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
Emily L Lemon says
Hello to your Family! My first name is Emily. I met my husband of 29 years when were both stationed at Fort Bragg, NC as cooks. (We have so many cooking in baking issues). However, my children benefit greatly & love it! My oldest son Chaz (28), he is the taste tester no interest in cooking or baking. Char (23) has a real interest in cooking, baking, turning it into a beautiful art (so artistic) & my youngest son Cordell (17) he loves to learn when he’s not playing on his game. He is the tallest in the household currently at 6’6″ & loves to hug on his momma. I’m loving your channel and look forward to learning new recipes!
Dave Oney says
Thanks for a great post on eclairs. I have made them many times using various recipes and methods and yours is the best so far.
I am wondering about using a convection oven to bake choux. My convection oven auto adjusts the temperature down from conventional by 25F. Should I set the temperature at 400F so that the choux bakes at 375F. Thanks.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you loved my eclair recipe, Dave!! So typically, you want to lower the temp by 25° if using convection oven because convection oven runs hotter. So, you’d need to pre-heat the oven to 350°F for convection. But since your oven auto-adjusts, I think you should just pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
Dave Oney says
Thanks for the quick answer Shinee. I decided to experiment and divide my batter in two. I baked the first tray exactly as described in your post. (375F, 30 min, slit and return for 5 more minutes.) Think my oven runs a bit cool as half the eclairs baked this way collapsed. I baked the second tray with convection at 375F. I set my auto-adjust convection oven to 400F and it adjusted to 375F. My logic was 375F is 375F no matter how you arrive there. Because the choux needs high temperature to rise properly, and you have success at 375F I decided to hold the temperature and reduce the baking time. I baked for 20 minutes, checked the shells, thought they could use a bit longer, so added 3 minutes. I removed them from the oven, used a chopstick to poke a hole the length of each shell then returned them to the oven for another 5 minutes. The second set (convection) were much better than the first (conventional.) my conclusion is convection baking is fine and may have resulted in more evenly baked shells. Either baking method is fine, provided you do not underbake the shells. Next step is to try again using water and milk for a softer shell. Thanks again. Really glad to have found you.
Sherrie Blackburn says
Cooking is my passion. I only know how too cook soul food or you can call it country foods. Also, know how too cook some cajun dishes like gumbo with seafood. One of my favorite soups my grandmother used too make us was creamy chicken and noodle soup with little baby English peas in it I loved this soup. I went out with the girls too a pub that specialized in soups and breads they had my grandmother’s soup on there menu. I like too have fell out. Anyway so excited to see your recipes thanks for sharing. Ph I do my shrimp exactly like you if their 20-25’s I will boil for 5 minutes then i pour out half my hot water then add my ice. The shrimp grab that seasoning quick so I’m very careful not too have them too spicy or salty. If not enough seasoning add dry seasonings to boiled shrimp through in a ziplock and put back in fridge until ready to serve. Sorry just a tip I just did. Lol lol I’m crazy
Shinee says
Hi, Sherrie. Welcome!!! So happy you enjoy my recipes and thank you SO much for sharing your tip on shrimp!!!
Susan says
Hi. I love this chocolate and cherry, 3 ingredient recipe but my son is now vegan. What can I substitute for the eggs to keep it fluffy and stay together?
Shinee says
Hi, Susan. Unfortunately, I have no experience with egg-free baking to give an appropriate advice.
Betty Hartman says
I am a very old person learning to cook for the first time. I made macaroons and had the egg yolks so I searched online to find out what to do with them. Your recipe was so easy to follow and I loved your boys giving their evaluation. Very sweet.
Lynn Archer says
I’m planing on making this tomorrow cause I’ve got one child with ADHD and then a son that is Autism too… And I don’t like them to have all them sugar’s either .. and this sounds yummy 😋😋😋 too. They loved banana’s and strawberries too… So I see this being our new snacks for a while…. Thank you for sharing with us.
Shinee says
My pleasure!! My kids love that strawberry banana ice cream. And I hope your kids will do too!
Stephanie says
Hi Shinee
I stumbled upon your recipes. I am trying to improve my health. Dr Amy Shah says that fermented foods are good for you. I am going to try your miso recipe. Do you have any other recipes that include fermented foods?
I love everything about your site. It has a very friendly vibe. Take care
Shinee says
Hi, Stephanie. I don’t have fermented food recipes on my website. My friend, Nataliya at @momsdish, just shared her homemade sauerkraut recipe recently. My mom used to make buckets of sauerkraut for the winter every year, and it’s very good!
Sally McCarthy says
I’m hosting girls night next week and found your recipe. Would love a more detailed version as I’m not a cook. Any help you can offer would be wonderful.
Thank you
Shinee says
Hi, Sally. What recipe are you planning to make? Most of my recipes have step by step photos (some even have videos) along with many tips in the recipe post above the recipe card. Let me know what recipe you’re wanting to make, and I’ll do my best to help.
Maria Matos says
Divina y muy bien explicada la receta de macarron! Gracias!
