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In Memory of My Daughter Margo
This post celebrates my daughter Margo's life. Margo passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 6 after a 15-year battle with chronic illness. At 24, she lived life to its fullest and made the most of every day.
Margo was a remarkable person in many ways. Our most cherished memories of Margo include her:
1) ability to smile and find joy even in the toughest of moments,
2) constant desire to put others first and give,
3) incredible creative talent: margomade,
4) innate baking and cocktail-making skills, and
5) unconditional love for pugs and all furry creatures.
Margo was an intrinsic part of Something New For Dinner. She designed the original website and collaborated on our new site. She cooked with me, baked for me and made me delicious cocktails. She was a skilled recipe editor and could look at 100 photographs and zero in on the best three in nano-seconds. Margo and her buddy Eric produced and filmed our video It All Starts Somewhere. Margo designed an ebook we will soon be publishing and our gorgeous Something New For Dinner aprons.
Margo will be missed everyday. Her smile, her sassy sense of humor and her amazing kindness to all will live forever in my heart.
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Margo's favorite recipes
Margo was an avid cook. Even as a college student she cooked from scratch several times a week. Margo once told me that I had taught her to eat well. After she moved away from home she said the only way she could continue to eat well was to cook. And cook she did. Her friends were always happy to be asked to dinner at Margo's. When invited to a party she always brought something delicious. She was particularly well known for her Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, her Ginger Molasses Cookies, Hawaiian Chocolate Bread Pudding and her tasty Sangria.
To honor Margo, here is a list of her favorite recipes. It's a long list, but these were the recipes she made over and over and asked me to make when she was home. I hope you enjoy them as much as she did.
Salads
Chicken Frisee Salad with Roasted Peppers, Manchego & Spanish Paprika
Chicken, Berry, Date & Candied Walnut salad
Pear, Prosciutto & Pomegranate Salad
Watermelon, Tomato & Strawberry Salad with Burrata
Strawberry, Blueberry, Spinach & Quinoa Summer Salad
Japanese Cucumber & Shrimp Salad
Avocado Massaged Kale Salad with Oranges and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Soups
French Lentil & Garlic Sausage Soup
Sides
Tomato, Basil and Feta Bruschetta
Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Basil & Feta
Chicken, Artichoke, Lemon & Rosemary Risotto
Main Courses
Chicken, Potato & Prosciutto Kabobs
Za'atar & Lemon Grilled Chicken
Pineapple & Pork Lettuce Wraps
Roasted Leek, Pancetta & Tomato Pasta
Breakfast
Mango & Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits
Desserts
Nectarine Crisp with Salted Honey Whip
Rice Krispie Treats Samoas Style
Rice Krispie Treats Tagalong Style
Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Pie with Fresh Ginger & Espresso
Chocolate Espresso Pots of Creme
Pavlova with Berries, Brown Sugar & Sour Cream
Kim, this is a beautiful tribute to your very lovely daughter, Margo. Thank you for sharing a bit of her with your followers and please accept my heartfelt condolences. I hope knowing that so many will see and enjoy her works and favorite contributions will bring you some small measure of comfort, and may you always hold your cherished memories close to your heart. Many blessings to you and your family.
Thank you Elizabeth.
In honor of Margo, this take-out queen is going to light up the kitchen. One more way that Margo’s influence will encourage people to try new things — and likely generate a few gut-busting laughs. Thanks for providing a vehicle for more Margo memories.
Margo would approve of lighting up the kitchen, trying new things and gut-busting laughs. Thank you Dory!
What a beautiful tribute! Thank you for posting these recipes. I will try them all!
Thank you Vickie. Please let us know if you discover any new favorites.
Kim, a lovely tribute to Margo and a beautiful photograph. I cannot begin to comprehend your heartbreak but send my deepest condolences to you and your family. In honor of Margo, I am going to begin my own neighborly dinners with my small group of close friends and will be cooking up Margot’s favorite recipes. I hope I do her proud, and I hope a happy tribute to her life. God Bless you and your family.
Thank you Lynne. Margo would very much approve of more neighborly dinners. Thank you for your kind words.
I’ve been checking for your Monday posts and wondered why they were missing — my heart sank when I saw your post today. Your tribute was phenomenal and gave us a wonderful picture of a beautiful, creative, amazing young woman. Thank you for sharing this with us. My deepest condolences on your heartbreaking loss.
Thank you Marsha for your kind note.
What a wonderful way to honor your beautiful daughter, Margo! Thank you for the recipes, I will love cooking and sharing them at our family gatherings. Sending my deepest sympathy to you and your family.
Our heart breaks for you. We remember when you came to the xmas party and you were pregnant with Margo. You had a craving for a sandwich and Keith made you one. We will recreate your recipes and will teach them to our kids to pass on to their kids. The circle will continue. We send our endless love your way.
Thank you so much Andrea. We truly appreciate your kind note and past and future memories. Much love to you, Keith and your family.
I was so sorry to see this post. Margo took my sewing class at our shop a few times and I enjoyed having her in class. She was so meticulous with her sewing which was so impressive. She made a beautiful blouse with a fabulous fabric. I took one of her scraps and still use it for an example of a quality fabric for my new students. Margo spoke often of you and her siblings and I liked her stories. My heart hurts for you and your family.
Thank you so much Lisa. I really appreciate your note.
In honor of Margo…. I’m making a couple of her favorites for Katya’s 29th birthday…..
Watermelon, tomato, strawberry salad with burrata and Asian sesame noodles; with one of your salmon recipes! Of course I always have to make a fresh strawberry pie with graham cracker crust for her birthday cake! Just returned from our Ireland/Scotland trip…… Hope to get together when we get unpacked & organized!! Love & hugs. 🙂
That’s very sweet Mary. The fresh strawberry pie sounds wonderful. Enjoy Katya’s birthday!
Love the Margo favorites page!!!
I love the Margo celebrations and remembering her great spirit.
Thank you Candy. She did have an amazing spirit and verve for life.
This is a wonderful tribute to your beautiful daughter! I think I was supposed to find this website as I just typed in “something different for dinner”. We share the sadness of losing a part of our hearts. I’m looking forward to trying both of your recipes.
Thank you Celeste. We miss Margo every day. We just put one foot in front of the other and try to live life with the same determination, grace and sense of humor that Margo did. I am so sorry to hear you have also had a loss of someone close to you.
As her chemistry teacher, I was fortunate to taste many of her baked seasonal goods and they were all delicious! Only a few students leave a lasting impression in your heart and Margo is one who has done so. Smart, kind, happy, and pure goodness will continue to be my lasting memory of Margo.
Thank you so much for your kind words Kim. It has been a little over a year since Margo’s passing and we miss her everyday. I’m not sure how someone so young could be so wise. She really knew what was important in life and taught me so much. In her honor I am trying to live life like she did. Thank you again for contacting me.
I’ve never expressed my feelings to you about your loss, and I am so sorry for that. I guess I didn’t know how to or what to say. I now can say I feel your sadness and if anything I can do to help I’m here for you. We lost Ana our 27 year old daughter 5 months ago. It hurts.