NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Husband-and-wife food bloggers and podcasters Sonja and Alex Overhiser that uses a simple step to keep the kitchen a less heated place for two chefs: clear, alternating roles.
lays out ingredients and directions for a wide array of dishes, like any other cookbook, but also divides the cooking tasks 鈥� one home chef is designated a square, the other a triangle 鈥� so neither is overwhelmed or resentful.
鈥淓verything is more fun together, we think. And so we found that about cooking,鈥� says Sonja Overhiser from their home in Indianapolis. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l stay doing it if you鈥檙e doing it with someone else.鈥�
So to make their Meatballs with Fire-Roasted Marinara, one chef preheats the oven and then starts to make the marinara sauce, while the other prepares the meatballs. They come together at the end to coat the cooked meatballs with the sauce and add Parmesan cheese and basil.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to break down that factor where people are intimidated by being in the kitchen, where all they want to do is wash dishes because they鈥檙e afraid they鈥檙e going to burn something,鈥� says Alex Overhiser.
The Overhisers 鈥� known online as 鈥� use this formula throughout their new cookbook, which mixes a few fan favorites with new spins on dishes. But they intend their division of labor to be a suggestion.
鈥淵ou can always change it up,鈥� says Sonja. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really just kind of an idea of the way that the dance can be performed. There are many other interpretations of that.鈥�
College sweethearts to partners
鈥淎 Couple Cooks鈥� leans on the pair's extensive work as recipe developers and food explorers. There are sections on everyday dinners, romantic ones, breakfasts, large gatherings, sides, sweets, appetizers and snacks, bakes and drinks.
鈥淲e wanted to encapsulate all of those different occasions, whether it鈥檚 a date night, whether it鈥檚 having a dinner party, whether it鈥檚 having a snack and a drink at the end of a long day, whether it鈥檚 baking something fun together on the weekend,鈥� says Sonja.
The college sweethearts 鈥� she is a classically trained musician and journalist; he is a photographer 鈥� have been cooking together since 2008, steadily building their repertoire. At the beginning, they were eating frozen food, spaghetti and Hot Pockets.
Their first book, 鈥淧retty Simple Cooking,鈥� was named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious and one of the best healthy cookbooks of
Their new one is for two cooks, but any kind of two 鈥� parent and child, grandparent with grandkid, college roommates, newlyweds or even a neat date idea. The idea is to take the stress out and enjoy partnerships.
鈥淵ou really can use food as a bonding moment,鈥� says Sonja.
The dishes include tastes from Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Thailand, among others. Ingredients are easy to find and swaps are offered for gluten-free or vegan eaters. Wine pairings are suggested, courtesy of Alex鈥檚 knowledge.
One dish they are obsessed with is pizza, having honeymooned in Italy and fallen in love with artisanal versions. When they came home, they wanted to recreate it and say a homemade option is the perfect date dish for two.
Their no-cook sauce uses crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, olive oil, grated garlic, salt and oregano. Toppings include mozzarella, red onion, pepperoncini and pecorino Romano.
Tahini and miso
The Overhisers have a knack for using flavors in unexpected ways, like their banana baked oatmeal that has a maple drizzle with tahini.
鈥淭ahini adds this really kind of nutty intensity to that maple drizzle on top. It鈥檚 something we tried once and we鈥檙e like, 鈥榃ow, this tastes incredible,鈥欌�� says Sonja. 鈥淛ust kind of adding a surprising element to a recipe makes it so much more fun to eat when it鈥檚 unexpected for your palate.鈥�
Or take their vegan risotto, which adds a miso-rosemary broth to asparagus, peas and pine nuts. The couple say they put their heads together to try to make a romantic vegan meal, not an easy task since so many have dairy or meat.
鈥淚t's like how do we get to make this where you don鈥檛 say, 鈥極h, I miss my chicken broth,鈥欌�� says Alex. (鈥淎nd my Parmesan,鈥� adds Sonja.) 鈥淭hat miso-rosemary broth, you can just drink it alone as a delicious soup it鈥檚 so good. And it adds this complexity to the broth, which when you mix it to the rice for your risotto, it鈥檚 just outstanding.鈥�
They say they've been trained to look out for the user and make things easy for the home cook to understand and organize. That has now extended to the kitchen ballet of two cooks.
鈥淲e think our flavors are there and exciting, but we鈥檙e also really always thinking about how is someone actually executing this in their kitchen,鈥� says Sonja.
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
