WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR BLOG NAME FROM?
This is a question I am always curious about when I find a new blogger. I know I share a little about where my blog name originated from on my About Me page, but I will go more into detail of how it came about. I originally started my blog in November of 2015. I am almost to two years, crazy huh?
I had been wanting to start a blog for a really long time before I had the guts to do it. I actually had started a blog when I was going to go to China to study abroad. That was epic fail because China restricts pretty much everything. There are ways around it, but to be honest, my trip wasn’t even 100% planned out the way it should have. I can do a whole other blog post on how to better prepare to study abroad in China, specifically.
My first ever blog post! (November 2015) Anyways, let’s get back to the topic. So I had always thought about starting a blog and wondered what would I even name it. I always knew I didn’t want to use my name because my real name is Patricia but everyone calls me Patty, and I might not always be a Guerrero (if I get married). So this always posed a question on what I would call my blog. The night I decided to start my blog, I actually had watched a video from Chrisspy. It completely inspired me to quit waiting and start doing. I have so many plans, but I won’t be closer to accomplishing them if I just sit there and think about them without doing anything. I decided to open up my computer and just DO IT.
I had already done some research about how to start a blog. So then I thought, I want something catchy for my blog name, but also not so cheesy. I knew I wanted the word “closet” in it because that’s how my everything began. Everyone would always compliment my clothes and wardrobe. I knew I also always dreamed of having those sweet walk-in closets that I would see on Pinterest. So then I combined all of my ideas together and My Sweetest Closet emerged.
I don’t just want to share outfits on my blog because it isn’t the only form of inspiration I seek to share. I want to motivate and inspire people through other kind of content, like fitness, cooking, my personal stories, and ultimately my life. Some people always debate about making sure you have a very specific niche you want to pursue. But, I’m the complete opposite. I have a lot of interest for several things and want to be able to share that. Especially since the blog post with the biggest traffic has never even been a fashion blog post, on the contrary, people view my posts more if I share my personal stories.
I want to create content that truly motivates people, whether that is through an outfit idea or a struggle I overcame in my life. My Sweetest Closet is just that, a sweet closet that opens up the doors for all of us to inspire. If you want to see a video that goes a little more in depth about what My Sweetest Closet has to offer, check that out here.
Please follow me on my social media for more!
Chilaquiles Recipe
Tonight I wanted to share another one of my favorite Mexican meals. The appropriate term for this dish is called chilaquiles. They are tortilla pieces boiled, with red salsa added on top, and then simmered until the tortilla chips (pieces) are soft. Alonso and I create our red salsa with a little twist. My mom brings a mole powder from Mexico every year and we decided to add a little bit of it to the rest of the salsa ingredients.
This recipe is pretty simple, and took us about 30 minutes. I do want to apologize ahead of time because we normally don’t measure all of our ingredients. It’s kind of an instinct, and from what I learned from my mom, she does the same thing. It’s also up to the person’s taste and how spicy they want to make their salsa. The one we made is mild and it shouldn’t be spicy.
We used about 5 chiles (Nuevo Mexico) and let them boil. Meanwhile, we used chicken stock (that might be weird) but we used it to fill up about double what is shown on the third picture above. We also used a little bit of my mom’s mole powder, straight from Mexico, and combined it with about 1 teaspoon of cumin and garlic powder. We combined all of this in the blender and just waited until the chiles were ready. Usually when they are soft and the water has boiled is when we determine they are ready to be mixed in the blender.
We use Guerrero Tortillas for our chilaquiles and cut them in small triangles. We add some oil to the pan and let them get a bit crispy. Depending on how much chilaquiles you are making, determines how much tortillas you will need.
Once the chiles are done we add a little bit of the water that was in them originally to boil, to the rest of the ingredients in the blender. Also make sure you add salt accordingly to your taste. Once it is nice and blended you want to use a food filter (I think that’s what they are called) to avoid the chunky pieces of the chiles to get on your chilaquiles. There should be enough to cover all of the tortilla chips.
