After working on The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook project for so long, I can't believe it will be out in the world in just eight weeks! Here's a little teaser to get you as excited about it as I am, and to show you the stunning photos by Erin Scott that showcase the recipes so beautifully. [...]
The other day I did one of those double glances -- the kind you do when a super hot guy walks past you and you reflexively jerk your head back twice to confirm he was really that good-looking. Except I did it with beans. I walked past these little babies in Berkeley Bowl and after [...]
Cardoons, or Cardoni, are one of those things that you've probably passed by in someone's garden or a city park, not realizing that a delectable treat was just at your fingertips (if you're willing to brave the prickly leaves, peel away the fibrous strings, chop them, and boil them for thirty minutes before you even get [...]
I feel like Kraft Mac & Cheese defines every millennial's childhood. Who doesn't remember throwing down their Jansport backpack, grabbing their Skip-It and working up an appetite until mom served you a pile of that gooey mac & cheese for dinner. The truth is my mom almost exclusively served us healthy, homemade, unprocessed food, to the point [...]
We're in the midst of a big rain storm in the Bay Area, which happens about as often as a lunar eclipse. We've been trudging along for three years in a drought-induced haze, giving the stink eye to the neighbor who's washing his car with the hose running, turning off the shower water between shampooing [...]
Anyone living in California has seen nopales before, even if they don't realize it. Those cactus with the big oval paddles topped with spiky red fruit you see on the side of the road or invading your neighbor's yard? Yup, that's a nopal, also known as a prickly pear cactus. But unless you are from a [...]
As fleeting and wonderful as Shark Week, another much-anticipated period hits my household each year: Squash Week (Dun dun dun!). But unlike Shark Week, Squash Week is free of junk science and sensationalism. Well, fine, here's a little sensationalism for you Shark Week fans:Squash Week airs in the McLively household mid-November, when Berkeley finally gets a mid-60's "crisp" [...]
There's a satisfying logic to why I named this salad after the legendary music producer, Quincy Jones. (Well, it's satisfying if you love puns and music trivia as much as my family does.) Here's the logic: The exotic fruit I feature in this recipe is quince, Mr. Jones' fruit namesake. I'll talk more about quince in a [...]
You probably think I'm crazy. Salsify is a food photographer's worst nightmare. Why would I ever choose something so ugly for my blog? I have to throw out my usual hashtags of #foodporn and #veggieofthegods in place of #eatmuddysticks.If you've ever seen salsify at the farmers market or a specialty produce store, you probably walked [...]
Okay, I have two apologies to get out of the way: #1 - I'm sorry I have been MIA . The craziness of summer caught up with me and I've fallen behind. Roaming the aisles of Berkeley Bowl looking for exotic produce inspiration takes quite a bit of time, which I haven't had any extra [...]