~ Merry Christmas to All ~

By Lynne December 24, 2011
A cup and some pastries on the table
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New England Clam Chowder

By Lynne December 16, 2011
A bowl of soup on top of a white plate.

The first time I ever saw a clam, I was about 5 years old, living with my Mom, Dad and little brother in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My father was very into fishing, which a lot of people are in Minnesota, as it is the Land of 10,000 Lakes. However, in this case he had been fishing on…

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Food Bloggers LA Holiday Cookie Exchange 2011

By Lynne December 13, 2011
A plate of cookies and other treats on the table.

Last Saturday the Food Bloggers Los Angeles group got together for a Holiday Cookie and Cookbook Exchange. It was so much fun to see everyone and see what kind of cookies they brought. Everyone also brought one or more cookbooks to exchange. Erika, of In Erika’s Kitchen, whose house we were meeting at, contributed about 40…

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Hard-Cooked Eggs on Toast with Béchamel Sauce

By Lynne December 10, 2011
A plate of food with eggs on top

The day after Thanksgiving I was perusing the leftovers in my refrigerator, when, gasping with horror, I realized I had three hard-cooked eggs that I had been planning to use in an appetizer, but hadn’t had time to make. Now I had three eggs that I had to use within a day or they would be…

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Gingerbread with Apple Cider Sabayon

By Lynne December 5, 2011
A piece of cake with white frosting on top.

Warm Gingerbread, scented with molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, with sweet cold Cider Sabayon gracefully flowing down its side, was what I made for our Thanksgiving dessert this year. It was a not-too-heavy, but lovely end to our feast. Our groaning board held the traditional turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, plus my Roasted…

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White Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies

By Lynne December 1, 2011
A pile of cookies sitting on top of a wooden board.

Hi everybody! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and your waistband is still the same size. My holiday was fantastic because I got to see my brother, who lives in San Francisco, and my older son, who lives in Davis, California. They came to our feast with their wives and it was so much fun.…

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White Fish Ceviche with Peruvian Aji Amarillo Peppers Marinated in Lime Juice and Ginger

By Lynne November 20, 2011
A bowl of corn salsa and tortilla chips on the table.

This recipe was inspired by the one tablespoon of Ceviche prepared by Mary Sue Milliken that I had at the Cadillac Culinary Challenge in October. It was served in a little plastic glass, but the taste impact of the Aji Amarillo Pepper Sauce was so profound I had to try to make it myself. I can’t…

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Cumin Garlic Roasted Carrots & Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing, Arugula and Sesame Seeds

By Lynne November 12, 2011
A plate of food that is on the table.

The full title of this post should be “Cumin, Garlic, Chile de Arbol, Thyme Roasted Carrots and Avocado Salad with Sour Dough Croutons, Roasted Orange and Lemon Dressing sprinkled with Sesame, Poppy and Sunflower Seeds.” Ok, so it’s a little long. It could have been even longer because I left out the Mesclun and Watercress. Also…

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A Roundup of Soups for the Coming Holidays

By Lynne November 10, 2011
A bowl of chili with cheese and cilantro.

Winter has finally come to Los Angeles. Yea!! It’s cold and rainy, and I can finally turn on my oven and start baking. And dig out the big pot and make tons of soup to fill my freezer with little containers. There are also three big holidays coming up, which may mean you’ll be making big…

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Sangria Glazed Pears & Honey Almond Cream From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

By Lynne November 7, 2011
A plate of food that is on the table.

In September I attended Grace-Marie’s Sizzlin’ Spanish Paella cooking class, which culminated with this Sangria Glazed Caramelized Pear & Honey Almond Cream dessert. I love to go to her classes because the food is so beautiful and I get to take marvelous photographs. It helps that my camera is a wizard, I realize. I am just…

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The Halloween Pumpkin That Won the Prize!

By Lynne November 1, 2011
A hamburger made out of an orange pumpkin.

My husband, Scott, created this work of art for his company’s pumpkin carving contest. And he won the prize! Congratulations!! See the Halloween Pumpkin for 2012!  

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Cadillac Culinary Challenge Oct 15, 2011, Irvine, CA Chef Mary Sue Milliken vs. Chef Yvon Goetz

By Lynne October 25, 2011
A plate of food with some kind of fruit

Aji Amarillo Ceviche by Chef Mary Sue Milliken The Cadillac Culinary Challenge I attended took place on a beautiful, hot, Southern California day in the Irvine Spectrum Center courtyard next to the ferris wheel in a black open-sided tent. Inside there was a stage in front with two cooking counters for the two challengers, celebrity Chef…

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Welcome to Cook & Be Merry

A woman with glasses smiling for the camera.Hello! My name is Lynne Hemer, and I am a woman obsessed with food and cooking, in search of new, unusual, exotic, and sublime ingredients and recipes. I love reading cookbooks, taking cooking classes, going to restaurants, photographing food, and blogging about it all! I hope you enjoy my website as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Feel free to contact me at lynne@cookandbemerry.com

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