The post Popular Holiday Party Snack Ideas appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.
]]>
The holiday season is officially underway here in the Windy City, and residents of our Chicago apartments are busy putting up decorations and planning get-togethers. This time of year, it seems, our calendars are jam-packed with holiday-related activities. If you're planning — or contributing to — the menu for an upcoming party, have some fun with these quick and easy snack recipes.
Peanut Butter Truffles
- 2 1/2 cups softened confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Truffle accompaniments: sprinkles, crushed nuts, coconut, mini-chocolate chips or candies
Beat ingredients together with an electric mixer until well-combined. Form the mixture into teaspoon-size balls and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roll truffles in accompaniments. Chill until firm.
Corn Dip
- Cooking spray
- Two 11-ounce cans Mexican corn, drained
- Two 4.5-ounce cans green chiles, drained
- 2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Corn chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients. Spread the mixture into a baking dish. Bake uncovered, until mixture bubbles around the edges (30-40 minutes). Serve warm with corn chips.
Holiday Roll-ups
- 2 packages softened cream cheese
- 1 package ranch dressing mix
- Ground black pepper
- 5 flour tortillas
- 1/2 finely diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 sliced green onions
Thoroughly combine ranch dressing mix, cream cheese and black pepper. Spread mixture on the tortillas, sprinkle the vegetables over them and roll up tightly. Wrap the roll-ups in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Christmas Tree Melts
(These make great cake or cupcake-toppers.)
- Pretzel sticks
- 1 cup green candy melts
- Rainbow nonpareils
Arrange pretzel sticks on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Microwave green candy melts at 30-second intervals until completely melted, then transfer to a piping bag. Draw zigzagging lines to create a Christmas tree shape over the top half of each pretzel stick. Sprinkle with nonpareils. Let stand 10 minutes to set. Make a few extras in case some break.
The kitchens in our Chicago apartments are equipped with premium appliances, so they're ideal for whipping up your favorite holiday recipes. Contact us to learn more about the amenities we offer and available floor plans.
The post Popular Holiday Party Snack Ideas appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.
]]>The post Easy, Fun, and Tasty Fourth of July Treats appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.
]]>
Fourth of July will be here before we know it! If you are hosting a party, you will find yourself busy preparing for the event. As such, you may want to serve patriotic sweets, but not have a lot of time to prepare them. Fortunately, there are a few easy and festive treats that you can quickly whip up.
Flag Brownies
Flag brownies are a fun and easy treat to make this 4th of July. Everybody loves brownies, and dressing them up for the 4th can make them look and feel like a completely different treat. Simply bake your preferred brownies and allow them to completely cool. Then use sliced strawberries and white frosting to create stripes and blueberries set on a background of white frosting for the stars. This treat will taste wonderful and look patriotic for your 4th of July celebration.
Patriotic Parfaits
Strawberry shortcake is a light and delicious treat that many people enjoy on the 4th of July. If you love strawberry shortcakes but want to serve something with a bit more pizazz this holiday, you can dress up your shortcake by serving it parfait-style. Cut your angel food cake up into tiny cubes. Then layer the angel food cake with Cool Whip or whipped cream and your desired fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and bananas in a parfait cup or mason jar. This creates a grown-up and patriotic version of strawberry shortcake.
Dipped Strawberries and Cherries
The last fun and easy treat you can quickly whip up for a 4th of July celebration is dipped strawberries or cherries. Warm up white chocolate, and then dip the cherry or strawberry about 2/3rds of the way in. Place out a bowl filled with blue crystal sprinkles. While the white chocolate on the strawberry or cherry is still wet, dip the bottom third of the fruit into the sprinkles. Lay it flat on wax paper to dry. You will then have a red, white and blue treat that looks beautiful and taste delicious.
Having the right space is important if you love to host events. If you are looking for apartments in Chicago, Illinois, River North Park is perfect. Visit our website to learn more about our apartment community.
The post Easy, Fun, and Tasty Fourth of July Treats appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.
]]>