“A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.” ~Dave Meurer

Whenever I reflect on our marriage, it brings a smile on my face. I never thought I would have a love marriage, but that was what was in store for me. Yes, ours was a love marriage against all odds and distances.

22^nd January 1996, it’s been 21 years of togetherness. Well, Marriage is just a reason, lifelong friendship is the most precious gift that we received on this day.

The year 2016 has been a whirlwind.

I met so many amazing people, ventured into a couple of projects involving uncertainty, yet successfully completed all and learned so much last year. With all the ups and downs of last year, the one thing I always remember is to smile and look up at what I got in life.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ~ Confucius

I was like a headless chicken the whole of last month, when no amount of work was ever enough. And the pressure to keep up with the deadlines and managing home at the same time was making me lose sleep.

I finally decided to slow down a bit and also to spend less time on my social media accounts. Not a wise decision for a food blogger, you say..but then there is a feel-good factor which is a reason good enough to continue the same for some more time.

So, life is moving at its own pace for me and I find lot of time to do many other things which were put on hold.

When you believe in someone you profoundly increase their ability to have faith in themselves and achieve. ~ Jason Versey

“Sanjeeta, are you free today..we want to discuss with you about an innovative product launching video. More later, when we meet in person, bye” said Arabbhi and disconnected the phone.

I have been very fortunate to have worked with some of the very talented and creative persons in the industry and Avinash Hariharan  &  Arabbhi of Happy Unicorn production house is one such couple.

I was excited and a little anxious at the same time to meet them and to know about the new venture. When someone believes in you, it gives you a sense of accountability to prove them right.

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.” ~ M.Chiarello

Running around with cousins from one terrace to another, attending family weddings and eating simple home cooked food on wood fire…childhood was so much fun at granny’s home.

Summer vacations were always welcomed, when extended families and cousins would all come over to our large joint family house for holidays in Bhilwara, Rajasthan.

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.