Try These Tricks in Your Living Room

"IMG_1016" by Shawn Cornelius is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Holiday decorating usually leads to rearranging some furniture, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun on the surface. However, this allows you the opportunity to experiment with the layout of the room and its furniture. Or maybe you’ve been looking for an excuse to switch things around, so you should take advantage of the opportunity! Try these tips from Apartment Therapy, and who knows, you may love your new layout so much that you decide to keep the Christmas tree up year-round!  

1. If you have room, pulling your furniture away from the wall can make conversational groupings seem cozier, and the room seem a lot more spacious.

2. Try replacing your coffee table with a smaller table, big enough to hold a book and a few drinks, that can move around the room. The space freed up by the coffee table will make your living room seem a lot bigger.

3. A bookcase behind the sofa is a great way to add a little texture — and a little storage — to your living room. (Naturally, things you don't use as much go directly behind the couch.)

4. Mixing old and new pieces is a great way to add energy to any room.

5. Balance heavier pieces with lighter ones to keep a space from feeling too clunky. The lighter pieces in this room — the coffee and side tables — provide a nice counterpoint the sofa and dresser.

6. Hang a picture ledge above your sofa for a statement-y look. If you get tired of your current pieces, you can easily switch them out.

7. Color is the key to mixing a lot of things together in a harmonious way. There's a lot going on in this living room, but the preponderance of white keeps all the different elements from becoming too overwhelming.

8. Every room can benefit from a touch of gold.

9. Keeping everything low (including the art) is a great trick to make a room look bigger.

10. Paired chairs don't have to match — try mixing two pieces from a similar era with different shapes.

11. When in doubt, add a little bit of black.

Thanksgiving Weekend in Denver

"Christmas lights always cheer me up!" by Catarina Oberlander is licensed
under CC BY 2.0

Whether you’re hosting friends and family from out-of-town or just love to be out celebrating in Denver, Thanksgiving weekend has a lot to offer! From skating to lights to ballet, regardless of what your preferences are, there is an event for anyone and everyone. When you’re not spending time in The Amaranth’s clubhouse with friends, here are a handful of options to go out and explore. For a complete list of Denver events during Thanksgiving weekend, head over to Visit Denver.

November 25, 2014-February 16, 2015: Southwest Rink at Skyline Park

Skyline Park | Times vary

Skyline Park is the place to be this holiday season! Southwest Airlines and the Downtown Denver Partnership invite you to grab your family and friends and head to 16th and Arapahoe in Downtown Denver to the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park!

November 28-December 31: Downtown Denver Grand Illumination

Downtown Denver: November 28 at 6 PM | Lights on display nightly

As part of Downtown Denver's Winter in the City program, at 6 p.m. on Nov 28, 2014 Downtown Denver's Grand Illumination event will light up Downtown, from Denver Union Station to the City and County Building. Following a countdown shortly after 6:30 p.m., Denver Union Station will be ablaze with brightly colored floodlights illuminating the historic structure in the heart of Lower Downtown and its lighted tree in front. Light Exhibition runs through the end of December.

November 28: The Nutcracker

Macky Auditorium | 2 PM & 7 PM

America’s favorite ballet is brought to life by the Boulder Ballet and the Boulder Philharmonic. The grandness of Macky Auditorium is matched by the scale of this production featuring a cast of 100 dancers, full scenery, beautiful costumes and special effects. The company dancers are joined by students of the Boulder Ballet School and the Boulder Children’s Chorale, who provide a delightful attraction for young audience members.

November 29: Holiday Lighting

Little Man Ice Cream Plaza | 5:30 PM

'Tis the Season... kick off your Holiday season by joining us for a very special Tree Lighting. Special guests: Santa & his reindeer!  

We’ll have caroling, hay rides, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, free food, and more! Join us as we celebrate the Spirit of the Holidays!

November 29 & 30: Santa at Larimer Square

Saturday: 10 AM-6 PM | Sunday: 12 PM-5 PM

Throughout December, Santa will be visiting Larimer Square on the weekends in the Larimer Square Walkway. He will have Mrs. Claus with him with handing out traditional Larimer Square holiday ducks.

Visits are FREE and open to the public, and because it has been very popular, visitors can bring their furry friends (dogs) for a photo with Santa, too.

What events are you looking forward to most?

Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake

Photo courtesy Faith Durand, The Kitchn

The snow is falling and it’s beginning to feel like holiday season. We still have a couple of weeks to go until Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge a little today! One of the things we look forward to most is the home-made pumpkin pie. This is a great recipe from The Kitchn to use if either cannot wait for Thanksgiving, or to file away for the rest of winter when you need a comforting dessert!

Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake

Makes 1

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

14 grams gingersnaps (2 small cookies), crushed into 2 tablespoons of crumbs

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk or cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Place the butter in a microwave-safe mug that holds at least 10 ounces, and microwave on LOW until melted. Stir in the crushed gingersnaps and press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the mug.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, milk or cream, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour into mug with the gingersnap "crust."

Place the mug on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on full power for 2 to 5 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the mug pie comes out clean. The top may look slightly damp but it will set as it cools. (Cooking time will vary greatly depending on your microwave and the width and depth of the mug. Start with 2 minutes and continue cooking in 30-second increments until it is done.)

Use a hot pad or oven mitt to carefully remove the mug from the microwave. Let it stand for a couple minutes to cool, then top, if desired, with whipped cream and crushed nuts before eating.

Recipe Notes

Doubling the recipe: You can double this recipe, but only cook one mug pie in the microwave at a time.

Cold & Flu Season Kitchen Essentials

"Tea for two" by Naama ym is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Whether we want to think about it or not, cold and flu season is right around the corner. When you’re not feeling your best, the last thing you want to do is leave the house. So while you’re healthy, make sure you stock up on these sick day essentials, courtesy of The Kitchn, so that you’re back to health as quickly as possible!

The Drink Essentials

Herbal Tea: Make sure your stash is well-stocked, as herbal tea is probably the #1 go-to drink for most of us when we get sick. Black and green teas are nice too, but don't soothe the throat quite as well.

Honey: Tea by itself is fine, but tea with honey is extra soothing...

Lemons: ... and even more so if you add a squeeze of lemon. In fact, why not just go ahead and make this ginger honey and lemon tonic? The shot of whiskey in the recipe is optional, but highly recommended. (Trust me.)

Ginger and/or High-Quality Ginger Ale: You'll want fresh ginger for the tonic above, or to make any one of these stomach-soothing teas. You may also want to pick up a bottle or two of high-quality ginger ale — the kind made with real ginger, not just ginger flavoring and sugar — when you're feeling like a little light carbonation would be helpful.

Orange juice or oranges: Give yourself an extra shot of vitamin C with a glass of orange juice, even better if it's freshly-squeezed. (But hey, you're sick! Do whatever is easiest.)

The Food Essentials

Chicken soup: It's not all in your head; there's scientific proof that chicken soup really does help soothe cold symptoms, so buy a few cans for your pantry, or make and freeze a big homemade batch. Looking for the perfect soup recipe? Try one of these → 5 Soups to Soothe a Cold and From Chicken Noodle to Egg Drop: 10 Soothing Broth-Based Soups.

Applesauce: An essential part of the BRAT diet, applesauce is low in fiber but has lots of calories, so it's easy on a delicate stomach.

Bread for toast: Keep a loaf of sliced bread in your freezer, and you'll be so glad you have some bread around when you can't keep anything else down.

Quick-prep frozen meals: If your stomach isn't the problem and you're just wallowing in a head cold, quick-prep frozen meals (like these Trader Joe's recommendations) mean you can get some food in your system fast. You can also reheat one of these excellent freezer meals.

Your favorite comfort foods: This is different for everyone. What makes you feel good when you're sick? Maybe it's something from childhood, like mashed potatoes or a bowl of ramen noodles. Whatever it is, pick it (or the ingredients to make it) up the next time you go to the grocery store.

Do you have any secret cold and flu fighters?

Denver's Haunted Hotels

"Oxford Hotel Cruise Room" by Chris Bartle is licensed under CC BY 2.0

You have most likely seen The Shining, but have you ever set foot inside The Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King to write the book? It turns out that the Denver-area has more than a few “mysterious” hotels. If you want to do a little ghost hunting this Halloween, add these destinations, courtesy of Visit Denver, to your itinerary.

THE OXFORD HOTEL

1600 17th St.
Denver's oldest boutique hotel, The Oxford, offers top-notch amenities, a luxurious spa and is located in the trendy LoDo neighborhood. This 123 year old hotel is also known for its haunted past, from tales of locked bathroom stalls to sinks that turn on and off during the night. But the real mystery lies behind the door of room 320. In 1898, a woman named Florence Montague shot and killed her lover before taking her own life in room 320. Since then, single male guests who stay in room 320 have reported sheets being ripped off the bed and their arms being pulled by an unseen force. But the unexplained terror doesn't end in room 320.

The hotel's Cruise Room bar is known for its martinis, Art Deco style and a mysterious postal worker. Bartenders routinely report a man walking into the bar wearing an old post office uniform. He always orders a beer before muttering "the children, I have to get the gifts to the children." He appears to drink his beer and leave - but when the bartender picks up his bottle, it's always full. Research has revealed a story of a postal worker from the 1930s who was on his way to deliver Christmas presents to nearby Central City, but the gifts were never delivered. That spring, his decomposed body was found on the way to Central City with all of the Christmas gifts still with him. That single beer at the Cruise Room may have been his last.

