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.

Winter White Chicken Chili With Cilantro and Lime

Ingredients

• Olive oil spray
• 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 small white onions
• 1 small carrot, peeled
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
• 2 14 ½-ounce cans cannellini beans (undrained)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½–1 cup fresh cilantro (garnish)
• 1 fresh lime (garnish)
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• Fried tortilla strips (garnish)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cook the chicken.

Start by cooking your chicken breasts with olive oil spray and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Cook both breasts fully (ideally in a cast-iron pan). Set aside to cool. Once cool, shred the chicken with two forks and set aside again.

2. Prepare and sauté the vegetables.

Clean and chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic (chop or crush), and add it all to your soup pot with the olive oil. Sauté until onions are translucent.

3. Add everything and simmer.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, minus the cilantro, lime, cheese and tortilla strips. Allow the soup to come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer; cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste test along the way, adding more spices as needed.

4. Serve!

Once all the flavors of this yummy white chicken chili have melded together, serve it in bowls with a spritz of fresh lime juice, some mozzarella cheese, and a small bunch of fresh cilantro leaves on top! For a little crunch, feel free to add a few tortilla strips as well.

What can make serving this delicious white chicken chili even more enjoyable this winter is serving it at a dinner party for friends in your very own apartment! Looking for Chicago apartments? Contact us to see what floor plans we have available. 

The post This Is Your Must-Have Soup for Winter Coziness appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.

Here are salad options that are sure to please everyone:

1. Chimichurri Chicken Avocado Salad

This salad is a gigantic, filling meal, perfect for putting your salad naysayers to rest. It's filled with incredible amounts of flavor and contains elements from most of the essential food groups. The avocados are the icing on the cake (or the salad, as the case may be). If you have vegetarians in your crew, keep the chicken separate so everyone can partake in your veggie creation.

2. Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad With Poppyseed Dressing

The beauty of this salad comes by incorporating one of summer's most infamously favorite fruits and applying a plethora of other flavors that hit the taste buds just right. If you have someone who's not a fan of gorgonzola or blue cheese, you can leave it on the side, but these robust cheeses really do round out the marriage of flavors in the mix nicely. 

If you have the oven going, toss on some salmon, shrimp or marinated tofu for a protein-packed addition.

3. Chopped Kale Power Salad With Lemon Tahini Dressing

Do you have vegan adversaries in your circle? Keep this salad's ingredients a secret until you've wowed the room. This protein-packed powerhouse of a salad is healthy, filling, comes with crunch and is served with a creamy dressing that skeptics will never suspect doesn't have dairy in it.

4. Lemon Rocket Pasta Salad

This salad adds an Italian twist, incorporating Fusilli pasta with a few simple ingredients that speak for themselves. Best of all? It can be served hot, right when the noodles are ready, or cold after it's chilled in the refrigerator for a while.

With a sparkling sun deck and private half-acre landscaped courtyard, our River North Park Apartments offer you an incredible way to enjoy the summer sun while you try out your new salad recipes. Stop by and take a tour of our community today!

The post 4 Salads That are Sure to Please Everyone appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.

Chicken Delight

• 6 cups water
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 cups brown rice
• 1/2 package of mixed vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower (Do not choose any package with onions, which can be poisonous to dogs.)

Add the water, chicken, and rice to a Dutch oven or large cooking pot. Break up the chicken and distribute evenly in your pot. Cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce cooking temperature to low and allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables and allow to simmer for another five minutes. Remove your pot from the heat, and allow your dog food to cool thoroughly before refrigerating it in serving size portions. 

Easy Crock-Pot Dog Delight

• 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 4 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups frozen butternut squash

Add all of your ingredients into a six-quart slow cooker. Set your temperature to low, and allow the dog food mixture to cook for approximately five hours. Or if you'd prefer, you can use the high setting on your slow cooker and cook the mixture for approximately two hours. Allow your dog food to cool completely before packaging or serving. 

Homemade Chicken Jerky Strips

• 2 to 3 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into approximately 10 to 15 strips that are about 1/8 of an inch thick. Place your strips on a cookie sheet, and then bake them in an oven for approximately two hours. 

Have you been searching for pet-friendly apartments in Chicago? Then please contact us so we can arrange for you to check out our sleek and sophisticated apartment homes. In addition to being pet-friendly, our community also boasts numerous amenities, including a fitness center with a heated indoor lap pool. Give our office a call to learn more about our community!

The post 3 Recipes for Homemade Dog Food appeared first on River North Park Apartments Blog.