Cookbook Club – Details, episodes & analysis

Rick Martinez brings his warm, fun and exuberant personality to this collection of Mexican cuisine from different regions of Mexico. We love the color and texture throughout this book and talk about one of the yummiest meals we’ve shared together. Somebody book us a trip to sunny Mexico!

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• Enchiladas mineras (page 74)
• Aguachile (page 242)
• Gaspacho moreliano (page 90)
• Arroz blanco con mantequilla (page 50)
• Pozole verde, estilo Guerrero (page 116)
• Chiles jalapeños en escabeche (page 64)
• Salsa macha (page 60)
• Tacos árabes (page 93)
• Tortillas árabes (page 44)
• Pan de muerto (page 102)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tajín

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
• Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
• Cook along with us! Next episodes coming in September 2024 after a summer break!

Pie is wonderful. Dessert pie is the best. And it makes us feel downright patriotic. Join us as we geek out on crust, fillings and baking techniques in this episode all about pie.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠Tart and pie dough (The Art of Simple Food)
• All butter crust (America’s Test Kitchen)
• The only pie crust (Alison Roman)
• Lime pie with Anzac biscuit crust (Family)
• Carrot pie (Six Seasons)
• David Liebovitz’s salted honey pie (Grains for Every Season)
• Banana cream pie (NYT)
• Coconut cream pie (America’s Test Kitchen)
• Salted lemon cream pie (Sweet Enough)
• Apple ombre pie (NYT)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

• The Book on Pie, by Erin Jeanne McDowell
• Baking with Dorie, by Dorie Greenspan
• Dessert Person, by Claire Saffitz

Join our Cookbook Club!

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

We loved Andrea Nguyen’s first book, “Vietnamese Food Any Day.” How does her new release stack up for us? Renee and Sara talk about building block recipes, too-long-descriptions, eating cake until our stomachs hurt and more.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• 10-10-10 Perfect Rice (page 65)
• Umami tofu crumbles (page 50)
• Nuoc Cham dipping sauce (page 32)
• Fast-fried shallots (page 46)
• Chicken-vegetable pho (page 161)
• Pressure cooker beef pho (NYT)
• Char siu pulled jackfruit (page 229)
• Baked char siu pulled-jackfruit bao (page 121)
• Gingery vegetable and beef stir fry (page 254)
• Char siu roasted cauliflower (page 227)
• Greens with magical sesame salt (page 201)
• Vietnamese mocha cake (page 266)
• Spice-citrus marble cake (page 269)
• Egg coffee (page 287)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• David Chang on MSG & umami (YouTube)
• MSG as a misunderstood ingredient (CNN)
• MSG’s bad rap (Five Thirty Eight)

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
• Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 2/21/2024): Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child

The holidays are over and weeknight cooking is back. If you’re like us, maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and worn out on it — in that case, tune in for some easy weeknight dinner inspiration to get your dinner mojo back.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠Shakshuka (Dinner in an Instant)
• Shakshuka (Dinner in One)
• Green shakshuka with avocado and lime (NYT)
• Rao’s meatballs (NYT)
• Pasta alla Gricia (NYT)
• Curried chicken with cauliflower, apricots and olives (Sheet Pan Suppers)
• Lemony chicken with potatoes and oregano (NYT)
• Garlicky chicken with lemon-anchovy sauce (NYT)
• Spicy honey chicken thighs (Cooking Light)
• One-pot turmeric coconut rice with greens (NYT)
• Oven-baked polenta (NYT)
• Spiced chickpea stew with coconut and turmeric (NYT)
• Turkey burgers (Food, Health & Happiness)
• Beautiful burger buns (King Arthur Flour)
• Furikake salmon (Japanese Cookbook for Beginners)
• Reverse seared steak (Serious Eats)

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
• E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
• Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 1/24/2024): Ever-Green Vietnamese, by Andrea Nguyen

This week we’re coming back for more Deb Perelman with her newest book, Smitten Kitchen Keepers. Are they keepers? How do we like these compared to her other books? Tune in to find out.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• Devil’s food cake with salted milk chocolate frosting (page 267)
• Luxe s’mores bars (page 235)
• Carrot cake with brown butter and no clutter (page 263)
• The blondie chipwich (page 237)
• Tomatoes with cottage cheese and bagel seeds (page 32)
• Blueberry pancake cobbler (page 41)
• Endive salad with apple matchsticks (page 53)
• Double shallot egg salad (page 59)
• Carrot tarte tatin (page 119)
• Winter squash soup with red onion crisp (page 77)
• Cozy chicken and dumplings soup (page 85)
• Braised winter squash wedges (page 111)
• Deepest dish broccoli cheddar quiche (page 145)
• Honey thyme baked feta (page 284)
• Spicy crushed olives with pistachios (page 287)
• Toasted sesame almonds (page 288)

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
• Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 1/24/2024): Ever-Green Vietnamese, by Andrea Nguyen

Have you ever made a babka? We tried a number of recipes for this enriched-dough bread with a ribbon of flavor, and we came up with very mixed results. Listen in on to see what we baked and our favorite babka recipe!

