Hello! I’m Anna and first of all I want to tell you how glad I am that you found my page. We live in a hectic time where every minute is precious and it seems we never have enough time for the things we want to do. For that reason, thank you for taking the time to read more about me and my blog 🙂
More than just cooking…
Originally I come from Bulgaria, which is founded in the 7th century and is one of the oldest European states. This is therefore a country with lots of old beliefs, rituals and traditions. An old Bulgarian saying tells that “no one is greater than the bread” and according to one of our ancient beliefs, it is a sin to throw bread away. I suppose if someone hears this for the first time, they might find it odd. The truth is that these beliefs express something that has been known amongst people for thousands of years, but nowadays we somehow tend to forget – namely respect and gratitude for the food and the products that we have or receive from nature.
Change and evolution are wonderful things. Just as the world is constantly moving, we also need to move forward and evolve. Letting go of the old to make room for the new. At the same time, it is also important not to forget the oldest and simplest things on which humanity is built.
The name, which I chose for my blog means a lot to me. I believe that cooking is not just the process of preparing something to eat. For me, it is kind of a ritual, a symbiosis of gratitude, humility and lots of love. In fact, I think its power is often underestimated. Cooking is a way to express ourselves, a way to show our love, a way to make someone happy. It can evoke so many emotions. For example, the tasty smell that comes from the kitchen when you come home from a cold day to a warm house. The comforting feeling, when you realize that someone is waiting for you at home. The taste of warm soup made by some special, when you’re sad or feel like nothing is going right.
Cooking is a way to keep the memories alive through traditional family recipes. We remember the people who were in our place and prepare their favourite dishes with the same love as they did back then.
Over time, we may forget the history and the people who were here before us. However, there is one thing that always remains, passed down from generation to generation – the traditional local recipes. Recipes that have been handed down from mouth to mouth. Flavors and aromas, that remain in time and will always remind of what has been forgotten.
Through my blog, I want to share with you my recipes, recipes of my family, recipes that I cook in my home. They are made with lots of love, recipes that you can prepare in your own homes for your family, friends or for yourselves. I am not a professional cook, I’m just someone with a great passion who loves bringing happiness to those around her. I hope I can bring some happiness to you too!
About me
I come from a family of teachers and engineers. I am also a computer engineer by degree and profession. I love science and I like what I do. However, in addition to that, I have another great passion that I discovered with time – the art. I love the theatre and the film industry, I write poems, I paint. Maybe art and science seem incompatible, but they are just the two parts of me – my mind and my heart.
I grew up in a very strong and united family, which I love dearly. We used to always have dinner together in our home and I loved spending time with my mother or my grandmother in the kitchen, helping with whatever I could.
So over the years I started cooking on my own and started learning to create that comfort I felt every night in my parents’ home.
I now live in Austria with my boyfriend, in a beautiful province called Vorarlberg. It’s a region with beautiful nature and highly developed agriculture. There is no way I can explain the magic of this place in a few lines, so I think I will tell you a little more about it some another time. All in all, I can tell you that the families here are big, they build their own houses, they spend their weekends in the mountains, the housewives always make a cake or a pastry on Sunday, the farmers show enviable respect towards the animals and the atmosphere is calm and peaceful.
I have been a vegetarian for a few years now. Originally I made the decision because of my love for animals. Later on, many other reasons emerged, which to this day change my lifestyle little by little. I started to think more about the world we live in and the way we treat nature, the people around us and ourselves.
My recipes
All the dishes I share here have been prepared in my kitchen and have passed the approval of my family and friends 🙂
Many of the recipes are vegetarian. Of course, there are some that are originally made with meat, so I will write two versions – the original recipe and a vegetarian variation. I like to challenge the cliché that vegetarians hardly have anything to eat. Not only do we have enough things to eat, but the vegetarian dishes are also amazingly tasty!
My kitchen includes international dishes from Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, Italy, and other interesting countries. I often try out new recipes, but I also like to prepare traditional dishes based on authentic recipes.
I will be happy to share with you everything I know and can do in the kitchen. After all, cooking is not difficult if you are calm, careful and put your love into it. And of course, if you follow a good recipe 😉 Feel free to write to me and ask any questions you might have. I’d love to hear from you and will be happy if you share your comments or experiences about the recipes.
Thank you for being here, I’ll be very happy to cook with you!
Love,
Anna