Tasty Tuesday

This recipe is one of my favorites from back home. I love making this on cold days like today! I hope you all enjoy!

-Rachel

Jaxson's Potato Chile Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh long green chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded and finally chopped (about 3 medium)
1 cup of finely chopped onion
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk (May use 1-1/2 cups milk and 1-1/2 cups half and half)
cheddar cheese or monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 hr

1 Combine the first 6 ingredients.
2 Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
3 In a separate pan, melt the butter over low heat, add flour and blend until smooth.
4 Cook the roux over low heat for 3 minutes, constantly moving it so it will not scorch.
5 Strain liquid from potato/chile mixture and reserve 3 cups of the liquid.
6 Mash half the potato/chile mixture, reserving the other half.
7 Stir the reserved cooking liquid into the roux, raise the heat and whisk with a wire whip until thickened.
8 Add milk to thickened liquid and continue to stir until it comes to a simmer.
9 Turn off the heat, add mashed and unmashed potato/chile mixture.
10 Serve topped with shredded cheese on top.

Motivational Monday

We each have a choice: to approach life as a creator or critic, a lover or a hater , a giver or taker.

-Author Unknown

Wacky Wednesday

Be the first to email us (walkersranch@cwsapartments.com) the correct answer to the day's trivia question and you'll win $25.00 toward your next month's rent!

When Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin sat down to eat their first meal on the moon, their foil food packets contained what meal?

Tasty Tuesday: Champagne Punch

Champagne Punch

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/2 cup cognac
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 bottles chilled dry Champagne or sparkling wine
Orange or lemon slices
Fresh strawberries, optional

Directions:
Combine the lemon juice, sugar, orange liqueur, Triple Sec, cognac, and orange juice in a non-reactive bowl and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the Champagne and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Pour into a decorative bowl or pitcher. Garnish with orange or lemon slices and fresh strawberries, if desired. Serve in Champagne flutes, wine glasses, or punch cups.

CEL Thank You!

Dear Residents,

We wanted to take a quick minute to thank each & every one of you for your participation in this year’s CEL Survey. We know your time is very valuable, and we have the deepest appreciation for you carving a few minutes to complete the survey and enclosed comment card. As always, the surveys are anonymous, and the comment cards are the only items that CEL & Associates will send back to each participating company’s corporate office. For those of you who requested personal contact, you will be receiving a follow-up call once we receive the comment cards back from the company. Your opinion truly does matter and we sincerely welcome it – it is part of what helps guide us each year as we work to improve your community and enhance your overall experience with us. On Friday (11/19) we placed a small token of our gratitude on each of your doors – a “CEL Thank You” treat – to help make your upcoming Holiday a little bit sweeter. If you haven’t checked your front door yet, make sure you grab it today!

But what would be a CEL Survey season without a little bit of fun, right? We had such a great time seeing so many of you at both our CEL Happy Hour and our 3rd Annual Fall Ball! And for some of you, our CEL Survey season brought a nice extra treat! Here’s a list of our CEL contest winners:

Patio Decorating Contest: Gaby & Denise
Paper Dragon Winner: Joan
CEL $500 Grand Prize Winner: Michelle & Francois
CEL 2nd Chance Drawing Winners:
• 1st Place - $75 Off Dec. ’10 Rent: Karen
• 2nd Place - $50 AMEX Card: Sandra
• 3rd Place - $25 VISA Card: Jose

Thanks again to all of you for your help & participation this year and congratulations to all of our winners! We look forward to a wonderful CEL Survey season again in 2011!

Sincerely,

Leslie, Rachel, Brad, Jeannine,
George, Rich, Tam & Andy

Wacky Wednesday- 11.17.10

Be the first to email us (walkersranch@cwsapartments.com) the correct answer to the day's trivia question and you'll win $25.00 toward your next month's rent!

What do these 3 movies have in common: “Do the Right Thing”, “Jungle Fever” and “School Daze”?

Tasty Tuesday- Southern Cornbread Stuffing

Southern Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients
Cornbread, recipe follows
7 slices oven-dried white bread
1 sleeve saltine crackers
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (optional)
5 eggs, beaten
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried white bread slices, and saltines; set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons of this mixture for the giblet gravy. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve with turkey as a side dish.

