I have been baking for years. Since childhood.  Baking for my Family, friends and even special events and occasions.

I bake everything - from the flashiest of cakes to the simplest and most delicious cookies.

I work with sugar dough back in the days it was called RFM, I was doing it all from glazing, to sculpting, to decorating.

But still... I was only a baker. Only creating desserts. I was whipping creams and rolling dough and of course slicing the perfect slice of cake...

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Baking is easy. You do follow the written recipe; then it goes into the oven and it out it comes. On the other hand, cooking well that's another story altogether.

You see, I grew up in a Kibbutz with no memories "from my mother's kitchen". I have no "this reminds of home smells", I don’t carry any childhood memories of the delicacies and foods my mom or dad cooked. Oh wait, yes – my dad used to make us Canned meat on the balcony using a pan and gas burner – it was delicious I must admit 😊

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When I was older and much more independent with culinary experience from the best restaurants and cafes in Tel Aviv, I found myself with a lot of free time and took on a mission: learning how to cook.

Coming from baking, I was scared to death of seasoning: salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric… How much salt? How much pepper? Don't just throw spices into the air, give me accurate measurements: a tbsp, a tsp, 30g, 40ml? Give me something I can work with...

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On my bookshelf lay the first book in “Sheshet – The Kitchen Helper” series, by Al-Hashulachn publication, (the red book), it served as my “Bible” in the kitchen, guiding me on how to make chicken soup, stuffed vegetables, pasta with vegetables and minestrone soup and, yes, even the staple food that is schnitzel (Chicken fried steak).

I learned how to cook rice from the instructions at the back of the package. Meatballs in red sauce? those I learned to make from a friend’s mom, who gave me detailed instructions but in truth invented a recipe for me.

My cookbook library expanded greatly over the years to include Chefs such as Haim Cohen, Israel Aharoni, Erez Komarovsky, the master himself Gordon Ramsay, all the three books in the "Sheshet” series of “Al-Hashulchan”, as well as various baking books including those by Carine Goren and other talented and Chefs and bakers.

Yet, thought I made the first steps into cooking, at the end a baker is a baker and the main use of the extensive library was for baking.

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In recent years, two tectonic events have occurred:

1. I grew up: I built a wonderful family that includes 2 great children and a fabulous home.

2. The latest digital platforms revealed to me the wonderful world of home bakers and cooks, people who share their talent and love for food with all of us.

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This is where you, this community, enter the picture…

As someone who did not grow up in a kitchen and doesn't have her own recipes, I found myself trying more and more to cook and bake with this community.

The Pastries from Keren Agam “Married to the Bakery” blog are the “stars” of every festive event, Yehudit Aviv  “The Food Whisperer” rolls and meatballs have already become a fixture in our family menu, my husband’s favourite pea soup is from NikiB blog and Ruth Ofek's chocolate cake from her blog “Happy Kitchen” is always a big hit.

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And can you guess what’s the most frequently asked question when I serve these to my friends and extended family? Yes, you got it, Where’s The Recipe From?

 

A little about me:

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Adi Barak-Agmon. The Barak is from home, the Agmon came with my husband Roy along with two charming and wise children - Mika and Elad.

Together we created Noa our butterfly of freedom girl, and Itay who is the most magical child the universe has to offer.

One big happy family

Noa already learned the ins and outs of the kitchen, and right now she does almost everything with me. Itay is still in the playing stages with pans and measuring cups, but it's looks as were not far from the day he will joins us and own his on apron.

 

In between, I have a thriving career, I’ve spent a lot of years within the world of marketing and retail.  In my free time I cook, bake, take photos and write about it.

Come and join me I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.