Boston, The largest city in the commonwealth of Massachusetts and one of the oldest cities in the United States, offers a rich and inviting history.  Part of this history involves three storied sports franchises; the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox. All three are recent World champions in Football, Basketball and Baseball, respectively.   The hype surrounding each franchise reaches a fevered pitch once their season starts and that level of excitement is unlikely to die down anytime soon.

The Patriots are in the process of writing their story and three Super Bowl wins in the last decade is a great introductory chapter.  The Celtics are reviving their past glory and still remain the franchise who has won the most NBA Championships in history.  The new tandem of All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen have already won a  championship ring together in 2008, but can’t wait for you to come watch them win a few more. Boston loves their baseball and the Red Sox have not disappointed in recent years. 2004 and 2007 were championship years for the Red Sox and they are in the hunt again this year.

The Patriots actually play about 45 minutes outside of the center of Boston, in Foxboro. However, there are many great apartments within minutes of Boston’s Td Garden Arena and Fenway Park.

Get more information and search tips on Boston Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in Boston, MS.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston

When post people search for super bowl facts, the more interesting they are the better! So I searched through many websites and weeded out the not-so interesting stuff, to compile a list of 10 random facts I found interesting. I thought I’d share them with you….

1. The name “Super Bowl” was not used officially until the 3rd championship game in January 1969.

2. No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl in their own stadium.

3. New Orleans and Miami have hosted the Super Bowl the most at 9 times.

4. Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, and Tony Dungy have all won a Super Bowl both as a player and a coach.

5. The following things have never happened in a Super Bowl: a scoreless first half, a shutout, an overtime game and a punt return for a touchdown.

6. 30-second TV commercials are believed to be costing close to $3 million this year. If this reported rate is true, how is it that we are in an economic crisis??

7. According to About.com, the amount of chips consumed on Super Bowl Sunday is over 14 tons!!

8. Eight million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.

9. An average of 6% of people will call out on the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday.

10. The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs the span over two calendar years.

Now granted I’m a football impaired chick, so these facts may not be an over the moon spectacular or anything. But they sure made me say ‘uh…’ when I read them. Hope they gave you a little something to think about, or a least a much needed break from your busy day!

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!

With the holidays so near, I know everyone is searching for the perfect holiday treat to make! ForRent.com wants to provide you with our holiday recipe tips. The first six are regarding essential holiday pantry items and the remaining six are holiday treat recipes!

6 Essential Holiday Pantry Items:

• Chocolate Morsels
• Pam Cooking Spray
• Vanilla Extract
• Holiday Candy
• Sprinkles/Food Coloring
• Cookie Cutters

During our annual Marketing Department treat exchange, here were six of our favorite treats that were brought. You’ll see that some of them require one of the essential holiday pantry items mentioned previously!

                
SALTINE TOFFEE BARS

Ingredients:

• - unsalted Saltine Crackers (not premium-too thick)
• - 1 stick butter
• - ¾ cup sugar
• - 12 oz bag chocolate chips
• - sliced almonds, optional
• - powdered sugar, optional
• - “Pam” cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees.  Line a 9 X 11 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam.  Place saltines, edge to edge, over the bottom of the pan.  Melt butter, add sugar and bring to a boil.  Boil about 3 minutes to dissolve sugar.  Spoon (not pour) over the saltines and then settle the saltines and bake for about 5 minutes.  The saltines will look like they are floating.  Turn off the oven and remove saltines.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers and return to oven until they are melted then add almonds if desired.  Cool a bit then cut (but do not try to separate- too runny still) and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  Refrigerate until hard then break into pieces, removing foil from the back of the crackers.

Peppermint-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

1 (16.5 ounce) tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions:
Decorating suggestion: crushed candy canes or peppermint candies; white, red and green sprinkles; or red and green decorating sugar
Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, and a ½ ounce cookie scoop

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, knead together the cookie dough and 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough. Knead together any scraps of dough and roll out again. Continue to cut out pastry circles until there are 24 pieces in total. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve 1 parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Combine 1 cup of chocolate chips and the cream in a small bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the peppermint extract and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure, place the chocolate mixture in the center of the flat side of 12 of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until the filling has set, about 25 minutes.

Combine the remaining chocolate chips and the vegetable oil in a small bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Dip the top of each cookie in the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight plastic container.

Christmas Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Cake Mix Funfetti
Duncan Hines Classic Vanilla Frosting
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
Baking Cups
Directions:
Follow directions on the box for cooking cup cakes. After cup cakes have cooled, put vanilla frosting on the cup cakes. For extra decoration, you can use holiday colored sprinkles!

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
12 oz bag of White Chocolate Morsels
12 oz bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
8 regular sized Candy Canes

Directions:
Lightly grease a large cookie sheet. Break up candy canes into one inch pieces and put into a sturdy plastic bag. Crush candy canes inside the bag until they are in very small pieces. Next, put the semi-sweet chocolate morsels into a bowl and put in the microwave for 1 minute; stir in 15 second increments until it is completely melted. Pour melted chocolate on the cookie sheet and spread to make a thing layer. Put the white chocolate morsels in a bowl and repeat microwave cycle (while white chocolate is in the microwave, put baking sheet of semi-sweet chocolate in refrigerator for cooling). Once melted, stir in ½ of the candy cane pieces and spread on top of semi-sweet chocolate layer. Top with the remaining pieces of candy cane; be sure to lightly press into the chocolate layer to secure. Cool in refrigerator until hard and then break into pieces!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES 
Ingredients:
1 c. butter
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. granular sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
16 oz. pkg. chocolate kiss candyDirections:

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars; blend until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; blend. Mix flour, salt and soda, add to cream mixture; stir well. Roll dough into quarter size balls. Roll ball in bowl of sugar. Bake dough at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, take out, place chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Bake an additional 2 minutes.

M&M Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
Bag of Holiday Colored M&Ms (could be the regular kind or the mint flavored!)

Directions:
Cut the sugar cookie dough into slices for the appropriate sized cookies (you could also roll into whatever size you choose). Put on greased baking sheet and lightly press to flatten the dough. Place M&Ms on top of the cookies and bake accordingly. Wait for the cookies to cool before taking them off the baking sheet.

Happy Cooking!

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

This was a recipe recommended by one of our own at ForRent.com. “Junior mints and brownies how can you go wrong?  The candy makes them moist and chewy and it’s a special surprise for your guests who just thought they were plain brownies.  Bring them to your next family event and I can’t guarantee they’ll let you take on the turkey next year but they might trust you with an apple pie or some Mac n’ Cheese.  I give them 2 snaps up!”

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine
• 32  (about 3 ounces) creamy, small-size mints in pure chocolate (such as Junior Mints)
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 1/3  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 1  large egg
• 1  large egg white

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine butter and mints in a 2-cup glass measure; microwave at high 30 seconds or until soft. Stir until smooth, and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine sugar, cocoa, egg, and egg white in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add mint mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; cool completely on a wire rack.

Taken from MyRecipes.com