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Food for a Good New Year

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Bowl of Noodles with ChopsticksAlmost every country and culture focuses on special foods to bring good luck as the New Year starts. In the United States, a favorite southern staple is black-eyed peas due to their abundance, made into a dish known as Hoppin’ John.

Long noodles are a common choice in Asian countries and cultures, representing a long life. It is important not to cut or break the noodles to ensure the longest life possible.

MP900405246Fish is a popular choice in China since the Chinese word for fish resembles the word for abundance. Note that the fish should be served whole – head and tail included – to make sure the year is a good one from beginning to end.

Leafy greens such as kale, mustard and collard greens are consumed in Europe because they resemble paper money. The story is the more you eat the more cash will come to be in the next year. Lentils are eaten in Italy and Hungary because their shape and green color resembles money. They also get plumper when you add water, signifying growing wealthier.

MP900382807In Turkey, pomegranates are consumed for good luck. Prosperity comes from the many round seeds, the red color stands for life and they also represent good health.

Other round fruits such as oranges or grapes are often eaten at the start of the new year, with the tradition of consuming either twelve of them for the twelve months of the year. In the Philippines you need to eat thirteen fruits for good luck. Cakes – particularly those that are round or shaped like rings are also a common good luck food – sometimes with a coin baked into the cake to give luck to one recipient during the coming year.

Whatever tradition you follow, here at Fulton Homes we hope you have a happy and healthy 2015!

 

Specializing in Leftovers

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DSC_0132Holidays are all about abundance – particularly with food. But often having more than enough means days of leftovers after the event is over. What can you do to distract the family from one more turkey sandwich? Here are a few suggestions to make leftovers part of the celebration rather than a burden to get through.

Freeze for later: Although your family may currently be sated on holiday fare, a few months from now an encore meal or variation of the original may be welcomed. Consider freezing some of the turkey sliced, along with a couple of scoops of dressing and a side of cranberry sauce. Later you can turn these three items into scrumptious sandwiches. Use sturdy bread such as a crusty roll or a French baguette. Lightly spread both sides with mayonnaise and layer the turkey and about a half-inch of dressing on the bottom half, topping with a light layer of cranberry sauce. This sandwich is an award-winning combination for a national sandwich shop that you can recreate for a cold-weather treat.

Reinvent a tradition: Turn that extra turkey, vegetables and mashed potatoes into a variation of shepherd’s pie. Mix chopped turkey, any leftover veggies – adding some if needed – and top with the leftover mashed potatoes in an open casserole. Bake to warm and broil the last few minutes to brown the top. Serve it with the leftover gravy.

Treat your guests: Pre-plan to share your leftovers with visitors. If you purchase a selection of different sizes of disposable plastic containers, you can mix up an additional holiday meal for your guests who don’t tend to cook at home. Walking away with another meal ready to heat and eat can be a real blessing to those with limited time, resources or inclination to cook for themselves. And for you and your immediate family, the leftovers will be gone by the end of the day.

If you think of leftovers as an opportunity to be creative and try new approaches, you can turn something that’s a challenge into a bonus that benefits everyone after the holidays are over.

 

Traditional Holiday Foods

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002Every family has its holiday favorites. Some go for traditional turkey and dressing, or choose fancy with a standing rib roast or honey baked ham. But whether you always serve that infamous green bean casserole or change side dishes every year, food is an important part of every holiday.

Even more important, the preparation and serving of holiday family dinners may contain traditions you are less aware of, but which are just as important for everyone. It pays to look at those unspoken traditions to make sure that they serve your family well.

How are you passing your traditions along to the next generation? Now everyone loves Aunt Francis’s dinner rolls and Uncle Bob’s turkey gravy, but are the kids getting a chance to help bake and make these family favorites? By including some of the younger members of the family in the preparations, you help ensure that future generations will enjoy the same tastes that delight them now long after the instigators are gone.

