Friday, January 2, 2026

Five Easy Decorating Tips for Renters

A new apartment is great because everything is clean and untouched, but it can also seem a bit impersonal. If you want to make your rental your own without making any permanent changes, these easy (and inexpensive!) tips can help.

  1. Dress up your windows. Every renter loves windows because they fill your apartment with natural light, but they can look a bit bare with just the standard issue white blinds. Add some colorful curtains, chic bamboo blinds, or patterned roller panels to give your windows your own character.
  2. Hang a gallery wall. From personalized photographs to brightly colored movie posters, a gallery wall allows you to decorate your walls with all of the things you love. Though many renters think that they can’t hang frames because of the nail holes, there are a number of removable frame hanging tools that won’t puncture the walls.
  3. Add some greenery. Not only do plants brighten any room in your apartment, they also clean the air and make everything feel fresher. Potted succulents and cacti are especially ideal for apartments because they require less care than most other indoor plants.
  4. Experiment with creative storage. If your new apartment is lacking storage space, don’t sweat it. Line a wall with white bookshelves to make them look like built-ins, add closet organizers to maximize that small bedroom closet, or invest in multipurpose furniture pieces with hidden storage.
  5. Don’t forget the rugs. Colorful rugs add personality to every room in your apartment, and they protect the floors to keep your security deposit safe.

24 Ideas to Steal for Your Apartment [BHG]
11 Decor Ideas That Will Change Your Apartment [Huffington Post]
Design Ideas and Tips for Renters [Remodelaholic]
10 Tips on Decorating a Rental [Sunset]

BBQ Meatballs

Ingredients
•1- 1.5 pounds ground turkey
•½ cup onion, very finely minced
•1 egg
•¼ cup breadcrumbs
•1 teaspoon garlic powder
•1 teaspoon chili powder
•½ teaspoon paprika
•½ teaspoon kosher salt
•¾ cup BBQ sauce, divided
•2 tablespoons oil

Instructions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (not totally required but makes for much easier cleanup).
2. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix together all the ingredients except the BBQ sauce and oil.
3. Mix in 3-4 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce, enough to help it bind and add flavor. If you feel like your mixture is too moist add more breadcrumbs.
4. Heat the oil in the skillet.
5. Roll the turkey mixture into 1½ inch balls and drop into the heated skillet in batches (I cook about 8 at a time). Roll them around after a minute so they brown relatively evenly. Remove the browned meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and repeat until they are all browned.
6. Spoon the remaining BBQ sauce over each meatball and bake for 15-20 minutes, until they are cooked through.
7. Serve with more BBQ sauce if you're feeling saucy.

www.sugardishme.com

Philly Cheeseburger

Ingredients

For the Burger:
1 pound ground beef, divided into four patties
salt and pepper to taste
big hamburger buns
onion, sliced and grilled
bell pepper, sliced and grilled
chives, chopped

For the Beer Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 cup beer
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups sharp cheese, grated
optional: 1 tablespoons horseradish

Instructions

For the Burger:
Salt and pepper patties to taste.
Grill the onion and bell pepper. Set aside.
Grill the burgers.
While the burgers are grilling make the beer cheese sauce.
Drizzle sauce over built burgers and sprinkle with chopped chives.

For the Beer Sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in flour and mustard powder; cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes (do not brown).
Whisk in beer, bring to a simmer, then whisk in half and half.
Simmer, whisking, until thickened, 4 minutes.
Stir in grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Optional: Add horseradish.

www.ladybehindthecurtain.com

Bacon Pancakes

What You’ll Need:

10 slices Crispy Bacon, chopped
2 cups Bisquick Mix
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Vanilla

What You’ll Do:
Combine all ingredients {except bacon} in bowl and stir well.
Once well mixed, add in chopped bacon and stir well.
Pour 1/4 cup or smaller portions onto hot buttered griddle, and cook until edges are done. Flip to finish the other side and you’re done!
Drizzle with some delicious Homemade Maple Syrup!

www.thefrugalgirls.com

Blackened Chicken with Avocado Sauce

Ingredients
4 — 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup quinoa
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup scallions, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice, divided
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
¼ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
½ avocado
½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions
1. In a medium size sauce pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add quinoa, turn heat down to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, covered. When it’s finished cooking (no liquid left), stir in scallions and a 1/2 tbsp of lemon.
2. In a small bowl mix paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt and pepper. Rub all over chicken breasts.
3. Spray a large frying pan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, cook chicken for 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Tip: cover the pan while cooking.
4. Meanwhile, mix Greek yogurt, remaining lemon juice, garlic powder and avocado in a food processor.
5. To serve, place the chicken on a bed of quinoa and drizzle the sauce on top.

www.skinnymom.com

4 Inventive Side Salads to Spice Up Any Meal

Sure, a traditional salad adds extra nutrients and an additional serving of vegetables to your meal, but it certainly doesn’t add extra flavor. There are a number of more exciting ways to prepare salad, from sweet and fresh to hearty and spicy. If you want to make a truly unique side salad to complement your grilled fish or steak, you need to know which veggies, toppings, and dressings work well together. These four side salad recipes make it easy on any home chef.

Roasted Asparagus Salad with Goat Cheese and Bread Crumbs [Delish]
The earthy flavor of asparagus is offset by creamy goat cheese in this mouth-watering recipe. The bread crumbs impart an added crunch.

Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salad [Martha Stewart]
Delicious served with chips or as a topping for chicken, Martha Stewart's recipe receives added sweetness from corn.

Marinated Carrot Salad with Ginger and Sesame Oil [Food & Wine]
Ginger gives this recipe a spicy kick, while sesame oil ups the Asian fare flavor.

Orange-Pistachio Wild Rice Salad [Fitness Magazine]
Equal parts healthy and hearty, this recipe is the perfect match to your favorite meat and seafood dishes.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Try This New Tropical Snack!

Ham and Pineapple
For a low-fat snack that's sure to please, cut 1 ounce of thinly sliced deli ham into long strips and fold the slices accordion style. Skewer the folded ham slices with chunks of pineapple. Stick to 3/4 cup pineapple, and look for lower-sodium ham.

www.pinterest.com

Revolutionary Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cups dried pasta
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup loosely packed cheddar cheese, shredded by hand
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dijon mustard, can omit and substitute nutmeg instead (for either, start with a little and add more to taste)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
-In a small saucepan, add pasta and milk. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until pasta is soft, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil.

-Turn heat off, add cheese & salt, stir to combine. Stir in the mustard or nutmeg & cayenne a little at a time, to taste. Cover and let stand for a couple of minutes, then stir again and serve. If not creamy enough, add milk a little at a time, and gently stir.

-If you would like to bake it at this point, place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

-As a side dish this makes enough for 4 people with no leftovers (can easily be doubled).

www.pinterest.com

Tomato Basil Spaghetti Squash Bake

Ingredients:
About 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash
2 large garden tomatoes, sliced
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Dried Basil, Dried Parsley for sprinkling
5oz of Shredded Mexican cheese blend (separated)
Fresh Basil for garnish

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray a 11 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
  • Spread about 1 cup of spaghetti squash on the bottom.
  • Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and spices.
  • Top with 1.5 oz of cheese.
  • Add another layer of squash, then tomatoes, spices and cheese. Top with a final layer of squash.
  • Top with the last 2 oz of cheese and sprinkle with the spices one last time.
  • Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
  • Top with some fresh cut basil and cut into 6 serving sizes about 3×3 inches each.

Enjoy!

www.pinterest.com
www.knowkitchen.com

French Toast Roll-Ups

Follow the pictures to make your very own French Toast Roll-Ups!

www.pinterest.com

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