optimism.

I have loved baking since I was a little girl.... my passion for cooking came MUCH later in life. There is something I love about all the baking utensils and gadgets, making sure all of your measurements are precise, and of course the delicious smells. I think perfectionists make great bakers :) I got the opportunity to work at a Young Life camp as a baker and fell even more in love with baking, which is somewhat surprising that I still enjoyed it after making 600+ biscuits/cookies/breads every single day. The next summer I did a kitchen internship where I learned the ins and outs of the culinary world. It was so enjoyable. I am so thankful for these opportunities because they not only revealed some of my greatest passions but also gave me such valuable hands on experience. All this to say, when I got diagnosed with a gluten intolerance.... I didn't really know how to bake anymore. Then once I was put on the Candida diet, I REALLY didn't know how to bake anymore. At first I felt like a hopeless little child learning to bake for the first time again. But then, I found this quote:

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

So I decided to be optimistic. To re-teach myself how to bake without the usual staples: white flour and sugar. Let me tell you, it is a WHOLE new world. But I am learning. I am learning to bake with almond flour and coconut flour.... with stevia and grapeseed oil.... I am learning to find the opportunities to appreciate new flavors and textures, to make baked goods that are healthier and don't put you into a sugar coma upon finishing them.

I don't know how many of you saw the movie Julie & Julia, but this movie totally inspired me. Julie is just your average young woman working a boring job but has a love for Julia Child, a famous chef. She decides to start a blog that documents her working through Julia Child's famous cookbook as well as what she learns along the way. I've decided that I want to do something similar. I have found a couple of really amazing blogs that I am now following and am going to try to challenge myself to try a couple new recipes a week. Hopefully you will enjoy coming along on this journey with me. I hope that you all will be inspired to eat better, to try to new things, and to see the opportunity in every difficulty.