Chef Over Your Shoulder: Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Mac and Cheese and Ground Beef

I Quit: Teaching Kids and Teens to Cook by Stepping Back | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:00:00 -0400

On today’s episode, we are talking about quitting. Jody shares the story behind her viral “I Quit” post. She’s not quitting cooking altogether; instead, she’s quitting the role of default family cook and handing some of that responsibility over to her kids.

Jody shares what has actually happened now that her kids are in charge of making dinner. We get into the real side of it all, from burnt croutons to successful Thai curry.

You will hear how this experiment has given Jody the gift of time and how both Kirstie and I are inspired to try something similar in our own kitchens.

Our conversation is funny and honest, and it gives you a realistic look at how kids really learn to cook, how families can share the load, and why teaching children to feed themselves is about so much more than getting dinner on the table. Jody’s stories will give you permission to step back and the inspiration to say “I quit” in your own way, without anyone going hungry.

Links and Resources

Thai Curry

Eggless Caesar Dressing Recipe

Creamy Chicken Pesto Gnocchi

Beef Broccoli Stir Fry

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Fish Tacos Podcast Episode

How to Cook Fish at Home: Salmon, Tuna, Quitting the Kitchen and Maple Syrup | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0400

Today, we are tackling the episode that some of our listeners have specifically requested…how to cook fish.

Now, before Jody and Kirstie walk me through pan-seared salmon, poached fish, and why a scorching hot pan is my new best friend, I have a brand new fail that I have been waiting to share with Jody and Kirstie. It involves maple syrup and a microwave. And Jody shares with us how she’s quit the kitchen. You won’t want to miss that story.

We do get around to fish, and our chefs have great tips and tricks to share. From where and how to buy really good fish when you live nowhere near an ocean, pan vs oven and why tuna might be the easiest fish to cook.

Jody and Kirstie share memories of fishing as kids and learning to cook their first fish fry, and introduce us to their “pancake method,” so you stop stressing about when to flip your fish. By the end, I am genuinely excited to pan sear salmon at home and to try their famous Newfoundland cod fish tacos that come together in under 30 minutes.

If fish has always felt like a restaurant only order for you, this episode will change that. You will walk away with simple, tested techniques, a little science, and a lot of reassurance that everyone can cook fish in their own kitchen.

Links and Resources

Homemade Tartar Sauce: A Classic with Endless Possibilities

Fish Tacos That Impress

Grilled Fish 101: Best Chef Tips for BBQ Fish Perfection!

Beer Battered Fish & Chips: A Crispy Classic for Good Friday (or Anytime)

Pan-Seared Salmon Made Perfect | Chef-Approved Method (in 20 Minutes!)

Miso-Glazed Salmon Bowls!

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Guajillo Chilies: Easy tips to Start Cooking with Dried Chilies!

Beyond Taco Tuesday: Real Mexican Cooking at Home | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 04:00:00 -0500

Today, we are talking about Mexican food. And if you are anything like me, Mexican food at home pretty much means ground beef, packaged taco spice, and that yellow box of taco shells. Sound familiar?

Well, today, Jody and Kirstie are taking us on a full culinary adventure, and we are reinventing Taco Tuesday for good. We talk about an easy, delicious homemade spice blend that replaces that dusty little packet forever. Jody and Kirstie also share their favourite guajillo chili sauce, which Kirstie says makes her feel genuinely rich as a human when she has it stocked in her freezer. And yes, we absolutely talk tacos, but we talk about so much more than that such as the art of taco garnishes, a rice bowl revelation that I honestly cannot wait to try and taco neck. This episode is going to change the way you think about Mexican food at home. And I promise you, it is way easier than it sounds.

In This Episode:

Stir-fry follow-up: Amy reports back on her stir-fry success from the previous episode, including the baking soda trick.
Mexican food in Canada: Why Mexican cuisine deserves so much more credit than fast food and Taco Tuesday.
The baking soda secret: Dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda in one tablespoon of water, mix it into your raw ground beef before browning, and the result is incredibly tender, flavourful meat.
Homemade taco spice: Skip the packet. Chilli powder, cumin, and cinnamon are already in your pantry.
Corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas: Why warming your tortilla matters, and where to buy the good ones.
Guajillo chili sauce: A foundational sauce you can use in chilaquiles, pozole, enchiladas, crema, and braises. It also freezes beautifully.
Hominy: What it is (a large, starchy, white corn kernel), where to buy it (canned, just like beans), and how it transforms a pozole.
Pozole: A rich, meaty stew that is a special occasion staple in Mexican cooking.
Birria tacos: Slow-braised, shredded beef tacos served with a cup of broth for dipping. A morning taco tradition.
Chilaquiles: The dream Mexican breakfast of tortilla chips simmered in salsa, topped with fried eggs and queso fresco.
La Costena beans: A pantry staple worth knowing. Heat with garlic, cumin, and a squeeze of lime.
Building the perfect taco: Less meat than you think, more garnishes than you imagined. Cabbage, crema, salsa, cilantro, queso fresco.
The rice bowl revelation: Your taco garnishes fall onto a bed of rice. That is not a mistake. That is a third course.
Fish tacos: Baked cod with a spice paste and simple garnishes. Fast, fresh, and doable at home.

