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ForRent.com Launches New Blog

We want to thank everyone for stopping by and viewing our blog! We are pleased to announce that we have moved to ForRent.com! That’s right; our blog is now hosted on our website. So we really are the ultimate resource for apartment seekers and renters alike. Whether you are searching for a pet-friendly apartment, condo, duplex, townhouse, loft, one, two or three bedroom apartment, we can provide you with over 50,000 listings nationwide. Or if you’re already renting your dream apartment, we have various resources to provide you with tips/advice on decorating & entertaining, organization, safety, recipes and more!

 

So check out our new location! ForRent.com’s new and improved Apartment Blog at http://blog.forrent.com/

 

Thanks!

Steak & Guinness Pie

If you feel like having a traditional Irish meal this St. Patrick's day, what better way than having Steak & Guinness Pie? Exported from MasterCook, check out the below recipe to make your own...

Steak & Guinness Pie

Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds of Round Steak
1 tablespoon of Flour
1 teaspoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Raisins (optional)
5 Onions
10 fluid ounces of Guinness
8 slices of Bacon
Parsley Chopped
1 Recipe of short Pastry*

*For double-crust pie in deep pie dish, Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in seasoned flour and brown in the lard with the bacon-chopped small.

Directions:
Place the meat in a casserole dish. Peel and chop the onions and fry until golden before adding them to the meat.  Add the raisins (if wanted) and brown sugar.  Pour in the Guinness. Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2½ hours.

Stir occasionally and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy get too thick.  Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust and bake it blind.  Then add the Guinness/beef mixture from the casserole dish, cover with the top layer of pie crust and bake until finished.  Probably about 10 more minutes.  Serves 4

Source: http://fp.enter.net; Exported from MasterCook

How to host an ‘Eco-friendly’ St. Patrick’s Day Party

Green doesn’t just have to be the color for your party, make it the theme!! Green living can extend to how you entertain! Making it green is easy on the environment and easy for you to do! Mimicking the tips we’ve already given you for St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, we’ve matched some eco-friendly ones. Check out these tips:

Tip 1: Invitations
As I always suggest, send out electronic invitations. Besides giving your party a more casual tone, you also save on paper that is just going to be thrown out later.  Or if you’re party is going to be formal and dictates having an invite, try to use recycled paper invitations.

Tip 2: Decorations
Just for the sheer expense, I always try to recommend fun crafty ideas for holiday decorations. Take a look at our St. Patrick’s Day Party ideas. But it turns out, not only will these save you money; they are also more environmentally friendly! Making your decorations would be a creative and a fun thing for you and your friends or kids to do.  And as much as it hurts, my favorite party staple that I always recommend--balloons--is actually pretty bad for the environment! They often end up in the ocean where they are consumed by sea life, which eventually die from balloons blocking their digestive system. So looks like all my ballooning days are over! 

Tip 3: Food & Drinks
A cute and easy idea to avoid waste is serving finger food. By serving finger food, you alleviate the need to have utensils or plates.  Your guest can just have their little sandwiches, cheese & crackers, cookies, chips on napkins.  And if you want to save on purchasing cups, offer your guests canned or bottled beverages. You can recycle them when they are done!  Wow, this tip allows you to save on a little bit of money as well! Cha-ching!

Tip 4: Entertainment
If you’ve read our blog about St. Patrick’s Day  Party ideas then you know we suggest doing contests, having music or a movie playing in the background.  These ideas don’t require too many materials. But another idea I’d like to add is doing Karaoke! You don’t necessarily have to have a machine (although it helps), but just grab a bunch of your already ‘tipsy’ friends for some movin and groovin and perhaps a little singing!  This should make for a lot of entertainment!! 

While we are making suggestions about how to make your St. Patrick’s Day party more eco-friendly, please remember these tips can certainly be used for your other parties.  If you’re having a Birthday celebration soon, think about using some of these ideas. Not only are you helping the environment but you also may be saving some money in the process!! Bonus!!

Source: Progressivekid.com

St. Patrick’s Day Movie

“The Quiet Man” Movie Review

I’m not sure how many of you have actually seen this classic film of an Irish tale.  But I truly recommend it. Being that I have a father who is a John Wayne fanatic, I have seen numerous movies starring him. ‘The Quiet Man’ is probably one of only two that I am able to sit all the way through!

