you're looking for Maine recommendations, I don't have those. Sarah, can you read the caller question?

[F]

Hi, my name's Blair and I've loved listening to the Joy of Cooking podcast. I even listened to episode one and was the second subscriber. Ah. My sister and I are heading to Portland and Eugene and we are very excited but have never been to Oregon before. Any restaurants or sites to see that you recommend? We'll have two nights in Portland and four nights in Eugene. Thanks so much. Happy cooking.

[A]

Thanks for that question, Blair. And thanks for listening to the podcast. That's really awesome to hear. First of all, I have a huge Google map full of recommendations. Like, so many recommendations. But I was like, this is too much information. So I wanted to narrow it down. I narrowed it down to five places that I are my favorites. And what I was keeping in mind as I was coming up with this list is that, you know, I have a lot of spots that I love but that I wouldn't necessarily send somebody to who's out of coming from out of town because, like, they're special to me. But if you really want something unique to Portland, maybe not the best. So something special that you can't get anywhere else. And my list is. And I'll explain why. First of all, lovely's 50 50. It is a pizza restaurant. It's my favorite in the world. I always want to go there. Every birthday, any special occasion, I want to go. And it's. Don't walk in expecting pizza. Like you would get it anywhere else. It's not New York style. It's not Chicago style. It is Portland style pizza. The chef goes to the farmer's market every weekend, gets whatever is in season, and then tops her pies with that. So it's very seasonal. The crust is sourdough. I think it's whole wheat. You don't really. It doesn't. It doesn't taste like whole wheat. It doesn't taste like health quote unquote healthy. You know what I mean? But it's just really good crust. And I would recommend from the menu any salad, Honestly, anything on the menu is great. But we love the chicory salad. There's also a salad with blue cheese that's always on the menu. That's delicious. There's a potato pizza that is often on the menu. That's great. And then she makes ice cream as well. And all the ice cream flavors are excellent, especially the. What's your favorite? The chamomile.

[C]

Chamomile. And I think there's toffee. Toffee, right?

[A]

Yeah, that one was like a sleeper. Really, really good flavor.

[C]

Yeah. I think one year she was putting chocolate, like stracciatella style chocolate, not chips, but she's putting that in there. And this. This last year she did not. And I got it with a chocolate magic shell instead. And that was. That was delicious.

[A]

Yeah, all really good. My second place is im, which is. It's a Thai food combined with Texas style barbecue. So very unique. I recommend the papaya salad, the white, which is legit spicy like it is. It is properly spicy. There's a white curry with burnt ends. So brisket, burnt ends in the curry, which is excellent. I've never had anything like that anywhere else. And then they have a sweet and sour fried chicken that is very good. And their cocktails are also really great and fun. My third place is Rangoon Bistro. So Burmese food. Their tea leaf salad, the large dumpling, which is a very large dumpling that's filled with like a pork filling and has a delicious sauce on it. So good. And then they have steamed ribs, which don't sound like they should be very good, but they are fantastic. And that's like our Favorite thing to get.

[B]

I think about that tea leaf salad a lot.

[A]

I could eat that. I could eat that every day. I'm not joking. Four is Kotchka. Russian food. So, like, zakuski, little, like, Russian drinking snacks. And they have, you know, full menu. So we usually get the herring under a fur coat, which is this beautiful, like, layered salad with, like. It's got the herring, but it's got beets and egg and, like, just all these wonderful things. I love the Siberian pelmeni with the fancy broth. Get the fancy broth. And then the galoopsy, the stuffed cabbage leaves. So good. And you have to get the vodka. Oh, yeah.

[B]

They also just opened a satellite bar that's really awesome, too. So it has a smaller menu, but. And it's, like, a great place to go a little bit later at night for some really good vodka or martinis.

[A]

Nice. I haven't been there yet.

[B]

It's really beautiful.

[A]

I need to go. Yeah. And my last place is Navar, which is, like. How would you describe it, Shannon? It's been around for a while.

[B]

It's been around for a long time. I don't know how I would describe it. It's like, very Portland.

[A]

Yeah, it's very Portland. It's very small, not very descriptive. The menu is, like, changing almost daily because of whatever's in season and whatever they can get. And it's a very large menu, but everything's a la carte, so there's not really any composed dishes. You just have to order. Like, you might order. There's a braised chicken that they often have on the menu that is. Is excellent. And you. So you'd get that. But it doesn't have any sides, so you order your side separately. But everything I've ever ordered there has been great. Yeah. And so I feel like that's a. And it's a fun. It's a fun place because you can get lots of different things and try lots of stuff.

