Posts about Food and Entertaining

Fruit Salad Recipes for Summer

There’s just something about summer that makes us crave fresh fruit! Summer is in full swing, and fresh fruit is plentiful at your favorite grocery store or our very own Williamsville Farmers Market . We wanted to share some fruit salad recipes that are perfect for your next picnic or cookout here in WNY. Get ready for some good eating here at Windsong Place Apartments by whipping up one of these tasty fruit salads. Fruit Salad Recipes Honey Lime Fruit Salad Recipe from Cafe Delites Fresh fruit is a must at any picnic and you will love this honey-sweetened fruit salad! Ingredients include fresh strawberries, kiwi fruit, mangoes, blueberries, green grapes, pineapple chunks, honey, lime juice, and pineapple juice. Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad from Fork Knife Swoon You’ll be dreaming of summertime while eating this refreshing fruit salad! To make it, you will need cubed watermelon, fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and lime juice. “Spring Fling” Fluff Fruit Salad from The Seasoned Mom This sweet and fruity dish works great as either a side or dessert. The recipe calls for the following ingredients: sliced strawberries, blueberries, peeled and sliced kiwi, lemon juice, crushed pineapple, vanilla instant pudding mix, mini-marshmallows, chopped pecans, and whipped topping. Creamy Fruit Salad from Tastes Better From Scratch This super sweet side dish could also double as dessert. Ingredients include pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, chopped apples, lemon juice, halved grapes, plain greek yogurt, shredded coconut, and mini marshmallows. Butterfinger Apple Salad from Crazy for Crust This recipe proves that there is such a thing as a dessert salad. Here’s what you will need to pull it off: instant vanilla pudding mix, nonfat milk, peanut butter, cool whip, Butterfinger candy bars, and diced granny smith apples. What is your favorite fruit salad recipe? Share it with us in the comments!

Plan a Themed Picnic in May

Picnics are as much a part of summer as ball games, swimming pools, and summer camp. Today we are sharing some geographic-themed picnic ideas for members of our apartment community. Picnics can be very simple, or they can feature multiple courses. The main thing about having a picnic is to experience dining al fresco. Take advantage of our picnic area at Windsong Place Apartments complete with charcoal grills. Happy picnic planning! Southwest Twist Spicy with a variety of textures, southwestern fare makes for a great picnic, too. Pull together tortilla chips (pack them in a rigid container), salsa, and this fresh summer salad featuring tomato, avocado, and cucumber for a refreshing outdoor meal. Austen Inspired Go all out and indulge in a Jane Austen-inspired picnic, complete with a tablecloth and tea service. If the idea intrigues you, you’re not alone. Read how Anika Mehta pulled it off: How to Have a Regency Tea Party Picnic , in her blog, Hello Giggles. Bite from the Past is the perfect place to find suitable picnic food for your outing. German Goodness Potato salad definitely has German roots, and it’s perfect to bring along for a picnic. Add bratwurst, some veggies, and dessert, and you’ve got a meal. Some other foods with a German flair to consider are spätzle (a cross between noodles and dumplings), pretzels (classic Bavarian), or chilled sausages paired with a side of sauerkraut. Don’t forget the dessert springerles — a classic German cookie flavored with anise — strudel, or a nice plum torte are all excellent options. Don’t forget the wine; check out these Wines of Germany . Ole! Hello Mexican Picnic Food Though not common, chili makes excellent Mexican picnic fare. Plan ahead to keep it hot, using a thermos, until you’re ready to eat. Another idea is to take along a portable picnic stove and warm up tamales or taquitos, which are easy to eat with your hands. Elote (corn on the cob grilled or boiled in the husk) is delicious with added condiments such as salt, chili powder, butter, or lime juice. Adding a salad featuring lettuce, beans, and of course, cilantro and avocado are a nice way to round out your meal. Where is your favorite place to picnic in the Williamsville, NY area? Let us know in the comments so we can check it out too.

Winter Soup Recipes

In this post, the Windsong Place Apartments Blog is featuring a few of our favorite soup recipes to help you get through the rest of the winter. Use your apartment kitchen to make a delicious bowl of your favorite soup before the month is through. We hope that you enjoy the soups that we’ve included on our list, or head out to your favorite Williamsville restaurant and order soup for lunch — we know that Western New York has some amazing eateries! Chocolate Soup with Croissant Croutons from Sugarhero! This chocolate soup is the perfect dessert. It’s made with an orange, milk, half-and-half, semi-sweet chocolate, cornstarch, cold water, yolks, salt, and vanilla extract. The croissant croutons and whipped creme fraiche are the perfect toppings for this sweet dessert. Creamy Tuscan Garlic Tortellini Soup from The Recipe Critic Make this soup in fifteen easy minutes. It’s a delicious option for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time to cook or prep their meals. The spices and other ingredients blend to make a delicious and decadent meal. 20-Minute Chicken Parmesan Soup from Chelsea’s Messy Apron This easy 20-minute chicken parmesan soup is perfect for those stressful days after work when all you need an easy meal. We love the textures and flavors in this delicious, mouth-watering soup. Yellow onion, minced garlic, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, paprika, basil, salt, and pepper season this soup. Loaded Potato Soup from Butter Your Biscuit Loaded potato soup is the ultimate in comfort food. We are fans of this creamy, flavorful soup. Use carrots, celery, onion, cream cheese, garlic, and cheddar cheese to make this dish. Top this potato soup with bacon, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, tortilla chips, sour cream, and more of your favorite toppings to finish off the dish. The Best Mushroom Soup from Will Cook for Smiles The best mushroom soup really is the best. We love the mix of mushrooms (feel free to use your favorite kind of mushrooms in this recipe), onion, vegetable stock, seasonings, and more in this dish. This is the perfect cheer-up soup for a cloudy day. Where’s your favorite place to get soup in WNY Leave us a review of your favorite soup place and your favorite soup recipe in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Fall Flavor Round Up at Windsong Place Apartments

