The Dish Featuring TexaGermaNadian

Good morning, my peeps! Guess what day it is? That's right. It's Day of The Dish at Chicken Noodle Gravy, but more importantly, it's also Frackin' Friday! Now, if you're familiar with Frackin' Friday, then consider yourself lucky already, and if you're not, then consider yourself about to become very lucky indeed, because today we're celebrating Frackin' Friday by celebrating the blog behind it, one of the funniest and most entertaining blogs I've had the pleasure of following. A worldly blog that manages to be many things all at once, as reflected in its worldly, multicultural title: TexaGermaNadian. I know, it's pretty much the coolest blog title ever. Almost as cool as the blogger behind it. Almost.
How can you resist clicking on that adorable button? And guess what? The blogger herself designed that cute-as-a-button button and will use her talents to design one (or a blog header) for you, too. For details, click here. 

A Storyteller


Lindsey, aka Texa (cute nickname, huh?), the creative and not-at-all sarcastic genius behind TexaGermaNadian, is one of the those people who is effortlessly funny. She can make you laugh about something as simple as a pair of truck testicles (be sure to stay updated on Nad Watch 2011...there are late and great developments) and just wait till you read about this... Point is, Texa is funny and manages to tell the stories of her daily life in a hilarious and fun way. Of course, her daily life is pretty darn interesting in its own right. The blog title TexaGermaNadian is actually derived from Texa's globe-trotting life with her hockey-playing husband. She recently returned to Texas after living in Germany for the last year or so (welcome home!). And the best thing about her living in Germany? The fact that she shares her awesome and unique experiences there with her readers. Just from reading her blog, I feel like I've visited Germany myself, and I love it there!


Simply put, Texa's a natural-born storyteller, which brings me to the next rockin' thing about TexaGermaNadian: The Storytellers Blog Hop. At the end of every month, Texa hosts this hop, which has quickly become one of my favorite blog hops. The only real rule of the hop? No blogs that specialize in ads, coupons, and giveaways. Those blogs get the spotlight enough; this is for the little blogs, the blogs with stories to tell. There are no follow rules or anything, just an opportunity to meet other bloggers and also to link up your own blog and "let it shine."

Frackin' Friday, Zombie Sunday, and Other Interesting Days of the Week

I love blogs that run weekly features and events. There's just something organized and cool about knowing you can return to a blog week after week for an awesome feature. Frackin' Friday at TexaGermaNadian is one of those awesome features. Every Friday, Texa or one of her guest bloggers, shares culturally significant and educational bits of wisdom, bits of wisdom that help readers expand their horizons and flirt with learning a new language. Specifically, Frackin' Friday teaches us all to cuss in a foreign language, which really can only help to make the world a better place. TexaGermaNadian, I salute you. :)


Oh, and lazy Sundays over at TGN are taken to a whole new level with Zombie Sundays. But Texa's "boring German Sundays" are usually anything but when she tells her tales. I'm telling you this girl could probably make paint drying sound funny and interesting. She rocks THAT much. 

Scrumptious Survey: Survey questions answered by blogger. 

What’s your favorite dish/food? 

Really, I would love to say cereal. I eat it out of the box everyday. There is something about the crunchiness, and the way it annoys the hubs as I crunch. 

But seeing that I actually want people to take me more seriously than a 10 year old, I'll say a good shrimp boil. Fresh jumbo gulf shrimp, corn on the cob, red potatoes and sometimes sausage boiled in a spicy cajun seasoning. Mmmm, mmm. Always makes me think of home!

What’s your favorite type of cuisine (Italian, French, etc.)?

Hmmm, I think it might be a tie between Mexican food (uh, hello, we think it is 'our' national food down here in Texas) and Greek food. The time I spent working in Greece made me fall in love with all the savory flavors of the Aegean islands.

What is unique about the cuisine in your part of the world? 

Well, in Texas I would have to say TexMex or BBQ. Both are great down here! In Canada, they take pride in their Alberta beef, so I would say steak. And in Germany, everything seems to be 'unique' to us. But our favorites are the schnitzel and sauerkraut! So good!

