Apartment Blog

Super Bowl XLIII.  Another opportunity to entertain in your quaint little apartment.  Oh, don’t fret.  Transform that small space into a sports haven.  Actually, it’s quite simple to decorate.  Since this year’s match-up includes the Cardinals and the Steelers (”Here we go Steelers, here we go… whoop whoop”), throw up some team colors.  Of course you’ll have White and Red for Arizona and the famous Black and Gold for Pittsburgh.

Super Bowl parties are yet another way to bring family and friends together for a good time.  I love it because everybody comes sporting their team’s colors, whether it be jerseys, t-shirts, or in my cousin’s case, ‘terrible towels’ serving as makeshift capes and Steelers earrings.  You can even send out invitations flaunting each team’s logos.  The last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl, we used black and gold paper plates, another great example of how you can get creative with your decorations.   And the best part… FOOD.  Cook up some buffalo wings, pigs in a blanket and nachos to start.  Don’t forget the seven layer dip for the nachos…I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!  Of course you can never go wrong with some potato chips and popcorn.  My stomach is saying ‘YES!!’ Right now!

Super Bowl XLIII will be played this Sunday, February 1^st in Tampa, Fla.  Now for those of you who watch the Super Bowl for the game, like myself, not just to see who’s performing or how outrageous advertisers will be in there commercials, kick-off is scheduled for 6:28 PM EST.  For everyone else, they’ll be performances before kick-off, beginning early Sunday afternoon.

So now for my predictions.  Honestly, this is a no-brainer.  The Steelers finished the regular season with a 12-4 record, while the Cardinals had a less than modest record, 9-7.  Some even thought it was a fluke that they made it to the playoffs (myself included).   The Steelers have the #1 defense in the league.  That right there says it all. What’s that famous old adage…”Defense Wins Championships”.  So even though Arizona may have a ‘high-powered’ offense, averaging about 366 total yards per game, they’re no match for the Steel Curtain’s D, who held teams to just over 237 yards per game.  During the regular season, the Cardinals averaged just over 292 passing yards per game…HOWEVER, the Steelers defense held teams to just fewer than 157 passing yards per game.

With all of that being said, the outcome is clear.  The Black and Gold will reign again… and my cousin, a die-hard Steelers fan, will become more obnoxious than ever…

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!

On Sunday we posted Single this Valentine’s Day? Here’s how to find a date, a blog about online dating and how to put your profile out on one of the sites. It seems that not only are generations x and y looking into online dating to find their special someone, but seniors are as well! In fact, seniors are the fastest growing segment of Internet users, and more and more of them are using the Internet to look for love. In fact, according to cbsnews.com, 16 percent of all those active on the top five Internet dating sites are 55 or older. A majority of the dating sites like eHarmony, Match.com and Date.com may cater to a slightly younger crowd, so there are senior specific dating sites popping up like SilverSingles.com and SeniorsCircle.com.

Whether you’re 28 or 57, everyone needs love in their life and online dating seems to be fulfilling a need for many. So why not try your hand at online dating? You never know who you may find!

Visit Find a Date on ForRent.com’s website and set up your profile today! You may even set upa date before this Valentine’s Day!

Source: cbsnews.com

Manning has won it again! Eli Manning has emerged from the shadow of father Archie and big brother Peyton to become the Super Bowl XLII Champion and MVP winner. In an upset this Sunday, the Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14 to put an unexpected end to New England’s undefeated season. It was said to be “The greatest victory in the history of this franchise without a question” according to Giants owner John Mara.

For Rent Media Solutions would certainly like to hear Eli’s ‘rules for success’. But one thing is for sure, we must take a queue from Eli, and the Giants team, about perseverance, determination and heart. Being picked as the underdog by 12 points, they stepped up to play their game against the all favored Patriots. Their hard work and determination to not go down without a fight made them quite the opponent for the undefeated team. And of course, the immense amount of heart and dedication that was shown when they made history!

Congrats Giants!

Source: The Link, a Publication of The Virginian-Pilot, February 4^th, 2008

Spicy Seven Layer Dip

Items you’ll need:

1-2 cans Refried beans

Container of Avocado Dip

1-2 tubs of Sour Cream

1 lb of ground beef/turkey/chicken

1 Green Pepper (diced)

Sliced Jalapeno Peppers

1 bag of Shredded Cheddar or Taco/Mexican Cheese

1-2 bags of Tortilla chips (recommended Tostitos Gold Tortilla Chips as they are thicker & will hold the dip better)

Process:

1. First Layer: Heat up the refried beans in the microwave until it becomes smooth (a few minutes), you’ll need to spread a flat layer on your pan. Then let it cool.
2. Second Layer: smooth over the avocado dip onto of refried beans layer leaving a ¼ to 1/8^th of an inch on the side.
3. Third Layer: smooth sour cream over the avocado dip, also leaving ¼ to 1/8^th of an inch on the side (so you can start to see the layers on the side of the pan).
4. Fourth Layer: sprinkle the ground beef onto of the sour cream layer. For a healthier alternative you can use ground turkey or chicken. Depending on your taste you can lightly sprinkle or pile on the meat. (or none for vegetarian dip)
5. Fifth Layer: add the diced green pepper on the ground meat
6. Sixth Layer: add Jalapeno peppers onto of the green peppers (more if you like extra spice, less if not too spicy)
7. Seventh layer: depending on your preference for cheese, you can sprinkle or just dumb the whole bag (evenly distributed) on top of the entire dip!

This dip can be refrigerated until needed, so you can do this in the morning, make all your preparations for the party and bring it out as guests start to arrive.