Blog Posts

Celebrate Waffle Day!

Welcome back to the Nantucket Gate Blog! Continuing our theme this month of holidays, we are highlighting Waffle Day in this post. Waffle Day is on Sunday, March 25th, and what better way to celebrate than by making one of these delicious waffle recipes in your apartment here in Tacoma, WA? Check them out for a memorable meal. Pumpkin Waffles from Cooking Classy It may not be fall any longer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy some of the flavors of fall, like pumpkin! To make the batter, you will need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, eggs, cream of tartar, granulated sugar, milk, buttermilk, canola oil, canned pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and cooking spray. S’mores Waffles from Keepin’ It Kind These s’mores waffles will blow your mind! This recipe is also sugar-free and vegan-friendly. Make the waffles, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate sauce, and then assemble your s’mores waffles! Apple Fritter Waffles from Completely Delicious If you’re a fan of apple fritter donuts, then we are pretty sure you will love these waffles. To make them, you will need a deep fryer and the following ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, buttermilk, unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, chopped apples, vegetable or canola oil, powdered sugar, and whole milk. Waffle Churros with Chocolate from Gluten Free on a Shoestring Transform a waffle into a churro with this recipe that is also gluten-free! For the waffles: milk, unsalted butter, gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon. For the chocolate sauce: bittersweet chocolate, milk, and rice flour or cornstarch. Strawberry Shortcake Waffles from Well Plated These fluffy buttermilk waffles are layered with sliced fresh strawberries and maple whipped cream. For the waffles, you will need fresh strawberries, Bob’s Red Mill Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix, eggs, canola oil, and cold milk. For the maple whipped cream, all you need is heavy whipping cream and pure maple syrup. Do you have a favorite waffle recipe? Share it with us in the comments! We hope you enjoy celebrating all of the fun holidays happening this month.

Recipes Perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up on Saturday, March 17th. To help you celebrate this holiday with Irish origins, the Nantucket Gate Blog is sharing a few traditional Irish recipes to help you celebrate the right way! What better way is there to celebrate any holiday than with good food? Cook up a traditional Irish meal in your Tacoma, WA apartment this month! Corned Beef with Cabbage and Potatoes You can’t go wrong with corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day! For this recipe from Good Housekeeping , you will need corned-beef brisket, whole black peppercorns, whole allspice, garlic cloves, bay leaves, all-purpose potatoes, carrots, parsnips, head of green cabbage, grainy Dijon mustard, pure maple syrup, white horseradish, and chopped parsley. Guinness and Irish Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese With a little Guinness and some Irish cheddar cheese, a classic American dish becomes Irish! Ingredients include elbow macaroni, butter, flour, Guinness, milk, half and half, salt, ground black pepper, dijon mustard, cream cheese, and grated Irish cheddar. Top with butter, minced garlic, panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste, and minced fresh parsley. This recipe comes from Celebrating Sweets . Real Irish Soda Bread You don’t much more traditional Irish than soda bread! We found this recipe for Real Irish Soda Bread from Serious Eats . Ingredients needed to make this dish include the following: all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and low fat cultured buttermilk. Adjust the recipe based on whether you want the bread to turn out more fluffy or more chewy. Irish Nachos This recipe from Cooking with Curls may not be an authentic Irish recipe, but we love it anyway! These Irish nachos use slices of potatoes instead of chips. To make this recipe, which is a tribute to Irish pub food, you will need russet potatoes, olive oil, dried rosemary leaves, dried thyme leaves, salt, ground black pepper, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, uncured cooked bacon, greek yogurt or sour cream, minced green onions, chopped cilantro, and pico de gallo, salsa, or diced tomatoes. Irish Cream Macarons Finish off your St. Patrick’s Day meal with these Irish Cream Macarons from Blahnik Baker. To make them, you will need almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, Irish Cream, and vanilla extract. Top the macarons with melted chocolate. What is your favorite traditional Irish dish? Let us know in the comments. We hope you have a great St. Patrick’s Day this Saturday!

Celebrate Pi(e) Day!

