Saturday, January 28, 2017

Homemade Spaghetti (Sorta)

Sorry for the plate being messy... I was getting seconds. SOOO GOOD.

I had to have auto-correct fix the word "Spaghetti" cause the English language has so many silent letters.

My favorite meal to make in the entire world is spaghetti. It's simple, quick, and only requires like 4 ingredients. I use to make mine with just three, but I started adding in shredded cheese and it's been just AMAZING. I don't wanna brag, but I've never tasted better spaghetti... I thought I'd share the recipe, as many of you seem to like my food posts, so here ya go!

Makes for 4-5 people. Takes about 20-30 mins.

Ingredients:
1/2 package of angel hair pasta (you can use any but I LOVE angel hair the best)
1 Can of Ragu pasta sauce. I use the traditional, picture here.
1 Pound of ground beef
1 package of shredded cheese, picture here.
Salt & Pepper
Oil


Directions:
1. In a small pot add water and bring water to a boil and pour your angel hair pasta in. A good rule of measurement is about a quarter size for 4 people. I made the mistake of using a whole box once and let's just say we had A LOT of pasta.

2. While you're waiting for the water to boil, add your ground beef to a different pan with a little bit of oil at the bottom. (Make sure this pan can hold the beef and the pasta because you'll be adding it to this pan later on) This is when I like to season the ground beef, so I add in salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and a pinch of oregano if I have it. Keep an eye on the ground beef and cover it. Keep it on medium heat and stir every now and then.

3. Once your beef has cooked, drain the excess in the sink and put the pan back on the stove. Add in your Ragu pasta sauce and cook over low to medium heat until it begins to thicken. If you like meatballs (I don't), this is when you can add them in. I usually let mine thicken for about 8-10 minutes. It's' your call on how you want the sauce to be, so If you don't want it thick at all, then 2-5 minutes should be fine.

4. Drain your angel hair pasta. If your sauce hasn't thickened yet, set the pasta aside until it does. Once the sauce is to your liking, add in the angel hair pasta and mix it in well. 
Turn the heat off and add in the shredded cheese. I usually add in about half a bag. You can do as much or as little as you'd like. I first started this off by not adding cheese at all, but taking how much spaghetti I wanted in my own bowl and adding the cheese there. Whatever works. The cheese is the secret ingredient. THE BEST PART.


Enjoy! :)

Monday, January 16, 2017

Karma.

What goes around, comes around. 

When I was younger, I would always, what I felt like, get the short end of the stick. I always had to be the one to share. I was always expected to be the bigger person. I was taught that even though somebody is treating you badly, it doesn't mean you should act the same way. As I grow older, I realize how it all makes sense. What you put into the universe is what will come back to you. I believe that things don't happen coincidentally. There is a reason for everything, whether it be a lesson or a blessing.

I remember working at a daycare and I was telling this little girl what karma is. She didn't believe me. She was making fun of another little girl and I told her that it would come back to her. A couple days later, we all went to the pool and she ended up scraping her foot at the bottom of the pool. She came up to me and said "Ms. Amela, you were right. Karma is real."

I can't help but think about how important it is to be a positive person. It's easy to be mean. It's not hard to call someone a name, pick on them, or just laugh at them. What's hard is to be a good person. When everyone is putting you down and saying how you will never succeed is when you should turn around and tell them you wish that they do succeed in life. In the moment, you want to say everything that's been bothering you and maybe even cuss them out, but that's not what being a good person is about. It's about understanding their pain and what caused it and wishing that one day they will look back and be positive too.

You can't change anyone, but you can change yourself. With that, I encourage each and every one of you to do something positive each day. Make someone smile, laugh, or happy. There's too much negativity in this world that we don't need it to spread even further.


Sunday, January 8, 2017

Trust.

No trust is like trying to build a sandcastle with quicksand.

I read the quote by one of my coworkers in an email and I cannot express how true it is. I am the type of person to trust somebody until they given me a reason not to. It's a blessing and a curse. I find that giving people chances is something everybody needs because you can't judge a book by its cover. However, don't mistake my kindness for weakness. Once somebody loses my trust, it's very difficult to get it back.

Enough of the cliques, but honestly, that's how life is. Without any trust, there is no relationship. Would you trust your friend to be there for you, even though they've bailed on you every time? Would you trust that manager when they say they promise you this assignment, but back out every time? Or would you trust that guy that says he won't break your heart, after he has already? These are the times when the sand turns to quicksand. You want to trust them, but their actions speak otherwise. I've had an issue with trust lately and I won't get into the situation but it made me realize that I am destined for better things in life. This was merely a lesson by the One and Only to show me, something better will happen to you and you had to learn from this. I am forever grateful.

On another note, I saw this idea on Pinterest and I thought I'd do it too. I didn't have enough patience to write it out by hand, so I did it in excel. As you can tell, my days haven't been super great in 2017, but I'm not going to let one day determine the rest of my year/life. Here is a copy if you'd like one! Happy 2017! I'm hoping most of our boxes end up yellow!! (or whatever color you decide to make the most amazing one) ❤


Sunday, January 1, 2017

2017



I've always loved celebrating the new year. It's a fresh start, a new beginning, and a new number! I know that you can have a fresh start at any time, but something about a new year motivates me more to start fresh. I also have a good feeling about this year because odd numbers appeal to me, that's why my favorite number is 27. It's really random because my birthday is actually on the 7th, not 27th, but I like that you can write the number 2 and the number 7 different ways. And the fact that this year has both numbers just makes it that much better.

2016 has been a year of lessons and eye openings. I, honestly, went into 2016 dreading it. I had this feeling that it would not be a good year. It turned out to be a year of learning. I learned who was really there for me and who wasn't. I learned that God's timing is absolutely perfect. I learned that there are reasons behind each lesson. For that, I thank you, God.

For 2017, I am making promises. Promises to myself, to better myself.

I promise to love myself. 
As I've been getting older, I've realized how much I love being by myself. I do interact and socialize every once in a while but I am such a homebody that I just simply love being at home. I can't help it but it makes me so happy. The more time I spend alone, the more I've learned to love myself. In 2017, I promise to love myself even more and pursue what makes me happy.

I promise to take every opportunity. 
If there's anything I've learned these past couple of years, it's that opportunities will come and go but the biggest regrets can be made when I say "no". One great example was at work, I was given the option to do health insurance claims training and I said I didn't feel comfortable and since I was so new, I said no. I regret that. Well, in 2017, I promise to take every opportunity that comes my way.

I promise to go outside my comfort zone.
Since I love being alone so much, I have developed a comfort zone, AKA my home. Many times I've been asked to hang out or go on adventures and I've turned them down because I wanted to be at home. In 2017, I will say yes to new adventures and step outside my comfort zone.

I promise to learn and grow. 
I have recently started school for my Masters degree in Healthcare Administration. Not only will I promise to grow in school, but also as a person. I believe myself to be a life-long learner and throughout life, we are constantly learning. I will use the lessons learned in 2016, to better myself in 2017. In 2017, I promise to learn from others and continue to grow.

I promise to forgive. 
This is a very difficult one for me because when I lose trust, I find it very hard to forgive. There have been many people who have wronged me in my life and I've learned to cut them off and never forgive them. I can't forgive everyone, but in 2017, I promise to try to forgive those who need forgiveness the most.

With these promises, I hope to live a healthy life. I hope to look back and say I've become a better person. I hope to learn many lessons and have many blessings. Hey 2017, I'm excited for you! I have a great feeling about you.