The holidays always get me in a festive mood, no matter what the day throws at me. I look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, like a kid in a candy store. This year is even more special because my wife and I decided to build a homemade manger for our Nativity scene, so baby Jesus has a proper shelter. It was so easy and so much fun to make, and now we have a new homemade manger to showcase every year!

We started by buying a small package of wood shims at Home Depot, and two small wood walls. Then we made our way to the Hobby Lobby close to home and picked up a glue gun and some glue sticks and a bag of moss. Then we headed home and began to construct our manger. I used the wood shims for the roof, the back wall, and for the small corral for the donkey that Mary rode into Jerusalem on. Once the roof was completed, I made a wall for the back and then I glued the 2 side walls to the small back wall. Then, I created the small corral on the side for the burro that Mary rode. After the wall and roof were complete, we then began to glue the moss onto the roof, the back wall and the side walls. At this point, we could have stopped and been very proud of what we had created, but we went a step further. I created a small sign with the word manger in Hebrew, and we added a small North Star that you can see above the manger. My wife was almost in tears because she loves it so much. We felt really good about what we had created, and now we can enjoy it every holiday season for years to come.

It’s December 6^th today, and the weather forecast for the next 7 days is mid to high 70’s, which is above normal for this time of year, so if you are looking for rentals in Scottsdale or any Arizona home rentals at all, then contact the experts at Arizona Lodging Experts. They are the premier Phoenix AZ Property Management, company and they offer lodging in many areas around the Valley of the Sun.

Happy Holidays to All!

The holidays are in full force here in sunny Arizona, and it’s time you made your travel plans before all the good lodging is taken. In addition to the great year round weather we have here, there are a ton of great activities and events to enjoy as well, like the Barrett-Jackson Car Event January 17^th-23^rd and the Arabian Horse Show February 17^th-27^th, 2011, just to name a few. If you are looking for the best rentals in Arizona, then look no further. You can contact Spencer, Susan and Shea at Arizona Lodging Experts and reserve a luxury Condo, Home or Townhome in beautiful Arizona. With over 10 year’s experience, Arizona Lodging Experts is the premier Property Management In Phoenix. They offer lodging in Anthem, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Goodyear, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix and Scottsdale, and some are pet friendly for all us animal lovers out there who must travel with your favorite pet. Don’t hesitate before it’s too late and call the Arizona Lodging Experts today!

Mr. Sutton            
Phoenix, Az

My wife and I wanted to share a local restaurant here in Phoenix that we just discovered this past weekend, with the help of our good friend & Phoenix Property Manager, Spencer, at Arizona Lodging Experts. The place is called Uncle Sam’s, and they actually have 3 locations here in the Valley of the Sun. The one we went to is located on Shea blvd, between the 51 Freeway and 32^nd street. On their website at www.unclesamsaz.com they claim to have the only true Cheese Steaks, Hoagies and Grinders “this side of Philadelphia”, and after eating lunch there for the first time on Sunday, I have to agree with them. They have some really good sandwiches and tasty hot wings. My wife had the Mushroom Pepper Cheese Steak and 6 hot wings and I had the All American Hoagie, which has 6 meats and 2 cheeses. We really enjoyed the food very much and we look forward to our next visit. The best part is that Uncle Sam’s is only 15 minutes from our apartment in Phoenix, so we will become regulars in no time at all. So, whether you’re a local in Arizona, or a winter visitor enjoying one of many beautiful Arizona resort condos, we encourage you to stop by Uncle Sam’s and enjoy a great meal with family and friends. Your tummy will be very happy that you did.

“Az Crazies”

I have a wonderful appetizer that you can serve at your next family gathering, and it will be “love at first bite”! This recipe was inspired by the Jerome Brewery in Jerome, Arizona.

This recipe is called Chef-Shea’s Artichoke Bruchetta.

Here are the ingredients you will need.
(This recipe feeds 3 to 5 people)

3 Medium to Large Artichokes
1/2 – 1 Cup of Mayonnaise
1 5oz Container of Shredded Parmesan/Reggiano
Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

First, you will need to steam the artichokes in a large pan for 40 to 45 minutes so the leaves and heart get nice and soft. You will want to add water about every 15 minutes or so to ensure that you don’t run dry during the steaming process. It can evaporate fast if you’re not watching. Cover the pan and let the steam go to work, checking every 15 minutes when you add water.

Steamed Artichokes

Once the artichokes are steamed to perfection, you can remove them from the steamer and place them on a large plate to cool for a few minutes. You don’t want to “dive right in” and begin shucking and scraping the leaves because they are piping hot right now. Let them cool a little, but not too long.

steamed for 45 minutes

Now, after a short cooling down period, you want to begin to remove the leaves one by one and scrape each leaf from top to bottom with a spoon to scrape off all the wonderful soft “meat” and then put the goodies you scraped in a bowl for mixing later. You will get a good amount of scrapings from the leaves, which you will add together with the artichoke heart, once you reach the heart of each artichoke. For each heart, all you want to do is scrape off the fuzzy part on top of the heart and cut off any of the green stem left on the bottom, so all you have left is a clean artichoke heart, like so.