You may also find that the standard recipes no longer serve your family as well. Old-style heavier meals may be too much for today’s diet and nutrition goals. While the holidays are certainly a time to indulge a bit, how about adding some lighter fare so that people can balance their enjoyment with some attention to good eating habits. For example, you could replace the cheese and cracker appetizers with vegetables and a tasty yogurt dip, letting people fill up while leaving the calorie-intense foods for dessert.

Holiday food traditions are for enjoying and sharing with others. Remember to plan ways to pass those traditions along with each generation, along with making changes that suit your family’s needs and the overall shifts in how we’re eating now. And above all, enjoy the process of preparing and indulging in your family’s traditional holiday feasts.

 

The Best Sugar Cookies and the Best of Neighbors

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MP900216155Many years ago, when the baby boomers who are now starting to collect social security were toddlers, there was a community of young families in Ohio. The homes were well-built, just like Fulton Homes are built today, and a neighborhood grew where there had been nothing but wheat and corn fields just a few years before.

One neighbor, Ruth Chrisman, was a favorite of everyone. You could count on her to watch your kids while you ran to the store, and sickness and grief was solaced by her support and one of her tasty casseroles. She was also a pleasure just to talk to, and her two boys were always available to mow lawns or run errands.

One year, she baked the tastiest sugar cookies anyone on her street had ever tasted. And because generosity was part of her nature, she shared the recipe with everyone who asked, and for the next year, and the next, and the next, those sugar cookies were a staple in the neighborhood every holiday.

So now, decades later, Ruth’s sugar cookie recipe is here for your benefit too. But even more, it’s here to acknowledge that the everyday kindness and pleasure that a neighbor can give should live long after the neighbor is gone and the original community of families has grown up and moved away.

The homes, and the neighborhood, are still there 50 years later because, like Fulton Homes, these people built houses and communities designed to last. And here at Fulton Homes as we head toward 2015, we hope you too are fortunate enough to be part of a warm and friendly community and have a neighbor in your life as wonderful as Ruth.

Ruth Chrisman’s Special Sugar Cookies

 Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened)

2 cups sugar (granulated)

2 eggs, beaten

5 cups flour (unbleached white)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream (light (low-fat) sour cream works best)

Mix the flour, salt and soda together and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the 2 eggs and vanilla and blend. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream in two or three sections. Put plastic over the bowl and chill in the refrigerator a few hours to overnight.

Taking small segments of the dough and leaving the rest in the refrigerator, roll the dough to ¼ inch thick on a floured board, thinner if you want crisper cookies. Be generous with the flour so that the cookies don’t stick to the board. Cut with the cookie cutters of your choice and lay on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are just a bit brown around the edges. Cool for 5 minutes then move to cooling rack. Ice and decorate to your preference.

 Butter-cream Icing

Blend in a bowl: 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/3 cup softened or melted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla and about 3 tablespoons of milk, using more or less to get the consistency you want. Color in smaller batches with food coloring if desired. This is enough frosting to handle all the cookies if they are rolled to ¼ inch thick.

Setting up a Holiday Tablescape

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Legacy Models 068How would you decorate this dining space for the holidays? Here are a few suggestions.

Choose one or two colors, a neutral, and one metallic hue: In this room, silver seems like a natural choice thanks to the chandeliers and grey tones. Silver can link everything together. For the same reason, white or ivory would complement the space. From there you could do the traditional red and green colors, or jump into something more daring like purple or even hot pink and lime green. This room can handle the brighter colors, so take advantage of that to add drama to your tablescape.

Don’t stop at the table: In this room, the trees by the wall would benefit from some mini-lights and small ornaments. Think about adding some special touches to the chandeliers. (For more ideas on that, see our last blog.) The buffet could be a source for additional decorations that complement whatever you choose to do to the table. You could even change out the throw pillows on the two sofas for some that suit your holiday look. Once again the grey palette opens up a world of possibilities.

