Trader Joe’s Customer Favorites! We tried them all and share our thoughts
Dear Food
What’s your favorite thing to get from Trader Joe’s? I surveyed friends, and tried out all the winners of the 12th annual Trader Joe’s Customer Choice Awards, and I’m spilling all the Sparkling Peach Black tea for y'all. Yep, you guessed it - that’s one of the winners! What’s in this episode: I tried the winners of the 12th Annual Customer Choice Awards What to grab, and what to skip from Trader Joe’s Some of the products you will hear about: Orange chicken, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, cheddar cheese, everything but the bagel, and lots more Plus, my personal...
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Mini Episode: Gadgets and Gizmos every Home Chef needs!
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We’re sharing our favorite gadgets, gizmos and products that we think you will love! None of them break the bank, by the way. Please enjoy this short and sweet episode, and let us know what you think of the NEW WEBSITE! What’s in this episode: Announcement: brand new website is now live! We now have a store that is a curation of our favorite products featured on the show This mini episode covers Ashley’s favorite gifts that she got this year Find all the products we mentioned in the show notes, or in the store on our website. CHECK OUT THE NEW WEBSITE ...
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Lucky foods to eat for the New Year, and other holiday traditions
Dear Food
Sugar cookies at Christmas, and black eyed peas for New Years Eve. What's the origin of all these food customs? I asked a roundtable of friends about their favorite food traditions for this special holiday episode. Some of the rituals you've likely heard of, but there's one that will surprise you! In this episode: The foods that symbolize Christmas Christmas popcorn trio; love it or leave it? Eggnog, which is simply not for me Sugar cookies so good they elicit burglary The history of the Raclette - a "cheesy" holiday tale Why black eyed peas came to signify...
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Alfred Coffee: An Insta-Famous Iconic LA Cafe
Dear Food
But first, coffee. That’s not just a cute Pinterest quote, it’s the trademarked tagline of this week’s guest, Josh Zad, who is the CEO and Founder of LA’s iconic Alfred Coffee. Josh is an architecture and design nerd, and he intentionally infused his eclectic personality into the creation of his coffee shops and tea rooms. You have most definitely seen pictures of people gleefully posing with their fancy drinks at one of his fabulously outfitted cafes. Hear how social media helped turn this coffee shop into a global tourist attraction. What’s in this episode: Is it Alfred, or...
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Healthy Pancakes! Model/Actress, Molly Ritter, shares the recipes that keep her in shape
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Have you ever looked at a beautiful Model and thought, I wonder what she eats? Molly Ritter, is an *actual* Model and Actress, and she got so tired of being asked that very question, that she went ahead and created her own food blog. Lucky for us, because her recipes are fantastic and actually succeed at tasting delicious while still being healthy. She shares two of her favorite breakfast recipes with us, and gives us a little glimpse inside her daily life. What’s in this episode: How Molly became a food blogger How being an Actor and Model affects what Molly eats How Molly...
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Happy Diwali! Raj Rawal on how to celebrate with Indian food
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Happy Diwali! Diwali is the five day Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindus. Like most holidays, there are some celebration rituals that center around food. So naturally, I grabbed one of my good friends, who is both Indian AND a major foodie, for this special episode. Raj Rawal, a Content Lead for a major food publisher, joins us this week to walk us through the dishes we should be ordering when we go to Indian restaurants. What’s in this episode: The best place to get Indian food in the world (hint, it’s not India) What Diwali is, and how it is celebrated What foods are...
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Bon Appetit! You must eat this French food when you visit Paris
Dear Food
POV: you’re here because you just binge-watched Netflix’s ‘Emily in Paris’ and have become a francophile. You’re not alone. After watching the whole season of Darren Starr’s latest hit, I found myself reminiscing about the one time I visited France with my boyfriend, which happens to be exactly one year ago today. Drew joins me for this episode, and together we share our favorite moments from our trip to Marseilles and Paris. With only 24 hours to see the big city, and a strict diet looming overhead, could we actually enjoy ourselves? The answer is a resounding ‘oui.’ What’s...
