I know it’s a little early BUT there are only 113 days until Christmas…Last year I partnered with the most amazing Christmas decor company American Christmas. They create some of the most gorgeous Holiday decorations all over NYC from Saks to Cartier to Rock Center and so many more. Throughout December, they held a huge spectacular warehouse sale where our readers were invited to come and buy some of the most beautiful decorations that had been featured in previous years at some of their famous client locations.
In addition to the business-to-business side of American Christmas, they are about to open a gorgeous retail location, Christmas in America next month to the public Here they are planning a fabulous Christmas experience extravaganza. Not only will you be able to find everything to decorate your home but also they will be holding special event photos with Santa, holiday workshops, and decorating classes. Also starting in October, we will be hosting some special SAFE events with Christmas in America to help you get into the Holiday Spirit. If you have a minute, drop me an EMAIL letting me know what types of lectures, classes (wreath, Christmas trees, outdoor, etc) that you would be interested in. I luckily was given a sneak peek into their Holiday wonderland. I cannot wait until we can all go and see it together!!!
I just made this really good, really easy back to school family dinner..We made enchiladas so many times during the pandemic that I thought this would be a great alternative. We all loved it just as much. I did add some black beans as well and it came out perfect and all in under 30 minutes. This is definitely worth a try. Bon Appetit!
Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced finely
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican-blend cheese
• toppings: sour cream, tomatoes, diced avocado, cilantro (optional)
Directions
Step 1
In a large skillet or pot, sauté the onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Once the onions soften, increase the heat to medium-high and add the chicken to the pan.
Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the other side
Add the uncooked rice to the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
Add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, water, and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.
Cover the pan. Cook the chicken and rice mixture, making sure to stir every once in a while, for about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Sprinkle cheese on top and cover the pan with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Serve, sprinkle with desired toppings, and enjoy!
Many people spend a lot of time and money on their homes but don’t always consider how to make their homes the most comfortable place for them to live. This post will give you five tips on creating the most comfortable living environment for your family.
Image by Andy Giraud from Pixabay
1 Keep Your Home Neat and Tidy
When you are comfortable in your surroundings, it will let you relax and enjoy being at home. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people don’t keep their homes clean or free of clutter because they feel too tired after work to do anything about the mess. Keeping your house tidy is an easy way to help make your home more comfortable. This will also give you far more peace of mind when you consider the amount of time you and your family will be spending at home.
2 Invest in Comfortable Furniture for Everyone
When you are comfortable, it will help you to relax and truly enjoy your time at home. This means that everyone should have a piece of furniture in the house where they can sit down comfortably and just be themselves without feeling like there is pressure on them to stand up straight or look perfect for other people. In addition, you should invest in family room furniture that is comfortable so the whole family can enjoy spending time together.
3 Keep Systems Up to Date and Maintained
When your systems in the house are up to date and maintained, you will feel much more comfortable at home. For example, if your air conditioner is old or broken, it can make the summer months uncomfortable when it’s hot outside. Consider air conditioning repair for a more comfortable temperature. In addition, keeping all of your appliances (and other systems) updated and well maintained helps keep everyone comfortable during different seasons.
4 Invest in Smart Home Technology
With the growing trend of innovative home technology, it’s easy to make your house a comfortable place for everyone. For example, using smart thermostats not only help keep your family comfortable with an adjustable temperature and save you money on energy costs. Other examples include sensors that turn lights off when no one is in a room and wifi-enabled appliances that can be controlled from anywhere (including outside the house).
5 Create a Comfy Patio for Family Time
There’s nothing like enjoying the fantastic weather from a comfortable place. If you don’t have one already, consider building or purchasing a patio for your home where everyone can enjoy spending time outside together in the summer months. This is an easy way to make your entire house more comfortable and create lasting memories with family and friends!
One final tip: Remember Your Garden! Nobody wants to come to work or relax at home after spending hours taking care of their yard and garden all day long – if there isn’t any grass or flowers, then what’s even the point? Also, investing time into making sure your outdoor space is clean and free from debris will help make your house a comfortable place to be.
It’s been a long long pandemic and people are getting excited about the possibility of traveling again. I am so looking forward to discovering new places with my own family and friends. I recently was flattered to be asked to share the wonderful centrally located Hotel Mediterrano in Rome with you. This hotel is rich in history and style and the perfect addition to your must-visit list.
