Author Archives for Mandy Pan

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook


When my friend J asked if I have been cooking since I was young, or if I just started learning the skill after I got married and settled down in a home away from home.  I laughed and told her it was the latter.
I learn to cook and bake from reading cookbooks, magazines and by watching […]

Christmas with Paula Deen


When the copy of Paula Deen’s latest book, “Christmas with Paula Deen” landed on my mailbox, I was surprised by its size. Upon measuring with my ruler, it measures a mere 7.4-inches x 5.2-inches. Petite indeed, compared to the rest of the cookbooks streaming into the market this time of the year.
“Christmas with Paula Deen” is a collection […]

Mandy Pan

I discovered my passion for baking when I quitted my job two years ago to join my husband in St Louis. Being a newly married woman with plenty of time at my disposal, I started to play around with flour, butter, egg, sugar and chocolate in our tiny kitchen. I am known among friends to be a passionate eater. But a baker? That is a side of me that friends have not seen. In order to keep in touch with friends and record my cooking and baking adventures, I started a blog, < a href = "http://novice-baker.blogspot.com">Fresh From The Oven</a> almost two years ago. My first baking adventure started with a box of brownie mix, a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, two eggs and half a cup of oil. Eventhough I have since tried many recipes from scratch, I will never forget the joy when my first batch of brownie came out from the oven and how the aroma filled our little apartment.