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Recipes for National Strawberry Day

National Strawberry Day is February 27th, right before the end of the month. It’s been a while since we last suggested a delicious selection of recipes for our residents to try, so we thought we’d make the most of this National Strawberry Day with a few recipes, representing the best of both sweet and savory strawberry usage. Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie The essence of a strawberry lemonade smoothie is taking an already refreshing drink, and making it even more refreshing (and much more filling!) by turning it into a smoothie. This is a great accompaniment to brunch, a light morning breakfast, or a snack! Ingredients: -2 cups of lemonade -2 cups of frozen strawberries, still frozen! Do not defrost or thaw. -¾ cup of lemon yogurt -½ teaspoon of vanilla extract Directions: Simply place all your ingredients in a blender together, and then cover it and blend for 15 seconds or until smoothly blended. Then you can serve, and drink! It’s a fairly simple recipe. Spinach Strawberry Salad This is a light, spring-style salad that showcases the savory potential of putting strawberries with the right other ingredients. It’s delicious, healthy, and works well with the food we crave when spring finally starts to wake up around us. Ingredients: -10 ounces of fresh baby spinach -1 quart of strawberries, hulled and quartered -¾ cup of crumbled feta cheese, you can either buy this block-style and crumble it or purchase it pre-crumbled -¾ cup of raw pecans -½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced -A light dressing of your choice Directions: First, toast your raw pecans. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake your pecans in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the middle of the pecans are tan when you cut or break them in half. Keep a close eye on the oven while you do this: nuts often burn in the last few minutes! When your pecans are toasted, move them to a cutting board and roughly chop them. Put your sliced onion into a bowl and cover it with cold water, letting it sit while you prepare the other aspects of the salad. Time to put the salad together! First, put all your spinach in a big serving bowl, and add your hulled and quartered strawberries. If you want to have your salad dressed all throughout, now is a good time to add some of the dressing and toss it to coat the leaves; we suggest a light dressing, such as balsamic, poppy seed dressing, or a basic vinaigrette. Add your feta and pecans to the other ingredients in the serving bowl, and toss the salad lightly to combine all the ingredients together. Serve right away, with dressing in the salad or on the side if desired! Strawberry and Cream Crepes Last, we wanted to bring up a recipe that makes use of the delicious natural sweetness of strawberries, combining them with some of the flavors that compliment it best! Ingredients: For the crepes: -2 cups of all-purpose flour -1 cup of milk -1 cup of water -4 large brown eggs -2 tablespoons of melted butter -¼ teaspoon of salt For the filling: -4 cups of sliced fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced -1 cup of heavy whipping cream, whipped -8 ounces of softened cream cheese -1 ¼ cups of confectioner’s sugar -1 tablespoon of lemon juice Directions: First, whisk your eggs, milk, water, and butter together in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix your flower and salt together, and then add that resulting mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix them together well. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate it for one hour. For your filling, beat together the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl, until smooth and well combined. Fold in about two cups of your strawberries and the whipped cream. When your batter has cooled for an hour, stir it, and then heat a lightly greased nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fill a ¼ measuring cup halfway with the batter, and pour the batter into the center of your skillet. Lift and tilt the skillet to coat the bottom evenly with batter, to make a thin, even crepe. Cook the crepe until the top looks dry, and then flip it over and cook until the bottom is also cooked, which should take 15-20 seconds. Remove the crepe, and repeat with the remaining batter, buttering or greasing pan as needed! When the crepes are finished and cool, stack them between paper towels. Spoon about ⅓ of a cup of filling down the center of each crepe, and roll them up. Then, garnish your rolled crepes with the remaining berries, and additional confectioner’s sugar if desired. Then you can eat, or cover and refrigerate for later eating! We hope you enjoy this sampling of some of the amazing recipes that have strawberries as the star, residents, and please let us know if you try any of them!

