Blog Posts

Recipes for Your New Year's Eve Party

This week’s Canyon Park Apartments Blog post is dedicated to helping your New Year’s Eve party appetizers and hors-d’oeuvre be a success! If you’re looking for that last dish to make your selection of snacks unforgettable, try out one of the following recipes: Raspberry Balsamic Meatballs Do you need a flavorful yet filling source of protein at your party? If so, then make sure to check out these delicious slow-cooked meatballs! They are flavored with strong savory sauces like balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, yet the raspberry preserves and ginger give an added sweetness and zing to the dish. Baked Biscuit Wreath Dip If you haven’t chosen an appetizer involving warm bread, take some time to consider these baked biscuits and dip. You bake both the dip and the biscuits on the same tray, so everything is warm and on the same plate when you’re ready to serve it! Guacamole Deviled Eggs Watch out — the avocado craze has reached deviled eggs! By mixing a homemade guacamole in with the egg yolks and garnishing the deviled eggs with a fresh cilantro, this is the perfect change-up from the classic way to prepare this dish. Blackberry Goat Cheese Crackers Another New Year’s Eve snack essential is fancy cheese and crackers. In this recipe, the flavor from the blackberries compliments the goat cheese perfectly, with a crunchy cracker to serve it on. Salted Chocolate Dipped Mandarin Slices Since you’ll need something sweet to go with all of your other food, try this recipe for a healthier alternative to something with a lot of added sugar. The sweetness of the mandarin slices brings out the flavor in the dark chocolate, and the salt sprinkled on top adds a powerful punch to both flavors. What will you be making for your New Year’s Eve party this year? Let our Puyallup, WA apartment community know in the comments. Have a Happy New Year!

Last-minute Holiday Gift Guide

Are you still looking for any last-minute gifts? On this week’s Canyon Park Apartments Blog, we’re giving you a few quick and easy suggestions for last-minute gifts you can order online that will still get here in time for the holiday celebrations. Ship one or more of these items to your Puyallup, WA apartment today for all of your final gift shopping needs! Leather Tassel Keychain/ Phone Charger People are always looking for a charger on the run, but the question is this: Where do you put it? With this leather tassel keychain that has a charging cable hidden inside, you can now have one on you at all times while keeping it pretty discreet. Movie Bucket List Poster Are there any film buffs on your holiday list this year? Rather than debating about which novelty gift to get them — one that’s related to some obscure movie reference — why not get them this poster? You can scratch off every one of the films you have seen on the list as a way to ensure that you’ve made it through all of the must-sees. Plus, it will look great on the wall! Event Tickets As tickets go on sale for live events like concerts and sporting events far in advance, consider getting someone you love tickets to something they love! There’s nearly nothing they will like better and plus, they will have no idea you purchased them last minute! Check out websites like StubHub and Ticketmaster for tickets to events nearby! Kiwi Crate Subscription Are you looking for a holiday gift for a child? If you are, it’s pretty hard to find something they don’t already have or that’s already out of style. This year, get them something that will boost their creativity and keep them busy all year long! Kiwi Crate is a subscription service that sends children of different age groups a monthly box of themed crafts. They might not be incredibly excited when they open it because they’ll have to wait to get their first crate, but when it comes in the mail, they’ll be as thrilled as ever! Fleece Blanket Throw You can never go wrong with a cozy fleece throw, especially as we are in the coldest season of the year. Bedsure’s fleece blankets are affordable, comfortable, and colorful! Follow the link above to choose from over fifteen different colors to find the right one to fit the recipient. Thanks for reading our post today, and may your last-minute holiday shopping be a success!

Books to Read This Holiday Season

We imagine you’re being hit right and left with holiday movies in your collection, the abundant Netflix selection, and the holiday movie marathons on each television channel — but when was the last time you snuggled up with a good holiday-themed book? This week, we here at Canyon Park Apartments Blog have chosen a few novels that might help you get in the holiday spirit as well. Try reading one of the following: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens If you haven’t this timeless tale in a while, we suggest you do so this year. Join Scrooge on his journey from becoming a holiday-hating self-centered miser to having a deep change of heart after being visited by the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet To Come. It’s a reminder that people can truly be transformed for the better, and it will fill your heart with holiday cheer for weeks to come. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just skip over the holiday season all together? Reading this book might give you a little taste of how hard it actually is! When the Kranks decide to forgo all holiday festivities — no annual party, no decorations, nothing — and go on a cruise instead, they come to realize that skipping the holidays is significantly harder than they could have ever imagined. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie Looking for a good mystery? This holiday installment in Agatha Christie’s classic Poirot series should do the trick. When rich Simeon Lee invites all his children and their families home for the holidays, it doesn’t end up being as merry of an occasion as any of the expected. Instead, he showers them with insults and threats and finishes by cutting them off financially and changing his will. In light of all these strange events, Detective Poirot is called to Lee residence just in time for the holidays. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson To everyone else, the Herdman siblings are “the worst kids in the history of the world.” They have smacked other children, blackmailed them, and they even set fire to a neighbor’s shed. Something feels fishy when they show up to the local church and sign up for the annual holiday pageant… We won’t ruin the surprise. This holiday read is perfect for the whole family! Do you have a favorite book to read around the holiday season? Share it with our Puyallup, WA apartment community in the comments below!

