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!

I found a wonderful gift idea for the holiday, made by a local artist here in Arizona. It is called Refresh Glass “Functional Bottle Art”. The founder, Ray, has taken a green approach combining manufacturing engineering and art to craft a fun product that will make a difference for generations to come. A win-win for everyone. Ray has created an up and coming business by taking old wine bottles, cleaning them, removing the labels, then cutting the bottles into 12oz and 16oz sizes and turning them into art. Ray offers sets of 4 in Amber, Green, Gold, Clear and Antique. The founding story is a good read, so check it out! I think they would make a unique and memorable holiday gift, birthday gift, or any occasion really.

If you are looking for a great Vacation Rentals In Phoenix, with a ton of wonderful activities and events to enjoy, then you will want to contact Arizona Lodging Experts. They have premier properties in many areas in Arizona and they update their website with events and activities constantly, so for rentals in Arizona call the Arizona Lodging Experts today!

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

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.

My father always told me to follow my passion. One passion of mine that is at the top of my list, more than anything else is creating delicious and awesome recipes. I always read cookbooks for the initial inspiration for my recipes but always end up adding my own twist or spin to the recipes. And when cooking I always cook by taste and only use measurements for the few dishes I cook that require precise measurements, like when making a roux or savory crepes.

The first time I had the Mexican Salsa called Picco De Gallo, which literally translates to “beak of the rooster” Gringos will call it Fresh Salsa! I’ll never forget that first taste of the fresh salsa. I was 18 and living in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico. I went only for vacation, met a girl and ended up staying. All the taco stands serve up carne asada tacos wrapped up in corn or flour tortillas, grilled green onions on the side with fresh cut limes and a tub of Picco De Gallo. I was never given a recipe for Picco De Gallo but I have concocted my own take on it. It is a real easy recipe, requires no cooking and honestly this is a recipe that would be next to impossible to completely mess up.

Basic Recipe:

Ingredients:

5  large tomatoes.

1 large white onion

½ cup cilantro leafs chopped (Cilantro can usually be found in the produce section near the parsley. (Do not try to make this recipe with parsley. It’s not even close to the same flavor and your recipe will end up tasting like something you would use for pasta sauce)

1 garlic clove crushed.

2 jalapenos with seeds and stems removed for mild flavor

2 jalapenos with seeds and stems for medium heat.

4 jalapenos with seeds and stems for hot heat.

Sea salt or kosher salt to taste

Juice of 1 lime.

Preparation is real basic; simply dice and chop up all ingredients as follows and place in a large missing mixing bowl.

Chop your tomatoes into small chunks. The smaller the better.

Dice your onion into very small pieces.

Remove the cilantro leaves from stems and discard the stems. Chop up the leaves and place in bowl with chopped onion and tomatoes.

Crush garlic and add to bowl.

Add your jalapenos to taste.

Add the juice of one lime

Sea Salt or Kosher salt to taste. I usually start with 1Tblspn of salt.

Mix all ingredients well. If you have built up a tolerance to Jalapenos like I have you can use the tools god gave you to lightly crush up the tomatoes and mix the bowl of salsa up. If not you can use surgical gloves or a heavy wooden spoon and really get the salsa mixed well, crushing tomatoes somewhat in the process. Taste for salt and add more if needed.

This recipe always taste best after sitting in your fridge over night to let the flavors fully develop.

Now the next time you come to Arizona and you rent an Arizona Lodging Experts vacation home, and you are having a poolside party you will have the perfect dipping salsa. If you enjoyed this recipe make sure you bookmark this page and stay tuned for my super secret inside tips to making the perfect Carne Asada Tacos, Guacamole and of course the perfect Margaritas to round it all off while staying at Vacation Rentals In Phoenix.