• Easy Enchilada Recipe

     

    Mondays can be a little overwhelming. It’s the start of a new week, and usually all of us are running a little late on something. I always want to stay organized when it comes to what I am cooking for dinner. Alonso and I usually make a list on Sunday so we know what to expect to make each night. If not, we are always asking each other the same question, what should we make for dinner? This usually takes an hour deciding what to make first and then another hour or so making it.

    Today I wanted to share with you an easy dinner recipe and my favorite, enchiladas! I know how to make them from scratch but if I can avoid the hassle then I am up for it. All of the items I used will be mentioned at the end of this blog post. Most of the products can be found at any grocery store.

    Usually, Alonso and I just like to eat our enchiladas with rice and avoid the beans. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE beans but sometimes I don’t have the time to put them in the crockpot before I leave to work. My rice is pretty simple to make and the sauce is made from scratch. I know they sell the tomato sauce in a can, but I have always made my rice from scratch and prefer it that way. I didn’t add the recipe for the rice in this post, but if you would like one, please let me know and I can make a blog post on it. I usually make about 14 enchiladas so Alonso and I can both have leftovers for the next day.

    One of my favorite bloggers/vloggers that posts a lot of food recipes is Laura Vitale. A couple of years ago she shared a green enchilada sauce recipe from scratch, check it out on her blog here. She even shared some other yummy Mexican recipes like the picture below. I also love to follow Rosanna Pansino, she shares a lot of yummy treat ideas to make. Her website can be found, here.

    Credit: Laura Vitale

    Now, here are the instructions and ingredients for my chicken enchiladas:

    Ingredients/items:

    1. 14 corn tortillas (for 2-3 people)
    2. Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
    3. 2 Chicken Breasts
    4. Mozzarella Cheese
    5. Foil
    6. Salt

     

    Instructions:

    1. CHICKEN: Grab a pan and add water to boil the chicken breasts until tender, and also add a pinch of salt.
    2. RICE: While the chicken is boiling, I like to get started on the rice. If you want a recipe on my rice, please let me know in the comments below.
    3.  Once the chicken breasts are tender I start to shred the chicken.
    4. I heat up the pan where I heat the tortillas in and start with four at a time.
    5. I also pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
    6. I grab the heated tortilla and add a little bit of mozzarella cheese and some chicken. The reason I add mozzarella with the chicken is because it tastes so much better this way. You not only get the cheese from the top but also when you take a bite.
    7. I curl it up into a little burrito and add it to the pan where I will later add the sauce.
    8. Once I have repeated step 6 for all 14 tortillas, I start to add the sauce from the can. I make sure I cover the tortilla really well with the sauce.
    9. Once I have added the entire sauce from the can, I add mozzarella cheese. There is not an amount on the cheese, if you want more go ahead and add more.
    10.  I cover the pan with foil and put it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. The sauce heats up fairly quickly, but if you want, you can heat it up before adding it to the pan of enchiladas.
    11. I then add my rice and avocado. You are more than welcome to add anything else.

     

    That is it! A super quick and easy enchilada recipe that only takes about 30-45 minutes to make. I love easy dinner recipes. Please comment down below some of your favorite easy dinner recipes.

  • Top 5 Travel Essentials

    Who doesn’t enjoy traveling? I would love to pick up my stuff and leave for three months, but that isn’t very doable at the moment. However, I do get to travel for my job. It isn’t anywhere super exciting or far away, but it is somewhere I have never been before, and that is Wisconsin.

    Every single time I travel I always try to pack very light. I try to combine different outfits instead of packing more pieces. I figure the less pieces the better. It’s just as easy as mixing and matching. I wanted to share with you some of my top travel essentials, not just about fashion, but other items that I always have to have when I go somewhere.

    1. My own towels: I know this can sound very weird because hotels already provide towels. However, I do have an explanation for this. Recently, I got a weird rash and went to the doctor. She couldn’t really figure out what might have happened to me. Since then, she suggested I take my own towels when I travel to be safe. I would rather be safe than sorry!
    2. iPad/Laptop: This is a must for me because I want to be productive during my connection flights because I usually have a couple of hours to just sit in the airport. For this trip, I used my iPad a lot because I have the Kindle App that contains all my books that I need to read for class. I was able to highlight and take notes right then and there. I also blog when I am traveling so it is very convenient to bring my devices. The only side effect is having to take them out at security check-in.
    3. Skincare products/toiletries: I always have to carry my own skincare products because without those I either start getting dry or start using new ones that mess with my skin. Toiletries are also a must because I don’t like using the hotel’s. One of the tips I suggest is using reusable plastic bottles to fill them up with your everyday shampoo and body wash. This way, you save on purchasing new ones each time you travel.
    4. Leggings are a girl’s best friend: Anywhere I go I always take leggings because they are very easy to style and reuse throughout your travels. The only thing you have to worry about would be the top but if you have a cardigan or a sweater then it makes the outfit very easy to put together.
    5. Slippers/sandals: I can never travel anywhere with at least some type of comfortable footwear for when I get out of the shower. I just imagine how many people have walked in the hotel and could never walk barefoot. My mom would never let me, because she used to be a housekeeper and knew what things weren’t washed daily. So this is why I always take something to lounge around in while I’m in my hotel room.

