Author: Dhvani Desai

  • What is happiness to you?

    What is happiness to you?

    Dhvani Desais profile picture

    What is happiness to you, someone asked me? What brings a smile to your face. I thought – food? family? career? cheese? peace? love? What really stood out for me was one word: Freedom!
    When I feel free, I am truly feel happy.
    Freedom about being me. Being who I want to be. without being confined to the rules, stigmas & taboos set by society. Without worrying about being judged. Just showing my inner-self more than my appearances. That is what freedom is to me.

    I did not feel the need to tie myself to societies ways, of dressing, of eating, of choosing a partner, of choosing a career… I just wanted to follow my own heart. It wasnt meant to defy the society or challenge the ways. It wasn’t meant to break rules. I just thought of experimenting with my life on my own terms, at my own cost, knowing fully the consequence.

    It was never about crossing legal boundaries, or bending ethical boundaries. But yes, I questioned
    moral, social & cultural boundaries, age old rigid customs, rites and rituals. I questioned all the things, which I did not feel comfortable doing. And so I did just that.

    And everytime I was able to do so, not be fake, be who I am, not change for anyone, I actually became a much better person. I was able to give more, help more, be more kinder. I was able to rise above my fears and insecurities… be more in control of my own life… fully charged, alive and motivated. I was able to grow more, I was able to reach new heights… My relationships strengthened like never before. The people who could accept me, stuck by.. and I consider them the real angels of my life… The rest moved on… finding their own path.

    Freedom is truly happiness for me. Sometimes though, the state of mind happiness is not always constant. It oscillates like a pendulum between highs and lows. And I have succumbed many times to the crutches of society… whenever I was mentally week. And it took courage to pick up the pieces and find myself… to follow my own path.. my own journey… and look within my soul for my true calling.

    Does any of this resonate with you? What are the things that make you happy? Is there one word that describes happiness for you?

  • My curious journey!

    My curious journey!

    Brie Cheese in the Making

    When I started out my journey into the world of cheese, what really drove me ahead each day was the urge to try out new things… new cheese… new avenues… I loved to experiment. Sometimes I had good days… sometimes I failed… But Everytime I failed it pushed me harder to keep experimenting till I figured it out! Curiosity kills a cat they say… and for me it really made me go all out.. and dive deep into the Cheese ocean…

    I wanted to learn the Why What When and How about cheese… and today it does bring a smile to my face when i think about this passion.

    I have no idea whether this is a good or bad trait to have…. to be this curious… As the focus wasn’t as much on selling my cheese but more on learning about cheese… and experimenting with it. And seeing how it behaves… how the milk behaves in our climate… I was excited about the challenge of doing something which no one ever did… at least in our country. And when it was ready for the market… And when the customers came back with raving reviews about it… that’s when I truly got my reward! And this motivated me even more, to unveil the possibilities in the world of cheese.

    The challenge of discovering something new… The thrill of seeing imagination turn to reality totally consumed me. The urge was so hard that I was ready to put aside my goal to earn money. And I wonder if this is something which you guys can relate too? I am not sure its ideal… but this was my journey. And there were pluses and minuses!

    Did you ever get so involved or passionate about any particular project, that it made you ignore other important things? Have you been smitten by the curiosity bug ever? How do you see this? Do share your views!

  • Make a simple Gourmet Salad in minutes

    Make a simple Gourmet Salad in minutes | Parmesan Cheese

    Are you all worked up while creating the perfect gourmet salad? Getting confused about where to begin ?

    A good salad can uplift any meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner… be it even a sandwich or a soup! But to make a gourmet one… as an accompaniment can be intimidating sometimes.

    We begin by thinking the steps… Do I need to add a salad dressing maybe? Some veges maybe? Should they be raw or grilled? Should I add some nuts or seeds? What will make this salad gourmet. And while thinking of all this, one might just postpone it to another day… 😅

    Heres a super simple recipe for making a Gourmet Salad in minutes:

    Step 1

    GREENS get any fresh leaves or lettuce that you may want to use in the salad. I sometimes use radish greens or beet greens as well.

    Step 2

    Toss with olive oil, salt pepper

    Step 3

    Add any good quality Parmesan cheese. If you dont have that use any Hard cheese. And that’s it! As simple as that! A good cheese can make your simple salad, completely gourmet! Enjoy!

    Now use this as a base salad, and build on it. you could add more condiments, herbs, vinaigrettes, sauces, nuts, seeds, fruits, grilled vegetables, dried fruits, anything you want! But if you don’t want to complicate, just go with the simple recipe above

  • Grilled Halloumi Cheese Salad

    Grilled Halloumi Cheese Salad

    With Honey Mustard Dressing!

