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’m totally stoked to be announcing Arizona Lodging Experts has four new vacation homes in our inventory.

 The first home I want to talk about we call “The Saguaro House”

so named because of the huge 40+foot Saguaro Cactus on the property. This vacation home is located in Cave Creek AZ, just a short 5 minute Drive from Scottsdale. The home has a light and bright open floor plan with tile floors throughout the house, a billiard room, a fenced in pool with a grab bar at the steps of the pool and grab bar for the hot tub. This home features four bedrooms plus an office and it’s located on a 1-acre lot.

We also just signed on a gorgeous vacation condo in Eagle Mountain subdivision, which is located in Fountain Hills AZ.

The third property we just added is a nice upgraded vacation condo located in Grayhawk’s The Edge in North Scottsdale.

And the last but not least is our new DC Ranch Vacation Home Villa located in North Scottsdale. This one is complete with a private pool.

Remember, since we do Property Management in Scottsdale, Arizona Lodging Experts has a wide variety of homes, townhomes and condos throughout the greater Phoenix area. You can perform a live availability search right from our web page. Our booking calendars are always up to date to the minute!

And as always if you have any specific questions about the home we’re always happy to take your calls.We can be reached toll free 877-976-1234

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

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!

Todays blog post comes to us by guest author Alan Davis. Below, Alan describes why right now is a good time to buy a second home for investment purposes.

Seasonal Rentals

While your here check out our free MLS portal which will allow you to run your own custom Real Estate searches.

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”!

Full Rainbow Arch over Scottsdale Arizona

Monday February 22, 2010

At 1500 Hours the clouds broke open long enough to allow the sun to shine down and create a beautiful full arch rainbow. See photo below.

The metro Phoenix area has been covered in clouds today with rain coming and going pretty much all day. To people in Seattle and similar climates this may sound depressing but to us Phoenicians it’s a wonderful thing. The desert is in full bloom and all the desert shrubs have turned green and the air outside smells so fresh and crisp. At one point today the clouds broke long enough to let some sun in to create this wonderful rainbow.

To all of our clients that came here to rent a vacation home with the intention of sunning by the pool and hitting the putt putt’s out the on greens we apologize for the rain.

This photo was taken from in front of the Arizona Lodging Experts office by our Phoenix Rental Management experts.

Rainbow over Scottsdale Arizona

The Real Deal Holyfield Margarita.

Today I am sitting here under a catus enjoying the real deal holyfield margarita, whipped up from scratch by yours truly. I promised in a past blog that I would share my recipe with the world at large. So with no further delay, as promised, for your eyes only, the real deal holyfield margarita.

First of all you’re going to need some supplies, and by supplies I mean some good tequila, some fresh limes, fresh oranges, simple syrup, crushed ice and most of important of all a good blender…-not! No Blender folks, this isn’t a restaurant version of the margarita, served up frozen so as to deaden your taste buds, thus getting you to drink more margaritas and spend more money. We wont be pulling the wool over your eyes here folks. This recipe is for discriminating taste, for the person that enjoys the fine taste of tequila. Were not looking to mask the flavor of the tequila, but enhance it. A good margarita, like any good drink should have a beginning, middle and an end.

For this recipe you are going to need a Boston Shaker. Most liquor stores will carry them, if not try searching the Internet.

For my recipe I’m using a modest $30 bottle of Corralejo tequila.

Add 1.5 oz of tequila 

1.0  oz simple syrup (Simple syrup is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. Heat up water, add sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool, bottle and place in fridge)

1.5 oz mixed fresh lime and fresh orange juice (equal parts)

Take your serving glass and place crushed ice inside to get your glass nice and frosty.

Fill Boston shaker half full of crushed ice.

Add in all of your ingredients.

Put the shaker together and give it a good shaking.

I will shake my margarita for no less then 100 shakes.  When your done your boston shaker should be frosty.

Strain and pour your mixed drink into your serving glass.

Now if this isn’t the best margarita you’ve ever had let me know. The Phoenix Rental Management team looks forward to your responses.

I hope that some of our guest at Arizona Lodging Experts, when staying in one of our luxury vacation homes will take the time to try this recipe out while having a pool party. Iguarantee it will be a smash! And remember if you need a bartender to mix the drinks for you just let me know, I look quite smashing in a Speedo.