[B]

And when I say, like, it is very Portland, it does feel very Portland. Like, it feels kind of like it's been around for a long time. It was one of those things that was very. When the food scene was really a big thing here, like, that was a place to go.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Is it like a communal table there? Am I remembering that?

[A]

I think they have lots of.

[C]

It are actually. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. They have, like, one communal table and then some smaller tables in there.

[F]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

It's just everything.

[A]

Yeah. I don't think I've had the trout.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

I'll do that next time. What about you, Coco? What are your faves?

[D]

Oh, too many. Like, Portland is unfairly good at food. Yeah. You have to go to a food cart pod. That is just a really important part of the food culture. And that's where you'll find a lot of really creative stuff. So the one that we go to most often is within, like, walking distance of my house is the heist in Woodstock. And it hasn't been open very long, but it's really excellent. And I feel like it's, like, incredibly competitive for the cartoon to, like, hold their own and stay in there. They have to be so good.

[A]

Do you have a favorite cart in there?

[D]

Yeah, I have a few. So Golden Triangle.

[A]

Yes.

[D]

Yeah. Laotian food and their soft shell crab. It's so, so good. It's like stir fried and spicy and delicious. My husband has gotten it, like, more times than I can count.

[A]

The fact that you can even get soft shell crab out of food cart is just one of the reasons I love Portland so much.

[D]

They're doing, like, high heat wok. Incredible what they get done in that cart. Then there's Bake on the run is also in there. My kids love the doll. Like, Chef Bibi is so sweet. And every time they come up, she goes, oh, you want samples, don't you? She knows. And then she'll give them, like, her little Nutella stuffed bakes. She makes, like, mini ones to give out. Yeah. So, yeah, definitely try. Try Guinea's food if you haven't. That's really fun. Yeah. And Bark City Barbecue. Again, like barbecue in a food cart pod. They have their set up, like, right behind the food cart with the big, like, smoker. And it's, it's excellent barbecue. And then as far as, like, nicer places, like sit down places to go. Scotch Lodge is one of our favorites. It's like fancy bar food. Like, very high bar for bar food.

[A]

I love that space too, because it's kind of like subterranean. Yeah. Yeah.

[D]

It's so cozy. Yeah, exactly. Like, go downstairs to get in. And they have, like, perfect cocktails too. They're always so, so delicious. I haven't done their whiskey tastings, but if you're into whiskey Blair, then that would be something to try. Let's see. Oma's hideaway. We really, like. They're like, not afraid of spice also. And there's salad, like, if there's any kind of salad on the menu, just like, get that because they're really good at that. If you want to go out for like an all out tasting menu kind of dinner. We really liked Jeju, my husband and I, when we went ye.

[A]

That place is great. Yeah. We're going to take John's dad there when he's visiting next week.

[D]

Awesome. Yeah, it's like, it's a favorite. Like $75 for their tasting menu is unbelievable. Yeah, have like they have an in house butcher who has fantastic program. And yeah, the, the Sam, like the little like wrapped up meat, you know, you get to like put all of their homemade sauces in it. And it's like his grandmother's kimchi recipe and everything is just so, so good. So would go there for sure.

[C]

Yeah. I think they have like an aging chamber. I remember turning a corner looking for the bathroom and it's like, oh, wow. There's just like a whole bunch of meat aging right here. It's awesome.

[D]

Yeah. Yeah. If it's nice out. Bellwether Bar, that's on my list too.

[A]

I was gonna put that on my list, but then I was like, it's kind of a neighborhood spot and it's a little further out than maybe a tourist might want to go. But it is great walking Tabor. That's true. If you go to Mount Tabor, which is a great park to walk, that is a lovely place. I love them.

[D]

And then like, if. If you want to do like nightlife, like drinks, go to. We love street disco. That's a really fun one. They have natural wines and again, really good cocktails. Like every restaurant and bar in Portland does good cocktails.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

I don't know how.

[A]

It's a very expensive problem to have.

[D]

Like Dirty Pretty is a good one for cocktails.

[A]

Oh, I haven't been there.