    These are only some of the many things I always have to pack when I travel. Please feel free to comment down below some of your top essentials for traveling.

  • My Forever Valentine

    1. When/where did we meet?
      We met in the summer of 2008. We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. It’s actually a funny story the way he started talking to me. I will have to do another post on that because that is a whole other story.
    2. When did you meet my parents?
      Alonso met my parents around the same time I met him. I didn’t meet his parents until we started to go out again a couple years after that.
    3. Where/when was our first kiss?
      It was in December of 2008 we were not official boyfriend and girlfriend just dating. It was at the old Casino West that used to be in what you would consider “downtown” of Yerington.
    4. Who said “I love you” first?
      Alonso did. However, side note, I have only ever said I love you to one person and that was him, but way later on down the road.
    5. Where was our first date?
      Watching a movie at Casino West, this is pretty much what everyone in Yerington ever did for a “date.”
    6. Which is our most favorite drink/ food?
      Alonso and I love food! We love to cook. Our favorite foods include steak, sushi, chiles rellenos, and burgers. We love to drink Coke (I don’t, he makes me because he thinks its gross to drink food with water).
    7. When do you plan on getting married?
      We think there is always a time and place for it. There is currently no rush for marriage. We are just going day by day and I am currently going to school again so we both are pretty busy to even think about this at times.
    8. What does your favorite date night consist of?
      As of lately, there have been very few date nights because I started school again. However, when we get the chance we go out and have a nice meal and just talk about our day and how it went. We come home, snuggle, and watch our favorite Netflix shows (Shameless and Blacklist, and Stranger Things).
    9. How long have you been together?
      Alonso and I met in 2008, started dating in 2009, and broke up in 2010 (we both were babies). We still hung around and saw each other but didn’t make it official again until 2013, and we have been together ever since :).
    10. What makes you feel most loved?
      Alonso: with actions and a back rub
      Patty: words, I love to feel loved with simple heart felt words

      This was in 2009 at my 15th birthday party. Alonso and I were dating, but we didn’t tell anyone until I was officially 15 or else I would have been in deep trouble :).
    11. Do you want kids?
      Yes! We both want to have kids, but we feel there is no rush and when the time is right we will be very happy. Meanwhile, we love on my nieces and Alonso’s nephew and little sister. That’s enough for us for right now. 🙂
    12. Craziest thing you guys have done?
      We went skydiving and I would never do that for anyone else again (I started getting scared after the fact not before) :). It was so much fun though!
    13. What do you love about each other?
      Alonso: my niceness, my funny personality, my determination and hard working characteristics
      Patty: I love how Alonso is very relaxed and calm about anything and everything. I admire him because I have trouble being like that. He gets along with my family and I love that about him. He has been so supportive with everything I have ever wanted to do. If I come home late there’s food and a clean home. I wouldn’t have been able to do everything by myself and I thank him for that! As you can tell I am the one that is better with words :).

    14. Who cooks better?
    This questions deserves a match because I think it’s me, but Alonso thinks it’s him. I must say he cooks really well and I love that he doesn’t think that women are the ones that always have to be in the kitchen. We both always cook together unless I have homework or class then he will cook for me… he’s the best!

    So that sums it up! I hope everyone has a wonderful night full of love, but I also hope you feel loved every day not just today. I am currently in Wisconsin for work and wish I could be home, but I am just thankful that every day I get to spend it with my forever valentine.

     

  • Disneyland & Universal Studios Trip

    Hello!

    My family and I started off the year just right by taking a trip to Disneyland & Universal Studios. I have been MIA from my blog because I needed to spend some quality time with my family this past month….and I do not regret it. I had such a great time!

    I also vlogged our trip & if you want to take a look at it head to my Youtube channel Click HERE to check it out! Also, don’t forget to subscribe. I want to post a lot more on my Youtube channel this year. So stick around for what’s to come :).

    xoxo,

    Patty G.

     

     

  • Happy Birthday to My Daddy

    As a little girl, I remember sharing with my parents my biggest dreams and goals. I was so young but I always dreamed so big! When I was young I wanted a dream that I knew I was too young to accomplish,  which was buying them [my parents] a house. My parents never owned a home, and at a young age I realized this, however I was only 8 and didn’t have the resources at the time (if you know what I mean, $$$). So as soon as I had the chance at 12 years old I started working with my Mom to help pay my stuff for the beginning of a new school year. I wanted to contribute my part in the family and saw how hard they worked, that I felt the need to do it as well.
    I’ve grown so much since then, but I never lost track of the dream I promised them. I knew that once I went to college I would get a good job to help fulfill this dream. When it came time to graduate college I was so discouraged that I wouldn’t be walking because Grandma passed away the same day. I was so sad, at the loss of a family member AND at not being able to give my parent’s the opportunity to watch me walk  across the stage. I just felt like no one won in the situation everyone was just broken, no one was really “happy” that I graduated because there seriously was no time to even think about it, everything happened so quickly. I have always believed that God has his plans and they are far better than what we can plan for ourselves. So I believed in my heart things would go up from here, I mean they just had to… so I thought.

