1. Take a Road Trip

Set your GPS for chillier temperatures that are meant to make you snuggle up in sweaters and soft blankets. The Rocky Mountains are an easy road trip away, and this time of year, they offer spectacular landscapes as the trees begin to showcase autumn shades.

2. Make Homemade Apple Cider

Certain smells and flavors immediately elicit memories of the months when leaves begin to fall from trees and everybody knows Old Man winter is waiting for his turn to knock on the door. Apple cider is certainly one of those substances, and it's actually not very hard to make at home. With just a few ingredients, you can easily convert your kitchen into a production line that'll fulfill many of your taste buds and your olfactory senses.

3. Have a Fall Dessert Competition

Get ready. Get set. Bake! Baking is a quintessential fall activity. Make delicious pumpkin bread, autumnal biscotti, or a delicious apple cake! Have a fun competition to see which creation you and your friends like the most.

4. Imbibe in a Football Funday

Whether you're a fan of college ball, or you prefer to watch the pros throw the pigskin around, nothing says autumn like a good football game. Go the extra mile by hosting a tailgate party in your living room so you can reunite with friends who will share in the celebration.

Settle into a stunning apartment during the fall season so you can be ready to welcome guests when the holidays roll around. This is the perfect time to swing by our Pine View Village community to take a look at available floor plans!

The post Fun Ways to Enjoy the End of Autumn appeared first on Pine View Village Apartments Blog.

Fun Ways to Enjoy Autumn

1. Take a Road Trip

Set your GPS for chillier temperatures that are meant to make you snuggle up in sweaters and soft blankets. The Rocky Mountains are an easy road trip away, and this time of year, they offer spectacular landscapes as the trees begin to showcase autumn shades.

2. Make Homemade Apple Cider

Certain smells and flavors immediately elicit memories of the months when leaves begin to fall from trees and everybody knows Old Man winter is waiting for his turn to knock on the door. Apple cider is certainly one of those substances, and it's actually not very hard to make at home. With just a few ingredients, you can easily convert your kitchen into a production line that'll fulfill many of your taste buds and your olfactory senses.

3. Carve a Pumpkin

Get ready. Get set. Get a creative (and maybe a little messy)! Pumpkin carving is a quintessential post-summer activity. Make a happy face, try to carve an image of your favorite cartoon character, or skip the hard stuff and simply decorate your home with pumpkins and squash. That works, too!

4. Partake in a Football Sunday

Whether you're a fan of college ball, or you prefer to watch the pros throw the pigskin around, nothing says autumn like a good football game. Go the extra mile by hosting a tailgate party in your living room so you can reunite with friends who will share in the celebration.

Settle into a stunning apartment during the fall season so you can be ready to welcome guests when the holidays roll around. This is the perfect time to swing by our Pine View Village community to take a look at available floor plans!

The post 4 Fun Ways to Enjoy Autumn appeared first on Pine View Village Apartments Blog.

Feeling pressed for time? Turn up the heat with one-pot recipes, and let your kitchen do dinner for you! Our Flagstaff apartments are full of busy people who are doing a million things a day, but, hey—everybody needs to eat, right? Before you take your next excursion on your favorite food delivery app, make sure you check out these six one-pot recipes!

1. Chicken Balsamic & Veggies

Who said single-pot dishes have to be bland?

Powered with protein and reinforced with wholesome veggies, this dish checks all the boxes when it comes to easy eats, delectable bites, and flavors that will tempt your taste buds without filling your sink with dirty dishes. The balsamic speaks for itself!

2. Shakshuka

Take your flavor palate on a trip around the world with this one-pot dish that's popular in North Africa and the Middle East. This vegetarian dish is healthy, gluten-free and incredibly tasty. The eggs help make it perfect for breakfast, dinner or anything in between.

3. White Bean Stew with Winter Squash and Kale

The beauty of this recipe is that you have lots of options. Want to make your stew from scratch? Soak a bag of beans overnight. No time to soak? Reach for a ready-to-go can. Need to put your pressure cooker to use? This is the perfect recipe! Prefer to pot a pot on the stovetop? Go for it!

4. Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Butternut squash is filled with fall and winter flavors, and if you want to make this stew a little heartier, pile on a plateful of rice before you scoop your soup.

5. Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork

We can't promise your face and hands won't get a little gooey, but at least your kitchen won't suffer the consequences of a tasty meal. Not a fan of pork? Sub out chicken or beef brisket.

Are you yearning for a kitchen that's capable of making these one-pot recipes become a reality? Reach out to our Pine View Village team today to learn about pricing and upcoming availability!

The post 5 One-Pot Recipes to Save You Time appeared first on Pine View Village Apartments Blog.

Our theme for October is Fall Into Autumn! We’ll be bringing you everything from tasty treats for the season to décor ideas that will “leaf” you inspired to deck out your home in the colors of the season! We’re lucky to be in a four-season town, so we’re excited to “fall” in love with Autumn with you!

Harvest Vases

All you need for this beautiful table topper are a few cylinder vases (we like these from Michael’s), a few handfuls of shelled nuts (think pecans), wheat bunches, and a sheet of autumn-colored scrapbook paper (brown, deep red, rust, gold, etc.). First, roll a strip of scrapbook paper and tuck it into the top of your vase as a decorative cuff. Stick a wheat bunch or two (you can also pick this up from Michael’s!) into the vase, and surround it with a big scoop of nuts! These make beautiful coffee table centerpieces, or you could hang them in wall sconces!

Twine Pumpkins

Have any extra toilet paper lying around? Turn it into a beautiful DIY pumpkin! You’ll need a roll of toilet paper, a skein of twine, scissors, a hot glue gun, and a stick. Secure one end of your twine to the inside of the toilet paper tube with a dab of hot glue. Wrap the twine around the toilet paper until the full roll is covered. Once the full roll is covered, glue the other end of your twine into the center of the roll to secure it, and stick your stick through the center to make the stem! Voila … an easy, beautiful autumn decorative piece!

Burlap Leaf Wreath

A wreath is a beautiful and simple statement piece to make your home’s exterior a little more welcoming. For this project, grab a straw plain wreath (you can snag one for under three bucks at Jo-Ann’s), a half- to full-yard of burlap, and either various colors of crafting felt, craft leaves, or head out to the Flagstaff forests to pick up some real fall foliage. If you go with craft felt (think greens, reds, yellows, and oranges), cut out some leaf templates on the felt—you’ll want at least twenty! You’ll also need some scissors and a glue gun. Cut strips of burlap; use hot glue to secure one end to the wreath frame, then wrap the full wreath with your burlap, gluing down the other end when needed. Once the full wreath is covered, begin placing your leaves on the wreath, securing them with hot glue. Make sure you leave some of the burlap exposed; it’s a beautiful fall textile, so let people see it! Once you’re happy with the look, hang your wreath on the door to welcome friends and fall to your home!

Mason Pumpkin Jars

For this craft, raid your cabinets for mason jars; you’ll also need brown and orange acrylic paint, wood pegs, scissors, glue, and fall-colors card stock. First, paint your mason jars orange (you can get a variety of shades for not a lot of cash at any craft store). Paint the lids brown. You can also paint the wood pegs, or leave them their natural shade of brown. While the jars and lids dry, cut leaf shapes from the card stock. Cut thinner strips of your card stock to curl as vines. (All you need to curl your strips is either the edge of a scissor blade—to curl like curling ribbon—or a pencil to wrap the strip around.) Secure a leaf and a few paper “vines” to each wood peg with glue, and then secure the peg “stem” to the jar lid with more glue. Simply screw the lids on to finish your project. These are great as centerpieces, or as candy jars! You can also use them as beautiful fall gift containers if you don’t mind giving up your beautiful craft!

Pine Cone Place Cards

Make beautiful pine cone place cards or card holders with pine cones you can find right here in Flagstaff! First, hunt for some pine cones with relatively flat bases. Secure them to a drink coaster with hot glue. To create a holder for your place card or stand for your greeting card, use sturdy craft leaves or dried real leaves; secure the leaf to the pine cone by tucking the stem into the pine cone and securing with hot glue. Secure the place card or greeting card to the leaf with either hot glue, foam tape, or double sided tape. Place these beautiful pine cone card holders on your table, bookshelf, or window sill!

Happy Crafting!
 

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