Keep your centerpiece low or set between chairs: You want to make sure everyone at the table can see everyone else, so plan a centerpiece that allows that. This long rectangular table gives you the opportunity to create a landscape of flowers, greens, ornaments, candles and other accessories. By using the buffet to hold serving dishes you have more room for decorations on the table itself.

Consider the chairs: These contemporary chairs with neutral grey upholstery provide the perfect space for a final holiday touch. It’s easy to tie some wide ribbon around the chair backs with a nice bow at the back of each one. Costco offers great prices on wire-edged holiday ribbon in two and three-inch widths. Choose one that works well for your holiday plan, and you will have plenty to use throughout your home.

Your final touch? Add the food – tables always look better with something to eat nearby!

 

Decorating lighting fixtures for the Holidays

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Legacy Models 069With lush lighting fixtures such as these two from the O’Connor model at Legacy, it’s tempting to make them part of the season by adding a holiday touch. Here are a few suggestions to make these lights reflect the holidays.

Holiday greens: Look for a garland that matches the style of your holiday decorations. You could choose real greens such as the red cedar garland available at Trader Joe’s this time of year, or just pick up some of their two-color holly. Use fishing line or ribbons to attach it under the lights of the chandeliers above.  For the photo below, drape the greens along the cross-beams above the lights.

Legacy Models 073Ribbons: You could tie some lovely red, green, gold or blue ribbons around the shades on the chandelier above to create an understated but festive touch. To contribute a bit more drama, tie a few to the loops under the lights and let them hang down to the table, maybe even puddling on the table itself or stopping just above your centerpiece to connect your lighting to your holiday tablescape. Ribbon loops could run across the crosspieces of the more contemporary light fixture below also.

LED lights. Add lights to your lighting with some of the new battery-powered LED lights in white, colors or even multicolored options. Hide the battery pack within some greenery and let the mini-lights swirl and drape around the structure of each chandelier.

Ornaments: One simple but effective approach would be to choose some favorite ornaments and hang them from the supports of each chandelier. Once again this addition is understated but would pull your lighting into the season. Why not bring the holiday to your home’s lighting, allowing it to shine with the rest of your home.

Decorating your Home for the Holidays: Living and Family Rooms

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   DSC_0139When you have a generously-sized living room and a large family room such as in this home, the O’Connor model from Legacy, how do you bring in the holiday spirit without looking skimpy or overwhelming your home with cheer? Here are a few approaches for decorating both rooms while maintaining the style of your home.

Choose one room as holiday central for your home. This involves the tree you will be unwrapping presents under, the location for family holiday meals and any other traditions that suit the season. You can still decorate other rooms in your home but this gives you the flexibility to be understated in all but one area.

Replace current accessories with holiday elements rather than just adding them in. If you keep your home’s current décor in place while adding holiday pieces, your home can look too cluttered to be festive. Instead, pack away some or all of your everyday vases and other accessories to leave room for holiday items.

Add greenery. This is particularly effective in more formal contemporary spaces such as the living room above. Many stores sell fresh greens at this time of year. You can combine several types of greenery to make a splash For example, this living room could stay as-is and still feel like the holidays simply by adding pine and two-color holly around the silver candleholders on the coffee table and on the side tables. Add a few holiday ornaments to the tree on the right and this room is finished in an elegant and effective way. You might want to take advantage of the new battery-powered LED lights to add a spark to the greens.

Models 085This family room can support a large tree. You might one consider 8-9 feet in height to take advantage of the ceiling. The area to the right of the television provides a natural spot for a tree. Remember that you want to provide plenty of seating nearby. Don’t hesitate to rearrange the furniture to make the space work better with a tree. For example, you could move the checked chair on the right closer to the sofa and move the entire seating arrangement a bit to the right which would allow the tree to become the focal point of the room for the holiday season.

Whatever you decide, have fun with your decorations and they will help you set the stage for a lovely holiday.