Now we need to mash the artichoke hearts with 1/2 cup to 1 cup of mayonnaise, depending on how much scraping you end up with, and a 1/2 cup of parmesan reggiano cheese. Add ground black pepper to taste. Mash with a fork until creamy and spreadable.

creamy artichoke goodness!

Turn the over to 400 degrees.

Next, you want to arrange some slices of bread on a baking sheet and spread your fresh bruchetta over as many pieces as possible until the mash is all gone. You also want to sprinkle a little more cheese over each piece as well. When the oven reaches temperature, you want to place the cooking sheet in the oven on the middle rack and set the timer for about 8 to 10 minutes. Here is the end result!

Ready to eat!

My wife and I love to use a nice fresh round loaf of Italian bread. This tasty treat will delight everyone who tries it. Not all the Property Management Companies in Phoenix give away secrets like this. Enjoy!

Next, put the chicken in the oven (middle rack) and set a time for 1 and 1/2 hours. Now, just sit back, enjoy a cold drink and wait for the magic to happen. For some amazing reason, which I am truly grateful for, the Stubbs sauce breaks down during the cooking process and mixes with the oil and broth to create this amazing spicy oil-juice that you can save and use on other dishes such as “Chef-Shea’s Spicy Chicken Green Chili Cheese Enchiladas”, which I will share with you another time, I promise!

(Sneak Peak)

Spicy Chicken Green Chili Cheese Enchiladas

Once you finally hear the timer go “ding”, it is time to sample some of the best chicken breast you will ever taste!

Spicy Chichen Breast 325 degrees - 1 1/2 hours

You can serve them any way you want to, maybe with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes and a side salad, or maximize your dish and make some tasty spicy tacos or spicy chicken cheese enchiladas. The chicken is fork tender now and full of great flavor. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do, and don’t forget to save the juices in the pan for later use.

Happy Eats Everyone!

And to all of our visitors that are renting our Vacation Rentals in Phoenix Arizona or any of the premier Homes, Townhomes or Condos from Arizona Lodging Experts, we hope you too can enjoy some wonderful home cooked meals and margaritas during your stay “thanks to great blogs like these”!

I have had the pleasure of working at the Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction at Westworld of Scottsdale back in January 2007. I really shouldn’t call it working, seeing as how I felt more like a “kid in a candy store” being surrounded by so many amazing vehicles. I had to work a booth for my company for the full 7 days, and I was fortunate enough to be by the east enterance where they had the Bentley’s and some other hot rides, like this restored classic Ford truck!

Classic Ford

During my lunch breaks, I would make my way outside and enjoy Dan Pina of Griggs Racing showing off his killer drifting skills. These guys take your breath away as they come within inches of the cement barrier between you and them!

Dan Pina

Each day it seems I would find something I hadn’t seen the day before, like this gentleman driving around the venue is this cool little ride.

Are you coming to the 2010 Barrett Jackson Auction in Scottsdale Arizona? Let me tell you my friends that it’s not to late to rent a luxury vacation home instead of a cramped hotel room. Many of our homes have private heated pools and 2+ car garages to park your new automobiles in. Take advantage of the last minute specials and deals we are offering.

If you’ve never rented a vacation home before you will be surprised how easy we can make it for you. In just one easy five-minute phone call we can have you locked and loaded into a well appointed vacation home. All of our properties have local phone, wireless Hi-Speed Internet, Cable TV (Some with premium channels and surround sound) Fully equipped kitchens and gas BBQ grills. All of our Arizona vacation homes are fully furnished and stocked with linens and towels. All you need to bring is your toothbrush and a change of clothes.

Check out the following links to some of our gorgeous homes and condos.

Disregard the published rates; just make sure you mention the code BJARS when you call us to get extra special last minute deals.

(#3) B31 – Boulders Resort Private Home
(#15) TC284 – Troon North Golf Casitas
(#25) G8575 – Grayhawk Private Home
(#51) SR777 – Scottsdale Regency Condo
(#71) B62 – Boulders Resort Private Home
(#79) L9255 – Legend Trail Private Home
(#92) SLE87 – Scottsdale Links Estates
(#100) H1268 – Hidden Hills Private Home
(#133) PV101 – Mountainside Estate
(#140) SLE38 – Scottsdale Links Estate Home
(#141) DH271 – Desert Hideaway Private Home
(#148) MP113 – Meridian Pointe Home