Casual California cooking for real life
Approachable recipes for home cooks, by sisters who love food.
Breakfast
Appetizers
Soup
Salads
Sandwiches
Pasta
Drinks
Sweets
Vegetarian
Get to know cooking with conks
hello!
We’re Rachel and Emily Conklin (“Conks” for short), sisters, home cooks, and the duo behind Cooking with Conks. We share casual, approachable California-inspired recipes that are fresh, flavorful, and designed for real life. We believe anyone can cook something great with a little confidence, a few tips, and a recipe that sparks excitement for new flavors.
Whether you’re cooking for one or a few, our recipes are here to make cooking fun, doable, and welcoming. We create dishes that are full of flavor and easy to follow, so you can feel confident experimenting in the kitchen. So come on in, grab your apron, and let’s get cooking together! We’re glad you’re here.
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what is
casual California Cooking?
For us, it’s all about:
- Fresh, vibrant ingredients
- Bold flavors inspired by everyday ingredients
- Easy, unfussy recipes for real life, no training required
bright & feel good
Our fresh favorites
Turn it up
Big, bold flavors
cook with us!
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Our Top Cooking Tips
Read the Recipe First
Before you start cooking, make sure to read through the whole recipe first. If you want to hit that “Jump to Recipe” button and start with the recipe card, that’s fine, but the rest of the recipe post contains helpful information too.
Mise en Place
Literally meaning “everything in its place,” this refers to making sure everything is prepared before you start cooking. Chop those veggies, make that dressing, and measure everything out. This is another reason why it’s best to read the recipe first.
Taste Your Food!
We’ve heard that some people don’t like to cook because their food never tastes as good as a restaurant’s. That often has to do with a lack of seasoning, so make sure to taste your food during cooking (don’t taste raw meat, though) and after.