Welcome to Sweet & Savory

Hey, hey, welcome to my virtual kitchen!

I’m Shinee!

And I’m so happy to have you here!

I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And that’s why here on Sweet & Savory, my goal is to help you to become a confident cook!

I do all the researching and testing for you… so you can confidently cook and bake the classic dishes you love.

  • My recipes are well tested in my home kitchen and approved by my family and friends.
  • I share all the tips and secrets I learned along the way, so you can easily recreate them in your kitchen.
  • Every recipe is easy to follow with lots of tips for success and step-by-step photos/videos to guide you through every step of the way.

And most importantly, I teach you the “why”-s behind the technique, so you can easily add your own twist to the dishes, as you become more confident with your skills.

Don’t take my word for it though. Check out what my readers say about delicious, yet gorgeous food they’ve made at home:

“Thank you for this amazing (chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling) recipe. Made it for my friend’s birthday cake and it turned out incredible. Was absolutely a hit.”

“My second ever attempt at macarons… They look amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe, instructions were perfect and I can’t believe how fantastic they look. Not to mention, taste great.”

“Just want to let you know that I tried your bacon chicken meatballs served with the sauce for our usual party night. Everyone loved the meatballs, especially the sauce! We almost dipped the sauce on every bite of the meatballs.”

Now, a little about me…

I’m a small town girl with big city cravings…

Living in rural North Dakota and not having access to many restaurants and bakeries, I craved impressive desserts for special occasions and big city flavors in my everyday life. You see, one thing (and probably the only thing) I absolutely loved living in Los Angeles is the diverse food I’ve experienced there. From pretty macaron shops to neighborhood Italian restaurants, I got to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Now, since my favorite bakery is more than 100 miles away, I had to learn to bake gourmet desserts from scratch. And instead of driving to the next town (30 miles away!) for a nice meal, I wanted quick n’ easy yet special dinners that I can make right in my own kitchen.

Through numerous trials and errors and consulting my trusted cookbooks, I’ve created approachable recipes with easy-to-follow directions to satisfy my cravings for gourmet eats.

I don’t miss big city food anymore (well, maybe a little…) because now I can impress my friends and family with a batch of beautiful macarons and celebrate birthdays with homemade layer cake from scratch, right here in my own kitchen. Nothing makes me happier and more accomplished than seeing my loved ones enjoy my beautiful- and delicious– creations.

I live with my husband, Garrat, and 2 little boys, Grant and George.

  • Garrat is a rancher by day, a handyman on demand, a plant nerd all year-round and my #1 taste-tester in the kitchen.
  • Grant is my 7-year-old son who is very into farming and building legos! He has very good appetite and loves to eat everything from mushrooms to blueberry cake and everything in between!
  • George is my 5-year-old son. He’s my youngest taste-tester and absolutely loves his job! It’s impossible to name all his favorite food, because he loves to eat! He’s also an aspiring farmer.
A family picture of Shinee with her husband and two young boys.

…Besides spending countless hours in the kitchen, traveling is another passion of mine. In fact, I uprooted myself from my homeland, Mongolia, over a decade ago to explore the world. How and why I settled in ND is a whole another story for another day. But you can read some of my travel journals right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by! It’s an absolute pleasure having you here.

P.S. If we’re not connected on Facebook yet, please come join me over there and watch my short n’ sweet video recipes. I’m also very active on Instagram, sharing tips and tricks, cooking demos, and general behind the scenes stuff.

xo,
Shinee