This movie is of an unusual love story between a man and a woman with their cultures colliding.  John Wayne plays a gentle man from America, Sean Thornton. He has returned to the Irish village where he was born to retreat from a horrible memory of his last fight as a prize fighter where he accidentally killed his opponent. Burdened with his death, he seeks peace and comfort.  After his welcome home he encounters Mary Kate Danaher, played by Maureen O’Hara, in one of the most breathtaking scenes of the movie.  The red-haired colleen is herding a flock of sheep across a meadow. With the lush Irish landscape, Sean is mesmerized by her presence.  Once he realizes she is unmarried, he is determined to pursue her. This is where Sean is forced to learn the education of Irish culture and tradition. “Uh uh, no patty fingers if you please.”  From their first encounter Mary Kate and Sean reveal a passion and desire to be with one another. But the constant conflict between Sean, Mary Kate and her brother, Will, makes for an engaging story. The momentous retrieval of Mary Kate from the train station, where Sean literally drags Mary Kate 5 miles to a field where her brother is working, is compelling. With the cute and quaint town joining in all the festivities of this dispute, including waging who the winner might be, you’ll be laughing at the whirl wind brawl!

I’d recommend ‘The Quiet Man’ to anyone. It’s a heart-felt romantic movie that is such a joy to watch!

Source:  speakeasy.org

Traditional Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

If you plan on celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day this year, make sure you do so with traditional Irish foods.  Here’s a great recipes for Corned Beef and Cabbage that you can make this holiday!

Corned Beef & Cabbage with Horseradish Sauce

Serving Size: 8               
Categories: Beef, Irish                            

Ingredients (Amount & Measure)
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      Onion
   4      Cloves-whole
   4      pounds Corned beef
   2      Parsley sprigs
   8      Peppercorns-whole
   2      pounds of Cabbage
   1      cup Sour cream
   1      tablespoon Prepared horseradish

Work Time: 15 minutes   
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

Directions:
Peel onion and stick with cloves.  Put corned beef, onion parsley and peppercorns in a large pot and cover with water.  Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently until tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  Cut cabbage into wedges and core. Add to the pot, cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Combine sour cream with horseradish.  Serve the meat and cabbage with some of the broth ladled over all and the horseradish on the side.

Nutritional Value:
Per serving: 553 calories, 36g protein, 40g fat, 2808 mg sodium, 11g carbohydrates, 135 mg cholesterol.

*Exported from MasterCook*

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Source: http://fp.enter.net

How are you doing on Lent?

As everyone knows, Lent is in progress. This is a time when many people choose to give up something in their life for 40 days. The standard is to sacrifice something in your diet, such as chocolate, candy, etc.  Many health conscious individuals give up something diet related, enabling them to adhere to their program. But what some fail to realize is that the true purpose of Lent is for your sacrifice to help you recognize the blessings that are taken for granted most of the time.

According to AmericanCatholic.org, “Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life.  That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of lent, but to root sin out of our lives forever.”

Now I am just as guilty as the other health conscious individuals because I gave up chocolate this year for Lent. While I could make the argument that chocolate is considered a sin to my diet, I have no plan to give up chocolate for life.  So I am not really taking the true meaning into my lifestyle.  But that hasn’t always been the case for me; one year I gave up swearing and had a jar to collect money from myself should I ‘slip’ up. That period of time has impacted my vocabulary ever since.

So whether you gave up sugary treats, smoking, swearing or whatever-my question to you is…how are you doing? Have you been able to maintain some resistance towards the something you gave up? In my opinion, if you follow through on a goal you set for yourself (no matter what that goal may be, e.g. giving up chocolate for 40 days) then you have made an improvement in your life and maybe one day you’ll be ready to take on something bigger!

I hope everyone is doing well with their goals! Good Luck!

Source: AmericanCatholic.org

The Claddagh Ring

I’ve always been fascinated by claddagh rings. I’ve seen them all over jewelry stores and a friend of mine from high school had one. So I decided to do a little research and let everyone, who didn’t already know, what it’s true meaning is!

This traditional Irish ring is a symbol of love, friendship and loyalty.  It originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the walls of Galway. The designs of the ring give you its meaning: the heart symbolizes love, the hands represent friendship and the crown signifies loyalty.

