My name is Tonya and I live in Arizona. I started this blog to share my recipes with my three children and others. My daughter, Tyana, moved out of state in 2018 and was married in 2019. She wanted to have the recipes for all the delicious foods she grew up with. I believe in sharing experience, knowledge, and recipes with anyone interested. Baking is all about sharing anyway!
I discovered my love of baking during early adolescence. My mother and grandparents had hypoglycemia and did not eat any sugar or white flour. I was very young when my mother eliminated sugar and white flour and became very interested in healthy eating. She still follows the same healthy eating patterns started in the early 1970s. My Mom had a Rodale’s cookbook that only called for whole wheat flour and no refined sugar. I fondly remember my grandparents’ praise, encouragement, and enjoyment of my cookies. I treasure bringing others joy through food.
My first pie crust could not have been a worse disaster. It was so tough we could not even cut it. My second try was slightly better but no where close to good. I was inspired to learn the science of what makes food good. It is no wonder that crust was so awful; I used whole wheat flour and oil and too much water and over-handled it. I have since learned the keys to a flaky, tender crust.
Since those early days, I have learned all I can about baking and cooking. I read and study cookbooks and now have access to so much information on the Internet to continue educating myself. Of course, plenty of practice is essential too. Whatever I make, I critique myself to see how I can improve. Feedback from others is always welcome.
I discovered how wonderful it is to bake with sugar and white flour after I left home and married. Those are key ingredients in really fabulous dessert creations. However, it seems I have come full circle to my early baking days. It turns out I am gluten intolerant and sensitive to refined sugar also. Now I am creating goodies without sugar and gluten. From 40 years of baking experience, I have familiar and trusted recipes to continue baking for others. Now, I love to try out the many gluten-free recipes and I have been able to experiment replacing sugar with honey, pure maple syrup, date paste, and molasses.
My joy is sharing homemade goodies with others. It is how I express love, compassion, and kindness.