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    Food & DIY

    Bacon and Gouda Cheese Croquetas

    February 25, 2015
    I studied abroad in Madrid about 5 years ago during my junior year of college, and one of the things that I miss most about the experience is all the delicious Spanish food that I had during my short stay. I lived with a wonderful host mom named Pilar, and she was kind enough to cook up a variety of Spanish dishes for my roommate and me. Out of all the wonderful food that Pilar introduced me to, my favorite had to be her recipe for croquetas(croquettes). For those of you who haven’t had croquetas before, I would describe them as delicious bites of fried dough mixed with anything from chicken, jamón serrano or cheese. They do take a bit longer to make than most recipes, but the extra work is definitely worth it. My biggest regret is not asking Pilar for her recipe before I left Spain. Fortunately, I found a recipe on Hungry Sofia that was easy enough for me to follow, and I adapted it this weekend to make delicious Bacon and Gouda Cheese Croquetas. Today I’m sharing this recipe with you so that you can learn how to make these delicious bites for yourself.

     

    Recipe adapted from Hungry Sofia Blog
     
    Bacon and Gouda Cheese Croquetas
    INGREDIENTS
    (Makes 20-24 large croquetas)
    12 oz of bacon (cooked and chopped)
    3/4 cups of cubed Gouda cheese
    2 1/2 cups of milk
    1/2 cup of flour
    6 Tbsp of butter
    Salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
    4 eggs (beaten)
    2 cups of bread crumbs
    DIRECTIONS
    Mix the bacon and Gouda cheese in a food processor or a blender until they form a paste.
    In a small pan, melt the butter on low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, begin to slowly stir in the flour until it forms a thick sauce. Only do this for a couple of minutes to keep the mixture from burning.
    Heat the the milk in another pan until its warm, but don’t let it come to a boil. Pour the milk unto the butter and flour mixture and stir it until it begins to thicken and forms a doughy texture. Remove from heat and then fold in the bacon and Gouda cheese paste into the mixture. Make sure to add a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg as you’re mixing in all the ingredients.
    Leave the mixture in the pan and let it cool down to room temperature. Once it’s cool, store it in the fridge for at least an hour. This will make it easier for you to work with the mixture once it comes down to making the croquetas.
    Once you’re ready to make the croquetas, you’re going to take out the dough mixture out of the fridge and place the beaten eggs and bread crumbs in separate bowls. Use a large spoon to scoop out the mixture from the pan and roll it into a ball shape. Dip each croqueta into the egg mixture and then roll it in bread crumbs until its completely covered. Do this until you’ve used up all the dough.
    Pour about 1.5-2″ of oil in a large frying pan and set to medium heat. Dip the croquetas and use a fork to turn them over until they are browned on all sides. Transfer the croquetas unto a paper towel and let the excess oil drain. And now you’re ready to serve these delicious treats!
    —-
    I really hope that you all enjoyed this recipe post. I’m so happy that I now have more time to work on creating content like this for the blog. Although it’s fun to dress up once a week and take pictures, there’s something more satisfying for me about documenting a project from beginning to end. I started this blog as a way to improve my skills set, and so far I have learned so much. However, I’m really looking forward to improving my photography and finding new ways to be creative as I begin to add more DIY and recipe posts to my little corner of the internet.
    On a different note, I hope you’re all having a great week so far. I have the day off today and I’m going to spend part of it watching the series finale of my favorite show Parks and Recreation. The show is so funny and I love how much the characters have grown over the years. The current season has also been extremely touching and has brought me to tears so many times. I just really hope that the show has a good ending. Since I’ll probably have watched the final episode once comments start rolling into this blog, I’d love to hear what you all thought of the finale if you happen to keep up with the show.
    xoxo,
    Helen
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    Outfit

    Monochromatic Mod

    February 23, 2015
    Photos by Ale Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Madewell Bag
    Old Navy Turtleneck
    H&M Mini Skirt (Similar)
    Forever 21 Over-the-knee Socks (Similar)
    Madewell Loafers (Similar steal and splurge)
    Benefit Lollibalm (Lips)

    When I was in high school I was obsessed with everything about 60s Mod style, especially the bold prints and simple A-line silhouettes. I would try to dress in clothes similar to that style even though vintage and Mod-inspired pieces were hard to afford on my budget. I even remember having a folder on my desktop filled with pictures of Twiggy and other girls in 60s fashion.