Do you love pie? Math? Both? March 14th is Pi Day, so to help you celebrate, on the Nantucket Gate Blog, we are sharing pie recipes we think you will love! Read on for some awesome pie recipes to make in your Tacoma, WA apartment this month! Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Pie from Crazy for Crust Salty and sweet come together in this nutty pie that is also super chocolatey! Here’s what you will need to make it: Oreo cookies, unsalted butter, caramel squares, heavy whipping cream, kosher salt, chopped pecans, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and sea salt or coarse salt for finishing. Banana Pudding Pie from Mom On Timeout If you’re a fan of homemade banana pudding, you will love this made-from-scratch pie. Ingredients include cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, granulated sugar, heavy cream, whole milk, unsalted butter, banana extract or vanilla extract, bananas, fresh lemon juice, graham cracker crust, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Dreamy Creamsicle Pie from Spend with Pennies This refreshing, creamy, orange-flavored dessert is reminiscent of the frozen orange creamsicle popsicles we all loved as kids (and still love!). To make this no-bake dessert, you will need orange Jell-O mix, whipped topping, orange extract, orange zest, boiling water, ice, graham cracker crust, and canned or jarred mandarin oranges for garnish. Fresh Blackberry Glace Pie from The Food Charlatan A buttery baked crust topped with a thick layer of cream cheese and then smeared with a heaping amount of blackberries — we’re drooling just thinking of this pie! Here are the ingredients needed: flour, butter-flavored shortening, butter, cold water, sugar, salt, egg, cream cheese, blackberries, and cornstarch. Chocolate Chip Cookie Crusted Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie from Wine & Glue Lovers of chocolate chip cookies and cookie dough will rejoice at the sight of this dessert. It is surprisingly easy to make, too! Use refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough to make the pie crust. To make the edible cookie dough and the ice cream, you will need butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, all-purpose flour, milk, mini chocolate chips, cool whip, and sweetened condensed milk. What is your favorite type of pie? Share your favorite pie recipes with us in the comments! Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy celebrating Pi Day this month!

Freezer Meals for National Frozen Food Month

Have you ever heard of meal prepping? An easy way to do this is to make meals ahead of time and then freeze them, so all you have to do is reheat them when meal time comes around! In honor of March being National Frozen Food month, the Nantucket Gate Blog is sharing a few freezer meal prep ideas to make your life easier. Try out these recipes at your Tacoma, WA apartment this month! Bacon Turkey Burgers from Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish Use this recipe to make these turkey burgers ahead of time and then freeze them for a great tasting and quick meal that you can reheat when you don’t have time to cook a full meal. Homemade Frozen Pizzas from The Kitchn Forget about store-bought frozen pizzas! Make your own for a fraction of the cost and then heat them in the oven for an easy meal on a busy night! This recipe makes one large or two smaller individual pizzas. Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos from Kim’s Cravings You don’t always have time to whip up a healthy sit-down breakfast, so these sweet potato breakfast burritos are a great alternative option! Make them ahead of time, wrap them up, and freeze them. Reheat quickly in the microwave for a taste and healthy on-the-go breakfast that will leave you feeling full longer than those empty carbs in sugary cereals. 25-Minute Comforting Veggie Soup from Kitchen Treaty Not all soups do well after being frozen and reheated, but this recipe passes the test! This all-veggie soup tastes amazing and is also great for you. Make it ahead of time and then reheat over the stovetop until warm throughout. Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls from Skinny Taste Ever had completely vegetarian lasagna? We highly recommend giving this recipe a try. Don’t want to try it right away? Freeze it and save it for later! What are your favorite make-ahead freezer meals? Share them with us in the comments so we can try them too. Thanks for reading. Enjoy some great food this month, even with your busy schedule, by meal prepping!