[D]

Oh, yeah. And they have. They have a fun, like happy hour with Good talk tacos too. Holy Ghost, we really liked and Lulu was good.

[A]

Yeah.

[F]

What?

[D]

I just keep going and going.

[A]

Well, let's see what. Shannon, I want to hear what's on your list.

[B]

I tried to like narrow it down a little bit so Bellwether is on my list. Just because it's. That's where my husband and I go. That's like our spot.

[A]

It's so cozy.

[B]

It's really cozy. It's beautiful outside in the summer. Super cozy inside. It just can get a little crowded these days. They've kind of blown up. But their cocktails are incredible. And they, in my opinion, have the best burger in town.

[A]

I agree.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

It's so good. And then of course, Jaoye, which have been guests on our podcast. I think that they have the most. Some of the most creative food here in Portland.

[D]

Cabbage. Oh, my.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. The cabbage is incredible.

[C]

Yeah, we, like, we specifically talked about the cabbage when we had.

[B]

And the space. Space is really lovely and beautiful and comforting. It's like, high end, but you don't feel like it's too high end. I don't know if you want sushi. I love murata, which is downtown. It's been around forever. I think that Chef Marata has been there. I don't know how long it's been there, but it's just really solid, good sushi. And then han oak is on my list as well. It's just also a beautiful space. And we've done. We've had a couple meals there, but I remember they had a hot pot menu one time that was just so fun. Again, it almost feels like you're in somebody's house because their kids are running around and their toys are outside, and it's just lovely. And I know our producers, friends with the chef, and they're just a lovely family, and the food is awesome. But I could keep going, but I won't.

[A]

All right, John.

[C]

I feel like you guys have covered a few that I had, but I have. I had backups, so there's that. So I definitely want to talk about Lardo because they are currently featuring our producer Sarah's meatloaf sandwich with Marshall's hot sauce. Barbecue sauce, and it's got ruffle chips on it and, like, really thick slices of pickle. What? Some cheddar named after her mom.

[A]

I love a meatloaf sandwich.

[D]

So good.

[C]

This is a little late, but, yeah, if you're here in December, it will still be at Lardo, but they're great anyways. They have. Their dirty fries are fantastic. Although, you know, please don't try to eat the entire order unless you have, like, lots of help. Dirty fries, Bean. So there's, like, fried herbs and pickled peppers and various highly browned pork products. Debris, I think, is what it's called. But anyways. Yeah, that's really good. Definitely check it out. Especially if you have nothing to do for several hours afterwards.

[B]

Nap at the hotel.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Camu Dang on Hawthorne is absolutely fantastic. They have a balmy tom Yum, which is, like, the best tom yum soup I've ever had.

[A]

I haven't had that.

[C]

Oh, my God, it is so good.

[A]

It is so, so good. They're. They have a dumpling soup, but you can get it with the tom yum broth. That is incredible. I think it's the best Tom Yum I've ever had. The flavor is just perfect. It's like, like bright and got a little bit of sweetness in the background and a little bit spice. I don't know, I just think it's perfect. I didn't even add anything to my broth when I got it. Like, it was great.

[C]

In the soup there's like some five spice pork loin, but also, but these like little, little nuggets of really crispy skin pork belly. So it's like skin on and it's just like really nice and puffy with all the bubbles and it stays crispy despite the fact that it's in the soup. And it's just the whole thing just makes me happy. Let's see. Nong's Khao Man Gai. I feel like you just kind of gotta go there. Yeah, it's classic. Yeah, you shouldn't leave town without that. Gado. Gado, which is a sister restaurant to Oma's Hideaway. Again, like spicy food. Indonesian ish.

[A]

Really flavorful.

[C]

Very, very.

[A]

Some of the stuff is spicy, but it's so flavorful.

[C]

Yeah, really, really good for a semi fancy dinner. And then, yeah, there's this place actually blew up like quite a bit since it got written up in the New York Times. But the Paper bridge is really, really good. It's like one of the only northern Vietnamese restaurants that I'm aware of, at least in Portland. The signature dish, which I'm probably going to mispronounce, Bun cha. Really delicious.

[A]

And they make their own rice noodles.

[C]

And they make their own rice noodles.

[A]

Wild and so impressive.

[C]

Yeah, it's definitely like kind of leveled up Vietnamese cuisine and you are going to pay a little extra than you would at other places in town. But it's really good.