We usually add beans and rice to the side, and we can’t forget about avocados. They are my favorite! We also add cheese on top, and this can really be any type of cheese. We used mozzarella. I hope you try this yummy meal out. It is super quick and easy. In Mexico, they usually eat this not only for dinner or lunch, but also breakfast. It’s fulfilling if you have something on the side whether that is rice or beans. Here is another recipe that used a green salsa instead of a red one.
Leave a comment down below if you have ever tried chilaquiles!
Things to do on the Weekend
Exercise/hike/walk
This is probably a must in my book. A lot of the times we focus on trying to be so relaxed over the weekend that we end up too relaxed and with no energy when Monday comes around. I will be honest and confess, I am guilty of this. However, I have gotten a lot better and do go workout on Saturdays and take Sundays as rest days. I would recommend grabbing your girlfriends and going out for a hike or walk as well. It can be a great time to catch up and also get your body moving.
My best friends and I trying Noble Pie in Reno. Trying a new restaurant out:
This is my favorite thing to do because I love to eat, especially at locations I haven’t yet tried. What I usually like to do to find out new places is talk to my coworkers or use Yelp. It’s great to go to the same place, but it’s also nice to try other places out. Who knows, you might love it! This is also a great opportunity to do it with your family, friends, old friends, or significant other. My best friends and I decided to try out Noble Pie and it was delicious. That’s my best friend in the picture, she obviously loved the wings as much as I did. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone!
Girls’ Night at Home
If you follow me on snapchat, you’ve seen me do this several times. I love inviting my best friends or sisters over for a girl’s night. We usually eat a pizza, chips, and do face masks while watching a love movie. I think it’s important to develop friendship with others and physically spend time with each other rather than simply liking each other’s pictures on Instagram, Facebook, etc. I like to keep a balanced lifestyle of hanging out with family, friends, and my boyfriend. It’s hard because then you take into consideration your work, school, hobbies, etc. However, once we start building a routine it will get easier.
Organize/Clean
I’m sure no one really wants to do this on the weekends. I love the smell of a clean home, it really does make me feel less stressed as that sounds. If my house was a mess I feel like that would represent my life being a mess as well. Organizing and cleaning your space is truly important. For example, sometimes when I am working on my blog posts I don’t feel so creative because I am staring at the mess in front of me and just thinking of having to clean that. Rather than just having it clean and my sole concentration on one thing. Cleaning is also another productive thing to do on your weekends.
Day Trip
Sometimes the best way to enjoy your weekend may necessarily involve NOT being in the area you area always in every weekend. I live really close to nearby cities that are just a couple of hours out. If you plan it out you can search nearby areas in your city and just take a day trip with your friends. It’s nice to get out and wonder around in other places. I have been wanting to do that this year but I have been busy with blogging and having some Saturday classes that it makes it a little hard to plan around that. However, once my classes are over, you better bet I am heading out for some adventures!
Check out my Instagram for some posts on what I do on the weekends.
Five Favorite Meals
1. Rice, Beans, and cheese
I know you are probably thinking, really? It may seem so plain and simple to some, but growing up I could eat this daily. I absolutely love beans, and I’m actually kind of sad I don’t make them on the regular. Alonso doesn’t really love them as much as I do so we have to balance our meals out (LOL). Mexican rice is my favorite, but I’m not going to lie, I fell in love with white rice when I was in China. Rice and beans are the sides to a big entrée but more often than not, I could just eat them alone. Also, I want to add, I’m seriously THAT person that goes to family parties, birthday parties, etc. and asks, “where are the beans?” if they say they don’t have any, I secretly cry internally.
2. Pizza
I am a big pizza lover, not on the daily, but I do love the taste of hot cheesy pizza. I’m probably making you hungry, am I right? Ever since I can recall I have always loved having pizza, especially from Yerington’s Round Table. I have also tried several other types of pizza, even the Chicago deep dish…yummy! No matter where I have pizza is still stays true to my heart, although I know it’s not the best for you, but hey that’s why you don’t eat it on the daily!