Host an Oscars Watching Party

The Oscars are an awards ceremony that happens once a year to commemorate the best of the best in film of The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences from the previous year. Host your own Oscars-themed party in your apartment and watch to see who the winners are. Our Nantucket Blog has a few ideas to help you plan. Pick a Theme Pick a theme for your Oscars-watching party and let your guests know in advance so that they know what to bring, what to wear, and what to expect. We love this idea from Lauren Conrad’s blog for a PJ’s and Pearls Oscar Party ! You could also make it a costume party and ask your guests to dress up like one of their favorite celebrities. Decorations You don’t need to go all out, but you totally can if you want to! Glitter dipped balloons , bow tie paper napkins , or a DIY red carpet aisle runner are just a few ideas. Activities Oscars Bingo from PureWow Turn watching the Oscars into a fun game of Bingo by looking for certain things stated on your bingo cards. Get the free printable Oscars bingo cards from PureWow by clicking on the link above. Oscar Predictions from Vanity Fair Make a game of seeing who can get the most predictions right for the winners in each category. Make printable Oscar ballots for everyone to choose their predictions. The printable cards from Vanity Fair in the link are for last years Oscars, but you can use it as a template to make your own for this year. Snacks 5 Fabulous Popcorn Recipes For An Oscars Party from BuzzFeed Since the Oscars are all about movie awards, popcorn becomes pretty much a given when it comes to the snack menu. Serve one, or all, of these popcorn recipes. Gold Glitter Cake Pops from The Cookie Rookie Make your night glitter with these lemon cake pops topped with edible gold glitter. It doesn’t get much sweeter than this! You will need a box of lemon cake mix, lemon frosting, white chocolate wafers or candy coating, vegetable oil, lollipop sticks or decorative straws, gold pearl baking dust, and gold or silver sprinkles. Do you plan on watching The Oscars this year? Let us know in the comments and share any of your Oscars party ideas as well. Thanks for reading. Have a glamorous month here in Tacoma, Washington and enjoy watching The Oscars on March 4th!

Recipes for National Cherry Month

This month is National Cherry Month , which is the perfect excuse to indulge in this sweet fruit. National Cherry Month was started to help bring awareness to the availability of cherries year-round. According to the Days of the Year website, “Cherry Month is best celebrated by indulging in massive consumption of cherries.” The Nantucket Gate Blog is sharing some cherry recipes to help you celebrate your love for cherries all month long. Pick up some fresh cherries from your favorite grocery store to try out some (or all) of these recipes in your apartment this month. Mixed Greens Salad with Cherries & Feta Cheese from Stemilt Fresh cherries go great in a fresh green salad! This easy salad can be made in just 10 minutes and includes the following ingredients: mixed salad greens, pitted and sliced cherries, chopped walnuts, crumbled feta cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Cherry Chipotle Chili from Epicurious Chili is a great winter meal because it is both warm and hearty. This cherry chipotle chili is a delicious combination of sweet and spicy flavors for a unique meal. Ingredients needed to make it include the following: extra-virgin olive oil, ground turkey, salt, ground black pepper, diced carrots, a yellow onion, chopped garlic, chili powder, diced tomatoes, pitted black cherries, diced chipotle chiles, bay leaves, white beans, plain Greek yogurt, and fresh chopped cilantro. Cherry Basil Orzo Pasta from Choose Cherries This flavorful and simple pasta makes for a great main meal or side dish. The recipe calls for the following ingredients: frozen Montmorency tart cherries, pitted and chopped dried dates, minced garlic, orzo pasta, feta cheese, fresh basil chiffonade, and salt. Fresh Cherry Salsa from Imperial Sugar This bright, fruity cherry salsa is refreshing, sweet and mildly spicy. Ingredients needed to make it include the following: chopped pitted cherries, granulated sugar, lime juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt, chopped red onion, jalapeno peppers, and fresh cilantro. Cherry Pie Bars from The Country Cook Of course, we couldn’t forget about dessert. Cherries go oh so well in almost any dessert recipe, but especially in these cherry pie bars. You will need butter, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, cherry pie filling, powdered sugar, and milk. Do you have a favorite recipe that includes cherries? Share it with us in the comments so everyone in our apartment community can have the chance to try it out. Thanks for reading our post. Have a great National Cherry Month here in the lovely Tacoma, WA.