How To Cook Petya Argirova From Uhae On: Spend Enough Time In The Kitchen - Recipe

Meet Petya Argirova, the creator of the blog "Smells of ..." Many of you have certainly been among her countless recipes and have more than once prepared a dish from her notebook. Moved to Germany, in her blog Petya manages to combine German customs and recipes with traditional Bulgarian dishes. See what else she told us about her life and culinary inspiration.

Introduce yourself in more detail to our readers. Who is behind the blog "Smells of"? What do you do?

Hello friends! My name is Petya! Petya Argirova! I was born in the center of Sofia and grew up with the aroma of the Women's Market. Since 1990, I have lived with my family in Voluyak, and for almost 10 years I have lived in Hunsrück, a mountain in the Rhineland-Palatinate, a republic in Germany.

By education I am a physical education teacher and badminton coach, but I have been involved in fashion in Bulgaria for 17 years, and after moving to Germany I gained experience as a waitress. I am currently working in a small confectionery in a resort village with 1800 inhabitants. I serve coffee and cakes that I even make myself!

How was your love of cooking born and led to the creation of the blog?

I've always loved to cook! It doesn't matter how many hours a day I work. I used to go home and always make something delicious for my family. But it wasn't until about 5 years ago that my daughters were away from me and we spent hours telling recipes on the phone that I started describing everything in Wuhae on ... I didn't know then that I was actually going to be a famous culinary blogger. One year after my first post / how to make a delicious Easter cake / the first comment appeared under my recipe and only then I realized that many people read me!

In your blog you have a separate section for eating in the Zone. Tell us a little more about this way of eating?

About 3 years ago, after reading a book, I quit smoking. This in combination with a culinary blog led to the accumulation of about 10 pounds on my otherwise athletic figure. The weight also led to some pain. I thought about it, read it and found a way out of the Zone.

At its core, the Zone is a balance between the hormones insulin, glucagon and the powerful food-induced Aikasanoids in combination with fish oil. When you achieve balance in the food you eat, you will achieve balance in the body, and this leads to optimal health.

The area is not a diet, but a way of life. If you want to lose weight and improve your health, it is good to know exactly what you are doing.

What made you follow the principles of the Zone and how long do you eat this way? Is it difficult to eat like that?

It's not easy! It takes a lot of free time and a lot of dedication - you start getting up early to prepare your breakfast, you have to learn to live in moderation, because you eat almost an hour. The body itself tells you that it is TIME FOR FOOD. You will feel it for yourself. You need to combine the Zone with your family. This is not easy, but it is not impossible. It is good from time to time to re-read the recommendations of the founder - Barry Sears. They are very useful. I have been living in the Zone for almost five months now! I did it 20 years ago. In both cases the effect is great. Now, however, I will stay in the Zone forever. I try to eat a balanced diet even away from home. After five months in the Zone, it is very easy to judge exactly how the food on the plate should be 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbohydrates. I don't even need a scale. I take measurements by eye. Getting started is hard for everyone! It also takes a lot of reading information about the Zone, but if you have decided that you want to live a healthy life, always be in good shape and feel good in your "skin" - take the time to read.
I have described in great detail my first 6 weeks in the Zone and this experience of mine can be used by any beginner! Just visit Wuhae on ...

You also pay special attention to German cuisine. What are your impressions of her, how do Germans eat?

As you already know, I have been living in Germany for 10 years. During this time I met many women from the area where I live. I visited a lot of cuisines, I tried a lot of local food. I am impressed by the skills of the older generation of German women. They keep the recipes of their grandmothers and pass them on to their children and grandchildren. Here everyone is very well taught to love their national cuisine. If they don't have time to prepare it, they visit the old German restaurants to consume it. From an early age they know for which holiday what is being prepared. When game is served, what fish is combined with, etc. You will say the same with us! Yes! But not! We seem to be much more devoted to modern world cuisine and much less know how to prepare traditional Bulgarian dishes. And it is good that we pass on to our children the healthy Bulgarian cuisine.

But now it's about German cuisine. Or rather the kitchen in Hunsrück. This mountain is reminiscent of the Rhodopes and for this reason the cuisine is similar. And here the main character is the POTATO. Many traditional dishes are based on potatoes. My favorite is stuffed potato balls. They are prepared from potato dough and filled with a mixture of liver pate, minced meat, smoked pork bacon. Abundant flights are served with cream sauce with leeks. And the potato groves resemble the Rhodope patatnik. They are served with apple mousse or just tzatziki / Snezhanka salad /.

Breakfast is very rich - continental. Freshly baked bread, a plate of sausages and various cheeses, coffee or tea, eggs / boiled or fried /, fruits, vegetables, jam and cottage cheese.
Once a day hot food is prepared, and the other main dish will be the type of sandwich, pizza or sausages.
It is very important to serve a delicious cake or cake with a cup of hot and black coffee at 4 pm. That's how I learned to make the famous German pastries. Now we almost always have freshly baked Kezekuhen, Binenstich or Black Forest cake.
Roast pork or beef is almost always prepared for the holiday, which is served with potato dumplings, red cabbage and a delicious brown sauce.

In your family, which cuisine do you prefer, native or German?

At home we alternate the native - Bulgarian cuisine with the best of German cuisine and of course with everyone else. We love Turkish, Italian, Arabic, Danish, Dutch and ... world. We travel a lot and constantly enrich the family recipe book. It is also evident from the publications in Wuhae of ... I always alternate the type of cuisine.

You have won several Blogger Awards. What value do they have for you?

Three years ago, the first nominations from Blogger came to me very unexpectedly. And then the prizes! They are very valuable to me because I received them thanks to my readers. And that means my readers trust me! They read Uhae on ..., they trust me in the choice of recipes, they almost always comment on their impressions of the recipes, they vote for me! Thanks to all my fans! You keep me awake!

What would you like to say to our readers?

I will tell the readers of the National Health Portal Framar.bg that the most important thing in preparing delicious food is to enjoy themselves from start to finish. Take enough time in the kitchen to serve your loved ones beautiful and fragrant dishes. Have fun in the kitchen! And ... don't forget that Bulgarian cuisine is our national pride! Bulgarian cuisine is healthy, very rich, very attractive. And when we pass on the national cuisine to our children, we will be preserved as a nation. Be Bulgarian, no matter where in the world you live. Cook balanced, healthy and colorful food!

See the recipe for Black Forest Cake, which was provided by Petya!