Thank you to all the residents that came to the National Night Out/Neighborhood Watch kickoff event we hosted. For those of you that missed it, we would like to extend an invitation to join the Faith Landing Neighborhood Watch! Here are few tips to help make the property safer and to protect yourself and your belongings. Personal Safety Know your neighbors, and don’t give out their information to strangers Be aware and alert of your surroundings when you leave home Use the peephole to view people at your front door, know who is coming to your apartment Burglary Prevention Use the dead bolt on the doors, locking doors and windows limit the chance of entry Never hide a key under door mats or potted plants Close drapes or blinds at night Protect Your Car Always lock your car! Don’t leave personal items or belongings in plain view Consider using a locking gas cap
Reflecting Your Style at Home
Having a home of your own is a great time to express your style as you begin decorating (or re-decorating). Starting to decorate it easy. There are so many ideas out there on seemingly endless websites. But how to you know when to sit back, relax, and stop decorating. Less is more when decorating is involved and the following are great tips to help make the most of what you have: 1. Avoid having too many accessories – The fuzzy toilet lid cover and toilet lid cover serve no purpose. Ditch them and stick with a simple bath mat to dry feet. 2. Collection Overload – It’s fine to collect one type of item and display them for guests. But avoid hording and placing everything everywhere for everyone to see. Limit the collections to a small confined area. If you can’t bear to do that, rotate them so your guests aren’t overwhelmed by the accumulation of stuff. 3. Rooms can be too themey – The ocean theme may have seemed like a great idea at the time, but now everything is covered in tropical prints and pictures of lighthouses. Break up the theme with some solid comforters, pillows and curtains. 4. Bulky, uncomfortable furniture – Each room should have a variety of textures, light and dark colors, and only one big piece of furniture per room. If you are decorating a small space don’t try to fit in a huge couch, armoire and gigantic coffee table. Instead, so with a smaller more practical pieces. That big screen TV looked great in the store, but when you’re sitting less than 10 feet from it, you may regret that purchase. 5. Floating rugs – Rugs should be anchored by a piece of furniture, not just placed in the middle of the room. The bigger the room, the bigger the floor rug needs to be. The ideal rug to room look will have the furniture feet on the edge of the rug. 6. Don’t forget the windows – The blinds are not decorative, they are practical. Don’t forget to use window treatments to compliment your furnishings or bedding for an added touch.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna Ingredients 1 (8 ounce) package lasagna noodles ½ cup butter (1 stick) 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. onion powder ¼ tsp. ground black pepper 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided 1 ¾ cups warm milk 2 ½ cups rotisserie chicken, diced 8 ounces deli ham, chopped ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese ½ cup bread crumbs 1 pinch Italian seasoning, or to taste Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water until cooked through but still slightly firm to the bite (about 8 minutes). 3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When melted stir in cream cheese. It may look strange, but this is normal. Continue to cook the mixture about 5 minutes. Season with salt, onion powder and black pepper. Slowly, add in the warm milk, whisking slowly until smooth. Stir in ½ cup of Swiss cheese. 4. Bring the sauce to a simmer, whisking continually until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. 5. Spread a thin layer of cheese sauce onto the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. 6. Arrange 1/3 of the lasagna noodles over the sauce. Tear them to fit as needed. Spread half of the cooked chicken and half of the ham over the noodles. Pour 1 cup of sauce over the chicken and ham. Repeat layers starting with half of the remaining lasagna noodles, ham, chicken and one more cup of cheese sauce. Finish by layering remaining noodles, sauce, and 1/2cup Swiss cheese. Top with the bread crumbs and sprinkle the top with Italian seasoning. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the casserole is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the crumbs are browned (about 10 more minutes). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
The 13th annual Indian Creek Festival will be held September 11 and 12 in the Caldwell Downtown District from 6th to Kimball and Main to Blaine St. This two day street party will feature family fun activities, live music, dance, food, vendors, and a car show. Entry forms for the 5K to be held on 9/12 and the Cardboard Kayak competition can be found online at www.cityofcaldwell.com