Boasting nearly 150 years of Italian hospitality in Rome, Bettoja Hotels just announced the reopening of the iconic Hotel Mediterraneo featuring recent renovations and stylish new additions including a new rooftop panoramic terrace and lounge bar!
After a year of being closed during the pandemic, 4-star Hotel Mediterraneo has reopened its doors Celebrating the inauguration of the reopening, the hotel now features a beautiful, renovated panoramic rooftop terrace with breathtaking city views of the Eternal City. Soaring 50 meters high, the hotel’s Roof Garden Restaurant and Terrace also welcomes a new addition with its Ligea Lounge Bar. With an elegant vintage atmosphere, the new lounge bar serves as a prime meeting point for guests and non-guests from around the world to gather in its eclectic indoor and outdoor areas.
Precious 1940’s lamps and restored Art Deco interior design pieces designed by Mario Loreti and Gustavo Pulitzer Finali furnish the Ligea Lounge Bar on the tenth floor of the Hotel Mediterraneo, creating a new location to be discovered during the magical days and evenings of one of the best cities in the world. The lounge is adorned with velvet sofas, mirrors, and fine vintage pieces with exotic plants that create an exclusive green nest in which to take refuge, all with a spectacular 180 ° view of the capital.
Chef Antonio Vitale completes the gastronomic offer of the new Ligea Lounge Bar with and fresh snacks, with menus that will follow the seasons. A robust list of cocktails and wines offering fine labels will accompany the evening and dinner menus daily from 5 pm until midnight. Guests can also experience this space by choosing to reserve it completely for private events, gala dinners, or standing cocktails.
The Bettoja flagship property, Hotel Mediterraneo, was designed in 1938 by the architect Loreti and has recently been restored following a careful collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, featuring the participation of master artisans and the most meticulous of Italian restorers. The timeline of restorations began in 2018 and recently concluded with the restoration of the Mosaic Room featuring the “Medieval Hunt” by Franco d’Urso, a beautiful mosaic based on a sketch by the painter Achille Capizzano. These restorations have brought the historical heritage of the Hotel Mediterraneo to the forefront, highlighting the charm of its monumental architectural feats and the value of its artistic elements. As part of the restoration of the hotel, the rooms feature carefully restored and preserved period furniture.
This is so amazing…..Thanks to the deep love and dedication for hospitality, the Bettoja family has always kept the hotels open through the two World Wars and the pandemic and remains a true point of reference in Rome.
About Bettoja Hotels
Located in the heart of Rome, surrounded by the famous artistic and cultural wonders of the Eternal City, Bettoja Hotels is a family-run hotel chain born from the passion of the Bettoja family for hospitality. The Bettoja group was born in Rome in 1875 and has borne witness to the history of Italy since its Unification. With its four facilities, 650 rooms in total, and a number of business meeting rooms, Bettoja Hotels are the perfect mix of tradition and innovation. Hotel Massimo d’Azeglio, the first property to be acquired by the group, maintains its “Umbertino” style and exudes all the charm of the Risorgimento: it boasts a precious cellar of fine wines where the suggestive Italian atmosphere of the turn of the century reigns supreme. The Hotel features one historic restaurant- the Ristorante Massimo D’Azeglio which is part of the Italian Historical Places Association, and three modern meeting rooms which can accommodate up to 180 people theater style. The Hotel Mediterraneo stands out for its severe and monumental luxury and is amongst the best examples of Art Déco in the capital. A classic example of 1940s architecture, the interiors are dominated by wood and marble and the recurring sea theme, from which the hotel takes its name, is clearly evident throughout the structure. With its seven meeting rooms that accommodate up to 120 people theater-style, two restaurants, and a Roof Garden that boasts a 360 ° view of the capital, it is the largest building of the group, and one of the tallest in Rome. The Hotel Atlantico, also located on the Esquiline, welcomes guests in a charming building from 1935 with 3 meeting rooms with natural light with a maximum capacity of 45 pax theater-style. The Bettoja offer has now added the presence of Hotel Nord Nuova Roma, a 3-star hotel, which boasts cozy rooms, three meeting rooms for up to 50 people, and a splendid terrace overlooking the Baths of Diocletian. www.bettojahotels.it
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Renovating parts of your home can refresh important rooms and areas. Usually, you might tackle one project at a time, whether it’s installing a new kitchen or converting your basement. But there are times when you might want to attempt a full renovation of your home all at once. Maybe you’ve looked around and realized that everything looks very out of date. Or you might have just moved into an older home that needs to be modernized or renovated to make it more your taste. When there’s a lot of work to be done, it can be tough to decide what to do first.
