Hi there!! My name is Onie Panjaitan and I think baking is just awesome!! I am originally from Jakarta, Indonesia and I moved to the states when I got married. I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband and my 3 boys. If you ask me what my favorite items in my house, I would say it’s my KitchenAid Mixer and my oven.
I always tell my friends, I cook for necessity, I bake for fun! Whenever I have to bake for something or for someone, it just makes me feel alive and excited. I love trying new recipes and I like to put my own spin in them. I also love the feeling of loving others through food. The smile that they have when you give them your baked goods, oh it’s priceless! I really do believe that baking is my love language.
How it all started
I didn’t grow up baking but I love dessert and pastries. When I actually started baking, I just did the really simple recipes. My definition of baking was to “add eggs, milk and water” but it really limits what you can bake! So in 2016, I made a challenge to myself to try baking a new recipe each week and that means finding 52 new recipes to try before the end of the year. I’ll be honest with you, it was really hard (looking for recipes, having some flops, having to go to the grocery store 2x because I forgot an ingredient) but at the end it was worth it! I started with easy recipes and then gradually started a more difficult one like creme brûlée. Sometimes I want to throw in the towel, but then I tell myself,”If you don’t bake it, you can’t eat it!!” 🙂
Where I get my inspiration
I get my inspiration from many sources. My main source is Pinterest, watching Food Network and reading cookbooks and magazines. I am such a visual person that if I want to try a recipe, I need to see what it will looks like when it’s done. You do eat with your eyes first!
Why is it an adventure
Instead of baking the same thing again and again or just looking at a dessert and thinking of how hard it would be to make it, I think of baking as an adventure. Some people climb mountains for their adventure, I make a mountain of creme puffs also known as Croquembouche! Thinking this way makes it fun for me and this adventure takes me all over the world. You can see the recipes in International section.
So welcome again to my adventures in baking! I hope you can find recipes that you’ll try and love!
Happy Baking!!
Photo Credit : Sam Rippin Photography