Becky says
I love this recipe. I tried a different recipe but it didn’t work out. Your recipe was delicious. I was so excited that my second try I got the feet. And I used your buttercream frosting. They were delicious. Thank you so much for the great video and tips.
Shinee says
Hi, Becky. It sounds like you made my macaron recipe. Happy it worked for you. Thank you for your feedback, Becky!
Tori Bertucci says
Getting back into making macarons now that I’m semi retired. Came across your website and like your videos.
Shinee says
Hi, Tori! Welcome! Let me know if you try any of my recipes.
Etty says
Hi Shinee, when i searched for macaron recipes on google, none of them looked good and I was so confused about everybody’s tips. Then, fortunately, I came across your website/guide and everything was SO clear! You really seemed you knew what you were talking about, and you did !The videos were amazing and the steps were easy to follow! I can attest because I am only 11 years old! Although my macarons were a bit flimsy THEY WERE DELICOUS!I am still perfecting them and it is no problem because I love to bake! Everyone in my family loved them they were a huge hit! Thank you for making an amazing free website and taking the time to make detailed videos! TYSM!
Shinee says
Etty!!! Thank you so much for your feedback!! I’m so happy you found my videos helpful, and thank you for choosing my recipe!!! It makes me so, so happy you had tried making these finicky cookies and perfecting your technique! And it’s totally normal to not have perfect shells from the get-go, because there are so many variables affecting the final result. As you practice more, you’ll find your groove. Good luck!!!
Diana Furia says
Hi Shinee, I love how easy you make cooking. My husband the fourth child of three girls. He is a great cook. Never uses recipes and it’s always well almost always wonderful 95% of the time. So I just made your Banana nut bread. He will try it in about a 4 hours. I will let you know.
Shinee says
Hi, Diana. I’m so happy you chose my banana bread recipe to make. Hope you and your husband loved it. Thank you for stopping by!
Diana Furia says
Best bananas bread he has ever had!!! Loved it❤❤😋
Diana Furia says
Also me too! So delicious. And moist! Thank you for your recipe. I know you must be busy. So thank you 😊
Shinee says
Yay, I’m so happy you and your husband loved it, Diana!! I appreciate your feedback!!
Brenda says
Wow, I look forward to reading and making your recipes!
Shinee says
Hi, Brenda! Welcome. So happy you landed on my website. Please let me know if you try any of my recipes or have any questions!
Carine Ndongla says
Hello Shinee, I feel happy I found your blog. I love cooking and baking and really wanted to learn how to make macrons but most of the videos I see on YouTube, were so difficult for me to understand but reading your recipe, am confident I will be able to make perfect macrons 😀. Thank u for sharing 😊. I will definitely share my macrons once I make them on IG with u.
Shinee says
Hi, Carine! Welcome!!! I’m so glad my recipe was easy to understand. That’s exactly my goal, and I’m so happy it came across that way to you as well! Thank you for your feedback! And have fun on your macaron journey!
bailey rought says
Hey I am Bailey and I am getting married this year to my fiancé Matthew! We are thinking of making macaroons for our wedding! Love if all the advice, we made some for the first time today and the macaroons were hollow. But they did turn out great for me lol 😂
Shinee says
Hi, Bailey! So glad you landed on my website! I have ton of resources for perfecting your macarons! Hollow macarons are quite common, and totally fixable. Watch this video on 7 things to full macarons. And this page has all of my posts/videos on macarons. hope you find it helpful.
PeggyAnn Danner says
I absolutely love your recipe for Pizza dough. I’m 73 years old ..of Sicilian heritage..I’m first generation in thr US.. I’ve been making pizza dough for 50 years..wrong! Can’t wait to get to the store tomorrow and buy your four.. I get mine from an old mill-in Nebraska.. I also need to convert the amts. into ounces lol I’m excited to give this a try and my husband is ready for pizza that looks like yours pictured.. lol I’ll let you know.. it’s absolutely untrue that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I love to cook. I love to eat and I love to feed my family.❤️❤️Thanks for the inspiration
Shinee says
Aww, thank you so much for sharing!!! So happy you found my recipe and I can’t wait to hear back your feedback!!! Happy baking!!!
Nancy Shanley says
I love your web site. Also, I love your thorough explanations and the way you show exactly how things should look. I found your web site because I’ve been working on macarons. I’ve had one or two successes but I’ve made at least 16 batches. Now that I’ve found your site and see all the other recipes you’ve provided, I am very excited. Thank you for your willingness to share your expertise.
Shinee says
Hi, Nancy!! So happy you landed on my website and that my recipes have been helpful!!! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!! And please reach out if you ever have any questions when making any of my recipes.
Joseph Nemiroff says
Killer website! You saved our new years with your chocolate macaron recipe. I am a believer! You rock!
Shinee says
Aww, thanks so much, Joseph! Glad you found my recipe!
Amy Boulineau says
I am making the pistachio macarons and the recipe calls for salt in the narrative, however, it isn’t listed on the ingredients. I don’t know how much I need to add.
Shinee says
Hi, Amy. I apologize for confusion. You’ll need 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt. I’ll update the recipe.