My name is Toni Ponder, I have always had a love for sweets! I am sweet on family, friends, and food. I love life and enjoy making people happy. One of the best ways to express this is by entertaining. When you bring people and food together you create connectivity among friends & family.
I have been asked repeatedly to write a blog. It seemed that there was never a good time to start, between working and going to school my time was limited. Last year I finally finished my degree so it seems like there is no better time than the present. I hope to bring stories of good times and good friends, tie it all together with recipes from the heart.
I believe my passion for cooking was introduced to me at a very young age. One of my favorite childhood stories is where my mom took my sister and I shopping for Easter shoes- I was probably around 2 or 3 at the time. As the story goes, I became tired and hungry and refused to go to anymore stores. I climbed under a counter at a department store where no one could reach me. My mother became frustrated with each refusal, so finally had to bribe me with an ice cream from the soda fountain across the street from Macy's. The soda fountain was also where the sales clerk kindly went to fit me for my Easter shoes. It was after this episode that from this point on I was left at my grandparents house while my mother & sister went shopping.
My grandmother was from Yugoslavia- (before they changed the country's name). She was an amazing cook, whether it was savory or sweets. I watched her make her apple strudel many times; making the crust paper thin and the size of her kitchen table. There were layers and layers of flaky crust, filled with apples, raisins & goodness. The smell of this amazing strudel is embedded in my mind forever.
My sister and I re-created this magnificent dessert last year for our father's 85th Birthday. As you can see from the photos, it was just a small amount of work, but well worth every minute of it. This is just one of the recipes I will post in my next blog,
I hope to encourage friends, family, & new acquaintances to explore family recipes and to continue a tradition of not only cooking them but passing them down to the next generation. Family, friends, and food bring people together. Maybe this way more people will plan family meals and not fast food grabs. Life is about sharing and I can't think of a better way than to share stories and recipes. Everyone has memories of fun times - and I am sure food was at the center of the evening or event. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Toni
