My journey to and in the kitchen

I don't really remember the first time I made something by myself in the kitchen. But it probably was when I squeezed a lemon, added some water and sugar to it and proudly showed off my first lemonade at the age of 7. I remember making milkshakes (basically milk+fruit essence+sugar) during later years of elementary school. I also remember making the occasional bread pudding during middle school and early years of high school. But ultimately what gave me the love and passion of cooking was that batch of brownies I baked during junior year of high school. Those brownies weren't much work on my part as I used a ready-to-bake mix. But it was an instant hit among my friends. I became their favorite brownie chef. I did try explaining that its pretty easy to make and that they should all try too. One of them tried and accidentally burnt them. That convinced the whole lot of them that only I can bake brownies. Their love and encouragement took me back to the kitchen over and over again. I baked often, but every time using the mix. The occasional custard now and then, the tea I made for my dad along with my brownies were all I made as long as I was in high school.

High school was soon over, all my friends scattered around the world. That put a halt to my visits into the kitchen for quite some time. When I started college, I'd come back from classes, sit at the table in the kitchen and talk to my aunt about my day. That took me back to the kitchen. She'd cook and I'd watch her. Slowly I started looking for recipes to try out. On Friday evenings when I'm about to start studying or am unable to answer that one annoying homework question, the kitchen seems like the best place on earth. The kitchen became my getaway from weekend studying. I started trying out all those recipes. Sadly, most of the things I've tried out so far have been desserts. Well, who doesn't love desserts? I tried out new things and most of the time, my creations didn't disappoint me. In this short span of time, I've got a few signature dishes of my own. My family loves my mango cheesecake, and family friends love my Badushah/ Balushahi. I've tried a bunch of cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies and Indian desserts. Once in a while, I'd wander off to the savory side too. The only couple of meals I've ever made have been supervised by either my mom or my aunt, so I wouldn't yet call them my own. I've dreamt of making my own meals but I haven't gotten there yet. Hopefully someday soon I'd serve my family a meal made entirely by me. When I get there, I'd make sure that a blog post is dedicated to my first meal!

Along the way I've realized that cooking can be a lot of fun if you really like doing it. From what I've learnt in the kitchen, the joy of cooking doesn't lie on how good the food tastes. The joy of cooking lies in the smiles that people give you after having the food you made. The joy of cooking lies in sharing the food with others. The smiles and the feedback I've received, have given me all the motivation I need. Fortunately I'm surrounded by people who've always encouraged me to try out new things. My journey in the kitchen started with my friends' requests for brownies. And it continues.....

P.S: The pictures are my creations :)