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Not Another Cooking Show: Stephen Cusato aims to empower home cooks
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Stephen Cusato learns with eyes, and cooks with his heart. He created ‘Not Another Cooking Show’, the popular YouTube (and now TikTok) cooking show, to reach the Home Chefs out there. Some of his biggest hits are his smash burger, any my personal favorite, key lime pie. He’s as passionate about the cooking of his dishes, as he is the production of his show. We geek out a little bit on film stuff in this episode, as well as things like imposter syndrome, and the constant battle creators face with themselves. Stephen is a New Yorker with STRONG opinions about the U.S. food landscape, and...
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Soul Mate Search: Buddy Stringer is cooking until he finds true love. Is that you?
Dear Food
Buddy Stringer is looking for love, on TikTok of all places. He’s cooking for his future soulmate and making videos of each recipe. The internet has fallen in love with him, but he still hasn’t found "the one." We’re talking with Buddy to find out what exactly he’s looking for in a partner, and how food plays a critical role in his search. What’s in this episode: Buddy explains his mission to find his soulmate through food The recipe for his famous ‘Buddy Buns’, or so we call it. It’s the unnamed dish that shot him to TikTok fame An update on Buddy’s dating...
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SURVEY SAYS! A Mini Episode with Ashley
Dear Food
After 10 episodes, it’s time to check in! What do you think of the show so far? I need your help to make it the best show it can be, for you! Would you do me a huge favor and take the survey linked below? It’s only 10 questions, and it’ll take you less than 10 minutes. Have we said ‘10’ enough yet?! : https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NNVXVG2 Don’t forget, we want to hear your stories too! Tell us your food stories! The first time you remember tasting food, your dream dinner, or just a food that you can’t stop thinking about. Call in and leave us...
info_outlineRaise your hand if you hopped aboard the sourdough bread train? With all this time at home, a lot of us have taken on lofty kitchen projects like baking sourdough bread from scratch. In this episode, we’re joined by the fabulously sassy, bread-making wizard, Roya Platsis. By day, Roya is a big wig in the HR world, but at home, she’s mastered the art of sourdough bread and has taken to social media to show us the easy, no-frills technique that guarantees successful bread. We talk about bread making, the pressures of producing content, and being true to yourself - even when that means embracing your potty mouth!
What’s in this episode:
- Roya and Ashley rehash their time working together at Lucasfilm
- How Roya’s cooking videos went viral on Facebook
- Roya’s first food memory at the San Francisco zoo
- How eating out threatened her relationship early-on
- Though she’s a self-taught cook, who Roya credits for her cooking skills
- How to make sourdough bread starter
- What a levain is
- The step-by-step process for making sourdough bread
- Roya shares her lemon rosemary bread recipe
- What is was like to bake bread, live, in front of a huge audience
- Why it was so important to fail in front of viewers
- The non-intimidating approach Roya takes to bread making
- How bread has become a great teacher for both Roya and Ashley
- Roya describes her family life and how they are doing during the pandemic
- The best type of bread for a beginner to make
- Similarities between brewing beer and making sourdough
- What “hooch” is in relation to starter
- What to do if your sourdough starter isn’t active
- Roya’s dream dinner
About Roya:
In Roya’s own words, she is the dirt-loving mother of two, wife to one, who swears too much and is great at cooking. She is currently the Director of Human Resources at CamelBak, and lives with her darling family in Petaluma, California.
Connect with Roya:
Find Roya on YouTube by searching “Fancy as Fork”
Or on Instagram and Twitter @DirtDontHurtMom
The cookbook Roya mentions is called ‘Della Fattoria Bread’
Quotes:
- “You fold it for what feels like an entire day. And then you bake the sh*t out of it” - Roya
- “There’s a beautiful, fancy, loaf of bread at the end of the process.” - Roya
- “It’s just flour and water. And that was what I was trying to get across.” - Roya
- “I don’t need pasta, I need bread. Good bread especially. The $8 kind.” - Roya
Be on the Show
Tell us your food stories! The first time you remember tasting food, your dream dinner, or just a food that you can’t stop thinking about. Call in to leave us a voicemail at 626-709-6551 or send your messages to [email protected]
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