What are the Best Apples to Use?

Although you can use just about any type of apple to make a delicious applesauce, many cooks prefer to use Granny Smith, Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Golden Delicious. And you don't have to use just one variety. In fact, many cooks suggest using two different types to give your applesauce additional flavor. 

Ingredients:

• 3 pound apples
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Peel and core the apples, then chop into small pieces.
2. Add all ingredients to your instant pot
3. Cover the pot and secure. 
4. Pressure cook the ingredients for five minutes on high. 
5. Allow instant pot to natural release for approximately ten minutes.
6. To release the remaining steam from your instant pot, follow the manufacturer's instructions. 
7. Carefully remove the lid from your instant pot.
8. Stir ingredients and serve.

Canning Your Homemade Applesauce

If you love applesauce, you might want to consider making extra and canning it. When canned properly, homemade applesauce can last for about a year. To can:

1. Fill properly sterilized jars with your applesauce, leaving about a half inch of space from the top.
2. Scrape down the insides of the jar and remove any air bubbles from your applesauce with a rubber spatula.
3. Wipe the rims of your jars clean.
4. Place the jars of applesauce in a water-bath canner and process for approximately 20 mintues. 

Have you been searching for a beautiful apartment community where you can enjoy Oregon's gorgeous fall days? Then, please stop by and check out our apartments in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Our community features an open park-like setting, a lovely pool, a sun deck, and a courtyard. We're sure you'll also fall in love with the vaulted ceilings and cozy fireplaces in our pet-friendly apartments. Contact us today to learn more.

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Hearty Breakfast Recipes 

Homemade Fruit and Nut Bars

Start with a batter base: Mix 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup self-rising flour, 1/2 cup water or milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 egg. 

Now the fun part: Customize your recipe! Throw in 1/2 cup fruit like dried cranberries, chopped apples, and bananas. Add 1/2 cup nuts or seeds (peanuts, sunflower seeds, etc.). Top with cinnamon to taste.

Press the dough flat into a greased pan and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut into bars when cool.

Eggy 'Muffins'

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Line it with tortillas or slices of bread, tearing them as needed to make them fit. Spoon into each muffin cooked veggies like broccoli, corn, or cherry tomatoes. Up the protein count by topping it off with cooked hamburger or black beans. Finally, bind everything together by filling the tins to the 2/3 mark with beaten eggs (about 1 egg for every 2 muffins). 

Bake at 400 degrees until eggs are set, 5-10 minutes. Then reheat and eat.

Hearty Waffles

While your greased waffle iron is heating, make the batter. Mix 1-1/2 cups self-rising flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup butter or oil, and 2 cups milk. 

Sounds like a basic waffle, right? Now it's time to make them heartier. Add 1/2 cup powdered peanut butter or your favorite protein powder (chocolate and coffee flavors work great here). You can also up the heart-healthy fiber by adding 1/2 cup mashed bananas or sweet potatoes. Blend until smooth and cook in the waffle iron. Try not to eat them all when they’re piping hot, you need to save some for breakfast!

Psst: If you don’t have a waffle iron, these also make excellent pancakes.

Hearty Breakfasts and Healthy Mountain Air

Our Lake Oswego, OR apartments offer healthy living in a gorgeous landscape. Do you want to call Kruseway Commons home? Contact us today to get started on the application process.

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With summer here, cooking on the stove or with the oven can be too hot to handle. At the same time, eating chips straight out of the bag or getting take-out every night for dinner shouldn’t be your go-to options either!

Instead, why not stay healthy with some cool (and delicious) summer salads!

Here are 3 healthy summer salad recipes you can try:

1. The Classic Wedge

For something quick, classic, and super delicious, create a wedge salad.

You’ll need a wedge of iceberg or romaine lettuce (cut lengthwise to your desired size). Put the wedge on a plate or shallow bowl, add sliced red onions, sliced radishes, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, feta cheese, bacon crumbles, fresh chives and serve with blue cheese dressing!

2. Shaved Cucumber and Feta Delight

There’s nothing more refreshing than a cucumber in the summer!

For this Greek-inspired salad, shave a few English cucumbers into strips with a peeler, add a few halved and pitted Castelvetrano olives, some sliced green onions, and a mixture of 2 parts rice vinegar to 1 part extra virgin olive oil. Toss and top with fresh feta cheese!

3. Melon Salad

And finally, for a little “salad dessert,” consider this melon salad:

Grab a melon baller, a cantaloupe, a watermelon, and a honeydew melon. Create a mixture of melon balls with these melons, and add to a bowl (about 2 to 3 cups altogether).

Next, top with the following dressing: 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, a few squeezes of fresh lime juice, salt, ground black pepper, a bit of crushed red pepper, and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

For some added flavor and crunch, add a few thinly sliced radishes and crumbled, cooked and cooled bacon.

For Healthy Summer Cooking, You Need the Right Kitchen

If you’re going to be making salads every day this summer (and why not!?), make sure you have the right kitchen to do so in. A spacious kitchen with functional and efficient appliances and tools can make all the difference.

At Kruseway Commons, our apartment kitchens are one of the biggest draws. Looking to relocate to the area? Call our offices today to see which Oswego, OR apartments floor plans are still available!

