The post Cool Eats For Hot Days appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>
Summer is the perfect time to start cooking those delicious summertime meals. In this post, we’ll discuss a few different meal ideas to make your summer great.
Taco Salad
The summer months are a perfect time to enjoy those cool, refreshing salads. The meal we’ll feature here is the taco salad. Start by grabbing your favorite lettuce — whether that’s iceberg, romaine, or spinach (we recommend spinach). Then you’ll want to choose your toppings. A good combination of toppings includes black beans, avocado, shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions, and chipotle ranch dressing. To make your own delicious southwest dressing, you can also mix ranch with your favorite salsa. Taco salads are a scrumptious summertime treat the whole family can enjoy.
Shrimp Scampi
While summertime is great for fresh salads, pasta is another meal that's ideal during the warm months. For this meal, we’ll discuss shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta. Start by going to the store and purchasing some fresh shrimp. Then you’ll want to buy some angel hair pasta, olive oil, white wine, and some seasonings. While you’re cooking the pasta, you’ll want to sauté the shrimp, remove it, sauté the garlic, then add the wine and other seasonings. After that, you'll add the shrimp and noodles back into the pan to cook together. This meal is a protein-packed, hearty option everyone can enjoy on a cool summer evening.
Homemade Pizza
Who doesn’t love pizza? And since your kids are home from school on summer vacation, summertime is a great time to get the family together for homemade pizza night. Making pizza as a family is a perfect way to bring everyone together while cooking amazing food at the same time. Start by purchasing pizza dough, enough to make a pizza or two, or more if you have a large family. Then you’ll need pizza sauce, cheese, and any toppings you prefer. To really make things fun, have your kids choose whatever toppings they want. To cook, preheat the oven to 425, press the dough onto a pan, add the sauce, throw on some cheese, then place your toppings. After cooking for around 15-20 minutes, your kids will be blown away at the amazing pizza they helped design. Cooking pizza with the family helps to connect with everyone while enjoying delicious pizza on a beautiful summer night.
If you’re looking for apartments in Northridge, CA to make all your favorite summertime meals, then call Candlewood North today to learn more!
The post Cool Eats For Hot Days appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>The post Keep Kids Learning This Summer appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>
Children can lose up to two months of reading and math skills during the summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association. Fortunately, parents can prevent learning loss with carefully planned activities. Community residents also can band together to create summer learning experiences.
Encourage Reading and Writing
One way to prevent loss of verbal skills is to keep your kids reading and writing. Public libraries often have summer reading programs that provide prizes. Find reading materials that speak to your child's passion and don't be overly concerned about the medium. Joke books, comic books, sports statistics, menus, game instructions, magazines and even song lyrics all help to keep these skills sharp, according to Parents magazine.
If traveling, encourage your kids to send postcards to friends and relatives. Buy an attractive notebook to encourage them to keep a summer journal or trip journal, according to TeachHub.
Activities
Everyday Learning
Many activities that families typically do together during the summertime can easily be turned into learning opportunities. For example, after a movie, discuss its themes; such as kindness, respect, and dignity. Talk through choices the characters made and how they led to the outcome. Expand family vacation trips to include interactive learning opportunities such as war re-enactments, battlefields, factory tours, and ethnic festivals, says Parents magazine. Instead of playing only the board games you have, encourage your children to invent their own around something they are passionate about, including researching the topic and writing their own rules.
Strategic Experiences
To help children use their skills, parents can strategically plan new activities. One example is geocaching, which improves math, science and social studies skills, according to TeachHub. In geocaching, participants hide weatherproof containers in public places and post clues online. Finding the containers requires the use of GPS or another navigational device. Another idea is to buy a bird feeder and a field guide and try to identify as many different types of birds as possible.
Involve the Community
Many of these ideas also work well when done as a community, either a city apartments community, in or a school district. Call our office today to find out more about local schools.
The post Keep Kids Learning This Summer appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>The post 3 Cocktails to Make This Summer appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>
A sweating glass, a lot of ice, a little bite: Summer cocktails are something we look forward to all year long. And what better way to celebrate the season than to try something a little different? Here are a few delicious concoctions that are sure to cool you down in Northridge apartments.
1. Pomegranate Martini
If you like pomegranates, then this is a great way to honor the summer fruit. The color of the martini will instantly pair with the bright blooms outside. Plus, you can pair the flavors with practically anything if you're looking to mix things up. Throw a bit of citrus juice in the martini to sweeten it up or add flavor dimension, or try it with chocolate cake or ice cream. You can make this beverage with either vodka or gin.
2. Watermelon-Tequila Cocktails
If you loved watermelon on all those Fourth of July barbecues, then you may want to update the classic into something you'll really enjoy as an adult. This recipe uses seedless watermelon and combines the strained juice with blueberries, citrus, silver tequila, and syrup. It will be extra tasty when you use it to wash down a burger or a hot dog fresh off the grill. Mix up a batch of watermelon-tequila cocktails and watch them disappear at your next pool party.