Links and Resources

Chilaquiles Rojos: A Classic Mexican Breakfast Made at Home

La Costena Beans

Fish Tacos That Impress (in 30 Minutes or Less!)

Easy Mexican Chicken Pozole

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Easy Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry – Better Than Takeout

Stir-Fry Masterclass: Easy Homemade Sauce and The Art of Restraint | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 04:00:00 -0500

Is your homemade stir-fry lacking that special something? Do your vegetables turn out soggy instead of crisp? In this episode, Jody, and Kirstie break down the science and the art of the perfect stir-fry.

Our chefs share an easy four-ingredient sauce that is infinitely better than anything you can buy in a bottle. We also discuss why you should not cook all your vegetables at the same time and a secret technique called velveting.

You will not believe how simple it is to achieve that authentic restaurant flavour at home. It just requires a little bit of knowledge and a little bit of restraint.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

The 4-Ingredient Magic Sauce: Why you should stop buying pre-made stir-fry sauces. The chefs share their "golden ratio" ingredients: Shaoxing cooking wine, Oyster sauce, Soy sauce, and Sesame oil.
The Art of Velveting: Jody explains the science behind using baking soda (not baking powder!) to change the pH of meat. This prevents tight protein bonds and results in that tender, silky texture you love in restaurant dishes.
The Dance of the Wok: Why you must cook ingredients separately. We discuss managing heat and why treating your vegetables like they are in a "cold plunge" results in a soggy disaster.
Wok Hei: Understanding the "breath of the wok" and whether you actually need a carbon steel wok to make a great meal.
Restraint in the Kitchen: Why choosing just two or three vegetables is better than using everything in your crisper drawer.

Links and Resources

Forequarter Butcher Shop

Mastering the Stir-Fry: Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry (Faster than Take-Out!)

Beyond the Recipe: Why Chefs Jody and Kirstie are Obsessed with Cookbooks

The Wok by J. Kenji López-Alt

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The Best Ever Meatloaf Recipe

The Midnight Snack Guide | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 04:00:00 -0500

Why does food always taste better late at night when you are standing at the kitchen counter?

In this episode of Chef Over Your Shoulder, Amy, Jody, and Kirstie share their favourite midnight snacks. They talk about why the perfect sandwich is truly the pinnacle of late night snacking, and Jody talks about the art of making the perfect peanut butter toast. If you are looking for something a bit lighter, we also share our favourite healthy snacks that still satisfy those late night cravings.

Even when it comes to snacking, Jody and Kirstie still bring their professional expertise to the kitchen. They share how to revive yesterday’s pizza so the crust stays crispy and the cheese stays melty.

Of course, not all late night snacks are eaten in the comfort of your own home. Kirstie shares a legendary New Year's Eve story that ended at a 7-Eleven with the perfect midnight snack that saved the night.

Kirstie and Amy also confess that raw cookie dough is one of our favourite treats, even while Jody expresses her professional concern over our raw flour intake. But in the end, they all agree that a simple bowl of cereal might just be the perfect midnight snack of all.

Links and Resources

The Best & Only Bits and Bites Recipe You’ll Ever Need!

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The Turkey Manifesto: Your Guide to a Stress-Free Feast | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 04:00:00 -0500

Today we are talking turkey. We are sharing our turkey memories and stories and lots of turkey tips. For many of us we are getting into the holiday season and that often includes a full turkey dinner. It can be one of the biggest joys of the year or one of the biggest culinary challenges you face.

Either way, everyone will find some turkey inspiration from what Kirstie calls Jody’s Turkey Manifesto. It will answer all your questions. Should you brine? What temperature is safe? Can you cook your turkey the day before?

Jody and Kirstie not only answer these questions and more, but they also break down the process into manageable steps and debunk a few turkey myths along the way. Whether you are a seasoned pro or roasting your very first bird, this episode is packed with turkey tips and inspiration to help you find the Joy of Cooking this holiday season.

Key Topics & Takeaways:

Kitchen Stories: Kirstie shares a "Weekly Win" recipe for a Zucchini Meat and Cheese Lasagna, perfect for using up garden gluts or eating gluten-free..
The Turkey Manifesto: Jody introduces the ultimate guide to decision-making for your bird. This includes choosing between fresh or frozen and determining the right size (aim for 1.5 lbs per person).
Brining Basics: The chefs explain the difference between wet and dry brining.
Tip: Dry brine with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of turkey for 24 to 48 hours.
Temperature Matters: Stop guessing and use a thermometer.
Breast meat should reach 157°F to 160°F.
Thigh meat should reach 175°F.
The Make-Ahead Hack: Jody’s secret to a relaxed holiday is cooking the turkey the day before, carving it cold, and reheating it in stock and butter.
Gravy Gold: How to use turkey necks and roasted bones to create a rich stock, ensuring you never run out of gravy.

Links and Resources

Zucchini Lasagna

Jody's Turkey Manifesto

Guide to Brining Turkey

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Jody and Kirstie’s Kitchen Gadget Essentials

Kitchen Gadgets Guide: The Essentials vs. The Clutter | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 04:00:00 -0500

Are your kitchen drawers overflowing with tools you never use?

Today is going to be a fun one because we are raiding our kitchen drawers. That is right. We are talking about kitchen gadgets and the tools that actually spark joy versus the ones that are just gathering dust.

We discuss the absolute essentials that every home cook should own. Including a bouquet of strainers and the right pair of tongs. Jody and Kirstie share the magic of the microplane, the importance of a Y-Peeler, how to treat your wooden cutting board and why you should recycle your pasta grabber immediately.

Jody and Kristie also reveal who rolls out dough and cookies with a rolling pin and who bakes with a wine bottle.

Find your next kitchen gadget here!

Key Takeaways

What We Ate: Kirstie’s secret roasted potato snack (with a specific mayo-to-ketchup ratio) and Jody’s "duelling soups" challenge.
The Bouquet of Strainers: Why you need a fine mesh strainer (the "Romper Room" size) and a bamboo spider for pasta and blanching.
The Essential List: The magic of the Microplane (Rasp), why tongs are an extension of the hand, and the importance of a Y-peeler.
Baking Tools: The debate between French rolling pins and wine bottles.
Cutting Board 101: The truth about wood versus plastic and how to sanitize your wood board using salt and lemon.
Gadgets We Love (and Hate): The practicality of an oyster shucker, the surprising utility of a pineapple corer, and why you should recycle your pasta grabber.

Links and Resources

The Culinary Studio’s Amazon Store

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Jody and Kirstie's Favourite Cookbooks!

Beyond the Recipe: Why Chefs Jody and Kirstie are Obsessed with Cookbooks | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0500

This week, we are talking about an obsession that some of us keep very close to our hearts, and our bedsides! We are talking about cookbooks. Are they just collections of cold, hard instructions, or are they something more? We think they are much more. They are diaries and travelogues, filled with kitchen inspiration and cooking tips. When you open a great cookbook, you are not just getting a recipe, you are getting the author’s passion, techniques and sometimes their life story.

Are your cookbooks gathering dust? Do you follow the recipe exactly, or do you experiment? This week, Jody and Kirstie are revealing their secrets to finding true inspiration. Funny enough, most of that inspiration comes from old notebooks, family recipe boxes and a cookbook that doesn’t have any recipes in it!

Before we hit the books, Amy had some homework to do this week. She made Kirstie’s chicken noodle soup. Listen to find out if she had another kitchen disaster and what her family thought.

Spoiler Alert: The Culinary Studio recipes are easy to follow so things turned out alright!

Links and Resources

Jody and Kirstie’s Top 10 Cookbooks

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Jody and Kirstie’s Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes

Chicken Noodle Soup: Two Delicious Recipes | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0500

If you’re anything like us, you love Chicken Noodle Soup, especially on a dark, cold night. However, maybe you're like Amy, and the thought of making it from scratch gives you kitchen anxiety. Over the years, she’s made watery broth, with a side of crunchy risotto, and even had an exploding tomato soup incident. Honestly, I’ve been intimidated by this classic recipe for years.

This week, Chefs Jody and Kirstie are here to finally put everyone’s fears to rest. They each share their own different but equally yummy chicken noodle soup recipes.

But chicken noodle soup isn’t just a meal, it’s also a memory, and we take a serious trip down memory lane, reminiscing about everything from eating Lipton’s soup as a kid to dipping buttered Premium Plus crackers into our bowls.

Join us as we share stories and the best tips when making and eating chicken noodle soup. I learned the difference between a broth and a stock and the science behind why soup tastes better the next day…that’s if you even have leftovers.

Key Takeaways

The difference between broth (made with meat on the bone, ideal for soup) and stock (made with bones, used for risotto, pan sauces, or gravy).
Chicken noodle soup is often better the next day because the fat acts as a flavor carrier, distributing flavor deeper as it chills and reheats.
Never boil your leftover soup; gently reheat to prevent the meat from becoming stringy or shredded.
Cook your noodles separately and add them to individual bowls when serving to avoid mushy leftovers.
You do not need a whole carcass to make stock; save rotisserie chicken bones to make small batches of quick, flavorful broth/stock.

