Storyofcooks.com is having its one year anniversary today.
I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed. It feels like yesterday that my husband told me to open a food blog and record my mom’s recipes. He always said many people can prepare an Indian meal, but very few can make it healthy. Most of the recipes at my site are by mom. She has a treasure chest full of them.
My husband, Matthew, helped storyofcooks.com tirelessly. He made the logo, edits every post, comes prop hunting with me, and fills-in as a hand model whenever I need one. Without him there is no way I could blog my recipes and take their photos. He is also the guinea pig for my untested dishes.
I ‘d like to share some things I’ve learned in the past year.
When I started my blog I only took pictures. I cannot claim them to be photographs, even if I was using a DSLR camera. Those photos were inadequately lit and poorly fashioned. And my recipe writing … well … let’s not talk about that for now.
Thank God I came across the amazing blogger Nusrat. She got me into the world of photography. I am not the kind of person who makes friends easily, but thanks to storyofcooks.com I found amazing friends like Bart, Deeba, Simi, and Sujatha. I talk with them about food, photography, successes and failures on a regular basis. We can chat for hours about a photo’s style, color and lighting.
I blog because I love food. From picking the ingredient and savoring the meal with my husband, I love every bit of it. I always blogged what I have cooked. I never cooked something for the blog. Beginning of the year, I took part in some competitions and cooked for that. Later I found that I am getting myself under pressure. So I stopped altogether. Now I cook just for fun. I try different recipes, new recipes every week. If we love it, I blog that.
Blogging is relaxation for me. Shooting food, writing for it and savoring every bit of my cooked meal give me the pursuit of happiness! Many people told me to quit my daily job and open a restaurant or a Deli. I do not think I can ever do that. Because, if I am under pressure – I won’t be able to give my best. It is going to be boring routine job again.
In between my web programming, when I need to get a break – I look at food pictures over Pinterest. I read others’ blog post, draw some photo composition in my notebook, and browse through cookbooks at my desk(Yes, I have cookbooks at my office desk).
I never blog because I have to. I never blog because others are doing it. I blog because I want to share my story. I want to capture my moments of joy during cooking. I want my readers to have a virtual journey with me and enjoy it.
When I started blogging, my recipe writing were terrible. You should see my old recipes. They were so poorly written. It had been significantly improved when I started working for Sheryl Julian, food editor of BostonGlobe. She taught me lessons by showing me a line by line where I made mistakes. I am still not perfect, but I am working on it.
So far, it’s been a roller coaster journey, and I enjoyed every single bit of it. There are many things that worked out, but there are innumerable things that did not work out. I am trying to continuously improve my blog. So if you have any suggestion, feel free to write in comments. I am trying to bring much more seasonal vegetables and local produce to my plate and blog. I hope to continue this journey for many more years of my life.
That was a long speech. How about some sweets now?
On my blog’s birthday, I decided to make these Bengali sweets.
Bengalis share “sondesh” or sweets in every achievement, success, birthday, anniversary, wedding of theirs. If someone is visiting, my mom, always offers them “sondesh”, water, some savory snacks, and chai.
Sweets are integral part of Indian lifestyle. It is exchanged during festivals among families, offered to God. In India, arrange marriage still rules the country. When groom’s family visits bride’s family, offering of sweets and savory snacks is very much common.
This sondesh recipe is from my mum and pretty easy to prepare! If I can make, you can make it too.
NOTES(DO NOT SKIP): If you do not rinse your paneer with tap water there will be a lemony taste in your sandesh.
You have to shape the sweetened paneer dough when it’s still warm. If you let it got cold, it will be hard and you won’t be able to shape.
Ingredients
Instructions
1. In a heavy bottom pan, over medium heat, heat milk. Bring the milk to a bare simmer by stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice and increase the heat to medium-high. The coagulation will be completed in 2 to 3 minutes, and you’ll be able to see the greenish hue. Take it aside immediately.
2. Line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Pour the milk mixture over it and let the whew collect at the beneath. Slightly rinse it with tap water.
3. Gather the four corners of cheesecloth in your hand and gently squeeze to remove the excess whey. Transfer the paneer (still in the cheesecloth) to a large dinner plate. Fold the cheesecloth tightly around it. Set a second plate on top of it and put a heavy object on it. Press for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Unwrap it after 45 minutes, and start kneading. Knead it for about 7 to 8 minutes. Add granulated sugar and jaggery to it. Knead this paneer dough for 3 to 4 minutes more. It should look like a smooth ball of dough.
5. In a non-stick pan, over medium-low heat, heat the kneaded paneer dough. Stir continuously for 12 to 15 minutes or until it no longer sticks to the pan. Time might vary, depending on your paneer consistency. Set it aside. When they are cool enough to handle, shape them like balls.
If you have molds, you can also shape them in molds. Take a piece of the mold. Shape them like a ball working in between your palms. Press the balls into the mold. Gently push the edge with your fingertips and carefully take it aside on a plate. You can serve it immediately.
You can also store them in a pyrex container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Absolutely love your pictures. Wish your blog a happy 1 and many more to come.
Thank you so much dear
I loved every bit of this post . Just a honest writing straight from the heart .wish you many more years of happy blogging !
Thanks dear.