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!

My father use to say ‘what do you get the person who has everything? A box to put it all in.’ (yes, my father is corny like that) But seriously, what do you do when you have a gift to purchase for someone and it appears that they literally have everything!?! 

Here are a few suggestions from the team at ForRent.com if you really wanna ‘wow’ someone who has everything…..

1. Unveil their inner Monet.  Local art studios and recreation centers typically offer classes starting at the beginner level and work their way up to advanced.  A class like this will let them try a hand at their pottery, wine slumping, or mosaics skills (the list goes on).  Pick a class you think would be of interest and see if it results in a new hobby.

2. Personalized wall art.  You pick the letter-shaped photos and the word; a first or last name is classic, but words like laugh, joy, and peace look great too!  A gift like this can’t be copied!

3. Go local.  Ever been complimented on a one of kind piece that you bought when visiting such and such a place?  Offer someone the same experience by bringing them back something unique from your travels.  Not only are you giving them something they couldn’t find themselves, but you are also supporting small, local businesses at the same time.

4. Everybody wants a good laugh!  Gifts from the heart are great, but every once in awhile someone needs to be thrown for a loop, why not be the person to do so?  Gifts like the below “Ignorance is Bliss” and “Bittersweet” scales are sure to be a hit and are definitely hard to come by.  You’ll walk away knowing this gift will be the source of much laughter! (www.uncommongoods.com)

5. Give to more than just them.  Sometimes people really do have everything and another knick knack isn’t the answer.  Organizations like Farm Africa (www.farmafrica.org/uk) allow you to make a sustainable purchase that benefits those in need under the name of a friend or family member.  Farm Africa actually has you purchase an animal that will be given to families in poverty; these animals help them overcome their poverty.  You can also adopt endangered species through certain organizations and send that animal’s information to your gift recipient.

Does your friend or family member feel passionately about a different cause?  Give them a TisBest Charity Gift Card and let them decide what to support.  All they need to do is log on to http://www.tisbest.org/ and choose from over 200 charities to contribute your predetermined gift amount toward.

6. Cooking Lessons.  Some people need to learn the basics, some people want to go gourmet, and some people would love to learn more recipes that fit their on the go lifestyle.  There are cooking classes out there that cover all these needs.  You could select a gourmet cuisine they may be interested in or lend them a hand with some beginner basics; either way this hands on gift lets them walk away with more than a good food sampling.

You should also check out available classes in your area for wine making or making beer. What an interesting trait to say you have learned? Who knows, you could inspire them to make some for your present next year!! Go for the skill they’d learn and the experience they’d have while doing it.

7. Have you, yourself learned a trade? Why not put it to good use! If you’ve taken scrapebooking lessons, put your talent to work for a friend. If you are a skilled photographer, why not utilize your skills with a photographer the person would love. It’s the personalized gifts that really take the breath away of the recipient. So go ahead….get creative!

8. So they may have everything, but have they done everything?  Think through things they have mentioned wanting to do, but either put off or chickened out.  Maybe they have always wanted to learn to ski, so you buy lessons or they think skydiving looks fun, but are too afraid to sign up.  This gift may take more thought, but they are sure to remember it.

 9. Feeling especially green this season?  Purchase a tree or several in your favored friend’s name and let them feel good about helping to sustain our planet.  Places like http://www.arborday.org/ and http://www.americanforests.org/ make giving gifts like this as easy as planting seeds.

10.  How many people can say they have a star named after them? This is something my brother did for one of his girlfriends and I thought it was the sweetest thing. You can literally name a star after a friend or loved one. Go on http://www.starregistry.com/ for the process!

11. Photo gifts. I am a personal fan of Walgreens.com photo center. They have a really nice collection of gifts you can do for anyone. One year I did a calendar of photos for my mother. There are also mugs, pillow cases, aprons, mouse pads and more! Or you could take a photo that you have, that the recipient would like, and enlarge it. Frame it with a matte and it’s a one of a kind piece of art!

12. Coupon book. This works if you’re a little financially strapped during the holidays as well (who isn’t these days). In a book I created, I had a coupon for various tasks such as: FREE dog sitter one night, hot chocolate and a movie, dinner at your favorite restaurant, NO boys allowed-girls night out, etc. I also incorporated my skills at their disposal whenever they should need it (which I’m sure will happen since I’ve already offered it and they have a coupon saying I’d oblige). This was extremely appreciated as it came from the heart and literally is a gift that keeps on giving (until the coupons run out)!

We hope these gifts have inspired you and given you something to get for that one difficult shopper on your list!  Happy Shopping!

Okay, so everyone who lives in an apartment community is typically invited to a holiday party if their management company is throwing one. But rarely are residents inclined to go. There are a couple reasons, to say the least, but let’s focus on the reasons why they should want to go! And what management companies can do for residents to want to go! Take a look at our tips….