3. Posole
Now, where are my posole lovers? When it was getting right around the corner for my birthday my mom used to always ask me, “what kind of food do you want for your birthday party?” My response was always pozole! It’s seriously so delicious with some lime and repollo, (now I just want it haha). If you have no idea was posole is, check out this recipe.
4. Chiles Rellenos
Now this is another one of my Mexican favorites! If you haven’t already figured it out, Mexican food is my favorite! I love making chiles rellenos with Alonso. I can honestly say I am so so grateful for meeting someone who loves to cook and eat as much as I do. We both hate the washing dishes part because it’s kind of annoying. You prepare this amazing food that ends up in 50 dishes you have to wash, like how? Alonso and I are a tag team when we are preparing chiles rellenos. They can be very messy. If you guys want a recipe on the way Alonso and I make them, please leave a comment down below!
5. Parmesan Chicken
I am a big fan of Italian food, the pasta, the bread, and the sauces. They are all so delicious and full of flavors. If I could pick a place in the world to travel simply because of the food, I would pick Italy. I just love the authenticity of the Chinese food when I went to China, now I can only imagine what the food in Italy tastes like. I like to make the parmesan chicken from scratch and use the sauce from a can. I have made it from scratch and it tastes almost the same.
Follow me on my Pinterest for some of my other favorite recipes I like to make.
How Being in a Grit Culture Can Motivate You
I was debating to share this on the blog or not, but I thought, “hey, one of the main goals I want my blog to be is a source of inspiration, so why not share this, especially if you’ve never heard of “grit”!” I came about the book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, in one of my current classes at The University of Nevada, Reno. This class has changed my outlook on life, work, and everything in between. I love classes that offer so much value to not only your career but your personal life. As I started reading Grit, I realized I grew up in this environment because of my parents.
My parents have so much grit because they never gave up on their dreams, despite having practically no education from Mexico, or having only spoken Spanish majority of their life. My Dad became a US citizen, and even learned to speak English with only having gone to 6th grade in Mexico. That just blows my mind, like how? Now after reading Grit, I realize it’s because he’s had grit this whole time. He’s very other centric, and thinks about the well-being of others and not himself. If you followed me for a while you know that my Dad means a lot to me, but so does my ENTIRE family. I couldn’t begin to explain to you how much every single one of them truly possess grit.
That goes into my next topic as to why being a part of a grit culture is so important. So if you haven’t read the book, or have no idea what grit is, you can check out my video down below for a brief story on what grit has been like in my life, or watch this TedEx talk. Okay, so now that we are all on the same page, let’s talk about grit culture. I take grit culture as a support system. If you surround yourself with gritty people, likelihood is you’ll start to become gritty yourself.
I have seen this occur within my own grit culture, not just from my family, but from my friends. Compared to my old high school days, my friends have come and gone, I have met new people and I no longer have relationships with some people. What I can tell you is that my outlook on friendship has completely changed. The amount of grit that my grit culture of friends possess is ridiculous. One of my best friends was not accepted from UNR’s Nursing Program multiple times. Did that stop her from pursing her dream? Nope! She applied to another school and come December she will finally be an RN. She may have faced one of the hardest adversities not once but multiple times but that didn’t stop her hope. This motivates me to keep trying regardless of the amount of times I fail, but it also motivates our other friends. It’s like a domino effect.
Being a part of a Grit culture can keep you on your toes and provide you support to keep on trying. Sure, you will be disappointed but you will continue to strive to accomplish your goals. I recommend surrounding yourselves with Gritty people, and people who care about your well-being. Every time one of my friends accomplishes something we turn to each other for the support. How do I do this? Or guess what girls, I accomplished this!
If you don’t surround yourself with people with a growth mindset, you’ll start to think you can’t accomplish something and doubt yourself. You will lose your hope, but don’t be like that. Be gritty and know that you truly can accomplish your goals by having grit.
Please check out my video below as I share with you my grit story. You can subscribe to my channel for future posts.