3. Strawberry Daiquiris
Most people tend to order strawberry daiquiris only when they're out because this cocktail may seem like a difficult drink to make. But the key to a professional strawberry daiquiri isn't going to a bar, but having a good blender that can handle all that fruit. When you consider the markup on daiquiris, it's worth it to invest in a solid blender that can take the extra pressure. Try this recipe at a garden party when you want something extra refreshing.
When the valley heat really starts to turn up, you'll be glad you have these cocktail recipes in your back pocket. It only takes one ice-cold drink paired with one red-hot sunset to make a summer memory you'll keep forever. If you're looking for a new kitchen where you can make all your favorite cocktail recipes, try touring Candlewood North to learn more about our many amenities.
The post 3 Cocktails to Make This Summer appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>The post 4 Summer Drink Recipes You Must Try appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>
Summer is the perfect time for lounging by the resort-style pool or community grilling area at your Northridge apartments at Candlewood North. However, you can also relax in the air conditioning in your Northridge apartment. Here are four refreshing summer drink recipes to help keep you cool:
1. Watermelon Cucumber Sangria
Ingredients
2 cups watermelon chunks
1 cup watermelon juice
1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
2 limes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1-liter bottle chilled carbonated water
1 750-ml bottle semi-dry white wine, chilled
Mint sprigs (optional)
Directions
Combine all ingredients except the carbonated water and mint sprigs, stirring gently. Chill for 2 hours. When ready to serve, add carbonated water. Garnish each glass with a mint sprig. Serves 6 to 8.
2. Guava Lemonade Fizz
Ingredients
6 ounces guava nectar
1/2 ounce St. Germain liqueur
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 tablespoon fresh lemon
Sparkling water
Maraschino cherries
Directions
Combine ingredients, stirring lightly. Garnish with cherries. Makes one drink.
3. Pink Rhubarb Lemonade
Ingredients
5 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1-liter bottle lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled
1 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
Fresh mint leaves and lemon slices to garnish (optional)
Directions
Heat rhubarb and water to boiling in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer covered for five minutes. Cool and strain; discard pulp. Add lemonade concentrate and sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill for 24 hours. To serve, combine lemon-lime mixture with rhubarb mixture, then garnish. Serves 6 to 8.
4. Pineapple-Cinnamon Margaritas
Ingredients
10 lime wedges
3 cups orange liqueur
2 1/2 cups tequila
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup powdered sugar
Ice cubes
Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Directions
Combine tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur and sugar in a pitcher until sugar is dissolved. Add pineapple juice, stir and chill. Create a cinnamon and sugar mixture on a small plate. Rub rims of glasses with lime, then dip the rims in the sugar mixture. Serve and garnish with cinnamon sticks. Serves 6 to 8.
Stay cool this summer at your Northridge apartments with these summer drink recipes. If you don’t live at Candlewood North yet, give us a call to find out about availability.
The post 4 Summer Drink Recipes You Must Try appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>The post How to Grill Your Own Pizza This Summer appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>
Making your own pizza may seem silly when you can just pick up the phone and call for delivery. But believe it or not, you may be able to make pizza better than any of the many businesses on your block. Plus, you have the satisfaction of eating something you made with your own two hands! Follow these tips to get the best char, melt, and flavor possible.
Grab Your Dough
Starting with about a pound of dough, you can use a cookie sheet to shape it into a rectangle. Your pizza dough should be at room temperature and your dough should be separated from the sheet by a thin layer of flour. You can also use premade pizza dough, by Boboli, for example. It makes the process go a little faster, and you can still get a nice char on it.
Turn up the Heat
The heat of the grill should be turned up, so the pizza dough can cook quickly. You can distribute vegetable oil over the grates using a paper towel and tongs before sliding the dough directly onto the grates. Once the grill has reached peak temperature, you only need to close the grill and leave it alone two to three minutes.
Finishing it Up
Once your crust has reached a light-brown color on the bottom, it's ready to be turned over. You'll have to work quickly to spread olive oil and toppings onto the pizza because it will only need around two to three minutes to brown on that side too. If the crust has already browned but you still need more time to melt the cheese and cook the toppings, you can lower the heat and cook for an extra two minutes.
Living in our Northridge apartments is just more fun when you can treat yourself and your friends to a homemade pie every once in a while. Mastering this recipe may even make you throw all your pizza-delivery pamphlets and flyers away. If you're looking for an apartment community that can give you the cooking amenities you need to improve your lifestyle, give Candlewood North a call! Our floor plans are just what you need to step up your game! Give us a call or stop by our office to learn more!
The post How to Grill Your Own Pizza This Summer appeared first on Candlewood North Blog.
]]>