    Grilled Halloumi Cheese Salad. Huge pieces of haloumi Chunks layered on top of the lettuce.
    Grilled Halloumi Salad

    My savoury tastebuds get tingling & super excited with Gourmet Dishes that use Cheese! Especially when Im in a cooking mood at home! Today I made this brilliant grilled Halloumi Cheese salad, with a mustard dressing.

    Cooking with Haloumi is the most satisfying feeling! The sizzling sound… the sight.. the texture while turning the cheese in the pan. And finally biting into that squeaky Cheese… Oooo… 😋🤩

    Grilled Halloumi Salad is a brilliant salad that goes on a side of any Rice main course. It can work as a starter dish on its own as well!!

    Here is the Recipe!

    Ingredients
    Rommaine lettuce, or any lettuce other than iceberg lettuce
    Mustard Sauce
    Olive
    Extra virgin Olive oil
    Lemon
    Salt & Pepper
    Balsamic Vinegar (Optional)
    Honey

    Method
    1) Make the dressing: Mix together Mustard Sauce, Salt, pepper, honey, lemon (add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick… you should be able to drizzle it.)

    2) Tear the lettuce leaves and layer them on a plate. On each layer drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and the mustard dressing.

    3) Place a pan on high, add extra virgin olive oil. Once you see a slight smoke, lower the heat to medium & grill the halloumi cheese slices, till golden brown. It takes a few seconds usually if the pan is hot. So as soon as you place the cheese, in a few seconds check if its carmelized.

    TIP: High flame is needed so that the Cheese gets Golden without leaching out the moisture.

    4) Gently place the Hallomi Cheese from the pan on to the lettuce leaves. Drizzle a dash of balsamic vinegar or glaze on top. (if you dont have balsamic… serve as it is!)

    Enjoy!

  • Cream Cheese Croissant

    Cream Cheese Croissant

    Cream Cheese Croissant
    Cream Cheese Crossiant Sandwich Recipe… The most amazing Gourmet Breakfast you can make in minutes for yourself, using Cream Cheese!

    Cream Cheese mushroom & basil croissant sandwich!!!

    This is the simplest and most gourmet breakfast you can have.

    The croissants are from @theobromapatisserie toasted lightly in an oven before slicing them. Added pan roasted garlic and basil mushrooms… which had a touch of freshly crushed black pepper and salt. The mushrooms were topped with my home made CREAM CHEESE & fresh basil leaves… and voila it was magical biting into this sandwich!!

    Once you know how to make cream cheese or any of the fresh cheeses in your own home you can turn any meal into a gourmet bomb!!!🤤😋

  • Intro – My Business Diary

    Intro – My Business Diary

    Quark Cheese!

    This an introduction to a tiny section within the Casa Del Cheese blog. Its called MY BUSINESS DIARY! I’m excited to share my journey with you guys… all the challenges I faced & all the learnings I discovered as I chugged along.

    As I started out as an entrepreneur, already there were a million challenges I was facing everyday. As compared to the cushy job I had for 9 years as a journalist. After the first year which was a dream, it all fizzled out, and reality surfaced. I was struggling in all areas, right from sales, marketing, operations, hiring, firing etc… However, out of all the challenges I faced, I found it the toughest to deal with, the basic mindset issues… the mental blocs, the psychological barriers, And these were the toughest to combat, at every stage. As they would multiply the extent of all other challenges. They would bring down my spirit, momentum and over all productivity. It would take a lot of effort to push it back in action. Sometimes I was not even able to see and enjoy the milestones I had crossed, or the victories I had experienced. I was too focused on the issues & what was not going right.

    I did not come from an entrepreneurship background… where a lot of these mindset settings are automated… My dad passed away young… and it was the toughest for me to deal with that… when I began as an entrepreneur. I really could feel that I did not have an umbrella above my head… I had to make one for myself. And I felt the same for him, when he was struggling for support during his illness, as a business owner. And I never showed any interest. I always thought I was the creative type… and entrepreneurship wasn’t my thing. But that’s a separate chapter. Anyways, here I am… in his shoes, 25 years later. Trying to make sense of it all… and it’s still work in progress. I am learning every day. Everyday is a new experience. New challenges and new ways of dealing with them. I have adopted to this way of life now. And I am happy to call myself an Entrepreneur today!!! I hope that there is something meaningful for you to take away from here… something which I longed all through out… to hear from another entrepreneur!