Celebrating Thanksgiving

With the long weekend ahead of us, and the smell of freshly baked apple pie lingering in the air, everyone is anxiously awaiting Thanksgiving.  Here are some great simple tips, recipes and ideas to help you get ready for this festive holiday.  Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner in your apartment or attending a dinner party these easy ideas are sure to make you shine.
 

Simple DIY Décor

 

Why go out and spend money on expensive decorative fall pieces when you can add a touch of fall to your apartment without putting a dent in your wallet. Visit your local craft or dollar store, they usually carry an assortment of items you can mix together to decorate your space. One easy suggestion is buy a wood wreathe, purchase a leaf garland from the dollar store and create your own wreathe to hang on your door or to use as a center piece. Remember you can add ribbon to any piece for a bolder and more sophisticated look.



 

Table Settings

Use a dark brown or rich earth tone table cloth to set the fall mood in your apartment, mix different textures and hues for a rich table setting. Gather some fresh fallen leaves and place a few on the table to add different hues to the table setting.  Another great tip is to buy a few small pumpkins and squashes from your supermarket to place along the table. Don’t forget you can make use of those wooden wreathes as a centerpiece and place a charger underneath and a glass vase in the center with a candle.

Potluck Side Dishes

Have you been ask to bring a side dish to Thanksgiving dinner and can’t think of something easy, simple and delicious to prepare. Well here are a couple of suggestions that will take no time to make and are a definite crowd pleaser.

Buttermilk Biscuits

These are so simple to prepare, no need to wait hours for the yeast to rise, since the buttermilk and baking powder work perfectly to create fluffy and soft biscuits. Use a traditional recipe that you can find online or in any cook book, the great thing about biscuits is you can make the recipe unique by adding your own secret ingredients.  Feel free to add some finely grated cheddar or parmesan cheese to the dough, as well as fresh or dried herbs like chives and parsley.
 

Baked Mac’n’Cheese

Many people don’t realize this but homemade mac’n’cheese is actually quite simple to prepare. Melt some about a ¼ cup of butter, add 2 table spoons of flour to the melted butter, add a few table spoons of cream cheese, and create a smooth mixture. Add some milk to the mixture or cream for a richer flavor, slowly add shredded cheddar cheese, and leave the sauce a bit runny as you are going to bake the dish. Pour over your cooked pasta, place in a baking dish, add some shredded cheese on top and bake until it’s melted.

Sweet Potato Mash

A twist to traditional mashed potatoes, sweet potato mash is rich in colour and flavor. You can choose to make your mash sweet by adding cinnamon and brown sugar or go for the traditional version.  Sautéed shallots and garlic add a delicious flavour to this simple dish. You can also place the mash in a baking dish, top with some shredded cheese and bake until melted.


Awesome Desserts

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Simply add a couple of table spoons of pumpkin puree to your favourite cheesecake recipe. Pour over a chocolate crust; infuse the crust with some chopped nuts, skor bits and liqueur for a bigger punch. Decorate your cheesecake with some chocolate drizzle and chopped nuts, serve with fresh whip cream.

 

Pumpkin Tiramisu

Just like the pumpkin cheesecake idea, add a few table spoons of pumpkin puree to your favourite tiramisu recipe. Add as much puree until you reach the desired flavouring, blend with additional cinnamon and nutmeg.

 
Nutella Brioche

Bread pudding is a definite fall comfort food, adding nutella and banana to any recipe is a great twist. Spread nutella on bread slice before cutting into cubes, and mash a banana to blend into your mixture. Don’t forget you can also add some rum or nut flavored liqueur for an additional splash of flavour.

Hope these ideas help inspire you to decorate your apartment, or create delicious fall dishes for this festive holiday. Remember to keep a close eye on the oven when baking, and don’t leave any unattended candles burning. Don’t forget when you’re finished eating and you're to full to get off the couch you can always visit our website to start your apartment search before the winter! www.flagshipcorp.ca

 

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, from all of the Flagship Properties Staff.

 

Ways to Make Your Kitchen Eco-Friendly

Kitchen has always been the heart of a home, and it’s also one of the most important areas in your apartment to make eco-friendly. From the amount of water wasted while doing dishes, to the harsh chemical cleaners, the kitchen is the first place to start is you want to be living green in your new apartment. Follow these simple suggestions to reduce your carbon foot print, and live an eco-friendly lifestyle.

 

   
Recycle…
 

This sounds like the obvious step towards green living, and most of you probably do recycle but are you sure you’re recycling correctly??  Make sure you’re aware of what can and cannot go in the blue bin; the City of Toronto has great posters that will list the acceptable items for you. For example, plastic bags may seem like an obvious thing to recycle, but wrong these must go in the trash! However, some stores like your local drugstore or supermarket will have a plastic bag recycling bin where you can rid of your grocery bags.

Feel free to toss things like corrugated cardboard, office paper, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, phone books and dairy/juice cartons in the recycling bin without the lids and straws. Wax paper, takeout containers with black bottoms or tops (such as for roast chicken) and plastic over-wrap on pop/water cartons, toilet paper, paper towels need to go in the trash can.

Reduce Waste

Cutting down on the amount of garbage you create depends on the food you consume. Avoid items with extra packaging like fruits on Styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic and if you need to purchase packaged items check to see if the packaging can be recycled. When you’re cooking, try to not make an overabundance of food, or you’ll be tossing the leftovers in the trash. Cook enough for one meal, and some extra if you take leftovers for lunch.

  

Reusable Containers

Keep a good stock of reusable containers, whether it’s for storing food, or taking lunch buy containers that are durable, glass containers are great as they’ll never change colour. Remember if you’re taking lunch from home buy reusable food containers, and avoid plastic and paper bags.  Try to ditch the take out, as most of the containers can’t be recycled; if you’re a coffee lover buy a thermos to take to your local coffee shop instead of using those carton cups.

 

 

Go Local

Purchase fruits and vegetables from farmers markets and local stores that don’t put their goods in plastic containers. Make sure to bring along a reusable bag to the market so you aren’t picking up a bunch of plastic bags for your purchases.

 

Ditch the Chemical Cleaners

Harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia aren’t good for your body or your home. Once you spill the rest of your cleaner down the drain, it can go into local rivers, lakes and oceans. Your indoor air quality is compromised when you are trying to get your apartment spic and span! There are plenty of green kitchen cleaning products on the market that you can choose from, but it’s also incredibly simple to make your own. If you have baking soda, white vinegar, lemons, olive oil and aromatic plant oils like lavender or eucalyptus, you can make your own all-purpose cleaning scrub and floor disinfectant.

 

So it doesn’t matter whether your renting a fancy apartment with energy efficient appliance or an older apartment you can still make your kitchen more eco-friendly by keeping these simple suggestions in mind while you shop. Remember when you’re searching for your next Toronto apartment visit www.flagshipcorp.ca