Blog Posts

September Scones

Here at the Biscayne Shores Blog, we have decided that September is for scones. Scones are the perfect treat that is not too sweet, but filling enough to satisfy you and keep you from continuing to snack. Bake some scones this September in your lovely Miami, FL apartment kitchen. Read on for some satisfying scone recipes! Cranberry Orange Scones “Tart, chewy dried cranberries and sweet orange glaze add a burst of fresh flavour to these moist and scrumptious scones.” You’ll need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange zest, unsalted butter, eggs, heavy cream, dried cranberries, milk, powdered sugar, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Maple Oat Nut Scones “A delectable coffee and maple icing finishes off these buttery pecan and oat scones for a perfect for brunch.” Make them with flour, old-fashioned oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, pecans, heavy cream, maple extract, and an egg. For the frosting, you’ll need powdered sugar, whole milk, unsalted butter, brewed coffee, and maple extract. When finished top your frosted scones with chopped pecans (optional). Blueberry, Lemon and Brie Scones “The perfect combination of sweet and savoury, these tasty scones are bursting with fresh blueberries and melted brie cheese.” Make them with milk, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, frozen or dried blueberries, and Canadian brie. Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones These homemade vegan chocolate chip scones are also egg-free, low-fat, and cholesterol free so go ahead, indulge guilt-free! Use flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vegan margarine, dairy-free chocolate chips, soy milk, and egg replacer. Strawberry Almond Scones These scones are fruity, sweet, and perfectly moist. Use flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, butter, heavy cream, strawberries, and pure almond extract. The recipe works best with fresh strawberries, but frozen strawberries will also work. Jammy Scones These scones remind us of thumbprint cookies but bigger! These sweet jam-filled scones are the perfect mid-day treat. Ingredients include flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, shortening, evaporated milk, eggs, and strawberry jam. Make the glaze using powdered sugar and lemon juice. Feel free to replace the strawberry jam with your favorite flavor of jam. What are your favorite kinds of scones? Share your favorite scone recipes with us in the comments so we can try them out. Thanks for reading our post!

Snack Recipes for National Peanut Day

September 13th is National Peanut Day , so here at the Biscayne Shores Blog, we are celebrating by sharing some great snacks containing peanuts, in one form or another. Keep reading for some tasty snacks that will help you develop a greater appreciation for peanuts. Peanut Butter Popcorn The perfect movie-watching snack! All you need to make it is popped popcorn, butter or margarine, brown sugar, peanut butter, and large marshmallows. This snack has a great flavor combination of sweet & salty going on. Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars Combine quick-cooking oats, protein powder, whole wheat flour, ground flaxseed, peanut butter, honey, and bananas to make this great tasting, protein-packed, energy bar! So long chalky tasting store-bought protein bars! Peanut Butter-Chocolate No-Bake Cookies Whoever thought of the combination of peanut butter and chocolate was a genius. These no-bake cookies are super easy to make, plus you probably already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry! All you need is rolled oats, peanut butter, vanilla extract, salt, butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder. You won’t be able to stop munching on these chocolatey-peanut buttery treats! Soft Peanut Brittle Use creamy peanut butter, sugar, light corn syrup, water, butter, peanuts (raw or roasted), baking soda, and vanilla to make this softer, yet equally delicious version of classic peanut brittle. Enjoy the rich nutty taste without having to worry about chipping a tooth. Chocolate Peanut Clusters These nutty clusters are so smooth and chocolatey. They are simple to make with just four ingredients: dry roasted peanuts, milk chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, and chopped up white candy coating. Melt the chocolate and candy coating in a saucepan until smooth and melted, cool for ten minutes and stir in the peanuts. Use a large spoon to scoop spoonfuls onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate the clusters until they are firm. Enjoy! What are your favorite peanut-included snacks to make in your Miami, Florida apartment? Share the recipes with us in the comments so we can try them! Thanks for reading our post!

Tips for Finding a Great Book

In honor of August 9th being Book Lover’s Day , the Biscayne Shores Blog is sharing some ways to help you to find a great book and get reading. Soak up some sunshine and read outside on your beautiful, newly revamped balcony to enjoy the Miami weather and scenery, or head inside to read from the comfort of your air conditioned apartment. Keep reading for some great resources for finding your next book! The Book Seer Visit this site and type in the title and author of the last book you read (and enjoyed) into the boxes that appear and press the arrow. The site will generate a list of suggestions of books that are similar and that you will probably enjoy if you enjoyed the one you just read. GoodReads GoodReads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Use the site to browse books by genre, ask for recommendations, and see what others have to say about the books you are considering. You can also put titles on a “to-read” list and review the ones you’ve read. Nobel Prize Winners Books that have won a nobel prize in literature have been recognized for their literary genius, originality, and poetic style. Picking a Nobel Prize-winning book definitely improves your chances of discovering a well-written, quality read. Public Library With three public libraries near you, just head on over, bring your library card or sign up for one at no cost. Then browse the shelves or the library’s online catalog. If you need help finding a particular book or want some book suggestions, ask a librarian. They are always more than willing to help and have lots of knowledge to share. Reading Lists You can also search for reading lists like this Ultimate Summer Reading List from Real Simple , or this list from GoodReads on books to read before you die . Or create your own reading list in the notes section on your phone so whenever you see a book you want to read you can add it right away. Summer is the perfect time for reading, so put our tips to use and find yourself a great, captivating new book that will spark your creativity and keep your mind active. What great books have you read recently? Share your recommendations with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Revamp Your Patio Space