1. Interesting music…..hire a band or a DJ!!

2. Gift incentives! Gift cards are great for the holidays or shoot, how about a discount on rent!

3. Pets are a part of the family too, how about incorporating them in some manner!?

4. Pot Luck Dinner, each resident will feel more a part of the event if they have contributed.

5. Gift or Cookie exchange. Get some interaction and co-mingling.

6. Offer up crafts. Like a make your own Christmas wreath! Or something kid friendly, like the Advent Calendar Craft we posted.

7. Pictures with Santa for either pets or children.

8. A unique beverage assortment. For instance, a hot chocolate bar and sitting area in front of the fireplace.

9. Theme parties are always a lot of fun! Check out our Tacky Christmas Sweater Party Tips.

10. Christmas tree decorating. Have each resident bring an ornament to put on the tree. Have the tree displayed somewhere on the property for guests and residents to see.

11. Provide a greater service. Have the holiday party coincide with a charity donation/event.

12. Residents on the fly?? Have ‘cookies & milk for Santa’ baskets ready as a thank you for stopping by!!

Some other great ideas were providing games, like Cranium or a scavenger hunt, for residents to play; or offering up a wine tasting event with hour d’oeuvres. Whatever your apartment property decides to do, make sure you think of what the residents would actually want. Happy residents make for a happy apartment community!

Do you plan on throwing a party this December? I know I certainly do. Having a little party is a great way to have friends over and enjoy the merriment that is Christmas.  So if you’re looking for tips and ideas for hosting a holiday party, check out our list. We’ve provided you with the essentials to make your party a success!

1. Invitations! Be sure and send out invitations. With the busy holiday season, your party is not the only one people would like to attend. Send out invitations in advanced so others know to put yours on the calendar! I would personally recommend Evite.com as that is a great website for you to host all your party’s details and list of attendees.

2. Holiday Decorations Outside Your Apartment. As guests come up to your home, you want to make sure they immediately feel the holiday spirit!

3. Holiday Decorations Inside Your Apartment. Check out our ‘Must Haves’ list for holiday décor (link).

4. Menu. Catering would be the easiest solution as you don’t have to prepare the food while you’re scrambling with other details. However, it is an alternative that could be more expensive. Regardless of what option you choose, make or cater, be sure to include a variety.

5. Beverage Assortment. Not everyone will drink regular soda (especially the diet conscientious). So be sure to have a plethora of options for your guests. Water for the non-drinkers! Or a neat idea would be to have a hot chocolate bar!

6. Entertainment. Be sure your guests are entertained at this event. Have a raffle for them to participate in, or games for interaction.

7. Music. Having a little holiday music is great for the backdrop of conversations taking place. It eliminates the lull of silence should any conversations cease for a period of time.

8. Theme. Want to incorporate a theme?? You could do an ugly Christmas sweater contest! Seeing all your friends in the ugliest creation is sure to get lots of laughs!

9. Serve Ware. Use plastic plates, cups and utensils for easy clean up at the end of the night. A ‘go green’ effort would be to recycle them all after washing them off in the sink!!

10. Attire. As the host/hostess you’ll be the center of a lot of activity. You’ll be answering any questions someone may have about the apartment (i.e. location of bathroom), partaking in just about everyone’s conversation, etc. So you’ll want to make sure you look good! Be sure and get dolled up for your holiday party by wearing a nice holiday outfit!

11. Thank You Gifts. A nice touch would be at the end of the night to have a little ‘party bag’ for your guests to take home. Something to remind them of the good times they had at your holiday party. It can be elaborate or something simple. It’s a really nice gesture for sure!

12. Relax!! You are finally at the party you’ve worked so hard to plan. So relax and enjoy your time with friends and family!!

We hope you have a terrific holiday party season! Have fun and be safe!!

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

As everyone knows, Lent is in progress. This is a time when many people choose to give up something in their life for 40 days. The standard is to sacrifice something in your diet, such as chocolate, candy, etc. Many health conscious individuals give up something diet related, enabling them to adhere to their program. But what some fail to realize is that the true purpose of Lent is for your sacrifice to help you recognize the blessings that are taken for granted most of the time.

According to AmericanCatholic.org, “Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of lent, but to root sin out of our lives forever.”

Now I am just as guilty as the other health conscious individuals because I gave up chocolate this year for Lent. While I could make the argument that chocolate is considered a sin to my diet, I have no plan to give up chocolate for life. So I am not really taking the true meaning into my lifestyle. But that hasn’t always been the case for me; one year I gave up swearing and had a jar to collect money from myself should I ‘slip’ up. That period of time has impacted my vocabulary ever since.

So whether you gave up sugary treats, smoking, swearing or whatever-my question to you is…how are you doing? Have you been able to maintain some resistance towards the something you gave up? In my opinion, if you follow through on a goal you set for yourself (no matter what that goal may be, e.g. giving up chocolate for 40 days) then you have made an improvement in your life and maybe one day you’ll be ready to take on something bigger!

