At Home in Gilbert: The Acero Cooley Station Blog

Discover Gilbert’s Heritage District: Museums, Art Galleries, and Murals in Gilbert AZ

It’s time to get out and discover Gilbert’s thriving art scene. Whether you want to visit a photography exhibition full of local creative artistry, up your knowledge on the town’s rich history, or simply take a stroll through stunning public murals, the Gilbert Heritage District is the perfect place to visit for you and your friends. All of our recommendations are less than a 5-minute walk radius. Let’s delve in by taking a trip to the past and learning more about the foundations of Gilbert. HD South - Gilbert Historical Museum Just a short 15-minute drive from your home at Acero Cooley Station luxury apartments, you’ll be able to learn how the town of Gilbert has transformed from a small agricultural community in the 1900s, to the thriving urban town it is today. Interestingly, in the past Gilbert was famously known as the “Hay Capital of the World”. This museum is perfect for a family weekend activity or even for a solo-date. You can find ticket prices and more information on their website. Art Intersection Art Intersection is an art gallery that hosts different exhibitions throughout the year. Beginning May 1st through June 19th, you’ll be able to experience Tucson natives, Kate Breaky and Brett Starr’s “The Sky” exhibition. What makes “The Sky” so intriguing is the manner they went about producing their photographs. Technology allowed Breaky and Starr to use a telescope thousands of miles away and capture images of colorful rainbows, gardens of clouds, and spontaneous cosmic events as they were taking place. During your visit, make sure to stop by Gallery 4, a gallery curated by Art Intersection displaying exhibitions dedicated to striking conversations relating to human intellection. Discover Gilbert Murals During your excursion around the Gilbert Heritage District, pay a visit to the popular Gilbert Murals where you can be sure to find one to take a selfie with. Here you’ll be able to find a strikingly beautiful wall-sized painting of early depictions of Gilbert, AZ, a painting of colorful abstract shapes put together uniformly, instagramable postcard-styled Gilbert letters, a classy painting of a couple dancing, and many more wonderful sights you won't want to miss. It’s amazing how close all of these art attractions are from one another. A short 15-minute drive and you’ll be 5-minutes away from all of them. If you're feeling hungry, Downtown Gilbert is full of many local restaurant options such as Joes Real BBQ and Joyride Taco House. Make sure to visit each attraction's website to stay up to date on current exhibitions.

Quench Your Thirst: A Curated List of Our Favorite Breweries in Gilbert, AZ

It’s time to kick back, enjoy a refreshing beer, and discover Gilbert, AZ. Luckily, Acero Cooley Station is surrounded with a variety of options to quench your thirst. Take your pick from one of our carefully selected recommendations of breweries in Gilbert, Arizona. Arizona Wilderness Gilbert Brewing Arizona Wilderness Gilbert Brewpub provides visitors with a choice of light, dark, hoppy, and other various different styled beers. So whether you’re in the mood for a blonde ale or something heavier like an IPA, Arizona Wilderness has you covered. In case you’re feeling hungry after all that drinking, the Gilbert location has a comprehensive menu full of American-inspired dishes. Before you leave, don’t forget to check out their great selection of local wines and classic cocktails. 12 West Brewing 12 West Brewing is a relatively new brewery in Gilbert but is already making waves. Their craft beer selection consists of an array of experimental IPAs, well-balanced wheat beers, smoky dark stouts, and a very special line of table sours called Cuvée Verdad. You’ll absolutely find something you can enjoy. Although there is no kitchen at this location, the surrounding location is filled with tons of great options to satisfy your appetite. Flying Basset Brewing Have a flight at the Flying Basset Brewery! This is one of our favorite breweries in town to grab a bite and enjoy a delicious craft beer. Their current beer list comprises refreshing lagers, juicy IPAs, a tart blackberry sour, a quite unusual coffee blonde, and many more other options. Their on-going specials make it easy to not break the wallet as well. You can even take some to go and enjoy from the comfort of your home at Acero Cooley Station. Desert Monks Brewing Desert Monks Brewery is located in the heart of Gilbert, AZ. If you’re out with your dog, Desert Monks Brewery has you in mind. You can enjoy a drink and a breath of fresh air on their pet friendly patio. Available on tap, Desert Monks Brewing hosts a selection of full bodied wheat beers, a delicious amber red ale, a strong belgian quadrupel, and a variety of different styled IPAs. You won’t leave hungry either as there is a great selection of food trucks and other restaurants residing in the Gilbert Town Square. We hope you enjoy searching for the perfect drink that suits your style and taste. Acero Cooley Station is in the heart of it all. Make sure to visit each breweries site to get a more extensive list of what they have to offer. Most importantly, however, we’d like to remind you to stay safe and drink responsibly.

