liv bites

I can remember my mother making “banana nut bread” back when I was wearing school uniforms, and she almost always has some on the counter when I go home today. To me, it’s always symbolized southern hospitality — something to give as a gift to a friend or teacher, or something just to have around [...]

It’s no accident that even when there is absolutely no time to spend an hour cooking dinner, dessert always seems like a manageable time commitment. Such was the case the other night when I threw together a spinach salad, starving, and was fully nourished by 7:45 — and found myself with most of the evening [...]

My sister and I share many things: a sub-average body temperature, parents, and a love of new dresses. We also share an inexplicable fondness for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, which is hard to explain only because neither of us regularly enjoy white chocolate or macadamia nuts in any other context. In fact, I’ve developed [...]

Southerners may not have invented the tradition of cooking for others, but they have certainly perfected the execution of it. My childhood is filled with memories of my mother rushing around, completing errands with my sister and me grumpily sitting in the backseat of her car, but always making time to drop a casserole off [...]

I’ve never been a huge fan of mushrooms, but since they’re just about the “meatiest” vegetable on the market, I’ve decided to learn to love them. Thus, I bucked up, bought some huge portobellos at my favorite nearby produce market and decided to create my own Portobello Mushroom Napoleon with my favorite veggies. Incidentally, if [...]

I have a special place in my heart for Mardi Gras celebrations, having grown up just a three-hour drive away from New Orleans. It’s something, I’ve learned, that is not shared by most people I’ve met in the Bay Area — the dismayed looks on my co-workers’ faces when I brought a King Cake into [...]

My assistant’s lovely mother Sharon joined us in San Francisco for the long President’s Day weekend, and after a couple of deliciously extravagant meals out (mmm, Mission Beach Cafe), we decided to eat in Saturday night. The menu? Mustard and Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon with Tomato Tart, Arugula and Pear Salad, and Mini Apple Cobblers [...]

Tonight I made my very first pie. In fact, pie-making was previously so far off my radar that I had to go out and buy a pie pan at my trusty 24-hour grocery store in which to make my pie. But I suspect it will be the first of many. Here’s how it all started. [...]