    To my surprise, my Dad was already a step ahead and had gone through the pre-qualifications to obtain a home. I was so surprised but so beyond happy and proud, my Dad was doing this on his own. It felt so nice in my heart to know it “finally” was happening. My Dad’s buying process took a little longer than usual but when he had the keys he showed me his home so proudly. It was a beautiful home, everything I ever imagined it to be. A big kitchen filled with cabinets for mom’s delicious cooking. An indoor porch for my family’s constant get togethers, which happen to be my absolute favorite. We were all just so in shock that this was their home. My brother and I were so so happy that Dad finally was going to be a homeowner. My Dad was so ecstatic, we helped him shop for his new furniture for his new home, it was going to be the perfect ending to a hard year after losing Grandma.

    Until things turned for the worst. (You would assume after such a hard year, things would get better). That isn’t always the case. At only a couple weeks after closing and having moved a majority of their stuff, my parents lost their home due to a fire. Mom came back to see the house in flames and minutes later the home was gone..everything  just gone. I received the news from my brother via text message. I was in class and I thought I read the message wrong so I didn’t really pay attention, until I checked my phone again and realized I had numerous missed calls, so I read the message again…”My parent’s house burned down.” I read the message over and over, I tried finding a typo but then I got a picture sent to me, and broke down.. I was so broken. I cried to my brother on the phone telling him that this couldn’t be happening not to them. I asked him if everyone was okay and he said everyone was okay (Thank God!), but that the house was gone. It’s hard to write down what feelings I felt, I was just hurt, broken, saddened, and in complete disbelief. How could this be happening to them?

    One of the things that many people tell me is why did I stay in Nevada, and why I didn’t move or go to college outside of the state. These are the type of events that I knew I wanted to be close to my parents. For birthdays or events like these, I wanted to be close enough to my family to be there for them, and that’s what I did. My boyfriend and I left and went to see my parents. When we arrived, I gave gave Dad a hug and said, “Everything will be okay, God has far greater plans for you, I promise..” My Dad is the type of person that will keep calm under pressure he won’t show his emotions but I could see past that and knew how much this affected him… he was hurt, more like shattered.


    Pictures, newly purchased items, and anything else you could think of was gone. I know a lot of people will think, “well that’s just material stuff” but the memories these pictures contained, the hard work these items portrayed, that’s stuff you don’t get back. 

    As we headed back home (old home), we all stuck together. I sat in the couch as my little brother cried in my arms, he was so devastated. It’s hard to keep your composure in situations like this…but we did, we somehow did. After the incident happened, I learned a lot about us as a family. Everyone was there for each other, it made happy to see us united and supporting each other. My family is so positive, I’m seriously not joking. They love life so much and always get right back up when things go wrong. If we are simply stuck on the fact that bad things happen to us and life is horrible, we wont move very far. If we stay positive, work together, anything we set our mind to is possible.

    Today is my Daddy’s birthday, a day which is so hard to celebrate, because on this same day a couple of years ago, my Dad’s Father (my grandpa) passed away. Can you imagine that, losing a parent on your birthday? But this year has been so hard on my Dad from losing his last parent left (his mother) to losing his home, I just don’t know how he keeps it all together. I look up to him so much, despite people bringing him down, doubting his ability to purchase a home by himself, my Dad proved us all wrong. He proved to me that our goals are far bigger than what we imagine and that dedication and an extraordinary work ethic go hand in hand in accomplishing them. 

     I write blog posts because I enjoy it. I love sharing my thoughts on paper or in this case typing them. I want to motivate others to really never give up on their dreams, just like my Dad motivates me. I know that sounds so cliche. Whether that’s sharing outfit posts to encourage women to feel beautiful on the outside and inside or inspire them to decorate their home. I just want to do something good in this world. But I’m being serious, go out there and do what you want to do, your goals won’t come right around the corner. You will for sure get doors closed on you, people will further themselves, you’ll become friends with people you least imagined, and you’ll realize time passed right by you. But did you accomplish what you wanted? Or did you just sit there and wait for them to come to you?

    My Dad is just an example of what not giving up looks like. This weekend my Dad and I talked about how God will give each and everyone obstacles to overcome. He teaches us to believe in ourselves in our most difficult times. My dad has come to terms with everything that has happened and instead of questioning God, thanked him. Because His plans are better, we may not know the reason but we have to trust in Him. And if you don’t trust in him that’s totally fine 🙂 trust in yourself! I’m so proud of my Dad for seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for any situation he embarks. Go out there and do something great in this world. Even the smallest person can see your greatness 😘🙌🏻.

    So Happy Birthday to my biggest role model that has taught me so much about life. I will be forever thankful for teaching me to work hard and live life to the absolute fullest regardless of our stumbles along the way. 

    Happy Birthday to my Dearest Daddy 🙂