Cook Like a Private Chef: Six Menus for Hosting + Weeknight Meals
Cook Like a Private Chef: Six Menus for Hosting + Weeknight Meals  
Podcast: Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy
Published On: Tue Nov 18 2025
Description: Do you wish you could meal plan easily for busy weeks or easy entertaining?This week, we’re sharing menus and lessons learned from our private chef days, like: how to plan menus and meal prep, adapting to clients with different tastes and needs, and most importantly, what approaches build more confidence in the kitchen. By the end of this episode, you’ll:Learn how to menu plan like a private chef for both weeknight cooking and dinner partiesThe dishes and recipes clients requested over and over again, including a chicken cheddar chowder and a classic Thai curryThe recipes sources we rely on the most for cakes, soups, sides and morePress play now to discover how the best kind of cooking isn’t about perfection or posting pics – it’s about care, connection, and cooking what’s needed in the moment. ***LINKS:Sonya’s Mediterranean-Inspired Dinner Party Menu:Roasted cod with tomato olive caper tapenade by Kay Chun for NYT Cooking (unlocked)Spinach and chickpeas by Smitten Kitchen Quinoa with toasted pine nuts by Ellie Krieger for Food Network (swap raisins for currants)Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake by Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet MagazineKari’s Weeknight Family Dinner Menu:Chicken cheddar chowder from Cooking Light Magazine, served in bread bowls, and a quicker chicken corn chowder without cheese Pink Grapefruit and Watercress Salad by Yotam OttolenghiFarfalle with yogurt and zucchini by George Germon and Johanne Killeen for Food & WineSonya’s Thai-inspired Dinner:Thai green curry with shrimp from Thai CalienteEasy eggplant stir fry from Vancouver with LoveThai chicken satay with peanut sauce from Recipe Tin EatsButter lettuce salad with carrot miso dressing by Mark Bittman from NYT Cooking (unlocked)Kari’s 7-Hour Lamb Dinner Party:7-hour lamb with loads of garlic from Improvised LifeSide of sauteed Tuscan kaleDelicata squash salad from the Washington Post Skillet apple pie from All Recipes, but add grated sharp cheddar to the pie doughSonya’s North African-inspired Dinner:Root vegetable tagine by Molly Stevens for Bon AppetitSheet-pan harissa chicken thighs with olives and apricot from The KitchenCouscous with almonds from Forkful of PlantsRadicchio romaine chopped salad by Giada De Laurentis for Food NetworkSmitten Kitchen spiced applesauce cake Kari’s Menu for busy nights with kids:Dinner: High-heat roasted salmon from Recipes TeacherPearl couscous side from The Mediterranean Dish, with  slow-roasted roma tomatoes from Blue Jean Chef (and here’s a one-pot version of salmon and pearl couscous from The Defined DishFor the teenagers: chicken kebabs with balsamic soy glaze from Food.comTo stock the fridge: Cauliflower potato soup from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and Chicken tortilla soup from The Girl Who Ate Everything***Got a cooking question? Leave us a message on our hotline at: 323-452-9084For more recipes and cooking inspiration, sign up for our Substack here. You can also now find us on YouTube. We love hearing from you — follow us on Instagram @foodfriendspod, or drop us a line at foodfriendspod@gmail.com!Looking for an in-person Food Friends experience? Book a farmers’ market tour with Sonya in Portland, OR!