Sweet & Savory is a cooking and entertaining resource for classic dishes, cooking tutorials and entertaining.
Hey, hey, welcome to my virtual kitchen!
My name is 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 BIT 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 on 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.
- Farmer Grant is my 4-year-old son who is very into farming! He has very good appetite and loves to eat everything from mushrooms to blueberry cake and everything in between!
- George is my 2-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.
…Besides spending countless hours in the kitchen, traveling is another passion of mine. In fact, I uprooted myself from my homeland, Mongolia, 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.
Now your turn. Don’t be a stranger, introduce yourself in the comments below and tell me something about you. I’d love to get to know you too.
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. Come join me there, if you’re into that kind of stuff.
xo,
Shinee
Judy says
Hi Shinee!
I am about to make the macarons, but need assistance on measuring. Not sure how to convert grams to ounces. Is there a copy using ounces and cups? Also, I was going to purchase your e-book, but wanted to make sure they are using the imperial system and not the metric measurement.
Shinee says
Hi, Judy. I don’t recommend measuring the ingredients by volume, as the precision is utmost importance for success. If you want to use ounces vs grams, then use any converter, but I recommend using a scale. All the ingredients in my ebook are in metric measurements, again for the best result.
Tiffany says
Hello Shinee! Fellow ND girl here🙂. I enjoyed your videos and the science behind meringue. I am excited to give these a try! I’ve been eyeing macaron recipes for a while and am going to give them a shirt for Christmas goodies this year. Wish me luck!
Shinee says
Hi, Tiffany!! It’s so special to hear from someone in ND!!:) Hope you’re enjoying the snow! Have fun baking macarons!!! And let me know if I can help in any way. Good luck!
Tiffany says
I like snow for Christmas, then it can all go away😂.
It is good baking weather though. Stay inside with the oven on and be cozy!
Joy says
Hi Shinee,
Thank you for the tips on Macrons. I tried them once and failed. I didn’t know almond flour could be “too oily” and I followed the recipe that mentioned mixing the sugar and almond flour in the food processor, so I think that could have been part of the problem too. It’s important to have proper instruction when you are attempting these for the first time because I find it very frustrating when I follow the recipe exactly and it still fails. Now I know it probably was not my fault, I just had poor instruction. Also it said to rest the egg whites, so I did that too. I learned a lot from listening to your tips. I’ll try again. And as for the brand of Almond flour, do you have a favorite that you can recommend? I used Bob’s Red mill which may have been too coarse. Thanks. Btw, I’m a professional Artisan Bread Baker but I don’t bake sweets very often. Totally different animal.
Shinee says
Hi, Joy! Thanks so much for reaching out! So happy you found my videos and tips helpful!! I use and recommend Bob’s Red Mill almond flour, but note that they have 2 types. You want the one that says “Super Fine Almond Flour” and it works perfectly for me.
P.S. I want to be an Artisan Bread Baker when I grow up. 😉
Donna Francisco says
I’ve been wanting to make Macarons and just could not do it I came across your website and tried it they are better but either I make them too big or too small in my feelings I can never get my feeling great either it’s too loose or too thick I’m gonna keep practicing I’ve already made about six different batches and tossed them all away but I’m gonna keep trying I’m not sure what I’m doing wrongAny suggestions that you can give me that might help me I would appreciate it thank you so much
Shinee says
Hi, Donna. Thank you so much for your comment. So, you’re mainly having issues with the consistency of your macarons fillings? What recipes are you using?
Flash VanArsdalen says
I love all the recipes.
I have a son who doesn’t eat cheese or chocolate and I have found many wonderful recipes here! Thanks
Shinee says
So glad you’re enjoying my recipes. And thank you for your comment, Flash!
Lisa says
I’m new here and found your site while looking for a piroshki recipe 🙂 And THEN to find out that you are from Mongolia! Our family of seven lived in UB for 4 years and my husband taught at Mongolia International University. There was one Nomin in the Sansar area that sold the best piroshki. We miss buuz, too. Well, I could go on and on, but it’s so nice to “meet” you, Shinee. It certainly is a small world <3
Shinee says
Hi, Lisa! This’s wild and what a small world!! Thank you so much for your comment and sharing your memory from Mongolia. I have a “beef dumpling” recipe on my website, that you can make buuz too. 🙂
Bonnie says
I’m about to make these. I soaked then dried my potatoes and now I’m supposed to “coat my fries with the cornstarch mixture”. How exactly do I achieve this. Do I lay them out on a baking pan and use a brush, then turn and brush again? Do I dip them one by one? Please tell me how to “coat the fries”!!! Thanks.