Autumn has found its way to Williamsville, NY, and that means it’s time to break out your favorite fall recipes. If you’re in need of something new to try, no worries, we are sharing some fall recipes (including savory pumpkin options) you can create for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at your Windsong Place Apartment kitchen. Let’s get cooking! Savory Pumpkin Recipes There are plenty of ways to create pumpkin-spice desserts floating around, so we thought we would share some ideas for the other end of the spectrum — savory recipes featuring pumpkin. Enjoy! Pumpkin Soup is not for everyone, but if you’re a fan, you will love this recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Pumpkin lends itself to the savory end of the spectrum as well as the sweet as evidenced by this Baked Parmesan Pumpkin Fries recipe. Serve it in a bowl, made of bread or otherwise, or even in a pumpkin shell, but however you serve it, pumpkin soup can really hit the spot. Try one of these recipes from “Recipe Roundup” — 10 Ways to Make Pumpkin Soup . We couldn’t help ourselves, we had to include at least one pumpkin-spice recipe in the mix — so it’s not savory, but it is delicious! Start your day right with a bowl of pumpkin pie oatmeal with this recipe from Damn Delicious. It includes oats, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, and maple syrup. Yum! Favorite Fall Flavors A filling chowder is perfect for a crisp October day, and this Corn Chowder from Chef in Training fits the bill. But don’t take our word for it. One reviewer, Jessica, wrote : “I recently won a soup cook-off at work with this recipe. Everyone was raving about it, so I gave them the recipe and your website.” Squash is plentiful in the fall, and this Butternut Squash Ramen Bowl with Rice Noodles from In Pursuit of More is a great way to create a healthy lunch in just ten minutes. You will need vegetable stock, butternut squash soup ( homemade or from the shelf), salt, soy sauce, rice noodles, medium soft tofu, scallions, toasted sesame oil, fresh pea shoots or fresh spinach, and black sesame seeds for garnish. There’s nothing that says it’s fall like the enticing aroma of an oven beef stew filling every corner of your kitchen. We love the combination of beef and root vegetables in this easy-to-prepare recipe from Taste of Home: Winter Oven Beef Stew . What are your favorite recipes that say fall has arrived in New York? Let us know in the comments; we love to try new things. Next time we will have tips for carving your Halloween Jack o’lantern, so stay tuned to the Windsong Place Apartments Blog.

Better Breakfast Month at Windsong Place

Welcome back to the Windsong Place Apartments Blog! Today we want to celebrate a unique month-long holiday everyone can get on board with Better Breakfast Month! Breakfast often goes forgotten or rushed, or even packed with excess sugar. Today we want to help you start your days off right. Try these four recipes and get inspired for treating yourself to a month of better breakfasts here in Williamsville, NY! Broiled Grapefruit with Honey and Bananas If you never thought you could transform that bitter grapefruit into something amazing, then this is the recipe to prove you wrong. Just a little bit of cinnamon and honey, plus bananas, to take plain grapefruit to a whole new level of healthy breakfasts. You might not go back to plain grapefruit ever again. Italian Baked Eggs With just a five-minute prep time and ten-minute cook time, this recipe will have you never skipping breakfast again. It’s super easy, too: all you have to do is throw marinara sauce into a small dish (the author uses two 10-ounce ramekins), top with eggs, milk, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Then bake and help yourself! We love the suggestion of dipping bread in it, too. Healthy Pineapple Smoothie with Banana With only five ingredients, you can make a healthy, vegan smoothie recipe that anyone is sure to love. Just use fresh cut pineapple, banana, carrots, orange juice, and water for a smoothie that looks like sunshine! The sweet and tangy flavors of orange, pineapple, and banana balance out the healthier carrot taste, so it’s a good way to drink something healthy yet tasty for breakfast. Avocado Toast with Pomegranate Salsa This toast looks like a party you won’t regret making some time for. Make the flavorful pomegranate salsa with pomegranate arils (which you can buy alone or get from a pomegranate), mint, parsley, balsamic vinegar, orange zest and orange juice, diced jalapeno, minced shallot, and a bit of sea salt. Once that’s mixed and your avocado spread is prepared, you can put it all together and top with some crumbly and tasty goat cheese. Of course, if you’re not a fan of avocados or even the idea of a pomegranate salsa, check out these 10 delicious reasons (toast alternatives) to break up with avocado toast . What are your favorite breakfasts, healthy or not? What are your favorite hacks for making a good morning meal? Share with the rest of us in our apartment community so we can try them out. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!