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    Food & DIY

    Phyllo Dough Flat Bread

    November 10, 2014

     

    Today I’m sharing with you one of my go-to recipes: phyllo dough flat bread. I started making flat bread when I first moved out on my own and I needed to prepare meals that were fast and easy, and that could serve as leftovers for work. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s really easy to make. You can even prepare it in advance and just pop it in the oven right before mealtime. It can also serve as an appetizer at your next party. Although you can pick any of your favorite toppings to put on your flat bread, I am suggesting some of my favorite combinations in this post. One of my favorite appetizers is bacon-wrapped dates, so it only seemed natural to use those two ingredients as a topping in one of these flatbread recipes. I also love Greek salads, so I decided to combine some of the ingredients in my second flat bread. But as I said, the possibilities are endless. This recipe is also great with a side salad if you’re worried about getting in your daily serving of veggies. I know that I’m definitely trying to pay more attention to that these days. Haha!

     

     

     

    PHYLLO DOUGH FLAT BREAD RECIPE
    (Each flat bread makes 4-6 servings)
    INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST:
    (Makes 1 crust)
    10-12 Phyllo dough sheets
    1/2 cup of Olive Oil
    1/2 cup of Pasta Sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara)
    GOAT CHEESE, DATE AND BACON FLAT BREAD
    TOPPINGS:
    8 oz herbed goat cheese
    3-5 chopped dates
    1 cup of chopped bacon
    Sliced onions (to taste)
    FETA CHEESE AND OLIVE FLAT BREAD
    TOPPINGS:
    1 and 1/2 cups of crumbled Feta cheese
    1/2 cup of chopped basil
    1 cup of chopped tomatoes
    1 cup of chopped Kalamata olives
    Sliced onions (to taste)
    Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, lay down a baking sheet or piece of aluminum on a tray, and lightly grease it with olive oil to ensure that the phyllo dough sheets don’t stick. To make your crust, start off by laying down a phyllo dough sheet over the aluminum or baking sheet. Use a brush or a paper napkin to rub olive oil over the sheet before you lay down the next, and repeat this until you’ve laid down all 10-12 sheets. Once you have your crust, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over it, and then evenly spread your toppings over the crust. Finally, bake the flat breads for 45-50 minutes and serve.

     

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    I hope that you all had a great weekend. I spent most of mine in my loungewear, baking and studying. I don’t think that I have to say that my weekend wasn’t too exciting! I’m just trying to get through this month, take the GRE, and then have time to enjoy the holidays.
    Also, I’m sorry if I have been slow responding to comments. Your opinions and questions are very valuable to me! As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’m trying to take a step back from blogging for a while, in order to make time for studying and self-care. However, I don’t want to completely ignore this blog since I really enjoy working on it and interacting with all of you. Nevertheless, I should be able to be more active here by the end of the month, once I’ve taken the GRE.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    Outfit

    Sewing Lessons

    November 3, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Clutch/Wallet
    H&M Top
    Handmade Gingham Skirt
    White Mountain Loafers via DSW
    Some of you might remember that two months ago, I had set a goal to learn how to sew and start making my own clothes. When I first set that goal, I kind of underestimated how challenging it would be to learn a new craft. I just had this vision in my head that I was going to sit down in front of a sewing machine, and that I was going to magically crank out a whole new wardrobe in a month. Well, it’s been two months since I started learning how to sew, and I finally finished my first piece just last week. I made the gingham print midi skirt that I’m wearing in the picture–complete with pleats and everything–and I’m so happy of the way that it turned out. Of course, I have to say that I couldn’t have finished this skirt without the help of my Mom. She was very patient in teaching me how to do everything, and I have to give her credit for attaching the zipper. I bought an invisible zipper when I went to the fabric store, and didn’t realize that it would be much more challenging to attach.
     Another reason that I’m so happy to have finished this skirt is because I feel like I’m participating in a family tradition. Since my Grandmother was a seamstress for a living, and my Mom also has amazing sewing skills, I have always felt obligated to learn the craft so that I can pass it on to future generations. It’s actually kind of surprising that I don’t already possess the ability to sew, especially since I used to dream of being a “dressmaker” as a child. I even remember trying to make dresses for my Barbie dolls out of scraps of fabric that my grandmother would give to me. Although I still have so much to learn before I can say that I really know how to sew, I hope that eventually I’ll be able to make the jump from making clothes for dolls, to making clothes for real people.
    I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween. Even though it isn’t my favorite holiday, I made the effort to to be festive and ended up dressing up as Mary Poppins for work. Surprisingly, I actually ended up having a lot of fun, and I guess that sometimes it pays off to try out new things. I ended up staying in that night, though, because I was planning on taking my 11-year-old brother trick-or-treating, but he wasn’t in the mood to go out this year. That probably means that he’s getting too old to hangout with his older sister, which makes me kind of sad. But, I guess that he’s going to have to grow up at some point in time!
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    Outfit

    Layering for Fall

    October 30, 2014
    Layering for Fall

     

    Long length cardigan / Black button blouse / Holiday top / ModCloth Skinny Bookmobile Volunteer Pants / Seychelles leather booties / Cognac tote / Rhinestone jewelry

    I have been a fan of ModCloth for many years, so I was super excited when they asked me to put together a fall layering look using items from their current collection. Although it was very fun to put together an outfit, it was also very challenging because ModCloth has so many awesome cardigans and sweaters to choose from.
    Ultimately, I came up with a look that I feel is appropriate for what is considered fall in Southern California. During the fall and winter months, we tend to get very cool mornings but the weather warms up throughout the day. For that reason, the pieces that I chose for this outfit are very light and make it easy to add or take off layers throughout the day. I also aimed to create a layering look that is casual, but that can be easily dressed up by using the right accessories, such as the cute necklace pictured above. My favorite part of this outfit, though, has to be the checkered cardigan that I chose for my look–I love that it is structured like a blazer, but still has a very relaxed and versatile print.
    I hope you enjoyed this post, and that it gives you some ideas of how to layer for fall. And, as always, thank you for stopping by.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
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    Note: I deleted my previous collage because I realized that it did not completely showcase all of ModCloth’s awesome layering options, which is what they invited me to do. However, if you want to know what ModCloth sweathers I have my eye on, you can check it out here.