Blog Posts

Hosting a Dinner Party in Your Apartment

Dinner Party. Do the words bring up warm fuzzy feelings of the last time you got together with friends, or does it bring up memories of a frustrated frenzy as you were trying to get a meal out with everything hot that was supposed to be hot, and cold things cold? We have put together some tips to the planning and execution from frenzied to fabulous. Guests Determine how many people can comfortably fit into your space when it comes to seating. If you have enough room, 8 - 10 people make a nice mix for a party. Create a pleasant mix of people at your party. Be certain that everyone there knows at least one other person who will be there. (And this makes it easier on the host, too.) Find out in advance about food allergies or other dietary restrictions so you can take them into consideration as you plan your menu. Let your guests know where to park, and any other idiosyncrasies about visiting your apartment. Menu Keep it simple (keeping in mind dietary restrictions and preferences). Serve a starter food; breads and cheese, fruit and dip, olives, crackers, cold meats. (This staves off hunger while you take care of the finishing touches of your meal, or while waiting for everyone to arrive.) Serve foods that can be prepared ahead of time (so you have more time to mingle with your guests instead of cooking). Crock pot recipes are great for this purpose. Foods that can be eaten standing up give guests a chance to mingle while eating. Think finger foods here. Instead of expensive adult beverages, consider serving a signature punch (and provide a non-alcoholic alternative for your guests who do not drink). Never serve anything you havent made before. (If you want to try a new recipe, try it out BEFORE you serve it for a party.) Setup A white linen tablecloth and fabric-made napkins along with fresh cut flowers can be a simple but elegant way to decorate, or use a checked gingham cloth to create more of a picnic feel for your table. For flowers or other centerpieces, choose an arrangement that is low enough so your guests can see each other over the top of it. (Or if you have a lovely arrangement that is taller, put it on a buffet or another shelf or table to enjoy.) Add some music; create a playlist of light jazz, easy-listening music to use as background, and in this case, louder is not better. Your guests need to be able to easily hear each other without raising their voices to converse. Lighting can make a huge difference. Use the dimmer switch if you have one, if not, consider using white Christmas lights, candles, or lanterns to create a softer, intimate glow. Encourage conversation by sharing something fun (not embarrassing) about your guests as you introduce them to each other so they have a launchpad available to begin a conversation. Have an activity planned in case conversation lags. Card games, trivia games, or getting to know you games can move things along. Using these tips will help you create an amazing dinner party. Dont forget the dessert! Please feel free to share a favorite dinner party recipe in the comments.

Games Games Games

Its great to have a clubhouse on site, but how often do you actually use it? The clubhouse is a great place to get together with friends, family, and neighbors. So unplug the electronic devices and sit down to an old favorite like Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, or perhaps try one you havent played before. Heres rundown of some games to try: Bang! BANG! is a spaghetti western card game where the Outlaws hunt the Sheriff. The Sheriff hunts the Outlaws. The Renegades may take one side or the other. Bullets fly, and the Sheriff hopes his Deputy doesnt accidentally shoot him! Each player randomly receives a character card and role to play (which is a secret, except for the Sheriff), and the role determines what will constitute victory. Its kind of like Paper, Rock, Scissors: Sheriff - Kill all Outlaws and the Renegade Deputy - Protect the Sheriff and kill any Outlaws Outlaw - Kill the Sheriff Renegade - Be the last man standing The deluxe version of the games comes complete with a Sheriffs badge (provide your own cowboy hat please) and the number of players can vary from a minimum of four to nine or ten. Add on extensions are available to provide more variations. Youll get a Bang! out of this game. Next up, Dominion : With an 84% Five-star rating on Amazon, Dominion is clearly a popular deck building game. And, a bonus, it is easy to learn. Deceptively simple,it also allows for endless variation. The marketing gurus describe the game like this: You are a monarch. . . a ruler of a small pleasant kingdom of rivers and evergreens. . . . You want a bigger and more pleasant kingdom, with more rivers and a wider variety of trees. You want a Dominion. In all directions lie fiefs, freeholds, and feodums. All are small bits of land, controlled by petty lords and verging on anarchy. You will bring civilization to these people, uniting them under your banner. But . . . several other monarchs have had the exact same idea. You must race to get as much of the unclaimed land as possible, fending them off along the way. An evening of playing Dominion may be just the ticket. Which brings us to this favorite: Ticket to Ride Ticket to Ride is a delightful cross-country journey in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim various railway routes connecting cities. The longer the routes created become, the more points they are worth. Claiming points leads to the win. Points are given for claiming a Route between two cities, successfully completing a Continuous Path of routes listed on your Destination Ticket, and by completing the Longest Continuous Path. Originally the game covered the USA, but now you can play maps of Europe, Mlin (Germany), and the Nordic Countries, with additional types of expansions are also available. So whether you play a tried-and-true favorite or a new game, call the front office or login today and reserve the clubhouse for a game night soon.