THE LUMBER BARON MYSTERY MANSION
2555 West 37th Ave
Shortly after the current owner of the Lumber Baron first purchased the rundown mansion, he described it as a "haunted house on a movie set." Known around the neighborhood as the "haunted castle," the Queen Anne Victorian style mansion was the site of a 1970 murder of two young women. Paranormal activity is a weekly occurrence at the Lumber Baron, with reports of strange voices, furniture moved in rooms, windows closing and cold spots throughout the property. Visions have been reported of a woman in a flapper style dress holding champagne followed by a rush of cold air. The pyramid-shaped roof atop the third floor was supposedly built as a portal to another dimension. Throughout October, the mansion offers a Haunted House Hunt mystery dinner for those who crave an evening of fright.

"Brown Palace Hotel" by Wirawan Purwanto is licensed
under CC BY-SA 2.0

THE BROWN PALACE HOTEL AND SPA
321 17th St.
Downtown Denver's Brown Palace opened its doors on August 12, 1892 - and hasn't closed them for a single moment since. For more than a century the luxurious hotel and spa has stood as an anchor to the bustling financial and cultural district, playing host to presidents, prime ministers and celebrities.

The Brown Palace Club, occupying a 45-degree angle of the right-triangular hotel, is the source of more spooky stories than any other part of the building. Examples include reports of lights that turn on and off by themselves, and of carpet that crawls underfoot like something alive Often spotted in the Club entryway or just outside of it is a man in a dark suit or uniform and a cap, which witnesses describe as looking like an old-fashioned railroad conductor's cap. When encountered and approached by the living, this specter silently retreats to the ground floor and into the wall of the 90-degree corner of the hotel. When the hotel first opened, the ground floor was encircled by retail shops and businesses - including the Rock Island Railroad ticket office in that same corner.



THE STANLEY HOTEL
333 Wonderview Avenue, Estes Park
Well known as inspiration for the Stephen King novel, "The Shining" this Colorado hotel has regularly been featured as one of America's most haunted hotels. In 1911, chief housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson was involved in an explosion that blasted her through the floor into a room one story below. The location of the explosion was repaired and converted into room 217, the same room King visited when writing "The Shining." Guests staying in room 217 often report unwanted housekeeping services, including having items put away or unpacked.
Most of the rooms in the hotel have had haunted experiences, including items moved, as well as lights turning on and off. In fact, the entire fourth floor of The Stanley Hotel (formerly the servant quarters) is quite active. Often, the sound of children playing in the halls of the Stanley can be heard, even when no children are present.

"Stanley Hotel [Estes Park, CO]" by sean hobson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

PATTERSON HISTORIC INN (FORMERLY CROKE PATTERSON MANSION)
420 E 11th Ave
The Castle Project is a documentary about the haunted history of the Croke Patterson Mansion in Capitol Hill. Filmmaker Brian Higgins documents his work as crewmembers work to transform the 124 year-old mansion into a modern bed & breakfast hotel. Most of the crew is skeptical of ghosts, but after sightings of apparitions, whispering voices and peculiar odors, they quickly realize they may not be alone in the house.

Built in 1890 by Thomas B. Croke, the red sandstone mansion is 14,000 square feet of elegant beauty. It is also said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Denver. Croke only owned the mansion for two years after selling it to Thomas M. Patterson. It wasn't until the 1970's that people began to experience strange occurrences. During renovations to the property, construction crews began to notice the work they had done the day prior was always in disarray when they returned. Thinking this the work of vandals, they left a pair of guard dogs to monitor the property overnight. When the workers returned the following day, both dogs were found dead on the sidewalk, having jumped from the third-floor window. It is said that the spirit that haunts the old mansion is that of a little girl who is buried deep in the basement floor.

Today the mansion has been transformed into the Patterson Historic Inn, an exquisite bed & breakfast hotel with modern luxuries and amenities. But the presence of paranormal activity may still remain within the walls of the old mansion and guests should think twice before taking a tour of the cellar. Sleep tight!

15 Cooking Tricks of the Trade

"Cooking up some delicious" by Kelly Sikkema is licensed under CC BY 2.0

With the holidays quickly approaching, you will undoubtedly be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. You don’t have to be a trained chef to be a good cook, but it is very easy to burn or over-season meals, among other minor kitchen snafus. Regardless of how skilled or experienced of a chef you are (that’s what the internet is for), be sure to keep these tips from House Beautiful in mind, and your meal cannot go wrong!

