Hello and welcome to my blog. I’m Rona, and I have to say the amateur baker and photographer behind this blog. I have always loved cooking. My earliest memories of being in the kitchen go back to when I was a little kid. I was probably around 8 years old when my mum first let me bake a cake all solo. This was after years of mastering my skills playing sous chef while I watched mum bake simple tea cakes and whip up delicious Mangalorean food. As a child, I got really good at beating butter and whipping up egg whites for a cake sans the cake beater. A simple sponge cake was the first cake I learnt to bake. Many years and bakes later, sometimes it the humble sponge cake that I absolutely love to make.
The kitchen has always been my happy place. Although I love cooking in general, over the years my love for simple baking has overtaken my other culinary skills. As a hobby, I wrote the chefonduty blog which documented my cooking experiments in the kitchen. I decided to start Baking with Rona to share what I absolutely love doing the most; as the name suggests; baking!!!.
I love sticking to simple and easy baking, especially because I bake so often. With two little boys to watch over, I generally stick to quick recipes and easily available ingredients. This way I can bake with very little planning or notice. These are recipes you could make over and over again, those that become family favourites. I know they have for me and my family. These are recipes that can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys baking. Even if you are a beginner who wants to bake and just don’t know what to start with. Worry not, I will share all my tips and tricks.
Last year was life-changing for me, as I also started my journey towards a healthier lifestyle. I not only lost a lot of weight but also made little but impactful lifestyle changes which have made the weight loss sustainable. All this without giving up my passion for food and baking. One of the most significant changes I made was to reduce the use of sugar in my recipes, either through quantity or with healthier substitutes. I realised that a lot of recipes use sugar much more than needed for sweetness. I reduce the quantity of sugar in most of my recipes. Honestly, everything still tastes just as good. I couldn’t tell the difference, you won’t either. I also have been experimenting with using whole wheat in baking. Most times it seems like the recipe just got better. You’ll find those recipes too, here.
Being a cookbook addict in the making, I love collecting all kinds of cookbooks. I honestly can’t stop at the 5 kitchen shelves that are already overflowing. This is why you see the kitchen bookshelf page here on my blog where I will share my favourites if not all.
I live in Bangalore, India with my husband and our two little boys; Zi and Baby A, and our dog ginger who without a doubt is the biggest foodie in the house. Zi who is just around 2, is now my sous chef, starting at a much earlier age than I did. I truly believe we are making wonderful memories around food and the kitchen. My happy place indeed!!!.