Blog Posts

Amazing Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Ice cream is the perfect summer treat to help you cool off on a hot summer day here in Arlington, VA. It is also surprisingly easy to make! Try making your own ice cream this month at your Randolph Towers apartment. We are sharing a few recipes that sound incredibly delicious. Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Icing Swirl This incredible ice cream recipe comes from The Cookie Rookie . If you are a fan of red velvet cake, you are sure to love this delicious ice cream. To make it, you will need cream cheese, heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, cocoa powder, red food coloring, salt, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Graham Cracker Ice Cream This ice cream is loaded with cinnamon graham crackers. The recipe comes from Dessert for Two and calls for the following ingredients: cinnamon graham crackers, whole milk, powdered gelatin, cream cheese, heavy cream, salt, and light brown sugar. Mix in some chocolate syrup and mini marshmallows and you’ve got s’mores ice cream! No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream This recipe comes from Julie Blanner and takes ordinary ice cream to a whole new level of creaminess. Ingredients needed include fresh or frozen strawberries, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, half and half, and crushed graham crackers. Salted Pretzel Ice Cream with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Allow yourself to indulge by making this recipe from Cake over Steak . You will need the following ingredients: whole milk, small salted pretzels, eggs, sugar, dark chocolate, and peanut butter. This ice cream is both sweet, salty, and has a satisfying crunch. No Churn Cookies and Cream Ice Cream This recipe is perfect for a hot July day and so simple to make. It comes from Kirbie Cravings . You’ll need heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and Oreo cookies. Whip the heavy cream then add the condensed milk and crushed oreos. Pour into a pan and freeze overnight. This recipe is sure to please everyone. Have you ever made your own ice cream? Share your tips and recipes with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post. We hope you have a fantastic summer!

Patriotic Movies to Watch This 4th of July

Independence Day is just days away and the Randolph Towers Blog wants to help you celebrate. If you’re not big on bracing the crowds and enjoying the festivities around Arlington, VA and the surrounding areas, then try having a movie night at your apartment and watching one of these great patriotic movies. Independence Day (1996) — Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive. American Sniper (2014) — Action, Biography, Drama Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind. Pearl Harbor (2001) — Action, Drama, History A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941. The Patriot (2000) — Action, Drama, History It is 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian war hero who is haunted by his past, now wants nothing more than to live peacefully on his small plantation, and wants no part of a war with the most powerful nation in the world, Great Britain. A Few Good Men (1992) — Drama, Thriller In this dramatic courtroom thriller, LT Daniel Kaffee, a Navy lawyer who has never seen the inside of the courtroom, defends two stubborn Marines who have been accused of murdering a colleague. We Were Soldiers (2002) — Action, Drama, History The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War, and the soldiers on both sides that fought it, while their wives wait nervously and anxiously at home for the good news or the bad news. Do you have a favorite patriotic movie? Let us know in the comments. We hope you have a wonderful Independence Day no matter how you choose to celebrate.

Summer Grilling Tips

Summer has arrived here in Arlington, VA and it is the perfect time to fire up the grills in the private courtyard here at Randolph Towers. Before you start grilling though, take a moment to review the grilling tips we are featuring in today’s blog post. Preheat the Grill Preheat your grill 15 to 25 minutes before you start cooking to make sure it reaches the right temperature (and to kill any bacteria). Your grill should be 400-450°F for high, 350-400°F for medium-high, 300-350°F for medium and 250-300°F for low heat. A properly heated grill sears foods on contact, keeps the insides moist, and helps prevent sticking. While searing doesn’t “seal in” the juices (contrary to popular belief), it does create improved flavors through caramelization. Brush off Debris It’s easier to remove debris when the grill is hot, so after preheating, use a long-handled wire grill brush on your grill rack to clean off charred debris from prior meals. Scrape again immediately after use. Reduce Sticking Even on a clean grill, lean foods may stick when placed directly on the rack. Reduce sticking by oiling your hot grill rack with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel: hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) Separate Raw and Cooked Meat Food safety is a top priority, so keep these simple rules from the USDA in mind: avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards, utensils and platters for raw and cooked foods; refrigerate foods while marinating; and never baste with the marinating liquid. (Make extra marinade just for basting or boil your marinating liquid first.) Better Homes & Gardens has a few more grilling tips you should also check out. We hope you found these tips helpful and that you get the chance to use the outdoor grills in our apartment community sometime this summer.