Post-Valentines Chocolate Pairings

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and if you celebrate, chances are you have some serious chocolate on your hands. (If you don’t—check online at grocery stores, because they’re still discounted!) Chocolate, being chocolate, is hard to beat. And while we love wine pairings—the experts have already made them! Instead, here are some fun ideas to turn candy-eating into a real culinary experience. Thoughtful Desserts There’s no shame in finishing a dozen chocolates in a day. If you want to have chocolate through March, however, it can be hard to make your Valentine’s haul last. That’s because it’s so delightful to follow up candy with… more candy, and we aren’t here to insult a classic! Pairing a meal with a coordinating truffle, placed beside the dish through the meal, can feel like a finishing touch, not a forgettable note in a line of chocolates. Here are some meal pairings to wrap up with just one chocolate, to end on a satisfactory note: - macaroni and cheese paired with a white chocolate truffle - chili and cornbread paired with a salted dark chocolate caramel - peanut noodles paired with a milk chocolate with a tart fruit filling - lemon chicken and rice paired with a hazelnut white chocolate Chocolate Charcuterie Board Charcuterie boards—artful arrangements of deli meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and spreads—are seeing new life as people of all ages share their expertise or early attempts over platforms like TikTok. Many already contain chocolate, and since charcuterie boards are all about thoughtful pairings, you can build a board with chocolate as its inspiration and base. Saltier charcuterie pairs well with chocolate caramels, while milder charcuterie pairs well with extra-dark, nutty chocolates. If you live a low or no meat lifestyle, consider the cheeseboard. (Plus, that’s just an excuse for extra cheese—dark chocolates pair well with smooth brie or goat cheese; milk chocolate pairs well with young, creamy cheeses; and white chocolate ) Whatever direction you take, charcuterie and cheeseboards are about creating an eating experience. Using flavors that balance each other—like mildly sweet white chocolate and bitter walnuts—creates an enjoyable contrast that keeps either element from being overpowering. Dark chocolate makes many people thirsty, so consider balancing its dehydrating effect with some fresh green grapes! If you’re having a glass of wine with your charcuterie, consider sweet or spiced red wines with milk chocolate, Pinot Noir with white chocolate, or Port with dark chocolate. M&M Popcorn Yes, really! The adventurous-child classic version is as simple as dumping all those pink-themed M&Ms into a bowl of popcorn, but it can be spruced up with chili powder, chili-lime seasoning, chopped-up pecans, or thinly-shredded cheddar.

Great Gilbert Restaurants for National Bagel and Lox Day

February 9th is National Bagel and Lox Day, and we wanted to use the opportunity to shout out some of our favorite local bagel sellers in the Gilbert area. Bagels with lox are the traditional way to eat them in much of America, and plenty of delicious Arizona bagel-serving delis follow this long-standing (and tasty!) practice. Here’s some great examples. Schmear: Bagelry & Cafe Schmear was founded by a husband and wife team with the goal of bringing communities together. It’s designed to emulate Jewish delis, cafes, and bagel shops all together. They have both Nova lox and whitefish, and a huge variety of cream cheeses of different flavors. They have bagel sandwiches with different fillings, and even have a gluten free bagel option for those that need it. Bagel Nosh Nosh sells fresh-baked bagels with cream cheese, smoothies, coffee drinks, and a lunch menu. They have a traditional nova lox bagel dish with capers, red onions, cream cheese, and tomatoes. They serve breakfast sandwiches all day, as well as lunch combos and a variety of drinks. They also sell bagels just on their own, of all different flavors. New York Bagels N' Bialys As the name may imply, New York Bagels N’ Bialys serves bagels and bialys the traditional New York way. They also have a full menu of differing New York Jewish specialties, like cheese blintzes, matzo brie, and potato pancakes. They have gluten free bagels, and a variety of fish options. They have cream cheese of different flavors, like lox, chives, and jalapeno. If you want a traditional New York bagel, this is a great option. We hope you enjoy National Bagel and Lox Day with a fantastic, local bagel. Have a great day, residents!

Soup Recipes for National Homemade Soup Day

National Homemade Soup Day is February 4th, and we thought it’d be perfect to provide a few recipes for delicious, easy soup that you can use to warm the winter night. Or, honestly, even if it’s not cold, soup is just a fantastic food to make and enjoy! These are fairly simple, quick recipes, so it shouldn’t eat into too much of your time. Creamy Tomato Herb Soup Ingredients: 2 cups of milk ¾ cups milk powder 1 can of undrained diced tomatoes ¼ cup of tomato paste 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley 1 tablespoon of diced onion ¾ tablespoon of dried basil ½ teaspoon of salt ⅛ teaspoon of pepper Directions: Combine the diced tomatoes, fresh parsley, chopped onion, dried basil, salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer it, uncovered, for around ten minutes. In a small bowl, combine your milk powder and your flour, and then stir the milk in until it’s smooth. Stir the tomato paste in until it’s fully incorporated into the other ingredients. Then, gradually add the milk mixture into your soup. Cook and stir the soup until it’s thick and heated through, then serve! Ravioli and Spinach Soup Ingredients: 2 cartons of chicken broth (32 ounces each) 1 package of small cheese ravioli 4 cups of coarsely chopped fresh spinach 3 cups of shredded chicken, cooked ¼ teaspoon of onion powder Pepper to taste Parmesan cheese, if desired Directions: In a large saucepan, combine your broth, pepper, and onion powder, and bring it to a boil. Add your ravioli, and cook them in the broth, uncovered, for around 7-10 minutes, until tender. During the last three minutes of this time, add the spinach and chicken into the mixture. Serve, with cheese on top if desired! Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients: ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup of chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen 1 ½ cups of milk ¾ cup of chicken broth ¼ cup of all-purpose flour ¼ cup of cubed butter ¼ cup of chopped onion ¼ teaspoon of salt ¼ teaspoon of pepper Directions: In a small saucepan, saute your onion in the butter until it’s tender. Then, stir in your flour, salt, and pepper, until everything’s blended. Gradually add the milk and broth to the mixture. Then, bring the mixture to a bool, and cook and stir until thickened, which will take about two minutes. Finally, add the broccoli, and cook until it’s tender. Then, serve!