[A]

Yeah, it's great.

[E]

Oh, hello. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about an easy way to enhance your meals. Whether they are a healthy vegan grain bowl or that late night snack we'll pretend didn't happen the next day. And that easy way is Marshall's haute sauce. For 15 years, chef and cookbook author Sarah Marshall has been hand making and bottling these delicious sauces. She works directly with local farmers and highlights the lovely flavors of fresh seasonal produce. They're gluten free. There are no additives, dyes, waxes or binders. And they have mouth watering combinations like serrano ginger, lemongrass or habanero carrot curry or even whiskey Smoked ghost, which was featured on Hot Ones. So head on over to marshallshotsauce.com that's marshallsh a u t e s a u c e dot com and see all the available sauces and spice blends. Oh, that's right. Sarah's created spice packets by dehydrating and freeze drying actual produce so you can impart flavor to your food with more vegetables. But that's a story for another day. Find all of these delicious [e-mail] and enter Haute Joy. That's one word, capital H A U T E, capital J.J. o Y. One word at checkout for 20% off. That's haute joy at checkout for 20% off. And now back to the show.

[A]

We should probably hit Eugene. We clearly need to go to Eugene more. But Sarah has some ideas.

[F]

Yeah, we go to Eugene pretty often because Dirk's parents live there. They're also listeners of the podcast, so. Hi, John and Devery. When we're there, we definitely go to Marche Provisions. It's like a grocery store. And then they also have a restaurant, Marche. But I like Marche Provisions for getting drinks and snacks for my hotel room. So that's my recommendation. Or maybe the staying in an Airbnb. And then I like the Marche Bar for they make holiday cocktails and they decorate it really cute. So. So we always go there and then there's a secret speakeasy that we go to that's in the Gordon Hotel and it's called 86, but you look for the janitor's closet and if the red light is on then you can go in and it's really beautiful.

[A]

Thank you.

[F]

And you can you just sit at the bar. Like there's, there's like maybe two tables, but you sit at the bar and the, and the bartender will just make you a cocktail based on like what you like week. It's very fun. And then the two fave restaurants that we go to every time, so one's called Meiji, it's an izakaya. They do Japanese small plates and whiskey. Japanese whiskey. But they make these miso mushrooms that I really love and then this fried rockfish that we get every time. And then there's a place called east be called Party Downtown. Now it's called Party Bar. But Megan, I think you would really like this place because they, I go there for the sides. Like they do this like skillet cornbread. They do a fried chicken, but they do these butter beans with all of these herbs and then they do these smoked jojos. It's so good and it's so fun. And they source from all of our, our local farmers. So, like, you know, farmers you guys would know, like Groundwork Organics and all those places. So their side menu is always like seasonal based on what's around. So we've had these like crazy like, you know, cauliflower steaks, but they'll do things sort of with a little southern twist on it. So that. Those are my Eugene recommendations.

[A]

Thanks, Sarah. We could probably keep talking about this for another 30 minutes, but I wish we could. So this week's Joy Scouts recipe has nothing to do with Portland restaurants, but it is holiday appropriate, I think. I mean, it's not holiday themed, but anyway, it's the recipe for Kai, which is K A I on page 10. So it's a beverage. It is like a hot chocolate. And I don't. I think your dad came up with it or your dad read about it.

[C]

John. Yeah, I feel like he was reading some sort of. It was either a novel or like some sort of history book where it was describing like Royal Navy rations and like. Yeah, I guess this is something that would. It's a beverage that was made from like the rations that like a Royal Navy ship would have that would keep people warm and awake and awake at night.

[A]

The whole night. So it's kind of a hot chocolate, but it has. What does it have in. It has condensed milk and optional custard powder or malted milk powder. And then optionally you can add rum or coffee. So choose your poison. It is delicious though, and it's very easy to make. It's really quick. So the recipe is kai on page 10. Let us know if you make it. Tag us on Instagram at the Joy of Cooking. We would love to see what you make. If you have a cooking question or joy story to share, call our hotline at 503-395-8858. Leave us a message or send us a text. We'd love to hear from you, Sarah. Can you please read or play the next caller question?

[F]

Hi friends. I'm a planner and I'm going on a huge backpacking trip this summer. Freeze dried pre made meals are really expensive. Any suggestions or joy recipes that are lightweight, easy to pack and affordable?

