Six Delicious Dishes... But No Blog Posts?

This is going to be a very, very liberating post for me actually!  I have held on to some of these pictures for months, and I just decided to share them all with you in one fell swoop.  :)  For different reasons, these are dishes that I am not going to share the recipes for, like the one that I came up with but forgot how I made...

Here are all of my unblogged dishes of 2013.  :)

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Persimmon Pudding

By the time I made the Persimmon Spice Tea Cake, Persimmon Cranberry Oatmeal, and Persimmon Crumble, I was up to my ears in persimmons!  I tried to make a sweet persimmon banana pudding with the rest, but it was awful.  Not a delicious dish, as hinted at in the title but the rest are!

Persimmon Cake

I used the puree to make a cake, which looked terrible but was amazing!  It almost reminded me of a sticky toffee pudding because it was so nice and moist.  I would have loved to share it with you (with better plating), BUT I forgot to write down my final ratio of ingredients, which makes it a completely useless recipe.  Oops!

Pumpkin Lasagna

This was a lasagna I whipped together quickly when I had extra ricotta in the refrigerator and canned pumpkin in the pantry.  Well, it was just okay...  not blogworthy, even though it was completely eaten.  Simply put, it did not get a passing grade at all!

Corn Salsa

I made a nice little roasted corn salsa to serve as a side dish, but I never plated it.  In fact, this is a quick picture that I took with my phone before I just decided to eat it like a salad.  Points for flavor, but a big fat 0 for photography & plating.

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Stumped on Sunday #1: How to Remove Tomato Stains? + Sunday Synopsis!

Hiya folks!  If you remember from my blogiversary post this week, I mentioned that we will start up the "Stumped on Sunday" series if any of you or I have a question...  and I have one today!

Does anyone know how to remove tomato stains from white tile?

My mom was making spaghetti sauce the other day and stained her white tile!  I noticed it the day afterwards, and the stain had already set in after I wiped the blotches away.  So, before we hire a professional, does anyone have any advice?  I would love to make more soup soon!

Here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Good Mexican Girl Feature & GIVEAWAY!

It's the first Shop Small Saturday Showcase feature!  I considered putting SSSS in the title, but it just sounded like a hissing balloon or snake got loose on my keyboard.  :)

Originally, I wanted to start the series off with a couple of intro posts, but after speaking with the owner of Good Mexican Girl, we HAD to share this feature before January 6th and you'll see why below!  After tasting the treats at both Patchwork Santa Ana and the Etsy Mom & Pop Up at Crafted, this was definitely a shop that needed to be featured.

When, I spoke with her about having a giveaway, she loved the idea and wanted to offer something sweet to one of my readers!  Check it out after the interview.  :)

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Tell me a little bit about yourself!

I come from a long line of talent cooks and bakers in my family. During the holidays, I always baked cookies or made chocolate truffles for friends and my mom's work colleagues to give away as gifts. My mom is the chef in the family and my abuelita and great grandmother were known for their sweet confections. I was blessed with their talents. As we celebrate our 2nd anniversary, I'm carrying on my grandmother's dream to have her own bakery.We also make cakes, cheesecakes, pies, and chocolate truffles. We specialize in making baked goods gluten-free, vegan, and vegan-gluten-free.

Where did the name of your shop come from?

The company name - Good Mexican Girl -  is based on a character in my solo performance entitled Whipped! As a "good mexican girl", I grew up learning that a woman must tend to her home with love. Through the performance, I get to make fun of this but am quite serious about making tasty treats.


Why did you start making tasty treats for Good Mexican Girl?

With the encouragement of loved ones and dear friends, in 2011 I started my business on December 4 by setting up my table at the Caracol Marketplace. Good Mexican Girl is an artisanal baker and chocolatier. I prepare hand crafted items with available quality ingredients.

Rosca de Reyes, cookies, truffles, and sweet treats!

What is your favorite item?

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1 year Blogiversary & New Plans for 2014!

Yesterday marked exactly a year since I started the blog!  No party or big hoopla mostly because all of the holiday plans in real life mean that I have been so crazy busy.

This little blog of mine has grown so far beyond my expectations and I would love to take this time to reflect on what is in store for the blog this upcoming year, and some new posts that I hope to put into effect soon!  I'd like to think of this post as my public New Year's Resolution for Vintage Zest.  :)

Some Blogiversary Tres Leches cake from Picca!  Yum!

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I will share some of my ideas for the upcoming year, but first here are...

My Current Weekly Posts

Monday - Recipe Day!

Possibly my favorite posts of the week, so they're staying put on Mondays.  :)

Tuesday - Do Tell Tuesday link party

Remember to link up every week and have the chance to be featured by any four of our blogs!

Wednesday & Thursday - Original content

You may see sewing, organization, DIY, or tutorial posts 

Friday - Weekly Wrap-ups!

All of the fun adventures, food, and fun from the week.  :)

Saturday - Shop Small Saturday Showcase

Following up on my 25 Days of Handmade Gifts series, we will be having lots of great small businesses with beautiful local, handmade goods and interviews with their fabulous makers!

Sunday - Sunday Synopsis & Stumped on Sundays

Saturday Synopsis posts will now be on Sundays, and they will be exactly the same as before.  Now, what is Stumped on Sundays?

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Firsts & 2014!

Here's to the first weekly wrap-up of 2014!


Saturday (12/28)

I had something interesting to do today...  my first try at acupuncture!  My sister made us an appointment at this place she goes to in Santa Monica, and it was interesting.  :)  No pictures, in case you were wondering!


Then, we all headed to Picca for a delicious dinner.  Here are just a few tantalizing pictures, but you can see the rest on The Episodic Eater, my food blog.  :)

Anticucho Tomatoes topped with burrata and black mint pesto.  So delicious!

Crispy Quinoa Ensalada.  Another favorite!

Chocolate Pot de Creme with Spicy Peppers.  Beautiful, but there were two more desserts that knocked my socks off even more!

We also had the Pisco Sour, Ceviche Criollo, Ceviche Crocante, Tuna & Nato Crostini, Maitake Mushroom, Papa Rellena, Pato de Seco, Chicharron De Pollo, Bisteck a lo Pobre, Churros, Tres Leches Cake, and the Vanilla Bean Pisco Flan.  Sooo many delicious dishes!  :)  Check it out here.

Sunday (12/29)

Pretty much, we stayed at home and there was football watching, baking, and recuperating from Christmas festivities.  :)

Later on that night, my guy decided to break open his Mojito molecular gastronomy kit (like the one I received on Christmas) and he made mint caviar!

Here are our mojitos.  Fancy, right?  Next time, we're going to try one of the other preparations.  Fancy!

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Happy New Year!

Honestly, I just scheduled this to go live at 12:00am exactly, so I can wish you all a Happy New Year at the same time as my real-life friends and family!

Whether you are partying it up or fast asleep, I hope this year is full and happiness and great things to come.

Happy 2014!

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