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠Babka (America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)
• Cinnamon babka (Claire Saffitz, NYT)
• Savory babka with ricotta and herbs (Melissa Clark, NYT)
• Better chocolate babka (Smitten Kitchen)
• Chocolate babka (Melissa Clark, NYT)
• Sprinkle butter babka loaf (Nadiya Hussein)
• Birthday cake babka (What Jew Wanna Eat)

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
• E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
• Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 12/27/2023): Smitten Kitchen Keepers, by Deb Perelman

Inspired by a classic Pacific Northwest bakery, this book tells us how to make those beloved treats at home. This week we talk about the bakery and the cookbook, and which recipes we enjoy (or maybe not so much!)

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• Grand Central Bakery jammers (page 22)
• Pecan sticky buns (page 46)
• Rough puff pastry (page 176)
• Tarte tatin (page 194)
• Dutch babies (page 39)
• Artisan pizza (page 111)
• Ben’s pan pizza (page 113)
• Blueberry muffins (page 27)
• Old-fashioned spice cake (page 168)
• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (page 56)
• Classic buttery shortbread and royal icing (page 78)
• Sesame cookies (page 75)
• Pumpkin bread (page 33)
• Cranberry orange pecan bread (page 34)
• Megan’s apricot almond granola (page 51)
• Savory hand pies (page 106)

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
• Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 12/27/2023): Smitten Kitchen Keepers, by Deb Perelman

It’s not a cookbook, but the New York Times Cooking section is a huge source of recipes for both of us. In this episode, we break down some favorites for fall and Thanksgiving.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠Pumpkin maple muffins (Alison Roman)
• Pumpkin crumb cake (Yossy Arefi)
• No-bake pumpkin cheesecake (Yossy Arefi)
• Pumpkin bundt cake with maple brown-butter glaze (Yossy Arefi)
• Red wine pear cardamom cake (Melissa Clark)
• Pumpkin-butterscotch with spiced whipped cream (Melissa Clark)
• Mango pie (Samin Nosrat & Hrishikesh Hirway)
• Cranberry curd tart (David Tanis)
• Dry-brined turkey with sheet pan gravy (Alison Roman)
• Roast spatchcock turkey (Mark Bittman)
• Buttered stuffing with celery and leeks (Alison Roman)
• Brussels sprouts with pickled shallots and labneh (Nik Sharma)
• Vegan green bean casserole (Gena Hamshaw)
• Green beans and greens with fried shallots (Alison Roman)
• Vegan mushroom make-ahead gravy (Melissa Clark)
• Roasted cauliflower (Amanda Hesser)
• Spicy caramelized squash with lemon and hazelnuts (Alison Roman)
• Cranberry sauce (Sam Sifton)
• Buttermilk-brined turkey breast (Samin Nosrat)
• Citrus and persimmon salad (David Tanis)
• The perfect herby salad (Alison Roman, Nothing Fancy)
• Brussels sprouts slaw (Nik Sharma, The Flavor Equation)

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
• E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
• Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 11/29/2023): The Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis & Ellen Jackson

We dig in to Freddy Bitsoie’s ode to Indigenous cuisine and ingredients on this episode, with a recap of a delicious meal we shared together with our in-person Cookbook Club.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• Hominy with bacon bits (page 76)
• Alaskan King Salmon with crushed pecans (page 226)
• Spice-rubbed pork tenderloin (page 214)
• Chocolate bison chili (page 160)
• Three sisters salad with shallot vinaigrette (page 90)
• Red potato soup (page 50)
• Pumpkin bread pudding (page 262)
• Chocolate and piñon nutcake (page 254)

Cookbooks mentioned in this episode:

• Cedar & Salt

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow
• E-mail us: cookbookclubshow@gmail.com
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray
• Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers & Eat Your Books (use code CC2023)
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 11/29/2023): The Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis & Ellen Jackson

Cooking is one thing, but it takes a whole lot of logistics to plan, shop, organize and keep track of the groceries, recipes and cookbooks in our kitchens. Today we’re joined by Kirsten Collins to chat about how we organize our kitchens and our deeply personal ways of organizing cookbooks.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠Google Calendar
• Reminders app
• Eat Your Books
• Our Groceries app

Join our Cookbook Club!

• Our Instagram, ⁠@cookbookclubshow⁠
• E-mail us: ⁠cookbookclubshow@gmail.com⁠
• Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: ⁠@hipchickdigs⁠ and ⁠@realtor_saragray⁠
• Our sponsor: ⁠Dropcloth Samplers⁠
• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 11/1/2023): New Native Kitchen, by Freddy Bitsoie