Sweet or salty?

Salty, for sure. Sea salt, at least stay a little healthy with that one.

What food are you craving right now? 

Popcorn. I am a big popcorn fan. And none of that microwaveable bag crud. Air popped popcorn, tossed in olive oil, cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. Oh, so good and mouthwatering!

Do you like to cook? If so, do you ever share recipes on your blog?

I LOVE to cook. I actually look forward to making dinner every night. Weird, I know. I don't often share recipes on my blog, but only because I have a bad habit of not following recipes and/or making them up as I go. And then of course I tend to not remember what all I put into the dish, so therefore they are unable to recreate. Should really write those details down more often! Lol

Where do you get the recipes you use? From cookbooks, blogs, online directories, etc? 

Does google search count?? I usually look up a few different recipes and then mix and match to my taste (and to what I have in the pantry at that time). But there are some good go-to's from my grandmother's and mom's cookbooks. You just can't find anything like those old reliable recipes online.

What food-related word would you use to describe your blog? (i.e. salty, sweet, savory, delicious, yummy…) Get creative!

Ambrosial - fit for the gods :) 

Or maybe Piquant - agreeably biting and sharp.

(thanks 'words describing foods' google search! haha) 

So if you haven't already clicked all the links above, I suggest you do so now. Seriously, like right now. What are you waiting for? Spend the day getting to know Lindsey and TexaGermaNadian. You'll probably pick up some new German words, share in some Texas-sized fun, and who knows? You may even learn some Canadian trivia along the way. And just remember, Texa is anything but Lächerlich. In fast, she's just the opposite of Lächerlich...she's the German word for awesome, which I don't know because it's not a cuss word, and I only bother learning cuss words in foreign languages. But you get my point. Show Lindsey some love and enjoy her awesomeness.

 

The Dish featuring Life and Love of a Parrothead

Welcome to this Friday's very late edition of The Dish! This week's Dish is brought to you by Blogger. Thanks for finally rejoining the land of the living, Blogger. Us bloggers sure appreciate it!

I'm super excited about today's featured blog(s) and blogger on The Dish as I've only recently discovered them, and this feature has given me the opportunity to really discover and get to know the wonderfulness that is Breann of Life and Love of a Parrothead. Breann is one of the newest bloggers on my lists of reads, and I’m so glad that I found her. In addition to hearing a great Jimmy Buffett soundtrack in my head every time I visit her blog, she posts fun and interesting entries, and you never really know what to expect when you drop by. Through Life and Love of a Parrothead, Breann shares stories of her family, particularly of the cute little Logan, of her romantic courtship with her husband of six years, and, of course, there's the occasional anecdote (okay, maybe there's just the one, but it's hilarious!) of her history with Livejournal (remember those days?).  And, obviously, much, much more!

Delicious Design

Remember that Jimmy Buffett soundtrack playing in your head? Are you wasting away again yet? Well, the Parrothead reference isn't the only thing that takes you away to the beach after visiting Life and Love of a Parrothead. Yep, Breann’s beautiful blog design reminds me of trips to the ocean almost as much as that lovely blog title does. Her sand dollar logo is absolutely adorable (as you can see from above). And once again the blog featured on The Dish is one with a clean and simple design that compliments the actual content perfectly. Go see now! You'll love it. 

Oh, and one of the cutest and most unique things about Breann's design is her "Cast of Characters" in the right column. It helps to put faces to the names she mentions on her blog frequently. Plus, having her cute little boy and pets staring back at you every time you visit just puts a huge smile on your face. 

Sticks to Your Ribs

One of the best things about Breann? She brings readers TWO great blogs for the price of one! Sticks to Your Ribs is Breann's food-centered blog, where she shares some of the yummiest looking recipes imaginable. Even a quick visit will have your mouth watering, guaranteed!