Making Your Own Holiday Decorations

If you haven’t gotten around to decorating your apartment for the holidays yet this season, then today’s Canyon Park Apartments Blog post is just for you! This week, we’re bringing you some simple DIY holiday decoration ideas that will have your home looking classy and festive for any holiday gatherings you might be hosting. Read on for a few of our top suggestions! Lighted Burlap Garland Rather than simply hanging up a few strands of lights, make them look one step more festive with this tutorial! By tying small pieces of holiday-colored burlap around a strand of lights, you can add the perfect rustic touch to that charming warmth that comes from holiday lights. It doesn’t cost that much more money or take that much skill, and we think the final product looks great! Petite Tree Are you either limited on space for a holiday tree or low on time to maintain one? Never fear, because there are plenty of other options. This petite tree may not even be a pine tree at all, but don’t worry. By placing a dead branch or two in a stylish jar and hanging holiday ornaments from them, this decoration is definitely reminiscent of a holiday tree and can provide a similar feel of holiday cheer. Popsicle Stick Snowflakes We imagine you’ve been making paper snowflakes since your childhood, so if you’re looking for another way to create these classic winter and holiday symbols, try out these popsicle stick snowflakes this season! By arranging wooden popsicle sticks in the right geometric shapes, attaching them together with glue, and painting them white, you will have great looking snowflakes to hang in your windows or wherever you choose. The fun part is, since snowflakes are a winter decoration in general, you can leave them up through January! We hope that one or more of these simple tutorials will help you to get your Puyallup, WA apartment looking merry and bright for the holidays. Thanks for reading!

Hot Chocolate Recipes

When it gets cold, curling up in your Puyallup, WA apartment with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate is very inviting. In this week’s Canyon Park Apartments Blog, we’ve got a few hot chocolate recipes to help you spice up your hot chocolate game. Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa Ingredients: 2 c. milk (preferably whole) 1/2 c. pumpkin puree 2 tsp. pumpkin spice 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2/3 c. white chocolate chips Whipped cream, for serving cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling Cinnamon sticks, optional Pumpkin spice is closely associated with the fall, so pumpkin spice and hot chocolate are the perfect combination. No need to head out to the local Starbucks for your pumpkin spice treat, when you can make it in the comfort of your own home! Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Ingredients: 4 Cups Milk 1 14 Ounce Can sweetened condensed milk 4 Ounce Bar White Chocolate 1/2 Cup chocolate chips 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract Red Gel Food Coloring 4-5 Drops Whipped Cream and Red Sprinkles for Serving This recipe requires the use of a slow cooker, but the result is well worth it! Enjoy this recipe for red velvet hot chocolate to warm you up on a cold day. Peppermint Hot Chocolate 3 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream Pinch salt 12 oz finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate (or chocolate chips) ½-1 tsp peppermint extract (to taste) If you’re a fan of peppermint, you’re going to love this recipe for peppermint hot chocolate. This marriage of minty and chocolatey is the perfect companion for a chilly night. If you want a little extra kick, you can crush up some peppermint candy cane and sprinkle it over your cup of peppermint hot chocolate! Do you have a favorite hot chocolate recipe? Share it with our Puyallup, WA apartment community by leaving a comment for us! Thanks for reading!

Classic Fall Movies

Looking for something to do on a cold night? There are plenty of classic fall movies that you can watch to spend an evening. In this week’s Canyon Park Apartments Blog, we’ve got a few suggestions of movies for you to watch this November. No need to leave your Puyallup, WA apartment to enjoy a few great films! Rudy “Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) wants to play football at the University of Notre Dame, but has neither the money for tuition nor the grades to qualify for a scholarship. Rudy redoubles his efforts to get out of the steel mill where his father works when his best friend (Christopher Reed) dies in an accident there. Overcoming his dyslexia thanks to his friend and tutor, D-Bob (Jon Favreau), Rudy gains admission to Notre Dame and begins to fight his way onto the school's fabled football team.” October Sky “John Hickam (Chris Cooper) is a West Virginia coal miner who loves his job and expects his sons, Jim (Scott Miles) and Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal), to follow in his footsteps. But Jim gets a football scholarship, and Homer becomes interested in rocket science after seeing Sputnik 1 crossing the sky. John disapproves of his son's new mania, but Homer begins building rockets with the help of friends and a sympathetic teacher (Laura Dern). Rocketry, he hopes, will prove his ticket to a better life.” Good Will Hunting “Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).”