1. Master mise en place.

This might be the most important tip of all. “Mise en place” is French for “everything in place.” What it means to a chef? Before you cook, have everything measured, peeled, chopped, pans greased, etc. and within reach. This will keep you from running around looking for the dried basil while your sauce is on the brink of burning.

2. A sharp knife is essential.

Sharpen it on a regular basis and hone in between sharpening. Dull knives are dangerous and make cutting much more difficult.

3. Taste as you go.

You should know what the dish tastes like before serving it. Sometimes a little more salt or a dash of spice brings perfection. Which brings us to the next tip…

4. Salt as you go.

Don’t be afraid of salt! Since you’re cooking a fresh meal instead of eating a packaged one, you’re starting out with much less sodium to begin with.

5. But lose the salt shaker.

Use a small bowl of kosher salt and add pinches as you cook and taste. It’s easier to control the amount and ensures even coverage.

6. Tongs are an extension of your hand.

Walk into any restaurant kitchen and you’ll see a set of tongs in almost every cook’s hand — usually gripped low down on the handle for maximum control. Use it to flip meat, pull a pan out of the oven, stabilize a steak while slicing, the list goes on and on.

7. Put a wet paper towel under a cutting board.

Not only are cutting boards that slide on the counter annoying, they’re extremely dangerous when you’re holding a knife and trying to chop something. Wet a paper towel and lay it under the board and it won’t budge!

8. Sear chicken breast and finish in oven.

Chefs sear a piece of meat, poultry, or fish in a pan and then place it in the oven. Not only does this free up burners, it results in a much moister result.

9. Don’t overcrowd your pan.

When roasting or browning anything, the tendency is to cram as much in the pan as possible — resist! Do it in smaller batches instead. Crowding the pan leads to steaming and lowers the temperature of the pan so you won’t get the caramelization you’re looking for — and that’s where the flavor is.

10. Cook with a 1:1 ratio of butter and oil.

Oil stops the butter from burning and the butter adds richness to the dish.

11. Cut the ends off onions, tomatoes, cantaloupe, etc.

Pretty much do this for any other food that does not stay stable on the cutting board to make a flat surface. This allows you to have complete control of the item as you chop.

12. When baking, only mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Over-mixing causes toughness by developing gluten in the flour. For light and fluffy cupcakes, only mix until the batter’s come together.

13. Your broiler is basically an upside down grill.

Use it for more than storage!

14. Don’t forget the power of your nose.

If something in the oven smells done but the timer’s still ticking, check on it.

15. Clean as you go.

This simple tip makes a world of difference. Wipe down your cutting board in between items. Not only is it hard to chop something that is swimming in tomato juices, it’s unsafe to chop on a wet surface.

Turn Your Bathroom Into a Spa

After a long day at work, sometimes coming home and collapsing onto the couch just doesn’t help you to de-stress. But imagine if you had your own mini-spa right in your apartment bathroom! Some simple re-decorating is all it takes to turn your bathroom into your oasis. Use these tips from Apartment Therapy to get started.

"giant bathtub" by Erica Nicol is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

1. Enclose it

Part of the joy of a spa is that ability to take a break from life — to step away from the stresses and just focus on you. So consider a way to create a barrier between you, your bathroom and the rest of the world. It could be an extra lovely/dramatic shower curtain. It could be a curtain that you place over the door for an extra barrier. It could be big plants that partially obscure the rest of your bathroom from say, your tub. Get creative to think of a way you can enclose yourself to feel protected and a little bit transported.

2. Consider the presentation

As you can imagine, bath salts, yummy-smelling soaps and other treats for your body are a great way to treat yourself to a spa day. But don't just line them up unceremoniously on your bathroom counter. Think about the presentation. Put products in lovely containers you like handling. If you have a tub, consider splurging on a lovely-to-you bathtub caddy that you can slip into a warm bath under.

3. Add something surprising

Maybe it's a piece of art in your shower (or something more practical). Maybe it's a giant mirror in a weird spot. Perhaps it's just a bouquet of flowers on the edge of your tub. Just add something that will surprise you and perhaps transport you to a feeling of relaxation.

4. Consider all your senses

Start with neutralizing the things that might stress you out first. Loud noises from construction down the street or neighbors? Include white noise or soothing music to cover up sounds you don't want. Hate the overhead light in your windowless bathroom? Bring in candles.

5. Surround yourself with softness

When you're ready to leave your spa-like bathroom, take that relaxation with you by surrounding yourself with softness. Make sure you step onto a plush bath mat or into fluffy slippers. Towel off from a bath or shower with an extra cozy towel. Wrap yourself in a robe.

What would you put in your spa bathroom?