Travel Tuesday: Spanish Food

Today's post comes from a very special place: my stomach. While I was living in Spain I made a goal to 1. Never eat fast food and 2. At least TRY anything that was given to me. I tried snails, meat from a bull, I'm pretty sure my first Señora secretly fed us pig brains (there's proof!), and essentially anything that was put in front of me. I loved everything except for gazpacho (or any type of cold soup really) and cold tuna pasta. That being said, I wanted to share my top 5 favorite foods from Spain! 

5.  Patatas Bravas

 

(photo from bbcgoodfood.com/click through for recipe)

These handsome fried potatoes are covered in a kind of spicy ketchup sauce and are delicioso!

4. Croquetas

(photo from nbclatino.com/click through for recipe) 

Croquetas are pretty much fried mashed potatoes with jam or whatever else you decide to put in them! 

3. Jamón y Manchego

 

(photo credit: Tamorlan on Wikimedia Commons)

 A little dried ham and some rich cheese make for a great snack. Or, put in on some fresh baked bread and you have yourself a bocadillo!

2. Churros con Chocolate 

 

Fried dough dipped in the best chocolate? Que rico! It was also the best snack between classes with some of my lovely amigos.

And now for my number one favorite food in Spain...

 

If only wine were a food group...but for real. 

1. Tortilla Española AND Paella! It's a tie!

 

 

I would give you some sort of recipe but the truth is I'm a terrible cook. The only solution is to go to Spain and try them all for yourself!

What are your favorite foods from different cultures?

xoxo, K

Travel Tuesday: Galway, Ireland

Happy Travel Tuesday!

This week's Travel Tuesday is brought to you by the lovely country of Ireland, The Cliffs of Moher and Fish & Chips from the city of Galway. So on my backpacking adventure my friends and I took a bus to the west side of the country. It probably sounds familiar because it's the name of the song from P.S. I Love You (The Galway Girl), and yes I did hear that song played in the pubs! Since we were all on a pretty tight budget, Fish & Chips made for a cheap and delicious dinner! It didn't hurt that the downtown area was so adorable with boutiques and pubs.

Delicious!

An example of the cuteness, especially with all the Christmas lights up!

We then decided as a group to take this bus tour from Galway all the way to the Cliffs of Moher. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made! We stopped at different places along the countryside and the final view at the Cliffs of Moher was mesmerizing. I'm getting chills just thinking about it right now. Anyways, here are some photos of our journey:

Last but not least the Cliffs! For all you Harry Potter nerds out there like me, the scene with Dumbledore and Harry on the rock in the middle of the ocean is THIS rock (the tiny one in the corner)! It was so terribly windy that day though, which made it extra dangerous to be there.

And last but not least my favorite picture of myself from this day-

I've never looked prettier.

Until next time! 

xoxo, K 

Travel Tuesday: Segovia, España

Happy Tuesday Everyone! So sorry I've been missing lately, but I started a new job as a Spa Concierge at the J.W. Marriott so I've been busy (and I've been loving it!). So for this Travel Tuesday I have a very special city that Alex and I share our love for: Segovia, Spain. He visited me twice while I was living in Spain, and we managed to make it to this city THREE different times! We were also fortunate enough to have Pedro (a family friend) as a tour guide. There's nothing better than visiting a city with a local. That being said, Alex and I ate some of the best food of our lives and drank the most delicious wine ever. Take a look for yourself!

The Aqueduct of Segovia. It's so impressive to think that these are just stones so intricately placed on top of one another. It baffles my mind as to how they even did it.

Alex and me by the Aqueduct.

Okay now for the food! Pedro brought us to a place called Jose Maria's and it is by far Alex's favorite restaurant ever. Warning, if you're a vegetarian....I would skip past the next photo.

Cochinillo! Also known as, baby pig. You might be judging me right now but it is super bueno!

Of course we had to finish the meal off with some Ponche, the traditional dessert of Segovia. 

Here are a few more photos from the city:

And my personal two favorites:

Have a great rest of your Tuesday! I leave for Washington D.C. on Friday for the Run for Hope, so wish me luck!

xoxo, K

Travel Tuesday: Guatemala

It feels like time is going so fast lately! In honor of it being Tuesday, I've decided to share a little bit about my trip to Guatemala a few years ago. My junior year of college I decided to sign up for a mission trip to Guatemala during my Spring Break. The beautiful thing about mission trips is you start off as strangers with this group of people who also are giving up their time and money in order to help others and serve the Lord, and you wind up becoming SO close. While there, we worked with an organization called WorldWide Hands. It was a ton of work, but we definitely got some free time to explore as well. Here are a few of my favorite memories:

This is our leaders for the trip praying and preparing for the day. Also, look at that view! This is where we stayed for the majority of the week. I don't know what it is about this photo, but I love it.

Our job for the week was to move ALL those cement blocks onto the second floor. We were all tuckered out at the end of each day.

That would be me hanging out with all the adorable nuggets during lunchtime. Their school was literally right next door to the new school we were building.

Me and my good friend Chelsea wearing the traditional Guatemalan dress. 

At a random bus stop taking in the view and the mountains. Guatemala was so naturally breath-taking. It was such a nice change to wake up and see mountains everywhere!

Have you ever traveled to Guatemala or south of the United States?

xoxo, K

Travel Tuesday: Granada, Spain

Lately, I've felt pretty homesick for Granada, Spain. It's funny because I only lived there for a total of seven months, but it was such a memorable life changing time that it will forever feel like home to me. I removed myself from everything and everyone familiar and comfortable in my life and the outcome was unbelievable. If you EVER get the chance to do a study abroad or work abroad, do it! I have learned so many life skills from this experience that I would encourage literally every single person to get out there and learn about new cultures first hand. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my time there.

I love my friends.

Nighttime look at the Alhambra via Mirador San Nicholas 

My first home stay's paella (seriously to die for)

Sunrise walk to my early morning classes, not too shabby.

Both of my hermanas enjoying a little after lunch dessert. I love this photo and how happy they look :)

Day time view of the Alhambra and my city. 

Alex and I are planning to move back to Spain for a few years when the timing is right. Until then, Grand Rapids, Michigan will have to do! 

xoxo, K

P.S. Speaking of traveling....I'm traveling over to Becker's Bridal to pick up my wedding dress! The big day is coming up FAST!