Cornbread:
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

To serve, cut into desired squares and serve with butter.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Motivational Monday

If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.

Weekend Movie Releases for 11.12.10

Morning Glory (2010)
When hard-working TV producer Becky Fuller is fired from a local news program, her career begins to look as bleak as her hapless love life. Stumbling into a job at "Daybreak" (the last-place national morning news show), Becky decides to revitalize the show by bringing on legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy. Unfortunately, Pomeroy refuses to cover morning show staples like celebrity gossip, weather, fashion and crafts - let alone work with his new co-host, Colleen Peck, a former beauty queen and longtime morning show personality who is more than happy covering morning "news." As Mike and Colleen clash, first behind the scenes and then on the air, Becky's blossoming love affair with fellow producer, Adam Bennett begins to unravel - and soon Becky is struggling to save her relationship, her reputation, her job and ultimately, the show itself.

Skyline (2010)
Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

Unstoppable (2010)
A veteran engineer and a young conductor try frantically to stop a half-mile-long freight train carrying enough combustible liquids and poisonous gas to wipe out a nearby city.

Wacky Wednesday

Be the first to email us (walkersranch@cwsapartments.com) the correct answer to the day's trivia question and you'll win $25.00 toward your next month's rent!

What decade was nicknamed Mauve decade, Golden Age, and Gilded Age?

Tasty Tuesday: Bacon Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Kicked Up Bacon Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
4 baking potatoes such as russets, about 3 pounds, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar, grated
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Directions
Place the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in a heavy 4-quart saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the cooking pot. Add the cream, butter, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Place the pan over medium- low heat and mash with a potato masher to incorporate the ingredients and achieve a light texture, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bacon, grated cheese, sour cream, and chopped chives and stir until thoroughly combined. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Motivational Monday 11.08.10

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. - John Wooden, Basketball Coach

Weekend Movie Releases for 11.05.10

Due Date (2010)- Peter Highman is an expectant first-time father whose wife's due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan--on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter's last nerve.

Fair Game (2010)- As a covert officer in the CIA's Counter-Proliferation Division, Valerie Plame leads an investigation into the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Valerie's husband, diplomat Joe Wilson, is drawn into the investigation to substantiate an alleged sale of enriched uranium from Niger. But when the administration ignores his findings and uses the issue to support the call to war, Joe writes a New York Times editorial outlining his conclusions and ignites a firestorm of controversy.

Megamind (2010)- Megamind is the most brilliant super-villain the world has ever known... and the least successful. Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way -- Each attempt, a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as "Metro Man," until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant, leaving everyone to wonder: Can the world's biggest "mind" actually be the one to save the day?

Wacky Wednesday 11.03.10

Be the first to email us (walkersranch@cwsapartments.com) the correct answer to the day's trivia question and you'll win $25.00 toward your next month's rent!

What country did the following people rule: Louis the German, Charles the Fat, and Arnulf of Carinthia?

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken and Dumplings

What a better way then to enjoy this cool breezy day with a warm plate of Chicken and Dumplings!

Ingredients
1 whole store-bought roast chicken (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 container (7 ounces) chopped onions
6 cans (14 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 container (14 ounces) pre-cut carrot sticks, chopped
1 container (14 ounces) pre-cut celery sticks, chopped
1 roll (16.3 ounces) golden buttermilk biscuit dough
1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed chicken gravy
Directions
Remove skin from chicken and shred meat into large pieces. Set aside.

In a small frying pan, add vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot, add chopped onions and saute until soft.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, add broth, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, carrots, celery, and sauteed onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes to soften vegetables, and then add shredded chicken. Continue to simmer while making dumplings.

While stew is simmering, prepare dumplings. Open can and remove biscuits. On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit to 1/4-inch thick. With a knife, cut each biscuit into 4 pie-pieces. Set aside.

Skim surface for any scum that has risen to top. Stir in chicken gravy.

With the stew still simmering over low heat, stir in dumplings a few at a time. Once all dumplings are in to pot, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and serve piping hot.

Motivational Monday

We each have a choice: to approach life as a creator or a critic, a lover or a hater, a giver or a taker. - Author Unknown