Best Local Gilbert Mechanics for All Your Automotive Needs

Here at Acero Cooley Station, we want to make things as convenient as possible for our residents. We know that things like car check-ups can fall by the wayside in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the new year, and a lot of people are just getting around to regular maintenance chores now that January is fully underway. To make this easier, we wanted to list a few of our favorite local Gilbert mechanics, to help you find a simple option close to home! K.A.R. Shop A local, family-owned garage, K.A.R. Shop is only a short drive from our apartment complex. They pride themselves on being friendly and trustworthy, with the mentality that by doing their job, they’re helping take care of their neighbors. They care about ensuring their customers understand why the work is being done and what the necessity of it is, to allow the highest level of comfort when dealing with your car. Spectrum Car Care Center Spectrum Car Care Center in Gilbert is another option that’s just a quick drive from home, and they have a focus on a stress-free approach to car maintenance. Not only can you come by during work hours, but they also allow you the choice to drop off your car outside of open hours via a drop key option, in case you can’t get there while they’re open! They also have an online quote tool, if you already know what you need, so you can check the price before even coming by the shop, commitment free. Christian Brothers Automotive Our third shop is also a short trip from the apartment complex. Christian Brothers Automotive provides temporary free vehicle pick up and drop off for social distancing, allowing you to get your car fully serviced without ever stepping foot in their shop. All three of these options place a high value on the comfort of their customers, and on providing a simple, trustworthy experience when you need to get your car looked at, so whatever you go with, you should be in good hands! We hope this little guide will help you make an easy decision the next time you need a little automotive care.

Fun Things To Do With Paint for New Year Creativity

Many of us go into the new year with hopes to be more creative, whether that’s to follow a dream, build a new skill, continue a hobby, or just break up the routine with something relaxing. However, inspiration is not always an easy thing to come by, and creative plans can be stifled by the pressure to come up with something on your own. Today, we’re hoping to alleviate some of that pressure for our creatively-inclined residents of all skill levels with this list of fun things to do with paint! String Painting What you’ll need: Paper 18-inch pieces of string. Any string will work! Liquid watercolors Small cups A book you don’t mind getting paint on What to do: Pour your different watercolors into your cups, one cup for each color. Then, put a string in each of the cups, leaving a couple of inches hanging off the side so you can grab it easily. Then, fold the paper you’re using in half. Put the folded paper in the middle of the book you don’t mind getting paint on. Pick your first color, and pull the paint-soaked string out of the cup. You want a good amount of the string to be coated in the paint. You may want to use your finger and thumb to scrape off excess paint. Arrange your string in any configuration on the folded paper, on the inside, and then refold it with the string inside. Placing the string in an interesting shape will help create the effect you want! Then, shut the book with the folded paper inside, and while pressing firmly down on the cover, use your other hand to pull the string through the paper and out. Repeat with as many colors as you’d like, until you’ve created a beautiful piece of string art that satisfies you! Acrylic Pour What you’ll need: Acrylic paints in your preferred colors An acrylic pouring medium Cups to put your paints in. Disposable plastic cups might be easiest. Something to stir A canvas or paper Some newspapers or other scrap paper, to go under your canvas and help avoid dripping What to do: Start by selecting your colors, with a different cup for each one. Add a small amount of each paint to its own cup, just enough to cover the bottom of the cup. Then, add your acrylic pouring medium. A general rule of thumb for using a pouring medium is 1 part paint to 3 parts pouring medium; you want more of the medium than the paint. Add the pouring medium to each paint cup, and stir until well mixed. Then, using a clean cup, combine your colors by layering the different paint mixtures on top of each other. Use more of the colors that you want to be more prominent, and you can repeat them in the layers. Place your canvas upside down on top of the cup with all the different colors in it. Place your hand on the back of the canvas, and your other hand around the cup to hold it steady, and quickly flip them so the canvas is right-side up and the cup is upside down on top of it, and then wait for the paint to pour down onto the canvas! While it’s dripping down onto the canvas, you can apply a base color like black or white (also mixed with the pouring medium), by pouring it onto the canvas and then spreading it across the canvas, around your upside down cup. You can do this with a palette knife, but if you don’t have one, a regular plastic knife works just fine. Finally, either drag your upside down cup across the canvas to spread the colored paint, or lift it up and allow it to flow. You can tilt the canvas in different directions to allow it to fully cover the canvas. You can use different tools to lift up the colors and expose different layers, or move the paint’s direction to create all kinds of cool effects. Then, just let it dry, and you have a beautiful acrylic pour piece! Segmented Canvas With Painter’s Tape What you’ll need: Paints of any kind, though watercolor is likely to work well for this project. A canvas Brushes Painter’s tape or masking tape Scissors What to do: Use your tape to section off your canvas in the desired way, creating different shapes. Triangles, squares, and rectangles of all different sizes are all good options: the idea is to make shapes in the canvas that can be blocked off, so you’re painting directly inside those marked lines, and thus have individual sections of color in a way you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to, due to the difficulty of painting within such straight lines. You can create interesting visuals, and even create a cool card to give someone. We hope these ideas have been inspiring in some way, residents!