Checking In to Work Out

Youve got a great fitness center on site, but have you been there since you toured the place before moving in? (If you are a regular user, kudos to you; invite a neighbor to work out with you, soon.) Todays blog will focus on ways to take advantage of having a fitness center on site. Most of us have been there on the merry-go-round of getting all excited to work out, sticking to it for a few weeks, and then easing off in week three, and by week four we may guiltily think, I should work out as we drive past the fitness center on our way home. So here are some tips to get that first month under your belt, and get over that hump that derails so many of us, and on to a lifetime of healthy living. There are dozens of sites on the web, with workout routines. Here is one from Muscle & Fitness to get you started. The key thing is to create a workout that is demanding, but not so much that you burn out in the first two weeks. Slow but steady progress is what were looking for here; building both body and the habit of working out. When do you work out? As with most things, planning a consistent time is key to accomplishing the goal. Are you a morning person? Perhaps first thing in the morning is the best time to get a workout in before your time gets consumed with other projects. Do you work from home? How about hitting the fitness center for a mid-day break? Need to unwind before bed? A workout may be just the thing to work out the days kinks and stress at the end of the day. Now youve got a place, and a time. What do you wear? Comfortable clothes my friend; comfort is key. Youre going to be sweating, wear something absorbent, and a good pair of shoes, that will give you the proper support (you dont need a twisted ankle, right?). A quick online search yielded dozens of websites devoted to fitness wear. Another thing to consider is having a workout buddy. Whether its your partner, spouse, child, or a neighbor; having someone to work out with helps. Having someone to be accountable to can give you the motivation to get up and at em when the alarm clock goes off at odark-thirty. And when you just want to snuggle with your dog and a cup of tea, knowing that your neighbor is expecting to see you at the fitness center in fifteen minutes may just get you out the door. Keep track of how often you are exercising, and if you are staying with your schedule. If you are missing multiple days, perhaps you need to tweak your timeframe. And, track your journey, so you can see how far youve come! This page has a review of the Best Fitness Trackers of 2015 And this is a popular site for tracking fitness and food. And of course music. The beat of the music helps to keep us on task, moving in rhythm to the music. And, while we are focusing on our bodies, we can enjoy our favorite tunes. What is your favorite workout music? Its great to look back and find joy in the journey of becoming a healthier you. Leave a comment and let us know what you did to be more healthy this month.

Its a Classic Tonight

Pop some popcorn, grab the Junior Mints, Milk Duds, and Gummis, bring the beverages, and now all you need to do is decide what movie to watch. Whether you have scheduled the big screen at the clubhouse or you are planning to throw on your jammies and relax in your apartment, choosing a movie to watch isnt always easy. To help you out, we have compiled a list of favorite American Film Classics for you to enjoy. Some Like It Hot Directed by Billy Wilder and starring the Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon this 1959 romp through a landscape of speakeasy establishments, mafia bosses, and a trio of hapless musicians in the era of prohibition is a classic for good reason. Noted film critic, Robert Ebert said this, "Wilder's 1959 comedy is one of the enduring treasures of the movies, a film of inspiration and meticulous craft. To Kill a Mockingbird Based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird is a definitive piece exploring racial issues in America. As relevant today as it was in 1962, it is true that you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. . . until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. Gregory Peck stars as Atticus Finch, a lawyer who puts his reputation and career on the line when he represents Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man accused of rape. Seen through the eyes of Finchs daughter, Scout, it deserves its classic standing. King Kong If theatrical screaming is a prerequisite for a movie to be considered a horror/thriller/adventure then King Kong has it in spades. The epic creature, King Kong, inhabits the aptly named Skull Island, where Carl Denham plans to finish his movie. His leading lady, Ann Darrow, ends up (literally) in the giant gorillas grasp. Easily assuming the title classic, King Kong is a must see. Shane Alan Ladd portrays Shane, a skilled gunslinger with a cloaked past who intends to settle down as a homesteader, but is drawn into a settler/rancher conflict which forces him to act. One bit of trivia about the movie is that Jean Arthur was over 50 years old when when she played the part of Shanes wife Marian Starret ; Katharine Hepburn was originally suggested for the role of Marian. One of the classic westerns, you wont want to miss it. And to help you find more classics you may enjoy, be they romantic comedies, dramas, or westerns, here are some links: Americas 100 Greatest Comedies Americas 100 Years 100 Passions The 57 Greatest Westerns Ever, Ranked The Top 100 Action & Adventure Movies We hope these titles have whet your appetite for American Film Classics! Click here to see the American Film Institutes 100 Years 100 Movies. What is your favorite classic movie? Leave a comment and tell us today.

