The Dish Featuring The Adventures of Artsy Nina

Welcome to Friday and another edition of The Dish! I hope everyone had a fabulous week. This week's featured blog is sure to end it with a smile. When I first visited The Adventures of Artsy Nina, I knew it was going to be a favorite. I'm sure you all know blogs like that. That capture your attention from the moment you arrive. For me, I think it was the Artsy Nina banner. The retro wife smiling over her shoulder at the retro husband, who's drying the dishes. She looks like she's up to something, like she's got a funny secret she's just dying to tell, and I instantly wanted to know her secret. 

Turns out, the secret was that The Adventures of Artsy Nina rocks, no foolin'. Nina, our blogger hostess, shares her "adventures" as a "1950's housewife, complete with apron and cloth diapers," hence the retro housewife banner. You'll fall in love, as I have, with her fun stories, her vintage style, and her yummy recipes. Oh, and did I mention she makes me laugh? Yep, she has that sarcastic, dry sense of humor I can't help but love (see: her post on Blog Overload). Do I have you convinced to visit yet? Well, just wait, it only gets better.

The House

I admire people who take on huge projects. I admire them, and I want to be them, but I'm unapologetically lazy, so chances are I'm not going to be them. Nina is one of those people I'll never be. She and her husband bought the 1884 house and have been busy updating/remodeling it ever since. Jeremy and I felt very accomplished when we stained our deck, but this couple, well, let's just say they're truly accomplished. 

I love when Nina posts something about the house. I love pouring through the before and after pictures, admiring they're hard work and perseverance, feeling jealous of their interactions with actual, real-life Turdologists. But most of all, I love that Nina and her husband are taking something old and long-neglected and restoring it to its former glory. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of living in a house like Nina's and remodeling it to perfection. Nina's living that dream now, and it's sure a great time seeing her progress on this charming and unique house and its transformation into a home. 


Crafty Cook

One of my favorite things about reading blogs is discovering great new recipes from around the country and the world. The Adventures of Artsy Nina takes recipe hunting to an entirely new level with the recipes she shares from vintage cookbooks. Ever tried making Fresh Orange Chewies (which look delicious, by the way, click "vintage cookbooks" for the recipe and pics!)? What about Barbecued Spare Ribs? And then there are the recipes that Nina writes and embellishes herself: Potunas, anyone? 

To see all of her recipes in one place, visit her Recipe Box. 

Nina's not only a good cook, she also happens to be a good crafter. As a woman lacking a single crafting bone in her entire body, I find this particular characteristic to be outrageously awesome. Which would explain why I'm outrageously jealous of it. :) She does fun things like making recycled soap and creating adorable magnets and wreaths. You know, she does the things that I would do...if I were even a smidgen crafty. 

Scrumptious Survey: Answered by Blogger

What’s your favorite dish/food?

I don't like to be pigeonholed.   How can I pick just one item? If you saw my thighs, you would understand that no food is discriminated against in this house.  I eat it all, too much, and too often.

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

  Mexican.  Hands down.   But not the Americanized Mexican restaurant type, with crappy margaritas and bland flavors.  I'm talking roadside stand, pork wrapped in soft corn tortillas, smothered in fresh cilantro and onions and lime, cooked in a dirty trailer Mexican.  And it's usually cheaper too!

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

I think Minnesotans specialize in tatertot hotdish.  Or lutefisk and lefse.  Do I eat any of that? If it's around, ya sure you betchya!
Do I actually make any of that in my kitchen? HECK NO.

Sweet or salty?

I have been described as both.   Oh!   You're not asking about me.  Well, my palette usually prefers salty. And my husband says I use salt too much.   I have recently discovered the wonderfulness of sea salts and other fancy salts for seasoning. I won't be seeing that cute little Morton salt girl in my cupboard any more.

What food are you craving right now? 

I am in the mood for something really fresh and light.  Specifically a Greek salad.  Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, feta and a vinaigrette (EVOO, oregano, red wine vinegar).  Best Salad Ever.  Sadly, I am out of olives and feta.  *weeping*

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

I am a Domestic Goddess, and as everyone knows, a well-rounded Domestic Goddess likes to cook!  It helps that my husband is a human garbage disposal and will eat (and like) everything I cook.  Except that one dish (Coq Au Vin), as he often reminds me.  It's been a few weeks since I have posted a recipe, but you can find them sprinkled throughout my posts.  I also have a page dedicated to recipe links.