There are all sorts of tips out there for decorating your apartment, but we are here to give you some great tips on decorating an often overlooked and underutilized part of your apartment: your outdoor patio or balcony area, which opens you up to the beauty and brightness of Miami. In this Biscayne Shores Blog post we will provide you with some basic ideas and tips for making your patio space as well decorated as the rest of your apartment. Start with the Floor The floor of your outdoor patio is probably made of gray concrete or unappealing tile. Sweep and make sure your patio floor is clean, and then add some fun colors and patterns! Find some easy-to-clean patterned outdoor rugs at Bed Bath and Beyond available in several different sizes. Remember to measure first to ensure you get the perfect sized rug for your outdoor space. Add Comfortable Furniture Find the perfect cozy outdoor furniture to lounge in as you read a book while enjoying the warm, sunny Florida weather. Buy outdoor furniture that already have cushions or find your own favorite colored or patterned cushions to add. Consider one of these daybeds from HayNeedle perfect for outdoor naps! Add Lights Adding some twinkling lights can turn your patio into a great evening and nighttime hangout space while also adding a great ambiance to your home. String up sparkling lights from Party Lights or find the perfect outdoor lamp or lanterns , for example, from Front Gate. Use Flowers or Plants Plants produce oxygen and add a calming feel to any space, so why not consider adding some to your patio? Or, if you want, turn your entire patio into a thriving outdoor garden. Need suggestions for plants to grow on your patio? Read this article from CafeMom highlighting plants that are easy to grow on your patio for ideas. Add Your Personal Touch Part of what makes decorating your patio or balcony area so much fun is the fact that you get to be the designer! Give it your own personal twist. The whole purpose is to create a space you enjoy and are proud of. So have some fun and flaunt your unique taste! We hope you gained ideas on how to revamp your apartment’s outdoor patio or balcony area. Have fun with it and redecorate as often as you like. Thanks for reading our post! Share any fun and creative ideas for decorating your outdoor space you have with us in the comments.

Celebrate National Hot Dog Month

Summer is the perfect time for hot dogs, and July is National Hot Dog Month . To help you celebrate, here are a few fun recipes, ideas, and restaurants near you to try out this summer. We hope that you have a great month here in Miami, FL! Take a celebratory trip to one of your local Miami restaurants that serve specialty hot dogs. Check out the Dogma Grill known for their beef, turkey and veggie franks with some very unique topping options to choose from. Or visit Arbetter’s Hot Dogs for a chili dog, corn dog, or some delicious chili cheese fries in a fun retro-style atmosphere to get you into the holiday spirit. If you enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes, check out some of the following unique twists on the classic hot dog brought to you by the Food Network . Keep it classic with these grilled link hot dogs with homemade pickle relish or give your hot dogs a little twist with this nacho dog recipe. Or if you like a little bit of kick, try out this chipotle chili cheese dog recipe . Basically, the possibilities are endless. If you’re feeling super gung-ho about National Hot Dog Month, you could even try out a different recipe for every day! You could even hold a hot dog cook-off with some of your friends rewarding silly prizes for different categories such as most creative, spiciest, and overall best flavor. Celebrate the depth of your love for hot dogs with all sorts of hot dog themed decor . Or express your love for hot dogs without words with one of these hot dog themed t-shirts . However you choose to celebrate is up to you, we won’t judge. Share any of your own ideas with us on how to best celebrate National Hot Dog Month in the comments below. Thanks for reading the Biscayne Shores Blog!

Fun Roadtrip Games To Play In The Car

Road trips are great opportunities to make fun memories with your family or friends. However, it is easy to become restless or bored when you are stuck in a car for several hours at a time. Here are a few entertaining games to play in the car to keep your mind sharp and occupied. The Song Game The song game is both entertaining and fun. You’ll want to turn off your radio. Don’t worry if you aren’t a great singer, that actually adds to the fun. How to play: Someone begins the game by singing part of a song, any song. From the what they just sang they choose a word and then one of other players have to come up with a different song with the same word in it and sing it back. (You must sing at least 7 different consecutive words, including the chosen word, for your song to count.) The person who responded first then picks a new word from what they just sang and they continue this cycle. If the players get stumped and can’t think of a song with the chosen word they can challenge whoever picked the word. The person challenged must then sing a new song that also contains the word they picked. The Alphabet Game This one works great if there are lots of road signs, billboards, or you are driving through lots of populated towns/cities. There are several versions of this game and the rules can be tweaked as necessary. Each person or each team, if you are playing on teams, looks for words on the road signs, billboards, etc. that start with every letter of the alphabet. However, they must start at the beginning of the alphabet and continue in alphabetical order. The only modifications to this being that if you find a word starting with the letter ‘q’ you can check that one off anytime and that a word does not have to start with ‘x’, it just has to have ‘x’ in it. The first one to get through the entire alphabet wins. The same word on the same sign cannot be used by more than one player or team, so speed and great eyesight are advantages. The Cow Game This game is fun if you happen to be driving through places with lots of cattle. However, it involves a lot of counting and adding, so a calculator or a pen and paper to keep track of your points would be beneficial. This is a good two-person game or two-team game. Each person or team gets a side of the road and counts all the cows on that side. The person/team with the most cows at the end of the trip wins. However, if there is a cemetery on your side of the road, you lose all your cows and have to start over. Also if there is a church on your side of the road, then you double your amount of cows. Share your favorite road trip games with us in the comments! Thanks for reading the Biscayne Shores Blog! We hope that you have a great month here in Miami, FL!