Adorable Article!
For years people told me that Aja should be on a baking show, and I always said a hard “no way!” (I mean why would I put her—or myself—through that?) But when they contacted me after seeing her cakes on my Instagram, it sounded like a fun opportunity, and we were in! You’ve all seen […]
Look who’s in Calabasas Style Magazine
So excited to have my Crunchies (South African Oatmeal Cookie Bars) and Any Jam Bars in Calabasas Style Magazine! They haven’t updated their website yet so here are links to the recipes if you’d like to make them: https://ornabakes.com/2012/10/crunchies-traditional-south-african-oatmeal-cookie-bars/ https://ornabakes.com/2021/01/any-jam-bars/ Please share the recipe and tag @OrnaBakes if you make them. ? […]
Behind the scenes
I know you’re all zoomed out, but I had to share one of the coolest (and scariest) things I have ever done in my life! I had been trying to plan something fun for Aja’s friends on the last day of school—like a Zoom “Nailed It” baking challenge—but honestly I was just too pooped (after […]
How this remodel forced me to love myself
Remodeling our house (twice) taught me to love myself and my body unconditionally. It also taught me: – What a rock solid relationship I have with my husband – Who my true friends really are – And how strong I am I will never be the same again. In June I will finally be moving […]
How to save your voice during cold/flu/show season!
This time of year it’s easy to strain your voice from yelling at your kids or your husband (just kidding ?). But now that I have your attention, I wanted to share my pro-tips for preventing and healing a strained/hoarse voice. When I was the resident jazz singer on a cruise ship for three months […]
Birthday Baking Championship
Saturday was Aja’s 9th birthday (how did that happen so fast??!!) and we had such a fun party that I couldn’t wait to share it with you. I never know what to do with party pics. Should I text my friends? Send a link to SmugMug? Post on Facebook? Or in this case I thought: […]
✨New✨
What better a way to bring in the ✨New✨ than with this special fruit of the Tree of Life. (New banner, New blog, New year!) If you follow me on social media (and if you don’t, why the heck not?! ?) you already know that I’m obsessed with the fig tree outside our new temporary […]
Annnnd she’s back!
I have to confess that last night after turning on Worst Cooks in America (freakin hilarious BTW – I mean, Eric Estrada cooking badly! And how does he still look 30? Major crush on him when I was, like, 7) I did a search online for “Rachael Ray weight gain” and when I read what’s […]
I learned a lesson!
Actually, we can ALL learn a great lesson from ice skating! When you’re sitting at home all cozy and comfy, it seems like such a mission to go out in the freezing cold. Then you get there and put giant skates on that feel like you’ll never be able to move your feet. It’s beyond […]
Happy New Year!
This year, instead of writing down five New Year’s resolutions, how about writing down—or thinking about—five things you love about your life. ? Thankfulness and gratitude facilitate positive changes more than trying to force yourself to change. So, start with feeling grateful for what you do have and focus on being positive. Think […]