    Although my current style is far from 60s Mod fashion, many times I do tend to gravitate towards pieces that are inspired by that era such as loafers, mini skirts and shift dresses. Putting together this outfit was so easy and fun because I had a clear vision of what I wanted to look like in my mind. I was even going to straighten my hair and and style it in a bouffant to complete the look, but opted not to since this was one of those rare days when my naturally wavy hair wasn’t being rebellious. I’m actually glad that I wore my hair like this, even though it takes away from the Mod vibe of this look, because it makes my outfit seem like something that I can wear every day instead of a costume. However, I’m not saying that I won’t go the extra mile next time I put together an outfit inspired another decade.

     

     

    Life has been very slow lately, and I kind of like it that way. I have always been a perfectionist and felt the need to have as many things as possible on my plate, but am working towards abandoning that habit. I realize that it’s not healthy to beat myself up for not doing enough–whatever that means–and I want to become better at living in the moment. I also realize that it is possible to be goal oriented without having to constantly worry about the future.

    In my effort to learn to be more present, I have committed to a daily meditation and prayer practice during the 40 days of Lent, which I was inspired to do by my friend Janista as well as a mindfulness training that I’m taking part in at work. I actually grew up with the tradition of Lent, but in the past I’ve participated by giving up things such as sweets or social media, none of which have helped me become a better person in any way. I’m hoping that setting time apart to reflect on my day will enable me to become more aware of my feelings, my surroundings and the people around me. I’ve only been meditating daily for about a week, but I’ve already noticed how much more calm and centered I feel because of it.

    xoxo
    Helen

     

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    Outfit

    Back to Basics

    February 18, 2015
    Photos by Ale Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Floppy Hat
    Everlane Tank in Brick
    Madewell Skinny Skinny Crop Jeans (Available in Chilton Wash)
    Seychelles Face the Music Heel
    MAC Pigment in Blue-Brown (Eyes)
    MAC Lipstick in Twig (Lips)
    I originally wanted to photograph this outfit on my favorite bridge, but my sister and I were having too much trouble trying to find good lighting. To make things worse, we had a few people yell at us from their cars during the five minutes we spent trying to figure out what angle would work best. Not wanting to deal with more street harassment, my sister and I took a leisurely stroll and it wasn’t long before we found this fence covered with beautiful vines.
    The beautiful green backdrop turned out to be the perfect place to photograph this simple outfit. I love this basic tank from Everlane because the material is thick and isn’t clingy, and I really like the loose and relaxed fit. The highlight of this outfit, however, is my new pair of Seychelles heels that I bought as a birthday present to myself. I had been keeping my eye on them for almost a year and they finally went on sale for less than $35! Moments like this are why I’m a true believer that good things always come to those who wait.
    I’ve been feeling so creative lately, and it’s a bit overwhelming because I wish that I had the time and money to bring to life all the ideas floating around in my head. It was nice to have an extra day off this weekend to focus on this blog and brainstorm ideas. However, it was really hard to put away everything that I was working on in order to go back to my regular weekly routine. Sometimes I wish I could just go on a very long vacation where all I do is make things and cook, but that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen anytime soon.
    One of the things that puts me in a crafty mood is hanging around creative people, whether they be friends or family. On my day off on Monday, I spent most of the day with my sister Ale and my abuelita(grandma) Chela, who are both very artistic and creative women. I’m always inspired by the variety of things my grandma makes, and she is constantly encouraging me to learn new crafts. She even dragged me to Michael’s while we were out and about, and I ended up buying a crochet needle so that I can finally start learning the craft. In order to follow through with that goal, I promised my grandma that I would visit her on Saturday afternoons so that she can teach me the basics. I’m excited about the things that I will make and, most importantly, I’m glad that I’m making an effort to spend time with one of my favorite people.
    xoxo,
    Helen
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