Blog Posts

Creative Ways to Use Your Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween is great, but what do you do when it’s over and you have a bunch of pumpkins left on your front porch? The Edlandria Blog is here to help with a few ideas for what to do with those leftover pumpkins before they go bad. Continue reading for ideas on how to get the most out of your pumpkins. Use Your Pumpkin as a Planter Use your hollowed-out pumpkin as a planter for potted plants. As your pumpkin begins to deteriorate transfer your plant into a pot or to a flower bed. Afterward, use your pumpkin as compost. Turn Pumpkins into Serving Bowls Save on decorations and dishwashing by turning your pumpkin into a serving bowl for soup, cider, or punch. Follow the tutorial in the link from My Persian Kitchen to turn your pumpkin into the perfect serving bowl. Save the Seeds If you’re not a fan of eating roasted pumpkin seeds, save the seeds anyway and plant them in your garden in Spring to grow your own pumpkins for next year and save money! Make Vegetable Stock Instead of throwing them away, use the stringy guts of your pumpkin to make into a flavorful vegetable stock! Then, use the vegetable stock you have made to make some homemade soup. Make Pumpkin Puree Pumpkin puree is a standard ingredient in nearly every pumpkin recipe out there. Puree your pumpkin and use it to make something delicious to enjoy with your family and friends. Create a Pumpkin Bird Feeder Turn your pumpkin into a bird feeder by following these steps from Martha Stewart’s blog. All you will need is a tool for cutting and poking holes in your pumpkin, a pumpkin (of course), some twine, and bird seed. Afterward, sit back and relax in your yard and watch all the different birds enjoying your creation. What cool uses have you found for your pumpkins? Share your ideas with the rest of our Alexandria, VA apartment community by leaving a comment.

Popcorn Recipes to Try

Did you know that October is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month? The Edlandria Blog is here to help you celebrate by sharing a few flavorful popcorn recipes that you will love! Try them out at your next movie night-in at your Alexandria, VA apartment. Salted Peanut Butter Caramel Corn with Bacon This flavor-overloaded popcorn is definitely not for the faint of heart. This snack from The Pioneer Woman has it all: caramel, peanut butter, and bacon! This rich and hearty snack will fill you up. You’ll need coconut oil or vegetable oil, popping corn, kosher salt, corn syrup, peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, vanilla, honey roasted peanuts, and chopped cooked bacon. Lemony Kale Popcorn Add some zing to your popcorn with this lemony kale recipe from Simply Fresh Dinners. This low-calorie snack won’t leave you feeling guilty afterward. Toss completely dry kale with olive oil and salt and bake it in the oven at 325 F for 11 minutes or until crispy. Remove the kale and let it cool. Combine the kale with the lemon zest in a food processor and blend into a fine powder. Season your popcorn with the powder for a tasty snack with a zing! Orange Dreamsicle Popcorn This recipe from Lil Luna is sure to be a hit. Bring in the fresh citrus taste of an orange and mix it with white chocolate for a taste you won’t believe. You’ll need these ingredients to make it: popped popcorn, white chocolate chips, juice from an orange, orange zest, and salt. Mexican Churro Popcorn This recipe from A Simple Pantry will make your popcorn taste like your favorite fried Mexican dessert — a churro! Here is a list of all the ingredients you will need: canola oil, popcorn kernels, butter, vanilla almond bark. powdered sugar, white granulated sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. What’s your favorite topping or seasoning to add to popcorn? Let us know in the comments below. Happy National Popcorn Poppin’ Month!

Honey Desserts

Welcome back to the Edlandria Blog! In our last post we mentioned that September is Self-Improvement Month, and it turns out that it is also National Honey Month! We invite you to celebrate by making one of these honey desserts to enjoy at your Alexandria, VA apartment. Salt & Honey Pie This rich and decadent pie recipe from Self Proclaimed Foodie is unlike anything else that you’d had before. Serve it up during the holidays for something different that everyone will love. Your guests will be begging for the recipe! Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies Celebrate the arrival of the fall season with these soft and flavorful cookies! If you’re a pumpkin fan, these easy cookies are an easy way to celebrate fall flavors. Enjoy them with a glass of milk or eggnog to embrace the upcoming holidays. The recipe comes from Averie Cooks . Honey Panna Cotta Sweet and smooth cream confections of cooked cream and yogurt capped with a band of honey-flavored gelatin are key to this dessert. This dessert looks super fancy but it only takes minutes to prepare. This recipe from Tidy Mom is perfect for a classy dinner party or fancy dinner at home. Sea Salt & Honey No-Churn Ice Cream This ice cream is so delicious, and it’s the perfect treat to share with friends and family. The recipe comes from Kitchen Treaty . To make this you’ll need the following ingredients: heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and sea salt. Honey-Sesame Popcorn Need a sweet low-calorie snack? This sweet popcorn is perfect for your next movie night or to snack on while binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix. You will need popped popcorn, sugar, salt, toasted sesame oil, black or white sesame seeds, non-stick cooking spray, honey, unsalted butter, and baking soda. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart Living . Share your own honey-sweetened dessert recipes with us in the comments. Happy National Honey Month!