Bonnie
Shinee says
Hi, Bonnie. I put the dried potato wedges in a large bowl and pour in the cornstarch mixture. Then mix everything with my hands. I’ve included step by step photos, as well as a video in the post. Hope you’ll find them helpful.
Beverly Bean says
I just have a comment on the raspberry jam that says put the jars in water with at least 4 inches of water-is that 4 inches over the top or 4 inches up to the top if the jars are half pints water comes just 4 inches goes to the top of that?
Shinee says
Sorry for confusion, Beverly. The water should come 4 inches above the jars.
Therese Franklin says
Glad I found your website. Thx for the recipes. I love any and all gf recipes as I am a Celiac with MS. I would love tips on preserving/freezing/drying herbs and fresh produce if you have any to share. How do you like living in North Dakota? My husband and I have run the Fargo 1/2 marathon 2x and loved the town. Is it very expensive given that it is so remote? Thx again.
Ps: i added orange zest and toasted sesame seeds to your almond cookies. They were amazing.
Shinee says
Hi, Therese!! Welcome! I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes and those almond cookies! I love living in ND, it’s very similar to my home country, Mongolia. And yes, sometimes it’s hard to find some things, but it’s gotten a lot better compared to like 10 years ago 🙂 I noted your post ideas for future. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
felicia p nelson says
I read your article about the sour cream icing do you have any info on were we can find good sour cream that is in a block size?
Shinee says
Hi, Felicia. Do you mean cream cheese frosting? There’s no such thing as block sour cream.
Jackie Thomas says
Looking over your recipes and drinks I would love to try a few keep me connected pls I can never find a website I have been to before I’m not that computer savvy.lol?
Jackie Thomas says
Strawberry jam reminder recipe
Andee Baur says
I’m new to your website but I positively will be following you closely. I’ve been making macarons but until now, I’ve never had such finely tuned instruction. I made another batch today and with your tips and instruction, I’ve improved my technique and my outcome beyond measure! Thank you for doing real-time tutorials. I cannot stand watching someone do one or two of something and then, viola! They come out of the oven perfectly. I need to see the process. Thank you! Thank you! ~Andee
Shinee says
Yay, I’m so happy you like my video style!! And indeed my goal is to teach and show, instead of just inspiring. And it sounds like you got just that out of my videos!! It’s very encouraging to hear this! Thank you so much for your feedback, Andee!
Roxanne perez says
👩🏻🍳 💯 ✅
Shinee says
Thank you and welcome, Roxanne!
Charlene says
Recipes sounds delicious!
Shinee says
Thanks so much, Charlene! Welcome and hope you’ll try some of my recipes. Let me know if you do and if you have any questions.
Susan says
LOVE YOUR MACARON RECIPE. I AM A NOVICE AND WILL MAKE IT SOMETIME IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
Shinee says
So happy to you love my recipe. Let us know if you give it a try, Susan!
Katie says
I have a question. I made your lemon soufflé and at the end of the 30-40 min with the oven turned off it was still wet in the middle. So I tried it again and my spring form pan leaked. Is there any additional tips or tricks about this soufflé you could give me?
Shinee says
Hi, Katie! Oh no, bummer you’ve had some issues!! Did you chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator after it cooled? If so, how long? It usually should set once it’s chilled in the fridge for at least couple of hours. And as for leaking, I’ve never experienced leaking with my springform pan. But you can try wrapping your pan with a foil on the outside as I had shown in this cheesecake recipe.
Lucila says
Me ha encantado conocerte! Estaba necesitando una compota de pistacho y gracias a tí la encontré. Quiero hacer cupcakes con compota de pistacho! Me encanta el pistacho.
Shinee says
¡Gracias!
La Kai (L.O.T.H.) says
Actually baking the lemon soufflé cheesecake as I type but I’m worried because the batter was really watery….not fluffy like I expected it to be since it’s a light airy cake. Is that bad?
Shinee says
Hi, La Kai. It’s really important to fold the batter gently in order to not deflate the batter. Hope it turned out ok.
Ludmila says
Hi Shinee, I absolutely love your macaroons recipes but I constantly run into the same problem with freeze dried raspberry and strawberry batter – too thick no matter how long you mix it. I tried putting less berry powder and it still didn’t work. Any recommendations or ideas?
Shinee says
Hi, Ludmila. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your feedback. I’m planning on re-working those recipes soon, but in the meantime, some of my readers reported that they have great success when reduced the almond flour by 1-2 tablespoons. Maybe you want to try that?