Blog Posts

We Bet You'll Love These Board Games

Odds are you’ll be hanging out with friends or loved ones this month, so make the most of it with an exciting game or three — that’s right, we’re recommending three games that we bet you’ll love (even if you aren’t into board games)! As you hang around the Liv Ahwatukee Apartments community or travel outside of Phoenix, AZ, make some new memories with a game that’s sure to make people smile. We highly recommend it! The Resistance “ The Resistance is a party game of social deduction. It is designed for five to ten players, lasts about 30 minutes, and has no player elimination. The Resistance is inspired by Mafia/Werewolf, yet it is unique in its core mechanics, which increase the resources for informed decisions, intensify player interaction, and eliminate player elimination.” Spyfall 2 “SPYFALL is an easy-to-learn card game of bluffing, probing questions, clever answers, and suspicion. At the start of each round, players receive a secret card letting them know where they are – a vineyard, jail, coal mine, gas station (20 unique locations!) – Except that one player receives the SPY card instead of the location. The Spy doesn’t know where he is, but wins the round if he can figure it out before he blows his cover!” Saboteur “Players take on the role of dwarves. As miners, they are in a mine, hunting for gold. Suddenly, a pick axe swings down and shatters the mine lamp. The saboteur has struck. But which of the players are saboteurs? Will you find the gold, or will the fiendish actions of the saboteurs lead them to it first? After three rounds, the player with the most gold is the winner.” Do you have a favorite board game? Share the title of it by leaving a comment below. Then we can check it out and have some more fun!

The Best Hot Chocolate Recipes this Side of the Internet

Picture this: a subtle sweet aroma hovers over your bed, beckoning you to open your eyes. As you sit up, the smell grows stronger. You open your mouth and let the flavor of the smell wash over your tongue. The taste, something you imagine as strong and sweet, makes your tongue tingle. You pause. Toasted marshmallow fills the air. Suddenly you imagine yourself sitting by a campfire, your mouth filled with a bite of your friend Dan’s best s’mores: dark chocolate, cinnamon, and, of course, marshmallows — lightly toasted, gold and brown. One of our favorite things about winter is the influx of hot cocoa recipes. Sure, Phoenix, AZ may not be the coldest place in the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a seasonal drink at our Liv Ahwatukee apartment community. Hot cocoa is one of those drinks that is filled with nostalgia. A sip of toasted marshmallow cocoa might take you back to times when you sat around a campfire. Maybe the classic dark chocolate will remind you of your childhood home. Perhaps peppermint cocoa brings out a different memory for you altogether. Join us as we drink to old memories and to new ones with these delicious hot chocolate recipes. You can also share your favorite recipes in the comments below. Toasted Marshmallow Cream Hot Chocolate Coconut milk, heavy cream, dark chocolate, and marshmallow cream frosting are just a few of the ingredients in this decadent drink. Sounds good, right? BA’s Best Hot Chocolate This is what you’ll need to make this decadent drink: 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 3 cups whole milk, 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and lightly sweetened whipped cream. YUM! Peppermint Hot Chocolate The drink alone sounds great, but it’s the cocoa whipped cream that has us even more interested to try it! A fun note: If you’re not sure how many servings you’d like to make, the website has a neat feature. Simply hover your mouse over the serving size and a counter will appear. Slide it up or down and watch the entire recipe adjust to your needs.

Joyful Movies to Watch this Holiday Season

Some of our favorite holiday traditions include watching movies. Join us in this tradition by turning the lights off, sitting back, and enjoying a movie or two before the month is over. Whether you’re staying in your Liv Ahwatukee apartment or vacationing outside of Phoenix, AZ, make time to laugh a lot (and maybe even cry a little) with these joyful movies. The following titles and descriptions were found at IMDB.com . It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) “An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.” White Christmas (1954) “A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.” Die Hard (1988) “John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save his wife Holly Gennaro and several others that were taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.” Home Alone (1990) “An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.” The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) “The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve.” The Santa Clause (1994) “When a man inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.” I’ll Be Home For Christmas (1998) “A college student faces an impossible journey when he is left stranded in the desert, thousands of miles from home, with no money and only a few days left until Christmas.” Last Holiday (2006) “Upon learning of a terminal illness, a shy woman (Queen Latifah) decides to sell off all her possessions and live it up at a posh European hotel.” The Holiday (2006) “Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.”

