Happy New Year & Goals for 2015

Happy New Year! I can't believe it is 2015 already! I hope you're having a great new year. Today I thought I would talk about some of my goals for 2015 since everyone is talking about their New Year resolutions.

Several years ago I resolved not to make New Year resolutions and instead change things when I felt they needed to be changed. This year I would like to focus on goals for the year. I think it is very important to have goals for yourself and to write them down. So, here are a few of my personal and professional goals.

1) Reach 10k subscribers on my Beauty channel - I know this is a big number but if you don't dream big then you'll never get there. 

2) Walk 3 hours a week - aka I want to be healthier and I believe walking at least 3 hours a week will help me get there.

3) Help my church grow - We are very small and are looking for ways to reach out to the local community. I hope that I can help with that.

4) Grow church Youth Group - Kinda the same idea as above. I am the YG leader at my church and would love to see it grow even bigger.

5) Cook more meals at home - I do love to cook but recently I have gotten lazy and have not been cooking as much. 

6) Read the Bible in 1 years time - I started this last month and am already behind but I know I can do it. I am reading it chronologically to make it a bit more interesting. 

7) Read more in general- I usually read about 50 books a year but last year I read about half that. (Although, several were 1,000+ pages.) I would like to get back to that 50. Follow my progress on Goodreads.

I have many more goals for 2015, but I hope you enjoyed the few that I shared with you. 

What are your goals for 2015?

Cooking Channel!

About a year and a half ago I started up a cooking channel, but after a bit I stopped. I have recently restarted the channel under a new name, HBCooks. Right now there are only the old videos up but I have a couple new ones already recorded and they will go up starting this week. I hope you enjoy them, and if you try any of the recipes please let me know! 

HB Cooks: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

So awhile back I tweeted a picture of my tomatillo salsa and several of you asked me how I did it. It's pretty easy and really yummy. 

First you need about 1 pound of tomatillos. In L.A. they are really easy to find and they are in the regular drugstore. They look like green tomatoes with a husk on them. (They are actually from the gooseberry family.) Pick ones that are firm and clean. When you get home peel the husk off and wash them. (They will be a little sticky but that's okay.) If you like your salsa spicy then wash a jalapeno too.

Now, you need to roast them. You can do this in a cast iron pan, your broiler, or on a grill, like me. Roast them (and the jalapeno) until they are slightly charred on all sides. 

Then place the jalapeno in a bag for about 5-10 minutes. The steam in the back will help you peel the skin off.

Then take a paper towel and use it to peel off the skin and pull out all the seeds. Be careful not to burn yourself and make sure you wash your hands afterwards!

Then put everything in the blender and puree. (Not shown but really good- add about a handful of fresh cilantro to the blender.) 

Salt and pepper to taste and store. It's great with chips or on enchiladas. Let me know if you try this!