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

I love using allrecipes.com to plug in random ingredients and find inspiration.  Next, I consult my trusty stash of vintage cookbooks.  Most are the church or community group style with simple recipes written by housewives past.  I also have been referencing The Good Houskeeping Illustrated Cookbook since I first moved out of my parents house back in 1998.  And of course, I read blogs!

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

“A delight to the readers palette, served with grace and finesse.”
A small intimate blog which oozes passion. The entries were served with an exquisite attention to detail.
The writer was friendly and intimate and each dish was commensurate with the care and passion with which it was prepared.
I highly recommend this and hope you enjoy it too. 

OK, so I altered a fancy restaurant review to make it blog appropriate.  I can only hope my readers feel somewhat like this.  HA! (Editor's Note: LOVE it! Way to be inspired, Nina :))


The Adventures of Artsy Nina is where to go if you're on the lookout for inspiration or motivation or a nice laugh. This blog has an "old soul" feel to it that I love, and I know you'll love it, too, with all of its vintage charm and artsy appeal.  Oh, and before I leave you to do your own surfing of Artsy Nina, visit THIS PAGE for a look at one of the most beautiful rings ever, and yes, it's vintage. Next time my hubby proposes he's getting me a ring like that! Unique, vintage, and with a beautiful story behind it...a lot like Artsy Nina.

Linking Up!

 

The Dish featuring House Unseen, Life Unscripted

Author's Note: I'm revamping The Dish a bit. I felt like I was getting a little stale and boring with the same three Dish sub-titles each week, so with this feature I'm ditching the rules and seeing where it takes me.

Once upon a time, in a bloggy land not so faraway--Michigan to be exact--there lived a beautiful and witty blogger princess, who entertained her royal court with stories of snakes in the wall and goats and excessively friendly Wal-Mart check boys and other fuzzy and cuddly things. The blogger princess--let's call her Dweej--had an incredible gift, a talent for making people laugh. She was so full of happiness and joy, that just by association her devoted readers would become filled with happiness and joy as well. Well, by association and also by reading her lovable and sarcastic blog posts which chronicled her fascinating life as a blogger princess transported from Southern California to rural Michigan. The more the princess wrote the more she was adored, and she and all of her blogger friends and, oh, yeah, let's not forget That Donkey Guy, all lived happily ever after...as long as she never stopped writing. The End...

...But if you're only just discovering Dwija and House Unseen, Life Unscripted, then it's really only the beginning. You can thank me later. I take checks, cash, or baby goats.

What's In a Name?

Sometimes a title hints at a world untouched and undiscovered. For instance, when I first read the name "House Unseen, Life Unscripted," I remember thinking to myself "Self! There's a story behind this blog. I gua-ran-tee it!" You see I'm very intuitive. You may even say I have a sixth sense when it comes to these things. To give you, reader who hasn't been introduced to Dwija's blog and therefore now owes me a baby goat, an indication of what this mysteriously compelling title means I give you this condensed explanation, aka House Unseen, Life Unscripted, abridged:

Couple purchases home off of internet without setting eyes on it. Couple move themselves and brood of four kids halfway across the country to live in said home. Couple begins to transform fixer-upper into fixed-upper. Couple and brood of four kids grow with addition of dogs and chickens and various other happy things. Couple shares joy with the world via hi-larious web series about an enthusiastic donkey with a sexy Spanish accent and hi-larious blog chronicling the day-to-day adventures of their household joy and fabulosity. (Yes, that just happened.)

The long and short of it? The title gives only a tiny glimpse into the awesome adventure that is Dweej and her family's story. Read this blog. It's like a great book you can't put down. 

