liv bites

The first time I attempted the bacon and brussels sprouts combo, the sprouts were hardly cooked, but the bacon turned out more like bacon bits — fail. The second time, I introduced red wine into the mix and loved the result. But I got a little cocky about the small success and decided it’d be [...]

I turned 24 yesterday, and I spent a big chunk of the day doing exactly what I wanted to do: overseeing a huge pot of gumbo to serve some friends who stopped by for the festivities. I chose gumbo for the birthday meal because I wanted something that would feed a group of 8 to [...]

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 [...]

Not surprisingly, I did find a use for the rest of that cilantro pesto I had leftover last week. My dad and stepmom were in town for a short California vacation, and I invited them over for a glass of wine + unspecified hors d’oeuvres so I could give them a tour of my little [...]

One of my favorite restaurants in my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi is an uber-casual Greek spot called Keifer’s, located downtown. In high school, all of my friends (even the ones who lived half an hour away) would trek down for the sole purpose of indulging in their favorite Pita Mozz or Pita Feta — depending [...]

I know I’m officially old because I have more fun the morning after a big night out than during the night itself. A couple of friends from Santa Clara came up to the city for some “night-crawling” and ended up crashing on sofas in the neighborhood, and when we all woke up around 10 o’clock, [...]

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 [...]

Every year when I was in high school in Mississippi, my mom would conspire with other involved mothers to organize a Christmas Tea for all of the young ladies in my class. There were only about 30 of us, so parents would offer up their living rooms and kitchens for an afternoon to slave away [...]