Fun and Silly Holiday Gift Suggestions

Welcome back to the Liv Ahwatukee Apartments Blog! As we grow closer to December, we turn our thoughts to holiday gifts. We all have that holiday party where we‘re required to bring a silly gift, or a “white elephant” gift. The gifts in today’s blog post are perfect for these occasions. If you aren’t planning to attend any of these parties with silly gift exchanges in Phoenix, AZ, these gifts are still perfect if you want something to make someone smile. Check them out below! Canned Unicorn Meat is the first gift on our list. No, this isn’t edible. With no can opener necessary, your friends can easily open this surprising gift to find a dismembered stuffed unicorn. Check out this product description that made us smile: “...When you open your can, you will find one tiny unicorn which has been appropriately sliced into its main cuts of meat. Simply use your Growth Ray to re-embiggen the unicorn before skinning it and processing its flesh. Or if you're lazy, just bring it to your local Mad Scientist-Butcher. He'll know what to do.” With a new Star Wars movie releasing every year, you might not want to pass up on these Star Wars ice cube trays . From the description: “Star Wars has captured the hearts and minds of many sci-fi fans for nearly 40 years and the love of this franchise has been passed on from generation to generation. If you haven't joined the hype then it's never too late, and these molds will make any Star Wars Marathon night a get together to be remembered!” This Ax Pizza Cutter has a fun design. Shaped like a real ax, this cutter will have your friend feeling like a real lumberjack the next time they slice a freshly baked pizza. For less than $10, this gift is one that’s sure to put a smile on the receiver’s face. The fourth and final gift on our list is The Dog Dicer . This is “the quickest and easiest way to dice hot dogs into toddler bite size pieces. Using the Dog Dicer will dramatically reduce the risk of choking hazards associated with these American classics, making them safe for children to eat, all with one quick, simple, and safe motion.” Which gift on our list is your favorite? See something you’d like to add to your apartment? Treat yourself this holiday season! Thanks for reading. Happy holidays!

Favorite Thanksgiving Movies

It’s almost time to sit down and enjoy a big long-awaited feast of turkey, mashed potatoes swimming in gravy, and pie. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, we thought it’d be fun to share a few of our favorite Thanksgiving movies with residents of our Liv Ahwatukee apartment community in Phoenix, AZ. If we didn’t include a movie you love, add it by leaving the title in the comment section below. Home for the Holidays “After losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be former boss and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces spending the holiday with her family.” A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving “Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown’s for Thanksgiving, and with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner.” Alice’s Restaurant “Arlo Guthrie plays himself in this film based on his song of the same name. After getting kicked out of college, Arlo decides to visit his friend Alice (Pat Quinn) for Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner is over, Arlo volunteers to take the trash to the dump, but finds it closed for the holiday, so he just dumps the trash in the bottom of a ravine. This simple act of littering gets him arrested, and sends him on a bizarre journey that ends with him in front of the draft board.” A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving “It’s Thanksgiving time in the Hundred Acre Wood and Winnie the Pooh and all his friends bring food for the big dinner. Piglet brings acorns, Pooh brings honey, Owl brings biscuits, Gopher brings lemonade, and Tigger brings ice cream. But then, Rabbit walks in and tells them their Thanksgiving dinner was unacceptable and informs them that a real Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, so Pooh and his friends set out to find those very items.” We hope you enjoy watching a few of these movies in celebration of Thanksgiving this week. Thanks for reading!

Keeping Thanksgiving Dinner Simple

November 2018 Post #2 Title: Keeping Thanksgiving Dinner Simple Description: (Between 130 and 230 characters): Liv Ahwatukee, Phoenix, AZ Apartments — Keep Thanksgiving dinner simple with the easy-to-make recipes highlighted in today’s blog post. Image & Body: We have a few tricks up our sleeves when it comes to preparing Thanksgiving dinner. While we could share all the gadgets that make this holiday all the better, we thought it’d be more beneficial for residents of our Liv Ahwatukee apartment community in Phoenix, AZ, if we shared easy-to-make recipes. Enjoy reading about the following recipes that made our mouths water. Starting off our list is this recipe for easy roasted turkey . There are many turkey recipes on the internet that claim to be the simplest, and we found one that we think fits the bill just right. With eight ingredients and seven well laid out steps, there’s nothing overly complicated about this recipe from Real Simple. This recipe for creamy mashed potatoes is complete in two steps (the third and final step is simply moving the mashed potatoes). Enjoy eating these with quick gravy , which can be finished in three steps. Stuffing is a Thanksgiving dinner staple, and this herb stuffing recipe is one for the books! As with the recipes for mashed potatoes and gravy, this recipe can be done in less than four steps. Just follow the directions and you’ll have delicious homemade stuffing in no time. Of course, Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without one of the most important dishes: pie. We have two pie recipes to share with you. They’re so simple, you’ll probably end up making them both! The first pie recipe we have for you is sweet potato pie . For this, you’ll need the following ingredients: unsalted butter, brown sugar, one large egg, fresh orange juice, honey, one large sweet potato, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a 9-inch pie crust. The second pie recipe we have for you is cranberry-pear pie . Yes, this recipe has eight steps, but they’re easy to follow. In response to this recipe, one person said, “A wonderful recipe. Slightly tart, and a nice mix of flavors. I recommend using a mid-ripe, crisp pear, like a [D’Anjou], otherwise the pears will get too soft during baking.” What are your favorite easy-to-make Thanksgiving recipes? Share in the comments. Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving!