I was immersed in a flurry of vivid memory the moment I stepped inside that large kitchen area at a photo shoot recently. The heady smell of sweets wafting out of the kitchen instantly transported me back into time, to the family weddings conducted at my granny’s place.

Long forgotten memories of my childhood came flooding back as I watched traditional Halwais work in the giant assembly line at Bombay Sweets in Thanjavur during a food photo-shoot last week.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Jack Canfield

I’ve been doing commercial food styling projects for over 5 years now, and it’s been an amazing journey so far.

The assignments that come my way are freelance projects, Ad shoots, magazine tie ups and television commercials of various brands and companies. I absolutely love my job, as every new project brings in the opportunity to meet new people and acquire different skill sets.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” ~ Frederick Keonig

Reminiscing good old days, appreciating small things in life and connecting with beautiful people, keeps me happy…always.

Sunday lunches have been a big affair since childhood. Mom would decide the menu a day before and start prepping for the dishes early in the morning. Though the menu would be a simple Indian meal with a dessert to go with it, but eating together made us try new food without making fuss and helped creating a feeling of belonging.

“Life is not the way it’s supposed to be, it’s the way it is. The way you cope is what makes the difference.”~Virginia Satir

“Packing..Checked, flight details..checked, just one more day to go and we will be having fun at your granny’s home” I looked at children and smiled, barely hiding my excitement of meeting mom and just being in Udaipur again.

But destiny has its own plans and sometimes unexpected things can happen. We went through tough times, the very thought of which makes me shudder. The trip was called off.

Foods that bring back comforting memories are precious and so is my homemade Paneer. Cottage cheese or paneer rarely made onto the shopping list of my mother, in fact it was never sold in any shop or super market back then.

Three vessels would always occupy the prime space of my mom’s refrigerator, fresh milk, leftover milk and the last one had thick cream or malai collected from the leftover milk.

“Friends are the family you choose“~ J. Scott.

Here is a hurried post I was longing to write, when the non-stop photo shoots kept me busy and away from online world.

Well, finally I am opening happiness again, with two wonderful trips that shall never be forgotten.

Reminiscing couple of days of simple joy, love, laughter and fun with two different groups of blogger friends in Karaikudi.

Whether it is a modern day Pancake a sandwich or a traditional chila, theplas, upma, parathas, or Idly...breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. You can be so creative with these breakfast recipes. But wait..on most of the week days, I can only dream of all these delicacies. When my day begins at 5.30 early morning and ends around 11 in night, cooking an elaborate meal is a far cry.

Sunday is the day when I can afford to do things differently. Come Sunday and you can even find a traditional Khamani with sev or a contemporary French toast with fruit compote and a fresh fruit & vegetable juice on our breakfast table.

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” Marcus Aurelius.

“Ah…excuse me, I didn’t get your name.”

“Sanjeeta”

I turned around and looked at the representative from client’s office standing behind me. We would have spoken at length on topics ranging from food to Indian culture on the sets for last two days, but forgot to exchange our names.

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”~ Jim Rohn

It has been days since my last post on Lite Bite.

After the life-changing career shift through food blogging, time is one luxury I don’t have.

Finding a balance between the demands of family and fulfilling your dreams is tough when you are passionately inclined towards both.

You can find inspiration just about anywhere!

People use horses and bullock carts to travel and transport things, kids still play outdoors, and women light the firewood for every meal they cook.
Paved roads, electricity, cell phones and internet are luxury here, but life is beautiful and blissfully simple. There is a sense of peace here that can’t be replicated in the cities.

Yes, this is the heart & soul of India – a typical Indian village, I visited during my last trip to Udaipur.