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Spring-y Pacific Northwestern Recipes for April

Spring brings with it more sunshine, which means a heck of a lot more fruits and vegetables are in season. Because local produce will be available and hopefully a little more affordable, theres no better time to incorporate clean and greener ingredients into your day-to-day meals to make things both more healthy and flavorful. Below, weve highlighted a few different and creative ways to do just that for the residents of our Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup. Grilled Potato & Arugula Salad When it comes to bringing out the best in vegetables, grilling is always a pretty reliable way to enhance and emphasize the more characteristic flavors in any dish. Add to that the already peppery and mustard-esque arugula, and youve already got yourself a ticket to happier tastebuds. With a bit of capers, chopped chives, lemon juice and zest, pickled red onions, and a dijon-sherry dressing, youll wonder why you dont eat vegetables like this more often. Youll find what you need to make it all happen over here . Rainbow Spring Rolls & Ginger Peanut Sauce Thai restaurants love to use spring rolls as a staple appetizer to most meals, and this rainbow variation kicks up the vegetable count in a way thats just as pretty as it is fun to make and eat. Theres something for practically every taste region of your tongue in this one. All youll need to make it is a bit of mint, cilantro, bell pepper, mango, carrot, beets, and a simple ginger peanut sauce. This recipe is packed with vitamins and nutrients, and it even brings with it the option to include quinoa, vermicelli noodles, or tofu for those that want a little something extra and substantial. You can find out how to make it all over yonder . Grilled Green Onions & Walnut Romesco The visual contrast and pairing of bright, fresh, grilled green onions with this deep and robust red walnut romesco is worth making the dish alone. But with fresh diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cloves of garlic, toasted walnuts, and paprika all blended together perfectly in a food processor, matched with olive oil and green onions, its hard to go wrong. This works really well as a side dish to a whole-wheat pasta of your choice or with another healthy grain like quinoa or barley. You can find what youll need to make this over here .

Exhibit A Why Art Is Alive and Well at the Tacoma Art Museum Contd

Last week, we discussed some of the exhibits available to peruse at the Tacoma Art Museum. Today, weve highlighted a few more things to check out there this month for residents of our Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup. TAMs Annual Book Sale Because of the high-quality imagery involved with most art books, they usually cost a significant amount more than your standard paperback novels. But making a trip to the Tacoma Art Museums annual used book sale is a great way to find something thats a lot more affordable. Whether youre looking for art instruction to learn some new hobbies or improve your craft, want to learn more about a certain artist through an exciting biography or art history collection, or just want a book filled with some compelling artwork, youre bound to find something great here. There are even a few books with subjects beyond art as well, in case youve got any friends or family in tow that are looking for something else. Everything will be going down on the 21st of April from 5PM to 7PM. You can find more information about the event over on the TAMs website . TAM Symposium Artists Drawn West Though its often nice to learn about art in any way, shape, or form, understanding whats happening in your little corner of the world can give a living context to the art that introduces an entirely new dimension of both connection and appreciation. Like symposiums here in the past, this one will feature film historians, a Native American scholar, a working artist, and an architectural historian. To those that come, youll be able to learn how passing through the American West has influenced trends in film, art, and even how this area has influenced a new type of so-called parkitecture in national parks throughout the country. Tickets for the event are twenty-five dollars for non-members and fifteen for students and members. Itll be happening on the 23rd of April from 10AM to 5PM. You can find more information about it all over here .

Green with Envy Local Earthy Events Near Puyallup

April features an entire day that gives back to the earth, and even a day dedicated to planting more trees in local cities and parks. So it shouldnt be that surprising that there are lots of great ways in the community to get involved and help keep things as clean and preserved as they deserve to be. Below, weve highlighted a few of the different ways residents of our Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup can spend some time with nature. Greener Ways to Spend April Point Defiance Beach Cleanup Saturday, April 16th 9AM 12PM Events like this are perfect for those that cant take part in more universal park appreciation activities happening later in the month. Like many work parties, which we talk about below, these cleanup efforts happen once every month. This particular event for the Point Defiance Marina happens every third weekend. Theres no registration required just show up by yourself or with family or friends to help pick up trash and keep the quality of the marina at its very best. When youre done, you can take that sense of gratitude and service with you on a boat rental ride, a walk along the waterfront, a lunch in town at one of the restaurants nearby, or on the trail at the adjacent Point Defiance Park. You can read more about the event over here and more about the marina itself here . Metro Parks Work Parties Like the event above, these monthly work parties rotate through all of the parks within the Metro Parks network, relying on city workers and volunteers to come together to do some park-specific upkeep. This month on Saturday, April 16th you can help clean McKinley Park and Oak Tree Park from 9AM until 12PM. You can find more information about each of the events, and where they are meeting up, by clicking on their respective links above. They recommend bringing long sleeve shirts, work gloves, long pants that you dont mind getting dirty, and closed-toe shoes. They will provide any of the tools or litter bags to help with the clean-up efforts there.