Depending on how the claddagh ring is worn on the hand usually tells the wearer’s romantic availability, or lack thereof.  When worn on the right hand with the heart facing out, the person is still searching for love.  When worn on the right hand with the heart facing in, he or she is in a relationship or ‘someone has captured their heart’.  When the claddagh ring is worn on the left hand ring finger, facing outward, it indicates the wearer is engaged, and when the ring is worn on the left hand, facing in, it generally means the person is married.   

The claddagh ring is recognized worldwide and many people of Irish and non-Irish descent wear it. It is used as both a cultural symbol and as an engagement/wedding ring.   What I found amazing was that there are many legends of how this ring came about, including gifts from the heavens for doing charity work and unforgettable love.  However it came to be, this ring is truly valuable to the Irish culture and indeed signifies the cherished qualities of love: heart, friendship and loyalty.

Source: thecharmingtouch.com

Irish Blessing

ForRent.com would like to bestow a wish on all our friends with the following Irish Blessing this Saint Patrick’s Day!

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Source: corsinet.com & ireland-information.com

Easter Recipes for Kids

You have enough on your plate this month with Easter rolling around, pictures needing to be taken and baskets to be assembled. Why not have your little ones help you out this Easter dinner? Below are really easy and simple recipes for you and your little helpers!

Edible Easter Bunny Salad

Ingredients:
Pear halves
Raisins
Miniature marshmallows or cottage cheese
Lettuce
Apple slices or Almonds

Directions:
Place a lettuce leaf on a plate. Add the pear half on lettuce, for body. Insert raisins for the eyes and nose. The ears are made from apple slices or almonds and a miniature marshmallow or cottage cheese become the bushy tail.

Banana Pops
Ingredients:
• 2 Bananas
• Honey (or melted chocolate)
• Desiccated Coconut (or rice krispies)
• Popsicle sticks
• Plates
• A baking dish lined with baking paper

Directions:
1. Peel the bananas, then cut them in half and push Popsicle sticks into the bottom of both pieces of banana.
2.  First, Roll the bananas in some honey, and then in the coconut.
3.  Place the banana pops on a baking tray lined with a sheet of baking paper and then freeze.
4.  Your banana pops will be ready to eat the next day

Source: dltk-kids.com & amazingmoms.com

5 Tips for Easter Decorations

Are you looking to add a little spring to your apartment? Bringing the outside in is a perfect way to welcome the glorious weather and of course, Easter! So to help add festive decor to your home, here are 5 tips:

Flowers
The essence of spring is that plants/flowers start to bloom.  Having the outside brought inside would have to include them, don’t you think? Typical buds for this time of year would be tulips and daffodils. So whether it’s a potted plant or a vase full of beautifully arranged flowers, definitely include them in your homes decor.  They’ll instantly add a little bit of brightness to your space!

Baskets/Eggs
The essential Easter gift for all ages is a basket full of goodies! So use them when decorating your home this Easter.  You can have baskets in various sizes and colors, filled with eggs or chocolates. Use ribbon to spruce them up and give them a more festive look. And if you get ones that are universal, they can have multiple uses throughout the rest of the year!

Peter Rabbit
Yes having the symbol of Easter-rabbits-in your home would be a perfect way to decorate for the holiday and spring. You can have sculptures, statues, stuffed animals, pillows, etc. A rabbit would go perfectly with the basket and eggs mentioned earlier!

Centerpieces
I’m not sure what your family’s traditions are for this holiday, but my family always sits down for a nice meal.  We take time to enjoy each other’s company and have a wonderful dinner. And the center of every meal, besides obviously the food, would be the centerpiece. Having a nicely decorated centerpiece would be a great conversation starter or just “icing on the cake” for your well-prepared meal. Obviously reusing the above tips would be useful here; rabbits, flowers, baskets, eggs, ribbons, etc. would all be appropriate for your dinner table.

Wreaths
Finally, while we’re bringing the outdoors in, it might still be nice to have a little decoration on the outside of your home. Putting a nice wreath on your front door would let your neighbors or passersby know that you’re excited about the holiday and spring time! Your wreath can be something simple and handmade, or it can be store bought! Either way, you already know what ideas to stick to!   For ideas on creating your own wreath this Easter, check out our blog Cheap and Easy ways to Add Holiday Spirit to Your Apartment blog.

Most of these tips are pretty easy to do during this time of year. And a lot are reusable for each year, which will make them inexpensive too! I hope you found these helpful. Let us know if you have anymore ideas! We’d love to hear them!!