Blog Posts

Great Holiday Reads

The holidays is the perfect time to get some reading in. The Nantucket Gate blog has a few suggestions for some holiday-themed reads that will help you get into the spirit of the. Stay warm and cozy in your apartment this holiday season by curling up with one of these great wintery books. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens “In his ‘Ghostly little book,’ Charles Dickens invents the modern concept of Christmas Spirit and offers one of the world’s most adapted and imitated stories. We know Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, not only as fictional characters, but also as icons of the true meaning of Christmas in a world still plagued with avarice and cynicism.” The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson “Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or ‘the worst kids in the history of the world.’ The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids.” Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford “In this under-appreciated novel, Mitford’s second, a hilariously odd assortment of characters (including a writer dismayed at the fact that his bitter, serious novel is hailed as a triumph of the comic and a beautiful, bored young woman named Philadelphia) are gathered together at a country house for Yuletide celebrations. Romance, shenanigans, foot-and-mouth disease, and many bizarre little encounters ensue.” Skipping Christmas by John Grisham “Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether.” What is your favorite holiday themed book to read around the holidays? Let us know in the comments so we can read it too. Thanks for reading our post. Have a fun and safe holiday in Tacoma, WA!

Holiday Scented Candles for Your Apartment

Looking to bring your favorite holiday scents into your home? The Nantucket Blog has some suggestions for some great holiday scented candles to bring your favorite warm and festive scents in with. Whether you want the scent of sugar cookies, pumpkin spice, or simmering apple cider, keep reading for our suggestions. Peppermint Soy Candle Fill your apartment with the refreshing scent of peppermint with this strongly scented candle from Pure Integrity. This soy jar candle is a lovely shade of pink, has a double wick, and burns for approximately 110-120 hours! Pine Balsam Candle This scented wax candle smells just like a real holiday tree! If you love the smell of pine, this glass jar candle from H&M is a must-have for your apartment. The candle comes in a lovely dark green colored glass jar. Sugar Cookie Candle This soy blend scented candle from Kohl’s smells just like warm sugar cookies and vanilla. Your apartment will smell just like you are baking cookies whenever this delicious smelling candle is lit. Pumpkin Spice Candle This candle from Williams Sonoma blends the scent of harvest pumpkins with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves scents. The candle is made from a beeswax and vegetable wax blend with a paper core, and cotton wick is made from completely biodegradable and eco-friendly ingredients. Simmered Cider Votive Candle This beautiful candle set in a rose gold tin glows beautifully in any space, and also makes for a great reusable piece for trinkets. Enjoy the scents of a simmering blend of freshly-pressed apples, cardamom and hints of bourbon and malted rum in this elegant candle from Thymes. What is your favorite holiday scent? Let us know by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading our post. We hope you get to enjoy all of your favorite scents this holiday season. Stay safe in Tacoma, WA or wherever you may be traveling for the holidays!

Simple Ways to Decorate Your Apartment for The Holidays

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t need to be a huge ordeal or an expensive one. Bring the spirit of the holidays into your Tacoma, Washington apartment with some simple and affordable decorations. Read on for some decorating suggestions from the Nantucket Gate Blog. Paper Snowflakes Making paper snowflakes is a fun childhood holiday activity, but it can also be a great way to decorate your apartment for the holidays without spending much (if any) money. Tape your paper snowflakes to your windows and hang them from the ceiling or doorways with some tape and clear fishing wire. If it’s been awhile and you need a refresher on how to make paper snowflakes, read this tutorial from First Palette . Miniature Forest Use green cardstock to make a mini evergreen forest to set on your mantle. Cut the cardstock into various sized circles and then fold the papers accordion-style and layer them on top of each other. Use glue to hold them together. Make tree trunk bases from small wooden dowels or old corks. To get an idea of what the final product should look like, check out this image from HGTV . You could also checkout this tutorial from Homedit on how to make these Mini Yarn Christmas Trees . Gift Bow Wreath Use a styrofoam wreath form, holiday gift bows, and some hot glue to make a lovely gift bow wreath to hang on your front door or anywhere in your apartment. Check out this example (the 10th photo) from Woman’s Day . Or you could also make a festive wrapping paper wreath like this one from Centsational Style . What other cool and inexpensive ways have you found to decorate your apartment for the holidays? Share your ideas with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post. Have a wonderful holiday season in Tacoma, WA or wherever you are for the holidays!

Thanksgiving Day Leftovers Recipes

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, but you more than likely still have plenty of leftovers to last you awhile. Our Nantucket Gate Blog is sharing some recipes to put those leftovers to use and make into another tasty dish that you can enjoy. Keep reading for some ideas for what to do with all those leftovers. Leftover Thanksgiving Salad from All Recipes Toss in some leftover turkey, ham, green beans, and any other Thanksgiving leftovers you think would be good in this salad. In addition to your leftovers, you will need mayonnaise, chopped fresh basil, salt, pepper, dried cranberries, and diced hard-boiled eggs. Eat it as is or make it into a tasty sandwich. Simple Shepherd’s Pie from Country Living Put your leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and veggies all to good use by baking them into this hearty Shepherd’s pie that is the perfect definition of comfort food. Everything you need: carrots, pearl onions, ground turkey or leftover turkey, flour, peas, chopped rosemary, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and mashed potatoes. Slow Cooker Turkey Quinoa Chili from Well Plated This turkey chili is a good use for any leftover turkey and sweet potatoes you might have. To make it you will need turkey, extra-virgin olive oil, yellow onion, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, chipotle chili pepper, cumin, sweet potatoes, uncooked quinoa, crushed tomatoes, black beans, and chicken stock. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and any other toppings you want to add to your chili. Cranberry Turnovers from Country Living Got leftover cranberry sauce? Use it to make these sweet pastries that are perfect for breakfast! All you’ll need is your leftover cranberry sauce, puff pastry, powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Sweet Potato Waffles from The Food Network If you have leftover sweet potatoes, sweet potato pie, or sweet potato casserole use them to make some waffles! In addition to your leftover sweet potatoes, you will also need flour, baking powder, salt, egg whites, milk, butter, light brown sugar, orange zest, and vegetable spray. What are some creative dishes you have made using your Thanksgiving leftovers? Share them with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post and have a great month in Tacoma, WA!

Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas

Here at the Nantucket Gate Blog we love Thanksgiving and food! But Thanksgiving desserts tend to be a lot of different pies — pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, apple, and maybe a few others. This year we invite you to break away from the tradition and give one of these less traditional desserts a try. Keep reading for some tasty desserts that might just become a new Thanksgiving hit! Pumpkin Pie Popsicles from Marla Meridith Pumpkin pie lovers will rejoice after tasting these popsicles that include all the flavors found in traditional pumpkin pie. Ingredients you will need include honey or maple syrup, fine sea salt, unsweetened coconut milk or fat free Greek yogurt, and pumpkin puree. Make them any time of year when you are craving the flavors of fall! Cranberry Ice Cream from Wonky Wonderful Cranberry sauce is a very traditional Thanksgiving side, but why not make a sweet and tart ice cream from this seasonal berry instead? What you will need: heavy cream, fresh cranberries, water, salt, fresh squeezed orange juice, whole milk, and sugar. Add more sugar if you want a milder tart flavor. Apple Pie Salsa and Cinnamon Sugar Chips from Frosting and a Smile Switch things up with these apple pie-themed dessert nachos coated in cinnamon and sugar in place of classic apple pie. Top them with some vanilla ice cream for some additional creaminess! Everything you will need: Granny Smith apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, vanilla, sugar, flour tortillas, and whipped cream. Caramel Apple Trifles from Bakers Royale A creamy twist on the classic fall caramel-covered apples in a beautifully layered dessert featuring an apple crumble, caramel mousse, and decadent caramel sauce. To make this sweet and sticky dessert you will need heavy cream, sugar, caramel, water, unsalted butter, salt, diced fresh apples, apple chips, and crumbled granola. Pumpkin Truffles from Delish A small, low mess dessert that you can eat in a single bite. These pumpkin truffles are an irresistible combination of pumpkin puree, cream cheese, cinnamon, graham cracker crumbs, and pumpkin pie spice all covered in a shell of white or milk chocolate. Make plenty because they will disappear fast! What other non-traditional Thanksgiving dessert recipes have you discovered? Share them with us in the comments so we can add them to our dessert menu! Thanks for reading and we hope you have a great month and a fantastic Thanksgiving here in Tacoma, WA.

Side Dishes Everyone Will Love for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday usually celebrated with a large feast. In anticipation of Thanksgiving this month, our Nantucket Gate blog is sharing some non-traditional side dishes that you’ll love if you are looking to change things up this year. Roasted Asparagus and Bacon from The Cooking Channel Add a side dish of veggies that everyone will eat with these roasted asparagus spears wrapped in bacon. Everything’s better with bacon, or at least that’s our motto. What you will need: asparagus, olive oil, minced garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and sliced bacon. Sweet Corn Spoonbread from Damn Delicious Up your cornbread game with this sweet, creamy and buttery spoonbread. You may never go back to regular cornbread after trying this recipe. Make it with Jiffy corn muffin mix, cream style corn, corn kernels, sour cream, plain yogurt, unsalted butter, eggs, sugar, and salt. Creamy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese from Sally’s Baking Addiction Whether or not macaroni and cheese is a traditional side dish on your Thanksgiving table, you will love this butternut squash version of the classic. To make it you will need: peeled and cubed butternut squash, chicken broth, milk, minced garlic, penne pasta, plain Greek yogurt, chopped kale, salt, black pepper, shredded cheese, breadcrumbs, and chopped fresh parsley. Cornbread Stuffing Muffins with Apple and Pancetta from A Spicy Perspective These muffins are incredibly flavorful and so much better than ordinary cornbread muffins! You will fall in love with them after just one bite. Make it with cornbread, crustless white sandwich bread, butter, diced pancetta, chopped onion, chopped apple, pecan pieces, fresh parsley, thyme, dried rubbed sage, salt, black pepper, eggs, and chicken broth. Focaccia di Patate from The Wednesday Chef Bread is an essential side, whether it be rolls, muffins, or sliced homemade bread. This delicious and fresh focaccia bread recipe will leave you enamored after a single bite. To make it, you will need flour, a Yukon Gold potato, fresh yeast, sugar, salt, warm water, extra-virgin olive oil, cherry or grape tomatoes, dried oregano, and coarse sea salt. What other non-traditional side dishes do you love? Share them with us in the comments so we can try them out. Thanks for reading our post and we hope you have a month filled with great food and even better memories here in Tacoma, WA or wherever you may be this month.