 

The Value of Built-in Cabinets

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Models 082People recognize the value of built-in cabinets in a kitchen, but there are so many other places in your home where built-in cabinetry can make your life easier and your home more beautiful too. Consider these possibilities.

Dining or breakfast room: What better place to store serving pieces and entertainment items than right where you need them. Rather than taking up space in your kitchen, let another room in your home be of help. And a well-designed choice of cabinets including features such as glass-fronted doors and special lighting can make a bare wall into a design feature while providing extra storage. Take a look at how the space above has been transformed by adding the right type of built-in.

DSC_0049 (1)Laundry room: A well-designed laundry room can provide more than clean clothes. Use laundry built-in cabinets to hold cleaning supplies, craft tools, table linens or holiday decorations. The bins shown in the photo to the right could serve as a family “lost and found” with every family member assigned their own place to put anything left around the house.

DSC_0185 (1)Hallway: If you have halls that are wide enough or that have a natural niche, consider adding built-in cabinets. You will have extra storage, something we all can use, and create a space with personality rather than an empty area.

With built-in cabinets, you can customize their size and design to capitalize on all of the space and make maximum use of it. Take a walk through your home. You may be surprised at all the places that could benefit from built-ins.

 

Bathrooms with Upscale Style

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basha bath 3If you want to give your home’s bathrooms an air of upscale style, it all comes down to your design decisions. Just a few changes from the standard approach can turn any bathroom into something that will catch the eye. Here are a few suggestions to make your bath stand out.

basha bath 2Lighting: Possibly the most important factor in bathroom design, lighting adds a decorative element and also has a direct impact on how the mirror reflects your face and the room itself. Notice how the dappled pendants soften the light in this bathroom. A choice like this one creates amber light and shadows – making the bathroom stand out even without any other special design elements. The oversized curved light in the second bathroom makes the lighting evenly distributed and the translucent shading softens it.

 Tile: The backsplash mosaic in the first bathroom adds personality as well as providing a focal point. With just a small profile, this tile allows visitors to enjoy the look while using the sink and mirror. The curved edge tile in the second backroom mirrors the curves of the light while bringing a deep contrast that works well with the painted and glazed cabinets.

Faucets and towel bars: Both of these bathrooms have oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, providing a warm and effective transitional look. Because these bathrooms are from the same model, the Basha at Legacy, the cabinet and faucet choices are the same, creating a consistent look throughout the house. But by choosing different tile, light fixtures and sinks, the bathrooms are completely different in style and feel.

As one of the smallest rooms in your home, the bathroom provides the perfect palette for adding style without adding a lot to your budget. For more great ideas to make your bathrooms exceptional, visit Legacy and check out the bathrooms in all of our models.

 

Decorating the Exterior of your Home for the Holidays

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Models 070With the expansive exteriors of Fulton Home’s new Legacy community, the traditional wreath on the door may get lost. Here are a few suggestions to create a festive exterior for your new Legacy home.

Start decorating before you get to the door. You could place wreaths on the front of the matching columns to start setting the mood right away. The symmetrical arrangement supports carrying a doubled theme from the front pillars right to the front door.

Models 090Go big. Look for oversized wreaths and decorations. Before you shop, measure your front door and decide what size range would work best.

Go for multiples. One option is to purchase a number of large poinsettias from Costco or a similar retailer and place two on either side of each stair. You would create a sea of red holiday charm all the way to your door. If you would rather use smaller plants, you could line the walls with them or even place them in the planters shown in the top photo.

Consider luminaria. For a spark of charm consider lining your walkway and walls with many luminarias – a common holiday decorating choice in the Southwest. These simple decorations – just brown paper bags partially filled with sand with a lighted candle inside – could be used to outline the dramatic arrangement of the landscape and walls surrounding the front of your Legacy home.

No matter what decorating choice you make, your home will be lovely and ready to entertain family and friends this holiday season. For more on the Fulton Homes Legacy community, visit us online at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/our-communities/freeman-farms/legacy.