Apartment Blog

If you feel like having a traditional Irish meal this St. Patrick’s day, what better way than having Steak & Guinness Pie? Exported from MasterCook, check out the below recipe to make your own…

Steak & Guinness Pie

Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds of Round Steak
1 tablespoon of Flour
1 teaspoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Raisins (optional)
5 Onions
10 fluid ounces of Guinness
8 slices of Bacon
Parsley Chopped
1 Recipe of short Pastry*

*For double-crust pie in deep pie dish, Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in seasoned flour and brown in the lard with the bacon-chopped small.

Directions:
Place the meat in a casserole dish. Peel and chop the onions and fry until golden before adding them to the meat.  Add the raisins (if wanted) and brown sugar.  Pour in the Guinness. Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2½ hours.

Stir occasionally and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy get too thick.  Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust and bake it blind.  Then add the Guinness/beef mixture from the casserole dish, cover with the top layer of pie crust and bake until finished.  Probably about 10 more minutes.  Serves 4

Source: http://fp.enter.net; Exported from MasterCook

You have enough on your plate this month with Easter rolling around, pictures needing to be taken and baskets to be assembled. Why not have your little ones help you out this Easter dinner? Below are really easy and simple recipes for you and your little helpers!

Edible Easter Bunny Salad



Ingredients:
Pear halves
Raisins
Miniature marshmallows or cottage cheese
Lettuce
Apple slices or Almonds

Directions:
Place a lettuce leaf on a plate. Add the pear half on lettuce, for body. Insert raisins for the eyes and nose. The ears are made from apple slices or almonds and a miniature marshmallow or cottage cheese become the bushy tail.

Banana Pops

Ingredients:
• 2 Bananas
• Honey (or melted chocolate)
• Dessicated Coconut (or rice krispies)
• Popsicle sticks
• Plates
• A baking dish lined with baking paper
Directions:
1. Peel the bananas, then cut them in half and push Popsicle sticks into the bottom of both pieces of banana.
2. First, Roll the bananas in some honey, and then in the coconut.
3. Place the banana pops on a baking tray lined with a sheet of baking paper and then freeze.
4. Your banana pops will be ready to eat the next day

Source: dltk-kids.com & amazingmoms.com

Christmas time brings a treasured tradition for me-Gift Wrapping. I just love to gift wrap presents (for Christmas as well as other holidays). But during the Christmas season is when I really get to strut my creativity.

In my house, I’m the gift wrapper. I even wrap my own gifts from other family members (taped securely of course). Something about taking a plain box and wrapping it in holiday colors/themes, adding some decorative elements and putting it under the Christmas tree gives me such joy! So I wanted to give all you last minute wrappers a game plan as there are only a few more days till Christmas!!

Okay, so in order for you to wrap the most amount of gifts in a little amount of time you need to set up a gift wrapping station. Here’s what your station needs to have:

Wrapping paper

Now while I love to wrap gifts, I still have a budget so I rarely spend a whole bunch. I usually buy gift wrap at the Dollar Store or Target where I get great deals. Now for paper you have a variety of colors you can choose from. You could pick whatever colors your décor is, specific symbol or theme of Christmas you love (i.e. Santa or Snowmen), or choose metallic wrapping paper that are colors of the season. (Bonus: if you get plain red wrapping paper it can double as your Valentine’s Day wrapping paper too!)

Gift Bags

Plain, colored, with or without handles, gift bags are terrific for giving presents that don’t have to be in a box or that have multiple items. I usually purchase these at the Dollar Store as well because I am able to get two for a dollar (which if you go to many other retail shops they can be up to $3.99!) Plus, with a little bit of ribbon, you can dress up any bag to be festive! (Which brings me to the next items at your wrapping station….)

Ribbon

I usually use curling ribbon for my gifts because they are inexpensive and I can create a unique touch by using a variety of colors and curling the ends. But there are many other ribbons you can use to decorate the gifts you are wrapping, such as: Wired ribbon, silk ribbons and more! Whatever you like best, make sure you have a lot of on your station so you can add a little embellishment to your gifts.

Tissue Paper

When lining gift boxes or bags, cushioning delicate items or for actual wrapping paper, colorful tissue paper will add some holiday colors to your gifts. I also get these at the Dollar Store as many sheets of paper are…you guessed it…..a dollar. I can get a variety of colors depending on which will coordinate best with my wrapping paper. And buying a few bunches will last me well into the next year.