The Gift of Dweej

Dweej, the blogger princess behind House Unseen, is a gift that keeps on giving. Her positive attitude and seemingly effortless sense of humor (<---CLICK ME for laughs!) is lovely and endearing and addictive. I only recently discovered Dwija and House Unseen, and yet, I already consider her a friend, and I can honestly say I'm glad to "know" her. Both she and her words uplift me, even when I'm feeling blue. As I was preparing this post last night, I had the pleasure of reading some of her older posts, posts I had previously not had time to catch up on. I took this feature as the opportunity to catch up as much as possible, because I don't want to miss a second of her story or her message. I came across this post, which inspired me in so many ways. In addition to laughs and entertainment, be sure to take away the wisdom that Dwija shares. Her mantra "always wonder, never worry" is one I will hold close to my heart forever.

Dwija really is a princess, and I hope you all will take the time to get to "know" her. You'll love her and House Unseen, Life Unscripted and That Donkey Guy and her four adorable kids and her three cute puppy-wuppies and her darling little chickens and her house that's becoming her castle. I promise. And remember that when you do fall in love with all the above, because you will, you owe me those goats.

And without further ado, a look inside House Unseen's mind and tummy...

Scrumptious Survey: Questions Answered By Dwija at House Unseen, Life Unscripted

What’s your favorite dish/food?

Well, when I was little I ate lots and lots and lots of Indian food, even for breakfast (true story), so curry and spiciness both hold very special places in my heart.  And tomato products.  If there is any such thing as spicy tomato curry, then that is totally my favorite food.

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

I know I just said Indian up there, but if I had to pick one cuisine I'd say Thai.  Probably because it's something we just can't make very well at home so we're "forced" to go to a restaurant where someone else cooks and washes the dishes and sweeps the rice up off the floor.  Doesn't that just sound awful?

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

My current part of the world is Michigan so you are gonna find some amazing home-cooked Polish food.  Pierogis, kielbasa, delicious soups.  Hearty, comforting and handmade by my awesome aunts!

Sweet or salty?

Salty for sure.  Chips and salsa? Chips and dip?  Chips on a sandwich (try it. delish)?  You just can't go wrong!

What food are you craving right now?

A big bowl of Tom Yum Gai (spicy level 2) and a side of potato chips, naturally :)

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

Girl, you best check yo self before you wreck yo self.  No, I cook out of necessity only, and then only occasionally.  My husband is a GENIUS in the kitchen, and for that I am eternally grateful because I am a HUGE fan of eating, but it makes anything I manage to eek out seem...lame.  He can, like, make up his own recipes and stuff.  Meanwhile, I'm wondering what "lukewarm water" means.  Is that something you buy at Whole Foods or what?

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

Is this a trick question?  Actually, we do have a cookbook that even I can use.  It's the America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook and it'll knock your socks off.  Not for ethnic foods, but for basic daily cooking and American cuisine it is really fantastic and informative.  Also, when I spill stuff on it, it doesn't get as angry as the computer does.

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

My blog is like a buffet of all sorts of flavors, but some sort of magical good buffet where the stuff is actually yummy, not those normal buffets with the canned peas.  Those are gross.  No canned peas here, my friend.  Is there a buffet somewhere that has savory bacon-wrapped scallops, wood-fired pizza with spicy jalapenos, and not-too-sweet Viennese torte?  If there is, then that's my blog.  All there just to make you happy.

The House Unseen, Life Unscripted love-fest ends here. I hope you all enjoyed my tribute to one of my very favorite blogs and its truly fabulous blogger princess. 

  

The Dish featuring Belle of the Desert

Welcome to the first edition of The Dish! Okay, so here's the deal: The Dish is my effort to highlight and pay homage to some of my favorite blogs and websites. Through blog networking, blog hopping, surfing the net, etc., I've seen a lot of blogs in the last couple of weeks. Now, I'm new to this world, and I won't pretend to be an expert on what makes a blog good or bad. But I do have opinions, and I do know what I like and what I don't like. And I like blogs with great writers! The Dish will be an opportunity for me to highlight blogs with excellent content and real heart. I will be posting a new featured blog every Friday in celebration of For The Love of Blogs' Fab Friends Friday.

But enough with the explaining, let's get to the star of this the first edition of The Dish: Belle of the Desert.





As new as I am to the blogging community, Heather of Belle of the Desert was one of the first bloggers to reach out to me. Her kindness and sheer loveliness transcends the boundaries of the internet and leaps out at you! And her blog displays that kindness and loveliness perfectly. 