I hope everyone is doing well with their goals! Good Luck!

Source: AmericanCatholic.org

Want to know how to make Toll House cookies from scratch? It’s really not that hard! Just take a look….

Items needed:
2 1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter
3/4 cup Gran. Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Water
2 Eggs

Process:
Mix well. Add 1 cup of Chocolate Chips (optional 2 cups of Oatmeal). Set your oven to 375 degrees and cook on a baking pan for 10-12 minutes!

And enjoy with a cold glass of milk!!

Anyone from Virginia can tell you that ‘Virginia is for LOVERS’ has been our tag line for many years. It’s on at least 80% of the tourist merchandise sold at Virginia Beach’s oceanfront!

Hand in hand, Virginia and Valentine’s Day truly is for LOVERS! This great state offers romantic settings and picturesque landscape for your special day. From the boardwalk at Virginia Beach’s oceanfront, to the nightlife in downtown Norfolk; from the spectacular scenery of the Appalachian Trail to the beautiful and historic inns of Williamsburg, Virginia has everything to offer you and your special someone during Valentine’s Day and all year long!

So what does the LOVERS state have in store this Valentine’s Day? There are Wine Country Tours of Virginia’s majestic Wineries taking place from February 9^th-17^th. At Breaux Vineyards there is a Chocolate and Cabernet weekend on February 9^th-10^th, bringing two enticing elements for Valentine’s Day-chocolate and wine! The Cooper’s Landing Inn Romantic Valentine Dinner, the James River Plantation Valentine’s Candlelight Dinner & Tour as well as the Land Rover America’s Polo Cup Valentine’s Gala which all take place on February 14^th.

Virginia has magnificent attractions for all LOVERS! So this Valentine’s Day celebrate it right, with the state that accommodates you and your special someone! Go to Virginia!

Source: Virginia.org

This is an old family recipe of mine. Hope you enjoy as much as I do!! J

Perfect-Every-Time-Fudge

Item s you’ll need:

3 6oz. packages of semisweet chocolate chips

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of butter

1 7 oz. jar of marshmallow cream

1 13 oz. can of evaporated milk

41/2 cups of sugar

1 cup of chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Instructions:

Put chocolate, salt, butter and marshmallow cream into large bowl. Combine

evaporated milk and sugar in large saucepan; place over moderate heat. Bring to full rolling boil stirring constantly. Boil 15 minutes. If you use a candy thermometer, temperature should register 236 degrees. Pour milk mixture over chocolate mixture and beat until chocolate is melted and blended. Fold in nuts and vanilla. Spread into two greased 8×8 pans. Refrigerate until candy is firm. Cut into small squares-makes about 5 lbs of yummy goodness! J

So yesterday was our office Holiday Cookie Exchange. Several people from our department brought in their favorite holiday goodies. If you or someone in your office is thinking of doing this too, here are a few tips:

1. Invite the entire department, quad or group to participate.
2. Ask each guest to bake enough for the exchange and perhaps a few extras for people to take home to their families.
3. Avoid duplication of cookies by asking guests to tell you (or whoever is organizing it) what they are bringing.
4. A neat idea is to ask others to choose a recipe that is traditional to their background. That way everyone learns about traditions from another culture and/or ethnic group!
5. And of course a great present to everyone (besides the yummy treats you bring in) are the recipes so others can use them for their holiday feast this year!

We had a nice selection of treats for our exchange. Chocolate Chip w/Mint, Candy Cane Jo Jos, Sugar Cookies with holiday decorations, Pistachio and Macadamia Nut cookies, Grandma Kisses and so much more! Here are a few recipes from those that participated so you can try to make them!

Reindeer Poop:

Ingredients:

1- box of Chex cereal (any flavor)

1- stick of butter

1- bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

Powdered/confectioner sugar

Directions:

Melt together the butter, chocolate, and peanut butter on medium. Pour evenly over cereal then cover with powder sugar. If you want to do this in a big Ziploc bag, it may make shaking it around to evenly cover a little easier!

Mint M&M’s & Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Toll House Cookie Dough

Mint flavored M&M’s

Directions:

Leave cookie dough at room temperature for at least 10 minutes so it’s soften. Greece baking pan(s). Take a slice (or scoop depending on the size of cookie you’d like) and put in as many or as little mint M&M’s you’d like (more M&M’s will give it a bigger mint flavor). Roll repeatedly in your hand for form a ball. Make sure all the M&M’s are surrounded in dough (although some can be on the edges). Put mixture on cooking ban and bake for 11 minutes at 375 degrees (leave in longer if you’d like it crunchy versus soft and moist)

Do you have any additional Holiday Treat Recipes you’d like to share? Any you learned from your Holiday Cookie Exchange?? Let us know!