Tags

I like to splurge a little on the tags because I think of them as the final touch on the ‘masterpiece’. I have some that are little cards with envelops, some I create from scrape booking leftovers and others that are holiday stickers. The actual gift and the ornamentation will determine which tag I use. But these are a must on your wrapping table as they identify who the gift is for and who it is from.

So now that you have your essentials for decorating beautiful holiday gifts, here are a few more tools you’ll need to complete your wrapping station.

○ Scissors

○ Tape

○ Pens (have a variety of colors and/or metallic)

○ Baskets (should you have any gifts that need to go in Baskets)

○ Cellophane (for baskets, if needed)

As you scramble to wrap your holiday gifts this season, I hope these tips provide you with some organization to make the process a little less stressful! Happy wrapping!

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Why desperately shopping last-minute for the perfect gift of course; which just so happens to be the subject of this holiday-themed movie.

The story line is about a workaholic dad, Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is trying to get the hottest toy of the season, Turbo Man action figure, for his son Jamie (Jake Llyod) on Christmas Eve. Of course, all the stores are out of it and have been since Thanksgiving!! As Howard races from toy store to toy store, he runs into mail carrier Myron Larabee (Sinbad), another neglectful dad hunting for the Turbo Man doll. Arnold Schwarzenegger has many humorous scenes in which he is attacked by a rogue band of elves and angry mothers at a mall and let us not forget he is also in a super hero costume!

Although this was not my first time watching Jingle All the Way, I still found it enjoyable to watch with the holiday inching forward. Arnold Schwarzenegger is amusing as a suburban man trying to undo all his wrongs by getting his little boy what he wants this year. Throughout the movie we are all rooting him on to beat the odds and get the toy! I found it to be a fun seasonal treat that will thoroughly entertain you and your family.

Source: Star Pluse

Seeing as this is my favorite Christmas movie of all time, I thought I’d share why I love it so much and ask for all your thoughts! The basic story line as you all know is about the Grinch who hates Christmas. So much so, that on Christmas Eve one year, annoyed at all the holiday cheerfulness, he decided he’d stop Christmas from coming! Sneaking into the Who’s houses and stealing all their toys, decorations, Christmas trees and even the ‘roast beast!’ But the greatest lesson for the Grinch and movie viewers to learn is that Christmas spirit goes deeper than tinsel and toys.

Now I personally don’t have a preference between Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Ron Howard’s version with Jim Carrey. I like Dr. Seuss’ version because it was the one I grew up with. I love the animation and the narration by Boris Karloff. I also feel the music was one of a kind; especially ‘You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.’ However, I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Carrey as the Grinch in the 2000 remake. Jim Carrey is great for the part, not only for his usual crazy antics but also in part by his facial expressions which actually mimic the original Grinch character! I have to give kudos to the directors/writers for being able to reinvent a beloved childhood classic into an hour and a half magical tale. Both versions are definitely wholesome family entertainment for adults and children alike. I give them my highest recommendation and hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Okay, so I’m pretty sure a lot of you have seen Elf starring Will Ferrell. If so, you should have quite a bit to comment about, but let me put my two cents in first.

The basic story line is this: A human orphan is raised as an elf in Santa’s workshop for thirty years before he finds out he’s not really an elf! Once he finds out the truth, he decides to go on a journey to New York to meet his father (James Caan) and spread around holiday cheer. Buddy the Elf, ‘What’s your Favorite Color?’ is played by Will Ferrell who is willing to do absolutely anything to get a laugh including a breakfast feast that would make anyone’s stomach ache. And the child-like imagination of Buddy will have you laughing continuously in scenes such as: taking gum off the railings of New York’s subways, waving to people hailing taxies, and getting that ‘Special Someone’ the perfect gift! It is what makes us all think twice about how an outsider may view our ways of living. And I wouldn’t be spoiling the movie to say that on his journey Buddy falls in love with a girl (Zooey Deschanel), reconciles with his dad, and finds a way to save Christmas.

I give Elf two thumbs up! I loved it. The untainted spirit of Buddy the Elf is something this world could use a lot more of. His unconditional love and forgiveness of others is something I wish I possessed. And of course the true meaning of this movie and so many others during the holiday season is you just have to believe. Family and teenagers alike should love this movie! I know it’s definitely one of my Christmas Classics!