Delicious Design

The first thing you'll notice about Belle of the Desert is just how dang cute it is. The design is a relatively new one, but it's quickly become one of my favorites just to look at! I especially love the banner, which illustrates the blog's title so perfectly. And speaking of that adorable title, it's derived from Heather's journey from a small town in Georgia to the vast landscapes in Arizona, so needless to say this lady has some perspective. She stays true to her Southern roots, but she's also embraced her new home in Arizona (especially her Yotes).

Another one of favorite things about Belle of the Desert's design are the Marilyn Monroe quotes. My personal favorite: "Imperfection is Beauty, Madness is Genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." Something about reading those quotes when I visit this blog makes me smile and feel uplifted. 

Appetizing Content

Music for the Morning! Everyday Heather posts a new song or songs, and let me tell you she's got fabulous taste in music. Adele, Coldplay, Pink. You can count on stopping by Belle of the Desert every morning for some uplifting tunes.

 But the great thing about Heather is that in addition to regularly-scheduled things like Music for the Morning, she posts great unscheduled articles about a variety of topics. She doesn't fit into any kind of category, and you never know what might be in store on a visit to Belle of the Desert. Most recently, she's been chronicling her amazing success with her diet, blogisodes about cooking with coconuts, sponsor spotlights, and much more.

Oh, and be sure to check out her adorable, and I mean adorable, Shar-pei. She's got four, and I swear they are some of the cutest dogs I've ever seen. I love when she posts a new picture of one of them...they make me smile!


Scrumptious Survey: This survey is sent to featured bloggers prior to the unveiling of The Dish.

What’s your favorite dish/food?

I can only pick one?!? I love soooo many! 

I will admit though that I am a fiend for sweets. I love 'em! Just give me anything with cream cheese frosting and I'm a happy camper! Preferably a good Red Velvet Cake. Yummy!

  

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

Southern! And boy do I ever miss it out here in the desert. Even the Cracker Barrel restaurants out here don't know how to make grits, chicken 'n dumplings and Lima beans the right way! The red beans and rice are horrible... It's killing me! I haven't even found a good place for BBQ out here yet!

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

Arizona is a bit of a melting pot - we get a lot of snowbirds coming down to escape the winters. It's kind of like Florida in places - but with no humidity and no beaches. We also get a lot of immigrants here (as I'm sure the rest of the world is well aware...) and then there's the rest of us who still haven't figured out how the heck we ended up out here... You can find some great authentic Mexican food and I've heard some people eat even cacti... But I'll pass. Up in Scottsdale there are so many different and fabulous places to eat - I've been here 5 years and still haven't tried them all! I love the fact that we have a great variety of health food stores here that supply me with organic fresh veggies and grass fed beef.

Sweet or salty?

Sweet for sure!

What food are you craving right now?

Absolutely nothing - about 5 minutes ago I was craving carrot cake... but I took care of that craving!

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

I am learning to like to cook. I used to cook quite a bit - but I've gotten away from it recently for some reason. My past cooking attempts were quite unhealthy. I put butter, salt and anything else horribly unhealthy I could find in my recipes. In my attempt to become more healthy I am forcing myself to cook more and to try out healthy recipes. Currently I'm on an organic extra virgin coconut oil kick. Every Tuesday on my blog I do a Cooking With Coconuts Blogisode for Tasty Tuesday. I've found some awesome recipes - and had some epic fails. But it's all about experimentation and learning and it's been a lot of fun so far!

What recipe, if any, would you consider your "specialty"?

I can make a KILLER Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

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

I get most of my recipes online from blogs and other various websites. I have recently ordered some actual cookbooks. Which is a first for me!

Please share links to any food blogs you enjoy.

One of my favorite blogs is - can you guess? - about cake.

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

Right now my blog is quite coco-nutty!!! :)

A visit to Belle of the Desert is one you won't regret. Heather's a funny, relatable, and refreshing blogger with great things to say and a cute place to say them. 

Author's Note: As I was writing this, I kept spelling desert as dessert. Apparently, food is ALWAYS on the brain for me. This is something I've almost always done though. I'm hoping that after seeing desert spelled correctly on a regular basis I'll learn my lesson.

Stay tuned for the next installment of The Dish next Friday!