About Me
Hello! Welcome to Macarons and Mimi! My site is all about the two categories I loosely place most aspects of my life in: “Macarons” and “Mimi.”
“Macarons” represents the finer things in life that I love and try to make room in my budget for, or I make a budget friendly version of! (Because I don’t know about you, but I am certainly on a budget!) I thought the lovely, decadent, and dainty French macaron represented these interests of mine perfectly, which include travel (to Europe in particular! Anyone else obsessed with the grand, old European cities? Prague is my particular favorite), going out to eat (so nice to have a meal I didn’t prepare myself!), SHOPPING, fancy puff pastries and cheeses, a bottle of good olive oil, my favorite luxury brand Repetto, and of course the LADUREE macaron!
“Mimi” represents the most important things in my life, truly the heart and core of who I am. I thought “Mimi” was the perfect name to represent this side of my life because it is the self-given nickname of my beautiful three and a half year old daughter, Mary Jeanne. (“Mimi” was how she first began pronouncing her name when she was a year old, and the nickname stuck. The fact that our family loves Dean Martin and we discovered his rendition of an adorable song entitled “Mimi” cemented the nickname for good!)
The most important things in my life, represented by “Mimi” in my site’s title are: my adorable and sweet daughter, Mary Jeanne, my dashingly handsome and kind husband, Andrew, my entire supportive family and friends, preparing meals that are tasty and (mostly) healthy (I am more about portion control than taking fat, carbs, and salt out of the food I prepare), and films and movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Classic Hollywood films and stars have been a particular passion of mine since I was nine and saw a Marilyn Monroe Barbie doll ad in a Toys R Us magazine. I still have not lost interest! My particular favorite stars are DORIS DAY, both Hepburns—Audrey and Katharine, Brigitte Bardot, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Esther Williams, Marilyn Monroe, Leslie Caron, Mary Tyler Moore (one of my daughter’s name sakes), Gene Tierney, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, James Garner, Gregory Peck, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart….I should stop now.
I have been vegetarian since 2012, with a two-year stint as a vegan from 2013-2015. My husband joined me in plant based eating in 2013, and we have never looked back. We love being vegetarian, and are raising our daughter vegetarian as well. The recipes I share on this site will all be vegan or vegetarian, but meat eaters, please take a look! Any of my recipes can be adapted to include meat, or be used as a side dish.
There are so many healthy ways to eat! Meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, low carb, raw, gluten free, etc., all ways of eating can be healthy and offer benefits. My site offers vegetarian recipes because that is how my family and I eat, but I hope vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike will enjoy my recipes and feel welcome at Macarons and Mimi. Although I’m a vegetarian, I don’t view non-vegetarian diets negatively.
One of my goals here at Macarons and Mimi is to provide you with both fancy recipes that fall under the “Macaron” category, and homey, family friendly recipes that fall under the “Mimi” category. Some recipes will be easy, fast, weeknight meals. Others will be decadent and take longer to prepare.
My other goal is to provide fun, Classic Hollywood information for old fans, and hopefully create some new fans as well! I follow TCM’s Star of the Month schedule. As such, I will highlight a new star every month and provide fun facts about the SOTM and review a few of their films that TCM plays. And along the way I am sure I will have to include posts, pictures, and info about my special favorite stars and films.
So thank you for visiting! I hope you will enjoy Macarons and Mimi for the recipes and the Stars. And I also hope you will bear with me through my food photography journey, and view my cell phone-taken food pictures for what they are—charming attempts at artistry with a very VERY limited camera while I save up to buy a real one! (:
I’m Shannon, thanks for visiting! When I’m not on an adventure with my 3 year old, I’m developing plant-based recipes or watching a Classic Film!
Macarons and Mimi
Khezee
9 Mar 2019I’m so excited to follow along and learn delicious plant-based recipes, as well as get to know more about the Hollywood stars that set the stage for entertainment as we know it!!
Shannon
15 Jul 2019Thank you so much! They are two of my greatest passions. (: Always fun to have people to share them with!
Sid Allen (Uncle Sid)
6 Jul 2019Enjoyed your website very much. Shannon. Great to know we have two wonderful things in common, classic movies and Prague!
And the food looks great, too. My wife Ruby will enjoy learning about your recipes.
Shannon
15 Jul 2019Thanks Uncle Sid! So awesome to have a fellow old movie fan and Prague-lover to chat with! I hope Ruby enjoys the recipes too!