Peanut Butter Balls

Prep: 35 minutes

Stand: 10 minutes

Makes about 25 candies

Ingredients:

½ cup of peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter, softened

¼ cup of crisp rice cereal

1 cup of powdered sugar

6 ounces chocolate-flavored candy coating, cut up

1. In a bowl stir together peanut butter and butter. Gradually add cereal and powdered sugar, stirring until combined. If necessary, knead with hands until smooth. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on a baking sheet lined with waxes paper. Set aside.
2. In a small heavy saucepan melt candy coating over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat; cool for 5 minutes. Using a fork, dip balls, one at a time, into coating, allowing excess to drip off. Return to waxed paper; let stand until coating is set (about 10 minutes). To save for another day you can store them, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (or freeze for up to 3 months-but be sure and thaw at room temp. before serving once frozen).

Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book; 14^th edition

Tuesday night on ABC’s Family Channel was Jack Frost, the cartoon version. This was my first time seeing this movie, so I thought I’d share my opinion on it!

Jack Frost is apart of the Christmas Cartoon Classics (with Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer & Santa Claus is Coming to Town). The story line was actually cute for children’s Christmas movie. Jack Frost asks Father Winter if he can become human so he can be with a woman. Father Winter allows this temporarily, but if Jack wants to stay human permanently he has to get a house, a bag of gold, a horse and a wife. The entire movie is about Jack trying to attain these items by overcoming many obstacles, such as doing it in a 24 hour time frame and defeating a mean king!

I think Jack Frost is a great family movie. I particularly enjoyed the animation and upbeat story line, but don’t expect anything further than that. It’s a great for entertaining children, but it won’t be on my list of Christmas Classics.

On Wednesday night, ABC’s Family Channel showed “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”. Being my first time seeing this movie, I thought I’d give you my opinion of it.

Of course if you have heard the song you know the story line. A little boy sees his mother kissing Santa Claus. What the boy doesn’t know is the Santa Claus he saw was really his father dressed up in a Santa suit. So Justin, the little boy, decides he must stop Santa from stealing his mom! With a little encouragement from his best friend he figures that in order to stop Santa from coming to his house, he must behave really badly! The resulting pranks include throwing snowballs at a street Santa, a whirl-wind mall fiasco and a ‘Home Alone’ styled booby-trap outside his house.

If you want to relive your innocent child-like view of Christmas, then you should see this movie! Justin, played by twin actors Cole and Dylan Sprouse (‘Suite Life of Zach & Cody and ‘Big Daddy’), was especially cute and his over-the-top ‘naughtiness’ will make you chuckle. While it’s not one of my favorite Christmas movies, I’d watch it again for the wholesome family value.

Hope you enjoy it!

For most people the holidays are a stressful time. Grueling traffic, long lines and overspending on gifts just doesn’t put many in the holiday spirit! So to help you avoid (or manage) the stress better, here are five tips:

1. Be organized and know your spending limit. Create a check list to help you avoid any oversights or impulse buys. And remember what it felt like paying off last years bills, so don’t go overboard again this year! Expensive gifts won’t guarantee a happy holiday. Most people would be just as grateful for a moderately priced gift chosen with care (or even a handmade one made with love).

2. Eat healthy and Exercise! Even though it’s the holidays, don’t keep the mindset of ‘it’s okay to eat this, it’s the holidays!’ Gaining an extra 10 lbs isn’t going to make anyone feel better. You can still hold onto your healthy eating habits throughout the holiday season and remember to put exercise into your holiday traditions! Get out with a family member and go for a walk. Keep in mind that exercise is always a great stress reliever!

3. Keep your sanity with family! The holidays are a great opportunity to spend time with your relatives, but sometimes they can cause you additional stress. Not only are you entertaining a group of people, but if tension builds with your family it’ll make for an even more eventful holiday! So if you feel the atmosphere heating up, remove yourself from the situation until it clears. Also, be sure to include everyone in the plans so no one is left out and feelings aren’t hurt.

4. Give yourself plenty of time when traveling. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest traveling days of the year, both on the road and in the air. So realize that everyone else is trying to be with their family on the holiday, and be courteous of others. Tis the season to be Jolly!

5. Be flexible. Try to keep an open mind this holiday season. No one’s Christmas has ever gone perfectly. Spills and squabbles are a part of the season, so don’t hold an unrealistic standard. Ask other people what they want to do and be willing to accommodate them. Take it all in and relax….have fun, it’s the holidays!

I hope these tips for dealing with holiday stress are helpful. I know I’m going to take them into account. Good Luck!