[A]

I love that question. We will tackle that one next week. All right, what's everyone cooking this week?

[B]

It's a busy week at work for me. So it is one of those weeks where I'm like, whatever we have in the deep freezer or whatever is easy. Tonight it's like tortellini soup.

[A]

Love that. Yeah.

[B]

You know, which we haven't done them very much at all, and it might go on that list or, like, things to make more often. So simple. No big plans this weekend. Maybe I'll have, like, a cooking Sunday.

[A]

That sounds nice. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just getting my holiday baking in. I've made my fruitcakes, but they are getting doused in rum every once a week for. I just did it on Sunday. I'll do it maybe one or two more times. I've been tasting them to see when they're at the right level of rum, but they're smelling really good. And then I made lebkuchen dough that needs to be baked. So lebkuchen, it's just like a. It's like a German spiced cookie. But they're best when you age the dough for a while. So I will probably bake those in, like, a week or week and a half. It just allows the flavors to kind of marry. Like, there's a lot of spices in there, so the flavor kind of permeates the dough and gets really just nice and cohesive. And then once you bake them, you can keep them around for, like, months. I've done it. I've tried. So there. That's my. That's my holiday baking so far. What about you, Coco?

[D]

Well, I just finished cooking through all 10 weeks of my book leading up to publication. I was like, oh, I should probably, you know, give myself a refresher course on what all of these weeks looked like. So now it's like, whatever you want. You can make whatever seat of the pants cooking this week. And my daughters are on a major hot chocolate cake, so every kind of hot chocolate you can imagine. I recipe tested, like, a chocolate show earlier this week and diluted that by about three times, and it was still super chocolatey. So we have it as, like, the base in our fridge. Yeah, just like, whatever is easy. Yeah. And possibly my husband will be heating up some things as well.

[A]

That sounds great. Maybe you can try the Kai recipe minus the rum or coffee.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Make it without that.

[F]

Yes.

[A]

What about you, John?

[C]

Well, we're going to a celebration of radicchio. So I know that there's going to be some fancy chicories for sale at this. This event, this sagra de radicchio. So, yeah, hoping to score some puntarelli. I've been pronouncing it wrong for so long now. I just. I don't trust myself. But, yeah, we have, like, this little grid for, like, shredding.

[A]

The punta really gets cut in a very specific way. And you need this little, I mean you can do it by hand, but it takes forever. So there's this little tool that costs like five bucks that you can just shove the greens through and it turns them into ribbons and then you put them in ice water and they curl a little bit. So it's kind of fun.

[B]

I do it by hand and I'm like, this is annoying.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah, we purchased it.

[D]

Oh, that's a good.

[C]

I think they have them at well Spent Market. So it's the first time we're using that. So I'm excited to finally use the One Purpose tool.

[A]

And Coco, before we wrap, where can listeners follow you?

[D]

You can follow me on Instagram okomaranti. That's probably where I post the most often. Facebook.com Instant Pot recipes if you are like all instant pot all the time and you want to check out that, that, that specific content and then yeah, that's, that's basically where you can find me in my blog, leftyspoon.com cool.

[A]

We'll put links to all of those in our show notes. Thanks for listening to the Joy of Cooking podcast. Before we go, show some love for your favorite podcast by subscribing to the show and leaving us a review. Follow us at joyofcooking.substack.com and on Instagram @the joyofcooking. Stay tuned for next week where we'll talk about backpacking recipes. And don't forget to make this week's recipe kai on page 10. Call in with questions, hopes, history or where you find joy in the kitchen. Our number is 503-395-8858. That's 503-395-8858.

[B]

And we couldn't do this without our fantastic team at the Joy of Creation Production House. Thank you to Dave Dreske, our production coordinator, Hayley Bowers, our audio engineer, and Sarah Marshall, our producer.

[F]

If you love the stories we bring you each week, please consider supporting us on Patreon. As an independent media company, your support is absolutely essential. It allows us to continue creating high quality professional episodes that amplify the voices of women, small business owners, writers, artists and creatives and keep their stories free from commercial pressure. By becoming a Patreon member, you're not just supporting us, you're investing in the future of independent media. Please visit patreon.com TheJoy of Creation Production House to join our community today. Thank you for listening and supporting our podcast Dreams.