137. A Sauce Only A Mother Could Love
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Sometimes sauces can be a real mother... Hey there food fans, welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast! It's time for Episode 137. Today we are talking about the five mother sauces of classical cooking. We take a look at each one and explain how to make them and how they are used, and we give our favorite riffs and variations. These sauces are a great foundation for your cooking journey. Whether you find yourself making a braised beef short rib, mac n cheese, or spaghetti and meatballs- you'll need these basic techniques and methods to make it a success. Melissa and Stephen debate the merits...
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136. Lisa Parda- A Guest Ep!
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Hey there, food fans! We had an absolute blast talking to Lisa Parda, and we know you will love her too! Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast. You're just in time for Episode 136. We're talking all things SteakUmms, real cheesecake, and potlucks. Lisa is the founder of RealtyScape and the cohost of Lisa and Robyn on The Mic. Lisa shares her journey to cooking, her philosophy on entertaining, and her love for gathering people. We talk about the quirks of paper plates vs the fine china, and wax poetic about the sacred kitchen spaces that are largely underutilized in most homes. Her...
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135. Fried Chicken Chat- A Solo Snack!
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Hey there food fans! It's time for Episode 135. It's a solo snack! Sometimes Stephen and Melissa cannot make the stars align to record together, but we dare not deprive you of the tasty content that you've grown to know and love- so today, you get Melissa. I'm talking about fried chicken! We'll go on a global tour of some of the notable types, talk about what makes them different, and then a little bit about the history, and I'll give you a crash course on breading and deep frying. I am so hungry right now, I wonder if KFC is still open. It's not the best, but it's good in a pinch. Enjoy this...
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134. Pumpkin Spice Coors Light, White Girl Queso, and Chewy Cookie
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
New Year, New Us! Hey there food fans, it's time for Episode 134 of The Food For ThoughtCast! Not to fear, it's the same old us that you've grown to love, and today we're catching up about all the New Year's cooking and eating. After we get that out of the way, Melissa needs to celebrates Steve's new hairdo with a one-time-only segment called "Just A Little Off The Top"- we take a look today at foods you think maybe aren't edible, but they actually are! Tangents are gone on, vocal stims activated, and hilarity ensues- don't miss our second episode of 2026. Don't forget to rate, review, and...
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133. The One Week Throwback... to Christmas Again
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Food For ThoughtCast Fam, are you ready for 2026?! Happy New Year to our listeners and food fans, whether you've been here since the beginning or just found us recently, we are so glad that you are here with us. Today's episode was our official Christmas episode- and Christmas week ended up being so busy, that we pushed it to today. Enjoy listening to Episode 133 of The Food For ThoughtCast as you triumphantly charge into the new year. Just remember that nobody was ever upset about extra Christmas. Steve and I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Stay tuned in 2026 for new guests, returning...
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132. Christmas Flavor Favorites
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Trade routes, spice roads, and Hippocras-- it's time for the holiday edition of The Food For ThoughtCast! Welcome back food fans, on Episode 132 we're talking about flavors... not just any flavors, but the flavors that make Christmas, well, taste like Christmas. We are examining the origin and special features of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, gingerbread, white chocolate, nutmeg, peppermint and more and digging into why these specific flavors are associated with the holiday season. Happy holidays to you and yours, thanks so much for listening, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll never miss any...
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131. We Gave The Thanks
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast- it's the Holiday edition! We missed you, food fans! We missed each other too. In Episode 131, Melissa and Stephen are reunited and doing the whole Peaches n' Herb whatcha been eating, whatcha been cooking dance. We recap our Thanksgiving meals, go on a thousand tangents, and talk about what lies ahead for meal prep and Christmas. Enjoy this random reunion and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Thanks so much for listening and for watching us on YouTube.
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130. Never Found Kokomo
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Welcome back , food fans! It's time for episode 130 of The Food For ThoughtCast! Today, Melissa is telling Steve all about her recent cruise that left from Miami and sailed to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. It was a culinary journey of island foods, delicious seafood, Dutch lunch favorites, Carnival Horizon dining room favorites, and some birthday fun with an amazing chef's table menu. She gives a rundown of the greatest hits from her vacation, as well as some insight into the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and Jiji's menus from the ship. While not sponsored by Carnival, they have really upped their...
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129. Airplane Food!
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Hey there food fans! Today we take to the skies--- well not really, but we are taking on the subject of airplane food. On Episode 129 of The Food For ThoughtCast we are looking at some of the best and worst airline menus from all around, and also speculating what we might serve if we had our own airline catering programs. Melissa dreams about having hot food on real plates someday, while Stephen says enchilada casserole for everyone. What is the best or worst hot meal you've ever had in-flight? Tell us all about it over on the socials. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe and...
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128. State Fairs and Philly
The Food For ThoughtCast: Call Me Chef
Steve and Melissa are back at it with the travel recaps. Steve tells us all about his most recent trip to Philly, with some new foods and places to celebrate. Melissa has gone to the NC State Fair for the first time and has big props for the street corn nachos and crispy chicken pancake tacos. It's time for Episode 128 of The Food For ThoughtCast. We're glad you're here to share in all the amazing things we ate! Did you recently go somewhere with great food? Try something new? Tell us all about in it the comments on Facebook or over on Instagram. Find us in all the podcast places and...
info_outlineHey there, food fans! We had an absolute blast talking to Lisa Parda, and we know you will love her too! Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast. You're just in time for Episode 136. We're talking all things SteakUmms, real cheesecake, and potlucks. Lisa is the founder of RealtyScape and the cohost of Lisa and Robyn on The Mic. Lisa shares her journey to cooking, her philosophy on entertaining, and her love for gathering people. We talk about the quirks of paper plates vs the fine china, and wax poetic about the sacred kitchen spaces that are largely underutilized in most homes. Her cookbook, My Love Language Is Food, will be available in March. Find our podcast in all of the usual places, and grab the cookbook as fast as you can. It is sure to become one of your favorites. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!