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Got a taste for fresh fish, oysters or lobster? If you’re looking for great seafood near our apartments in Lake Oswego, you will find the top choices for the very freshest a short drive away in Portland. Here are four seafood restaurants beloved by locals and out-of-towners alike!

1. Jacqueline

Rated as a top restaurant year after year, Jacqueline has a distinguished head chef that specializes in fresh seafood dishes with a Scandinavian twist. Their extensive menu features dishes such as smoked sablefish and chanterelle and oyster frisee. However, they are best known for featuring a native west coast stew cioppino, which is a tomato-based soup filled with clams, crab claws, smoked oysters and mussels.

2. La Moule

Just outside of Lake Oswego, OR you will find La Moule, an up-and-coming seafood restaurant with a diverse menu featuring seafood dishes like no other. In the mood for a buttered lobster BLT? Craving a mixed seafood platter with scallops, shellfish and shrimp? You can’t go wrong at La Moule, where the depth of their seafood’s flavor easily rivals the sea it came from.

3. Paiche

Many say Paiche should change its name to ceviche, because they are widely known for making the absolute best that Portland has ever known. In fact, they offer several varieties of ceviche daily! Chef Luis de Cossio hails from Peru, and takes great pride in seeing to every detail before your food hits the table. Of course, their menu offers much more than impressive ceviche and their daily specials are out of sight!

4. Olympia Oyster Bar

Have you ever had an oyster involving phyllo and yuzu strands? If not, you should head to Olympia Oyster Bar to indulge in those creations and others, doled out by the restaurant's newest head chef. On weekdays, they feature a shakshouka and chilaquiles brunch and feature an amazing happy hour with oyster specials and incredible cocktails. This neighborhood establishment is quickly becoming a hot spot for people looking for the freshest oysters on the west coast.

Looking for Lake Oswego Apartments?

If you are looking for welcoming and comfortable Lake Oswego apartments, give us a call at Kruseway Commons to inquire about our available units today!

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Select a Variety of Cheeses

Cheeses come in a large variety of flavors and textures, so include the ones that best complement the other culinary aspects of your gathering. If you're hosting a wine tasting with a focus on Pacific Northwest white wines, for instance, keep the cheeses fairly white and light so they won't clash with the wines. If you're serving a rich red meat roast as an entrée at a dinner party, make sure your cheese board has plenty of hearty cheddar cheese. However, always keep in mind that extremely heavy, strong-smelling cheeses may overpower others if they are placed in too close proximity to them, so keep your strong cheeses confined to a separate plate.

Use a Separate Knife for Each Cheese

Always ensure that each type of cheese is provided with its own cheese knife that is kept separate from the others. Be sure to have sharp knives such as paring knives for aged, hard cheeses. If you don't have special cheese knives for soft cheeses, use butter knives. You should also label each cheese so that guests don't have to keep asking you what they are. 

Provide Accompaniments 

Even the best cheeses should be served with accompaniments such as nuts, honeys, breads, fruit, and crackers. These provide texture, flavor, and interest, so be sure to have plenty on hand. You can also have a selection of cured meats, smoked salmon, and condiments such as gourmet mustard and berry preserves—don't be afraid to be creative. You'll have plenty of local ingredients, including hazelnuts, fruit compotes, and smoked salmon to choose from. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us at your earliest convenience for more information about our community and floor plans! 

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Tasty n Alder

Fusion food with an Asian flair is exceptional at Tasty n Alder. Eggs are prominently featured in many dishes. For brunch, give the potatoes bravas a try to enjoy the same tallow flavor as the tallow fries. The Korean fried chicken with kimchi and pickled cucumbers on the brunch menu almost tops the dinner menu's octopus dish, although both are tasty. 

Whiskey Soda Lounge

Relax in this waiting area bar with its own name while you wait for your reservation at Pok Pok. Whiskey Soda Lounge has you covered for breakfast on the weekends. Poached eggs may look a little different served over rice porridge.

Jacqueline

$1 happy hour oysters create a buzz for Jacqueline around the Portland area. Known as an eclectic and homey seafood place, you'll enjoy the seared scallops over blackened cabbage with a bacon dashi broth. Large groups will get their fill with the whole trout roasted on a cedar plank.

Autentica

Chef Oswald Bibiano is the master behind Autentica's higher-end Mexican cuisine. Catch the pozole on Thursdays. It is a spicy pork stew with hominy. Enjoy huevos rancheros, the restaurant's version of fried eggs in red chicken broth. The torta huevo frito is a breakfast torta worth your time.

Andina Restaurant

At its heart, Andina strives to build connections between guests, Peruvian cuisine, and culture. Blending Peruvian and American cultures has given people a chance to experience Peru, according to the bounty of the Northwest. 

Mother's Bistro & Bar

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are taken to another level at Mother's. Made from scratch, the comfort food at this eatery hits the spot. A different macaroni and cheese is served daily. From biscuits to pot roast and chicken dumplings, Chef Lisa Schroeder perfects the classics. A new Mother of the Month (M.O.M.) is selected each month and has her dishes offered on Mother's menu.

At Kruseway Commons, our Lake Oswego apartments are conveniently located to allow community members access to Portland's top-rated restaurants. Whether you need breakfast, lunch or dinner, Portland has you covered. Contact us today to learn more about our available floor plans!

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