Grilling Recipes

Welcome back to the Randolph Towers Blog! In our last post, we shared a few summer grilling tips. In this post, we are continuing our grilling theme and sharing a few recipes for the grill. Utilize the outdoor grills available at our apartment community to make some delicious food for a summer barbecue or picnic here in Arlington, VA. Spicy Glazed Shrimp & Vegetable Kebabs This recipe comes from My Recipes. Here is everything you will need to make them: wooden skewers, honey, spicy brown mustard, jumbo shrimp, Caribbean jerk seasoning, olive oil, salt, black pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, and red bell pepper. Smoky Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges With only four ingredients, these sweet potatoes are about as easy of a side dish as it gets. All you will need is sweet potatoes, vegetable oil, fresh cilantro, and homemade southwestern pork rub . The recipe comes from Good Life Eats . Cheddar Bacon Ranch Corn This grilled corn on the cob recipe from Delish is life changing! You will need the following ingredients: butter, ranch seasoning, ground black pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, cooked bacon, chives, and ranch dressing (for drizzling). Grilled Parmesan Garlic Asparagus This grilled asparagus recipe from The Recipe Critic is super simple to make and incredibly flavorful! You will need fresh asparagus, olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Grilled Strawberry and Basil Dessert Pizza This dessert pizza is made on the grill! The recipe comes from Ready Set Eat and calls for the following ingredients: fresh strawberries, honey, granulated sugar, fresh basil, cream cheese, whipped topping, and ready to bake pizza dough. Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream For another delicious dessert option, try out these soft and warm grilled peaches. This recipe comes from What’s Gaby Cooking . You’ll need ripe peaches and nectarines, canola oil, vanilla ice cream, honey, and sea salt. Grill the peaches face down, then top with the ice cream, honey, and sea salt. What are your favorite summer grilling recipes? Share them with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post. Have fun putting your grilling skills to the test this summer!

Suggestions for Your Next Game Night

Welcome back to the Randolph Towers Blog! In our last post, we shared to basics you need to know to throw a game night at your apartment. In connection with our last post, we are now sharing a few game suggestions to play at your next game night here in Arlington, VA. Read on to find out a little about each game. Betrayal at House on the Hill Betrayal at House on the Hill quickly builds suspense and excitement as players explore a haunted mansion of their own design, encountering spirits and frightening omens that foretell their fate. With an estimated one hour playing time, Betrayal at House on the Hill is ideal for parties, family gatherings or casual fun with friends. Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to build their own haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating a new thrilling game board every time. The game is designed for three to six people, each of whom plays one of six possible characters. Pandemic In Pandemic , several virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world! The players are disease-fighting specialists whose mission is to treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of four plagues before they get out of hand. The game board depicts several major population centers on Earth. On each turn, a player can use up to four actions to travel between cities, treat infected populaces, discover a cure, or build a research station. A deck of cards provides the players with these abilities, but sprinkled throughout this deck are Epidemic! cards that accelerate and intensify the diseases' activity. A second, separate deck of cards controls the "normal" spread of the infections. The Chameleon A bluffing deduction game for everyone. Each round involves two missions, depending on whether you’re the Chameleon or not. Mission 1: You are the Chameleon. No one knows your identity except you. Your mission is the blend in, not get caught and to work out the Secret Word. Mission 2: You are not the Chameleon. Try to work out who the Chameleon is without giving away the Secret Word . Do you have any game night suggestions for us? Share them in the comments so we can check them out. Thanks for reading our post!

Hosting a Game Night in Your Apartment

Hosting a game night at your Randolph Towers apartment is a great way to have a good time with some friends! In today’s Blog post, we will be sharing the basics that you need to know to throw a memorable and fun game night here in Arlington, VA. Choosing the Best Games When planning a game night, it’s important to keep in mind the players. Unless you’re planning your evening around a group that all loves one type of game, it’s a good idea to have a variety that people can choose from. The last thing you want is to have a game that takes an hour to explain, or for someone to be left out because they can’t play or don’t want to play a certain type of game. So choosing simple word or card games is always a good idea due to the high number of players that can join a game. Food and Drinks Establish beforehand if you will be providing food and drinks. We suggest keeping it simple with a few low mess snacks that are easy to eat while you play. You might want to avoid greasy or sticky foods as they can get on the cards or game pieces and make for an uncomfortable playing experience for everyone. Provide napkins and hand sanitizer to your guests to avoid a disaster. Another option would be to ask your guests to bring an appetizer or snack to share and make it a potluck-style game night! Seating and Space Make sure you have enough comfortable seating for everyone. You might need to rearrange some furniture to make enough space or to allow everyone to sit near each other, but don’t worry, you can just move it back later. Odds are people will be sitting quite a bit during the evening, so get something that you’d feel comfortable sitting on for a few hours. Keep plenty of pillows available, too! And there you have it! Those are the basics that you need to know when hosting a game night at your apartment. What other game night tips do you have to add? Share them with us in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!