TED Talks on Self-Improvement

Did you know that September is Self-Improvement Month? To help you participate in this celebration of betterment, the Edlandria Blog is sharing a few TED talks centered around the topic of self-improvement. TED stands for Technology, Education, and Design and the talks are given by innovative thinkers to inspire and spread new ideas. 5 Ways to Listen Better by Julian Treasure In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening -- to other people and the world around you. Never, ever give up by Diana Nyad In the pitch-black night, stung by jellyfish, choking on salt water, singing to herself, hallucinating … Diana Nyad just kept on swimming. And that's how she finally achieved her lifetime goal as an athlete: an extreme 100-mile swim from Cuba to Florida -- at age 64. Hear her story. Why your worst deeds don’t define you by Shaka Senghor In 1991, Shaka Senghor shot and killed a man. He was, he says, "a drug dealer with a quick temper and a semi-automatic pistol." Jailed for second degree murder, that could very well have been the end of the story. But it wasn't. Instead, it was the beginning of a years-long journey to redemption, one with humbling and sobering lessons for us all. How to build your creative confidence by David Kelley Is your school or workplace divided between the "creatives" versus the practical people? Yet surely, David Kelley suggests, creativity is not the domain of only a chosen few. Telling stories from his legendary design career and his own life, he offers ways to build the confidence to create. How do you find the motivation to work towards your personal goals? Share your ideas and experience with the rest of our Alexandria, VA apartment community in the comments. Happy Self-Improvement Month!

Go Golfing in Alexandria

Welcome back to the Edlandria Blog! Did you know that August is National Golf Month? We want to invite members of our apartment community to spend some time outdoors at one of these great golf courses near Alexandria, VA. We’ve included a brief description of each course and their distance from our apartment community. Pinecrest Golf Course (10 mins away) Pinecrest Golf Course is a par 35, 9-hole executive course, measuring 2,462 yards. The challenging, narrow course is dotted with hills and ponds that create a golfing environment suited for novices and more serious players alike. FootGolf is the newest sport sweeping the nation. The only FootGolf facility in Fairfax County, Pinecrest Golf Course is the first American FootGolf League-certified course in Fairfax County! The par 60 course is 1,965 yards with 18 holes. Greendale Golf Course (16 mins away) Greendale Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course featuring 148 acres of rolling terrain with asphalt cart paths. The course provides a challenging design with tight Bermuda fairways and several water hazards. The 17th hole offers a spectacular view of the entire course and surrounding area. Belle Haven Country Club (23 mins away) Redesigned in 2002-2003 by renowned golf course architect, Arthur Hills, the course is considered to be one of the finest courses in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic area. The course sits along the George Washington Parkway adjacent to the Potomac River--just a short distance from downtown Washington DC, Capital Hill or Tysons Corner--easily accessible for all participants. Mount Vernon Country Club (27 mins away) The beautiful 18-hole course includes 8,000 square foot USGA putting green, 3,500 square foot green with small areas of fairway height turf, and a short game facility. Mount Vernon Country Club's team of PGA professionals offer private lessons, spring and summer golf camps for kids, club fittings, counsel and services for every level of golfer. The Pro Shop offers a generous selection of ladies', men's and juniors' sportswear at competitive prices. Do you have a favorite golf course in the area? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post. We hope you get a chance to get out of your apartment and go golfing before the summer ends!

Adventure Novels to Read this Summer

Adventure can be found anywhere, even within the pages of a book! The Edlandria Blog invites you to embark on a thrilling adventure without leaving your apartment here in Alexandria, VA. Read one of these fantastic adventure novels before summer ends! The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles A story about three American travelers adrift in the cities and deserts of North Africa after World War II, The Sheltering Sky explores the limits of humanity when it touches the unfathomable emptiness and impassive cruelty of the desert. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne One ill-fated evening at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg rashly bets his companions £20,000 that he can travel around the entire globe in just eighty days - and he is determined not to lose. Breaking the well-established routine of his daily life, the reserved Englishman immediately sets off for Dover, accompanied by his hot-blooded French manservant Passepartout. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Peter Pan, the book based on J.M. Barrie's famous play, is filled with unforgettable characters: Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up; the fairy, Tinker Bell; the evil pirate, Captain Hook; and the three children--Wendy, John, and Michael--who fly off with Peter Pan to Neverland, where they meet Indians and pirates and a crocodile that ticks. The Lost City of Z by David Grann A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas While primarily considered a dramatic tale of revenge and vindication, The Count of Monte Cristo also provides a healthy dose of adventure to its readers. Sword fights, prison escapes, and hidden treasure contribute to the transformation of ordinary man Edmond Dantes into the mysterious persona of the Count of Monte Cristo. What are your favorite adventure novels? Let us know in the comments. We hope you have the chance to get lost in a great book this month!