When did I know I was in love? When I saw a Chicken Salad recipe featured on Sticks to Your Ribs that looked delicious to me...and I happen to hate chicken salad. Anyone who can write about and take pictures of a food that I don't particularly like and make me wanna try it is a total winner in my book! Plus, Breann is excellent about taking great pictures of each step of the recipes she tries. Sure, as a writer, I love to read recipes, but something about just reading recipes without visual aids doesn't do much for me. Sticks to Your Ribs has it all! It's just the kind of food blog I love with recipes and fun anecdotes mixed throughout.



Scrumptious Survey: Questions answered by blogger.

What’s your favorite dish/food?  

I have always loved classic Spaghetti with meat sauce. Over the years it has migrated a bit to meatballs instead, but now and then I will make a rich bolognese sauce and I am always happy I did. When I was pregnant, I would eat any form of spaghetti I could get my hands on! 

What’s your favorite type of cuisine (Italian, French, etc.)?

 Even after all that talk of spaghetti, I could still eat Tex-Mex 3 meals a day. Huevos Rancheros for breakfast followed by Enchiladas for lunch and Fajitas for dinner? YES PLEASE! Living in Houston gives me access to wonderful Mexican food so I have ended up with my go to places for certain dishes. 

What is unique about the cuisine in your part of the world? 

Houston is awesome because you not only have access to classic Southern food, but to every type of food from all around the world. Authentic Chinese food (not that buffet mess!), Indian, Lebonese, Korean... Name it and we can hop in the car and go eat it. Seriously, come visit and I can take you to eat anything from the best Chicken Fried Steak to Vietnamese food that will knock your socks off.

Sweet or salty?

Sweet. Always. Usually in the form of a chocolate chip cookie. 

What food are you craving right now? 

Huevos Rancheros as a matter of fact! HA!

Do you like to cook? If so, do you ever share recipes on your blog?

 I love to cook. Before I had Logan, I would delve into very complicated recipes on the weekends like Julia's Bouef Bourginon. But now that's a little more difficult. I cook at least 5 days a week, usually simple meals like stir fry or a cassarole. If I do something bigger it's always on a Saturday or Sunday night so that I have the time and Lee can watch the baby. I have a food blog that is linked under "Recipes" on my main blog. I generally don't make my own recipes, other than throwing things together sometimes. But I love to cook other's and give them credit. 

Where do you get the recipes you use? From cookbooks, blogs, online directories, etc? 

All of the above. Although Lee did ask me once if everything we ate was Pioneer Woman! Food Network is my go-to when I search for a recipe. I even try recipe's from other blogs all the time. 

What food-related word would you use to describe your blog? (i.e. salty, sweet, savory, delicious, yummy…) Get creative!

 Appetizing - or at least I hope everyone thinks so! 

Trust me on this: Both of Breann's blogs are VERY appetizing, and I hope you'll take a hint and go over and visit already. You're missing out! Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Dish. I've got to be going now...I'm getting ready to waste away in Margaritaville. If only I could find that lost shaker of salt....

 

The Blog Guidebook

As I sit waiting for my nephew to wake from his nap (which has been close to three-hours long now...I guarantee you if we ever have kids they won't take three-hour long naps), I've been working on Chicken Noodle Gravy again. I'm super-inspired lately to make this a great outlet for my writing, and for it to do its job, it needs to look great, too. I'm not quite all the way there yet; I have a feeling this will be a work in progress for sure, but I'm definitely making some significant strides in the write...er, right direction. 

The biggest change for today has been a new banner and a button addition, and neither of these would have been possible without the fabulous help of The Blog Guidebook.

Great advice, tutorials, resources, and giveaways!

Seriously, if you have a blog, visit this website. Heck, even if you don't have a blog, visit this website. The Blog Guidgebook is a "blog about blogs," and it's the kind of blog Chicken Noodle Gravy aspires to be. Everything from the look of the site to the actual content scream "professional" and "creative." It's absolutely lovely. AND it has a blog directory, which I plan to definitely apply to. 

 Anyway, I hear someone waking up, so back to babysitting. "Bee" back later!