Kickstart the Weekend With One of These Spring Cocktail Recipes

Cheers to the weekend! Sip on a spring cocktail while you relax in your spacious apartment home at Acero Cooley Station. Whether you're trying to rest and recover, or spice up your weekend, we've got a recipe for everyone! Read on for a few spring cocktail recipes that you can try at your luxury apartment in Gilbert AZ. Gone with the Gin Put your feet up and relax with a good movie while sipping on this soothing Kombucha G&T. Recipe: 2 oz. of gin 3 oz of tonic 2 oz of watermelon kombucha (or whatever your favorite fruity flavor is) Garnish with a lime wheel Stir ingredients together in a glass over ice, and you’re good to go! Spicy Pineapple Margarita Spice up your life with this spicy spring cocktail! We can't think of a better drink to kickstart the weekend with. Recipe: 3 slices of jalapeno (or more depending on your tolerance to spice) 2 oz of tequila ¾ oz of fresh lime juice 1 oz of pineapple juice ½ oz of simple syrup Salt Add jalapeno slices, lime juice, and simple syrup to a mixing tin and muddle. Add tequila, pineapple juice, and ice and shake well. Salt the rim of a glass, then pour the mixture into the glass over ice. Add extra jalapeno slice for garnish. Grapefruit Mocktail Sometimes you don't want to drink alcohol! Enjoy this refreshing, elevated mocktail, perfect for brunch and chill weekends at home. Recipe: 2 oz grapefruit juice 2 oz kombucha 1 oz sparkling water Garnish optional - pink peppercorn, mint sprig, and grapefruit slice Combine juices in a glass over ice and stir, pour in the sparkling water, and garnish! For more seasonal cocktail recipes, visit The Social Sipper blog ! Take a photo of your favorite way to relax at home and share it with us on Facebook or Instagram ! Check back next week for more food, fun, and vibrant living at Acero Cooley Station in Gilbert AZ.

Local Animal Shelters Where You Can Meet Your New Best Friend

National Puppy Day is March 23rd and here at Acero Cooley Station we couldn’t wait to celebrate! We’re a pet friendly community with a dog park on-site, so we know how important pets can be. In honor of National Puppy Day, we’d like to highlight a few animal rescue shelters that are looking for fosters and adopters right now. They all have websites, where you can look into their adoption policies and see some pictures of their current adoptable dogs. Freedom Tails Rescu e Freedom Tails Rescue is a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing animals from all sorts of situations. Whether these dogs come from poor conditions or are released to the shelter by their previous owners, every animal is welcome and given the best opportunities to find a forever home. Freedom Tails is done entirely through volunteers and are always looking for more help. Their biggest goal is to make the world safer for dogs by educating the community, as well as encouraging adoption and fosters for homeless animals. Be sure to check them out! Friends For Life Animal Rescue Located at 952 W. Melody Ave. in Gilbert, Friends For Life is a privately supported no-kill animal shelter that continues with the effort of their volunteer staff. Arizona Friends For Life has been working since 1993, advocating for homeless animals and making a real difference in their lives. Their website is full of information on adoption, rescue, and local events! There are numerous ways you can help, from volunteering, donating, or adopting a dog of your very own. Friends For Life helps you find your perfect match with their adoption forms and a pet adoption counselor, to get the right dog for you and your lifestyle. Valley of the Sun Dog Rescue Last but not least is Valley of the Sun Dog Rescue, a local no-kill animal shelter that specializes in American Pitbulls and American Staffordshire Terriers, but take in any dog in need. This shelter specifically aims to increase public awareness when it comes to stereotypical “bully” breeds, showing a gentler side of their dogs. Valley of the Sun Dog Rescue is a family run non-profit that is greatly assisted by their volunteer staff and foster care providers. This organization works hard to rescue, rehabilitate, and find the forever home for these often overlooked and misunderstood breeds. This shelter holds adoption clinics every Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm at the Petsmart Pet Center on the northwest corner of Mckellips and Power Road in Mesa. Happy National Puppy Day and remember that every dog is a puppy at heart! Consider adopting or donating today to any of these local shelters. Take a look at what these shelters are looking for in terms of volunteer work too! You never know how much you might change an animal’s life.