Exhibit A Why Art Is Alive and Well at the Tacoma Art Museum

April is the time for early spring picnics, hanging out at your favorite park, spring cleaning routines, and the like. But its also an opportunity to muscle out of hibernation and spend some time in new places learning or experiencing new things. The Tacoma Art Museum offers all of the above and more with their exhibits and rotating events. Below, weve highlighted a few things to check out there this month for residents of our Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup. Edvard Munch and the Sea Opening This opening is built to further acquaint you with one of the worlds most famous nordic artists, Edvard Munch, who is perhaps known best for the classic and iconic The Scream . The exhibit is also intended to demystify the influence that the sea had on his body of work as a metaphor for powerful and relatable emotions, a backdrop for summer holidays and important memorable events, and as a subject unto itself. There will be hors d'oeuvres, a bar, live music, and a photo booth. You can learn more about the event over here . It will be held on the 9th of April from 6PM until 9PM. The price of admission for non-members will be twenty dollars to the general public, ten dollars for students who bring a valid identification, and free for members with the exception of the cash bar. Printmaking with Craig Cornwall Though this one is a little more spendy, youll be learning just about everything you could hope to learn when it comes to printmaking from a very capable teacher or at least as much as you could learn in one class. Craig Cornwall will be going over the basics of etching and dry point techniques, along with a walkthrough of lithographs. Craig works in a printshop and with local artists helping to produce limited quantities of art. The cost of this class is sixty dollars for the public and fifty dollars for members. It will be held on the 16th of April from 12PM until 4PM in the afternoon. You can get more information about the event over yonder . Check back in a few weeks for more TAM events!

Local Sports Bars to Catch March Madness

March and basketball are a real thing of beautyand the massive madness of college basketball competition deserves to be experienced with friends out on the town. Since even the loftiest of homes can only house so many big screens at once, heading out to the local sports bars can be a great way to make sure you dont miss out on any of the action. Below, weve decided to outline the best places to catch all the cant-miss games with your family or friends. Loose Wheel Bar + Grill Locals know how important atmosphere and a friendly staff are to any game experiencewhich is precisely what makes Loose Wheel fit the bill so well. Whether you need a reliable place to watch a game while you chow down on wings, pizza, onion rings, or burgers, fair prices and delicious food meet together at this downtown crossroad. You can check out their menus in both locations on their website, along with their available beers and upcoming events. They even offer kegs you can take home in case the bar is a little too crowded for your taste. Cheers Bar + Grill Pacific Aves Cheers isnt the same as the one that used to be on the show, but the modern atmosphere does well at honoring its namesake. With lots of screens to catch all the games, you wont miss out on much. Whether youre looking for a place to play a game of pool, angus burgers, buffalo chicken wraps, street tacos, or chips and salsa, theyve got it all. You can check out what they offer on their menu over here, as well as any updates on upcoming events at their locations. North End Tavern Proctor Aves North End Tavern is one of the better hang-out spots in town because of their reasonably priced food and daily specials, down-to-earth vibes and atmosphere, and offerings of local brews on tap. Whether youre in the mood for wings, waffle fries, or even egg rolls while you keep tabs on all the games, theyve got what you need in an underrated environment. Even their cuban sandwich gets noteworthy reviews. You can preview some of their menu over here. Though theyre not as established outside of word-of-mouth, those that have been in the area enjoyed their experience.

Time-Saving Spring Cleaning Tips

The advent of spring brings almost instant joy and relief because of the promise of a little bit more sunshine and being that much closer to summer. And after a long and cold northwest winter, theres bound to be clothing and items to go through that have seen better days. So, with that newfound spring energy, here are a few time-saving tips to help you get through spring cleaning that much easier this year. Donation Bin Going through your apartment all at once is doable, but it might also seem pretty daunting if youve got a busier schedule. Instead, having a dedicated bin that you try to place one item in each dayuntil its fullcan make it a little easier to carefully evaluate what you can do without. You could even set aside a box in each room. That way, whenever you have a second in each room, you can cut down on the clutter before you grab something to drink or a book from your bookshelf in the living room. Kitchen Countdown This is for those that only have a few minutes to spare. The next time youre boiling water, or popping popcorn in the microwave, try to clean as much of your kitchen as you can until your water is simmering or the popcorn is ready. Even if youre only able to wipe down the counters, or sweep the kitchen floor, youll be surprised and impressed with how much you got done in just a minute or two. If you have more time to spare, you can try this if youve got something thatll take longer in the stove. The best part about self-imposed stop times is that you know when you get to stop cleaning. Bathroom Zen If youve got just a few minutes, thats enough time to use a multi-surface wipe to disinfect most of the surfaces in your bathroom. And if youve got around an hour, you can de-moldify the bathroom floor and any neglected nooks and crannies with this non-bleach approach. If youve got some extra time after that, you can usually throw your shower curtains in the wash to help prevent mildew and mold build-upunless it says otherwise on their instruction tag. Go ahead and throw in your bathroom mats and towels while youre at it to get even more done (dont forget to check their tags, too).