Making Homemade Pizza Step Two, The Toppings

In our last post, we focused on what youd need to make both a quick and more high-quality dough. And now that weve gotten that out of the way, we can supply you with a few of our favorite mouth-watering homemade pizza recipes. We hope you can soon enjoy a piping hot homemade pie coming out of the oven and onto your plate. Tomato + Basil Margherita Simple and classic holds up good. And its hard to go wrong with so few ingredients. All youll need is one twelve-inch round of pizza dough, homemade tomato sauce, a couple of ounces of fresh mozzarella, and a good amount of roughly torn fresh basil leaves for this recipe . Once the dough is done, this should only take you about ten to fifteen minutes to make. Wed also recommend adding some fresh sea salt on top for the finishing touch. Sausage + Olives Italian sausage and briny green and dark black olives on top of a grilled pizza is kind of a no-brainer. And mixing that in with shredded mozzarella and fresh rosemary leaves is the perfect way to bring it all together. Whether youre grilling this beauty on a cast-iron skillet, or in the oven on a pizza stone, you wont want to miss out on this. You can find what youll needalong with the directions over here . Clam Bacon Chard The only conceivable way to make bacon any better is to bring in a fresh helping of northwestern clams. With the complementary taste of swiss chard, savory thick-cut bacon, garlic, and a dash of white wine vinegar, this forty-minute wonder is a match made in heaven. Just remember to swap out the canned clams for ones you buy at the store and steam up yourself. You can find the recipe for this delicious pizza here .

Making Homemade Pizza Step One, the Dough

Whether youre tired of the pizza you can get by ordering by emoji, or just want an excuse to make and toss your own dough on a neglected pizza stone, well outline what you need to make some of the best homemade pizza youve ever had. In this post, well be focusing on the ways to make a suitable and robust dough. And in our next post, well post a few of our favorite homemade pizza recipes to give you the topping inspiration you need to bring it all to the table. The Ideal Dough If youre looking for a quicker kind of homemade dough, wed recommend jumping over here after this post. But it wont take that much longer to make a higher quality dough. Adapted from a hip restaurantRobertas in Brooklynyoull be eating a tasty dough thats the talk of the town. Heres what youll need: 153 grams of 00 flour 153 grams of all-purpose flour 8 grams of fine sea salt 2 grams of active dry yeast 4 grams of extra-virgin olive oil First, in a large mixing bowl, youll want to combine all the flours and salt. Next, in a separate small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams of lukewarm tap water, the olive oil and the yeast, and then pour it all into the flour mixture. Use your hands to knead the mixture until it comes together nicely, for about 3 minutes, and than let the mixture rest for 15 minutes. After that 15 minutes is up, knead the rested dough for 3 minutes. And then cut that into 2 equal pieces and shape them each into a ball. Once youve done that, place them both on a heavily floured surface, cover them with a dampened cloth, and let them rest and rise for somewhere between 3 and 4 hours at room tempor 8 to 24 hours in the fridge. Just remember to remove the dough 30 to 45 minutes from the fridge before you begin to shape the pizza if Once that time has passed, youll have dough thats ready to be shaped on a floured surface into a round or square pizza dough.