Apartment Blog

Some years you have everything planned out well in advance. Some years, you don’t. This may be one of those Halloweens where you can’t think of the right costume, you forget, or you are invited to a costume party at the last minute! No worries, here are  3 last minute “Costumes” you can throw together to still show up to the party in style:

• 1. BodyGuard (Men) - all you need is a shirt that is three times too small for you and you might be able to look somewhat buff. Combine that with a pair of “Men in Black” sunglasses and blue jeans and you can arrive to the party in style. You might be able to partner up with someone at the party who dressed up as a movie or sports star and make it seem like you came together.
• 2. Librarian (Woman)- Everyone loves a librarian. Get some dark rimmed glasses (I hear the dollar store has a good selection), your most boring outfit, and some books and head out of the door to the party. You may look like a geek but you will fit in with all of the other costumes at the party.
• 3. Ghost (Generic)- All you need to become a Ghost is a blanket and an imagination. People may suspect that you forgot to get costume, but at least you will get a few laughs out of it. You can also have fun all night creeping up on people and scaring them, while wrapped up in a blanket.

Mind you, these are last minute costumes.   They are cost effective and a life saver.  Don’t laugh, they could come in handy this year!!!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! I’m not really sure what the plans are for this evening, however, I’m certain one thing is for sure….dessert! While searching for recipes online, I found this one particularly intriguing. I thought to myself, how can you have Mexican brownies??? Well, here is a very easy recipe to add to your Mexican fiesta tonight!!

Directions

Prepare your favorite boxed or homemade brownies, adding 3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle Chile pepper and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter (for a batch that fits a 9-by-13-inch pan).

Cook as stated on the box or based on your homemade recipe.

Top each Mexican brownie with a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

It’s just a little touch of something different to conclude your Mexican dinner. Serve warm to your family and friends!

Source: Recipe from FootNetwork.com and Photograph by Tina Rupp

 While looking for what to cook for St. Patrick’s Day I stumbled upon this wonderful recipe. I am definitely planning on making this for my household on Tuesday. Take a look…

What You Need

Mini Pretzel Twists
White Chocolate
Candy Melts
Green Chocolate Candy Melts
Candy Sprinkles & Colored Sugar
Microwave Safe Bowl
Fork or Skewer
Wax Paper

What You Do

Using a microwave, melt the chocolate in two separate bowls, stopping every 30 seconds to stir the chocolate.

Using a fork or skewer to hold each pretzel, dip it into the melted chocolate. Lay the pretzels on wax paper. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with candy sprinkles or colored sugar. Allow to dry at least 15 minutes before removing the pretzels from the wax paper.

Store in a sealed container in a cool place. Do not refrigerate or freeze because it could cause the appearance of the chocolate to change colors.

I was watching TLC’s ‘Take Home Chef’ this morning while at the gym and I saw this decadent dessert that I must share. This is a dish I definitely plan on making for Valentine’s Day. When I saw how easy it was to prepare and how delicious it looked, it made me want to hop off the elliptical machine and run to the store (literally run to burn off the extra calories I’ll be consuming)!

Here it is…..

Chocolate Cheesecake

Makes 6

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake crust:

8 ounces/225 g semisweet chocolate wafer cookies
5 tablespoons/75 g unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake filling:

8 ounces/225 g good-quality semisweet chocolate (such as Scharffenberger), chopped
1 1/2 pounds/700 g cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup/200 g superfine sugar
3 tablespoons/30 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons/10 ml vanilla extract
3 large eggs

For the chocolate sauce:

2/3 cup/155 ml heavy whipping cream
4 ounces/115 g good-quality semisweet chocolate (such as Scharffenberger), chopped

Method:

To prepare the crust: Finely grind the cookies in a food processor. Blend the butter into the crumbs to form a moist sandy texture. 

Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom (not the sides) of six 4-inch-/1-cm-diameter spring form pans. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

To prepare the filling: Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, then set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir the chocolate until melted then set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended.

Stir the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture to blend. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the chilled crusts, dividing it equally.

Place the cheesecakes on a heavy baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the cakes puff slightly but the tops do not crack and are slightly darker in the center. The cakes will be slightly wobbly but will become more firm as they cool.

Turn the oven off and leave the oven door open to allow the cakes to cool for 1 hour. The cheesecakes will have cooled but will still be slightly warm. If desired, they can be refrigerated at this point until they are cold.

Meanwhile, to make the chocolate sauce: Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat just until it begins to simmer. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt slightly.

Stir the cream mixture with a whisk until the chocolate has melted completely and the sauce is smooth.

To serve: Run a small sharp knife around the pan sides to loosen the cheesecakes from the pans. Release the pan sides and transfer the cheesecakes to plates.

Drizzle the warm chocolate sauce over and around the cheesecakes and serve.

The count down is on! Super Bowl XLIII is five days away and the game is shaping up to be a good one. Everyone is looking forward to the traditional festivities for their Super Bowl party, such as the manly (or womanly) bonding, yummy food, friends, etc. However, according to Extra, the average person eats about 1,200 calories in snacks alone on Super Bowl Sunday?! That’s insane! Participating in this time honored tradition can be detrimental to your diet!

Well, take a breath….we’re providing you with two recipes that are for the healthy conscientious. Feel free to snack on these bad boys, in moderation of course, guilt-free!

Fresh Tomato Salsa

From Eatingwell.com Ingredients

• 4 cup(s) diced tomatoes (5-6 medium)
• 3/4 cup(s) finely diced red onion ( about 1 small)
• 1/4 cup(s) red-wine vinegar
• 1 1/2  jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine tomatoes, onion, vinegar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

With only 21 calories per serving and 0 grams of fat, you can snack happy with this recipe! J Be sure to serve with reduced fat or multi-grain chips for an added health bonus!

Spicy Blue Cheese Dip

From Eatingwell.com 

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
• 2/3 cup(s) crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon(s) distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Whisk sour cream, blue cheese, vinegar and cayenne in a small bowl.

This blue cheese dip is perfect compliment for buffalo wings (again, moderation is key) or with a tray of veggies!

Recommended again from our very own ‘food expert’ at ForRent.com…..’Ok so this recipe isn’t healthy but I have to share it with you.  I straight up lied and told my family I came up with this recipe myself, sorry Tyler (Florence).  If you are doing a big family dinner and you want to impress everyone, this is the bird to do.  Do exactly what the recipe says and you will be a legend in the kitchen.  This recipe was so good I wanted to slap my mama!  Garnish with the extra sage, roasted baby carrots and whole cranberries and people will be begging you for the secret.’ Try it out and let us know if she’s right!!!

Ingredients

• 1 (12 to 14) pound fresh turkey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing, recipe follows
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Sage Butter, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and remove the top rack of the oven.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with stuffing and, if required, truss the legs. Cover the turkey with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Push the sage butter under the skin of the turkey, being careful not to puncture the skin.

Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, and into the oven. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). If the legs or breast brown too quickly during roasting, cover them with foil.

Sage Butter:

2 sticks butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped sage
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients.
Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing:
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
6 large cornmeal muffins, cubed
Handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Add sage and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornbread pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss until it’s well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together and stuff the cavity of the turkey. You could also spoon it into a buttered baking dish and put it in the oven along with the turkey. Bake until hot and crusty on top, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Taken from the Food Network