Chef Over Your Shoulder is our podcast about the connections we make through cooking. Pairing professional Chefs Jody O'Malley and Kirstie Herbstreitand from the Culinary Studio with me, a burn-to-the-bottom-of-the-pan expert, creates the perfect “recipe” to demystify the kitchen and bring back the joy of cooking…without the pressure.

Links and Resources

Jody's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Kirstie's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

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Jody and Kirstie’s Kitchen Tips, Recipes and Recommendations

What's In Your Pantry? Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0400

What’s In Your Pantry?

This week, I open my pantry doors, giving Jody and Kirstie a full view of my spice chaos! They waste no time calling out my dusty, old seasonings—it turns out spices actually expire—and question why I own Cream of Tartar (spoiler: I thought it was for fish, not baking!). We share some nostalgic stories after they spot some Crystal Light lurking in the back. Kirstie even sings us the theme song!

And of course, Jody and Kirstie share many recipes and spice combinations you can use, including Kirstie's Trinity of Middle Eastern Spices. We hope this episode inspires you to look at what's in your pantry.

Chef Over Your Shoulder is our podcast about the connections we make through cooking. Pairing professional Chefs Jody and Kirstie from the Culinary Studio with me, a burn-to-the-bottom-of-the-pan expert, creates the perfect “recipe” to demystify the kitchen and bring back the joy of cooking…without the pressure.

Links and Resources

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Fish Tacos Recipe

Easy Shrimp Noodle Bowl Recipe

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Jody and Kirstie’s Kitchen Tips, Recipes and Recommendations

Pots and Pans: The Essentials | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Pots and Pans: The Essentials from Chef Over Your Shoulder! Pairing professional Chefs Jody O'Malley and Kirstie Herbstreit with Amy Schlueter, a burn-to-the-bottom-of-the-pan expert, creates the perfect recipe to demystify the kitchen and bring back the joy of cooking and connecting…without the pressure.

On this week's cooking show, we're starting at the very beginning with pots and pans!

Amy’s most common kitchen challenge? Burning food to the bottom of the pan, including Campbell's tomato soup, rice, risotto, eggs, and often pasta.

Kitchen Tips and Cooking Stories

Jody talks about the myth of the 12-piece set of pots and pans. Did you know that half of that set are often lids, which we actually don’t need? Kirstie gives us some kitchen inspiration by sharing the nostalgic story behind her grandmother’s chicken noodle soup pots, which Kirstie still uses today. We share Jody and Kirstie’s essential pots and pans list that every home cook needs, a pro-tip for cleaning a burnt pot with salt and simmering, and how to conquer your intimidating cast-iron pan.

Key Takeaways and Cooking Tips

Fix a Burnt Pot with Salt and Simmering: Don't soak! Add water and a sprinkle of salt to a burnt pot, bring to a simmer, and the burnt bits will loosen, making cleanup effortless.
Heat Control is the Key to Avoiding Burns: High heat is primarily for boiling water. Most cooking should happen at medium or medium-high heat. Commit to a temperature instead of constantly dancing between high and low.
Always Preheat Your Pan: Get your pot or pan hot before adding oil, butter, or water. This technique is essential for preventing food from sticking and burning.
You Don't Need a 12-Piece Set: Invest in a few high-quality pieces (like All-Clad or a good cast iron pan) instead of a large, cheap set. You only need 4-5 core pieces.
Cast Iron Pans are Kitchen Heroes: They’re great for getting a deep, even sear on steak and for caramelizing vegetables. To maintain them, season with oil and use the salt trick for cleaning instead of soap (unless it's a new-age pan).

Links and Resources

Le Creuset Pots and Pans

All-Clad Pots and Pans

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Welcome to Chef Over Your Shoulder!

Welcome to Chef Over Your Shoulder: Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

amy@schluetergroup.ca (Culinary Studio) — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 16:59:00 -0400

Chef Over Your Shoulder is a podcast about the connections we make through cooking. Professional chefs Jody O'Malley and Kirstie Herbstreit team up with burn-to-the-bottom-of-the-pan expert Amy Schlueter to demystify the kitchen and bring back the joy of cooking and connecting...without the pressure.

It’s not about becoming a gourmet chef. It’s about why food matters in the first place, because it brings people together. Each episode is filled with cozy stories, nostalgic family recipes, kitchen tips, helpful recommendations, and a lot of laughter. Every conversation feels like a visit with friends, comforting, funny, and candid.

Subscribe, follow or download an episode today and start making connections, one easy, imperfect, and delicious step at a time.

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