St. Patrick’s Day Comfort Food Recipes

St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year, on March 17th. Wednesday isn’t exactly a day you imagine going out drinking with your friends and family (especially this year, even with things looking up!) so we thought we’d bring you some warm, traditional Irish dishes to make your week a little bit cozier, while keeping with the theme of the holiday! Soda Bread Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk 1 cup of dried currants 4 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for surface 1/4 cup of sugar 6 tablespoons of cold butter 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 1 tablespoon of baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt 1 teaspoon of baking soda Directions: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, grease a large cookie sheet in an even coating of butter or whatever other option you prefer. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a utensil like a fork or spatula, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in your currants and caraway seeds, then buttermilk until flour is evenly moistened. On a well-floured surface, knead dough 8 to 10 times just until combined. Shape into a flattened ball; place on cookie sheet. Cut 1/4-inch-deep "X" into top. Bake loaf 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set bread aside on a wire rack and wait to eat until cool. Potato Leek Soup Ingredients: 3 cups of mashed potatoes 6 cups of chicken broth 4 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus more for serving 4 leeks (white and light green parts only), sliced into half-moons 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 bulb of fennel, cut into 1/4-in. pieces 1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional) Directions: Heat oil in a large pot on medium. Add leeks, garlic, fennel, and celery, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook. Cover the pot and stir occasionally until very tender for 13 to 15 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, broth, and thyme. Simmer the mixture and stir occasionally until heated through for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme. Using an immersion blender (or standard blender, in batches), puree the soup until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and serve with cracked pepper and a drizzle of oil if desired. Guinness Beef Stew Ingredients: 4 cups beef stock 3 large carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced into bite-sized pieces 1.5 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 3 pounds of beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-sized pieces 1 large white or yellow onion, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1/3 cup flour 1 (12 ounce) bottle Guinness beer Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Season the beef with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef to the pan. Cook until seared, turning the beef every 30-45 seconds or so until all sides are browned. Remove beef from the pan with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a clean plate. Add an additional 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot, and repeat this process with the remaining half of the beef, transferring it afterwards to the plate as well. Add the onion to the stockpot (adding extra oil if needed, but usually there is leftover drippings/oil from the beef) and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté it for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the flour until it has evenly coated the onions, and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in the Guinness, and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any of the stew that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the beef stock, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and the cooked beef (along with any of its accumulated juices). Continue cooking until the stew reaches a simmer. Then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer over low for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the potatoes are soft. Remove bay leaf and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm garnished with chopped parsley if desired. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, residents, and we hope you enjoy some of these themed traditional Irish recipes!

Crafting ideas for National Children’s Craft Day

National Children’s Craft Day is this Sunday, March 14th. It’s been a while since we’ve talked crafting on this blog, and we thought it’d be fun to suggest a few relatively easy craft ideas to try out! These are all crafts that require a low number of supplies, to make it easier to have fun craft time with the kids. Tape Resist Art What you need: Masking tape Liquid watercolors, or acrylic paint Construction paper What to do: To begin with, place strips of the tape on your construction paper wherever you’d like. When the paper has several strips of tape wherever desired, begin to paint with your watercolors or acrylics! Paint over the tape, and across the paper wherever you’d like. You can use a paper towel to absorb some of the excess tape if necessary, and then peel the tape off. It should leave gaps in the color, and create a cool effect across the paper. Fire-Breathing Dragon Craft What you need: Scissors Liquid glue or a glue gun Gluestick Empty cardboard toilet paper roll Red, yellow, and orange tissue paper Googly eyes 2 pom poms that are around 1 inch, in your preferred color 2 pom poms that are around ⅜ of an inch, in your preferred color Construction paper in your preferred color What to do: Cut some of your construction paper to be the length of the cardboard paper roll, and use the glue stick to coat one side of the paper. Line up the paper and the cardboard roll, and wrap the roll in the paper until it’s fully covered. Use a glue gun or the liquid glue to attach googly eyes to each of the larger pom poms, up top. These will serve as the dragon’s eyes! Then, use the liquid glue or glue gun to attach the dragon eyes to one side of the cardboard roll, towards the end, on top. Use the same glue to attach the smaller pom poms towards the other end, on the same top-side, to form the dragon’s nose. They don’t have to be right at the edge of the roll, just set apart from each other as if they’re the eyes and nostrils on the long snout of a dragon! Cut long, pointy strips of your differently covered tissue paper, around nine inches long. Glue the end of your strips of tissue paper into the inside of the paper towel, under the dragon’s nose. Keep gluing them in, making your way around the inside of the roll. You only want to put them there on the top part of the dragon’s “mouth” under the nose, and on the sides, not on the very bottom. You’ve finished! Now, you can blow air into the end of the dragon head with the eyes, and your tissue paper should flutter as if the dragon is breathing fire. Origami Finger Puppets This one’s a little more complicated, because origami usually is best done with accompanying pictures! To help, we’re linking to a guide right here , which goes through all the distinct steps of making your origami finger puppet, with all the information you need to properly fold and make it! Happy crafting, residents, and we hope you have fun if you try any of these with some of the younger members of the community!