The moment I found out I was pregnant with Peyton, I knew she was going to be extremely special to us. She was unexpected and we were kind of terrified thinking we’d be parents only a year and a half into our marriage, but amidst all of our anxiety and fear of the unknown, how […]
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Last year, some of my Italian side of the family got together to make homemade gnocchi with my Nonna for Christmas Eve. Her gnocchi is a staple in our family. She usually makes it with tomato sauce, but I love it just as much, if not more, when she makes it with creamy ricotta. The […]
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Yesterday, this caramel sauce was my Everest. I was SO nervous to make it. It sounds silly, doesn’t it? But there was this one time when Brett and I were dating and I completely botched a batch of caramel. It tasted so burnt that it scarred me for years. To prepare myself for failure, I spent […]
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I still remember the last year I trick or treated (such a sad day). It was eighth grade and I was with all my friends. We had pillow cases and mouths full of braces — our glory days, for sure. I think we came to a consensus that it would be our last time collecting […]
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We are finally in full Halloween mode at our house. I put up the spider webs, spideys and fake bats, and Peyton is loving life. While I’m sad I’m not able to use all of our decorations (we’re in the process of redoing our built-ins), my walls are covered and I’m a happy gal. I […]
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The end of September marked Marina Makes turning two – I can’t believe it!! When I started this blog, I certainly didn’t think I’d be keeping up with it two years later or have people following along on my journey. I still have a ton of work to do, but I’m also trying really hard […]
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It’s normally all about food and babies around here, but today, I’m going to write about the man who pushed me to start Marina Makes (he also gets credit for the name itself). Not only does he support me, but he encourages me to dream big and believe in myself. My handsome huz turned 30 […]
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This Chicagoland second wind of summer weather is messing with my fall food obsession, friends, and I’m not having it. I’m all for warm weather, but sticky, humid, can’t-open-the-windows-weather is not fun in October. I want to feel the cool breeze while the leaves crunch under my shoes instead of sweat dripping down my face. […]
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Last week, we celebrated our Emmy boy’s first birthday with a barnyard birthday bash. I’ve always had fun putting our daughter’s birthday parties together and figured I enjoyed planning them because of the cute, girly aspects, but to my surprise, our son’s birthday turned out to be one of my favorites! Being a boy-mom continues […]
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Happy Fresh Fig Friday!! Can I make Fresh Fig Friday a thing? It’s just that I have been obsessed with figs lately. Anyone else enjoy this precious fruit? My Nonno and Nonna eat figs like they eat candy, and have been stuffing them in my face since I can remember. Every meal they make involves […]
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Marina Makes 