Decide Whether to Live In or Out
Home renovations are a lot of work and they can be very disruptive to your home. Before you start any work, you need to decide whether you can deal with being around it while it’s ongoing. If you think it would be too stressful or inconvenient, you might prefer to move out while the work is happening. Of course, this means you need to find somewhere else to stay while the work is being completed. This could be staying with friends or family, or it might mean staying in a hotel or other accommodation.
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Move and Store Your Stuff
It’s difficult to renovate your home when there’s a lot of furniture and other things to work around. You can cover some things with dust sheets and other items to protect everything, but it’s not always the best solution for items that can get in the way. You might want to book a moving company to move your things out of your home. You could rent a storage unit or find somewhere else to store some of your possessions. Alternatively, you could move things from room to room as you work on different spaces in your home.
Create a Project Schedule
Before you renovate your home, you need to know what is going to happen and when. It’s important to have a schedule to follow, partly so you can plan the rest of your life around it. It’s even more helpful if you’re going to be living at home while renovations are ongoing. You might try to get as much done at the same time, or you could complete your renovations in stages. The second option can allow you to take breaks between small projects so that you don’t have to have too much going on at once.
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DIY or Professional Help?
Of course, one of the big questions, when you’re renovating your home, is whether to do the work yourself or to hire contractors to do it for you. You might decide to go one way or the other for all of the work that needs to be done. On the other hand, you could do some of the work yourself and leave some of the more difficult or labor-intensive projects to professionals.
Fully renovating your home takes a lot of work, as well as a lot of money. But it can also be rewarding to refresh your home.
Maintenance of one’s home is a significant duty, but it can also be extremely satisfying. There are many various areas in your home that need to be maintained, and some require more frequent maintenance than others. Carrying out simple tasks more frequently will help you save money on your electricity bill, prevent greater expenditures from accruing over time, and keep your house comfortable and safe for many years to come.
Here, we look at some of the home maintenance tasks you should be keeping on top of.
Cleaning out your refrigerator
Your refrigerator can account for up to 15 percent of the overall electricity consumed by your home. If your coils are not kept clean to ensure maximum effectiveness, that figure can rise significantly. If you are wondering how to clean the dark and confined region beneath or behind this item, the answer is surprisingly simple: vacuum it. This should be done once or twice a year.
Changing the filters on your HVAC system
A duty that varies from family to household is changing the filters in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ( HVAC ) system. Filters may need to be changed every 2-3 months if you have a smaller home with fewer air pollutants – fewer people and no pets – but you should still check them once a month in larger homes. Seasonal changes might also have an impact on maintenance. For example, during the winter months, when a family is more likely to stay indoors, the quality of the air will be more significant.
Filters come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Filters that are less expensive will last for a shorter period of time than more expensive filters. There are also reusable air filters available, which will need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Cleaning the vents and ducts in your home on an annual basis will help to extend the life of any filters you may have in your home. If you have an issue with your air conditioning units, don’t try to fix them yourself; call out a 24 Hour AC Service to sort the problem for you.
Clean out the gutters
Gutter cleaning should be performed twice a year at the very least. The best time to clean them is late fall, after all the leaves have fallen, and early spring, when you are doing your spring cleaning. However, the gutters should be visually inspected at least four times a year, if not more frequently. Checking for sagging and leaks or holes can be done by walking around the house and looking for signs of damage. After each season, climb a ladder and inspect your roof and gutters to make sure they are free of debris and damage as well as your home.
With more trees growing around your property, it is important to keep an eye on your gutters more frequently to make sure they are not becoming clogged with debris. For homeowners in cooler regions, keep an eye out for ice dams, which can form and allow water to seep into your home’s attic.