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January 30, 2018

Just in time for the big game… Kim’s Hot Tot Kabobs!

Property Geek Kim isn’t a native Minnesotan. But she’s been in the Twin Cities long enough to have learned a couple of things:

  1. Minnesotans love their tater tots, and…
  2. They’ll try just about anything on a stick.

So, in honor of the big game, she’s decided to share a recipe for one of her family’s new favorites:

Hot Tot Kabobs

These taters on a stick are super quick to make and will easily feed a crowd. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Frozen Tater Tots
  • Finely Shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese
  • Bacon Bits or several strips of cooked Bacon (chopped into bits)
  • Sour Cream
  • Chives
  • Skewers

Cook the tater tots according to package directions. Once done, let them cool for a few minutes until you can touch them.

Thread tater tots onto skewers and place onto a cookie sheet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top the tater kabobs with bacon bits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle cheese over the tots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese melts.

Transfer to a serving platter & garnish with sour cream and chives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These Hot Tot Kabobs will be a hit just the way they are, but if you want to mix it up a bit, try the following variations:

  • Use Mexican cheese, chopped jalapenos and serve with salsa for dipping.
  • Sprinkle dry ranch seasoning over tots when cooking and serve with ranch dressing.
  • For a “healthier” slant, sprinkle chopped cooked broccoli over the tots before you add the cheese.
  • Try adding a little chili, then cheese and serve with sour cream for dipping.

 

We can’t promise your team will win on Sunday, but we CAN promise you’ll end up with a platter that looks like this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s your favorite snack to take to a game watch party?

By The Property Geeks
Divided by football
September 19, 2017

An Office Divided… by Football

Typically, The Property Geeks get along. But we’ve found that there’s one thing that divides us, even more than the Diet Pepsi versus Diet Coke debate.

Football.

And the rivalry is coming to a head this Friday at the annual Lakeville North versus Lakeville South football game.

There’s no doubt The Property Geeks love Lakeville.

 

But when it comes to which local high school football team to support, we’re split right down the middle. Half of us live within the boundaries for Lakeville North, and half of us are closer to Lakeville South. The rivalry is real, but friendly, pitting cheers of “North or None” against “South For Life” within the office on a weekly basis.

Lakeville Football

It wasn’t always that way. Up until 2005, fans of Lakeville football didn’t have to pick sides. But then Lakeville South High School opened, pitting the new Cougars against their established hometown rivals, the Lakeville North Panthers. Recently, we had a chance to talk to both Brian Vossen, head coach of Lakeville North, and Tyler Krebs, the new head coach of Lakeville South.

Both coaches attended Lakeville North back when it was just known as Lakeville High School, although they were a few years apart. Both played under coach Larry Thompson who will be honored at this year’s game. Both love living in Lakeville. But one thing that sets them apart is that Coach Vossen has always been at North, while Coach Krebs spent time playing as a Panther, but now sports the Cougar logo.

When asked about how he feels about Lakeville football, Coach Vossen says “It’s hard because I’ve never been a Cougar.”

Even his mentor, Coach Thompson, has spent time at both schools, first as a Panther at Lakeville High and then moving to Lakeville South to start that program when the new school opened.

Some things have stayed the same between the schools. Local parents can attest to the fact the sparkly Homecoming pants are still a big tradition. When South opened, they installed a spirit rock, similar to the one that has sat outside north for years.

But the schools also have some traditions that set them apart. North adopted the slogan “North or None” which actually originated from an email address of one of Vossen’s players, a sophomore linebacker. Coach Vossen says sometimes the tag line is misunderstood. It’s not about how great North is. It means “doing everything you can to improve your program — don’t let anything distract you.” South’s slogan “South for Life” supports a similar message. According to Coach Krebs, “Once you’re a South student athlete, you always will be.”

No matter where your loyalties lie, there’s no doubt it will be a big game for both schools.

 

“As exciting as it is for the community, for the kids we try to keep it about the game,” Coach Vossen says. “We’re not doing anything different for this game than we would for any other. The kids are super lucky to get to play in front of a community that’s so supportive.”

So who will come out ahead? North or South?

“I’m sure over the course of a hundred years it’ll be even,” says Coach Vossen. Coach Krebs agrees. “When the schools split, South won a lot. Now North is on a roll. We’ve got some work to do.”

In addition to the game, it will be an important night for Lakeville football. Coach Krebs says he’s excited that they’ll have a chance to honor Coach Thompson this Friday. “His legacy is still going on in both of our schools.”

It’s also Tackle Cancer Night for Lakeville North. They’ll be raising money for the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Memorial Fund. Minnesota high schools have been participating in the program by collecting donations at a home game during the season. Lakeville South participated last week in their home win against Burnsville. Last year the program raised over $281,000 for cancer research right here in Minnesota.

Who will you be cheering for this Friday? Coach Vossen is standing behind his Lakeville North Panthers and Coach Krebs is pushing for his Lakeville South Cougars. The Property Geeks will likely still be divided. But one thing’s for sure, we’re all united when it comes to our love of the Lakeville community.

By The Property Geeks
Mini Apple Pies
September 14, 2017

Autumn & Afton’s Mini Apple Pies

School has started and around here that means two things… football season is upon us and it’s time to head to the apple orchards. Luckily, we’re surrounded by fantastic options for both. Lakeville is home to two stellar high school football programs – the Lakeville North Panthers and the Lakeville South Cougars. We’ll talk about the rivalry between them next week.

We’ve also got more than our fair share of apple orchards in the area. A couple of our favorites are right down the road…

Applewood Orchards has pick-your-own apples, raspberries and pumpkins and even hayrides on the weekends. According to their website they’re already well into the 2017 harvest and ready for visitors to the apple orchard and corn maze.

Thompson’s Hillcrest Orchard is just south of Lakeville in Elko, Minnesota. They’ve began planting in 1996 and now grow 10 varieties of apples on more than 1100 trees. They sell pumpkins, gourds, pies, jams, and pre-picked apples in addition to offering pick-your-own.

Nelson’s Apple Farm in Webster offers over twenty-five varieties of apples, either pre-picked or pick-your-own. Their gift shop offers unique specialty food items including the famous Apple Dandies served piping hot. On weekends they have hayrides and their resident goats are always up for visitors and a photo opp or two.

For more local orchards, check out Local Harvest.

Once you’ve got your apples, you need to know what to do with them! One of the girls’ favorite recipes is homemade Mini Apple Pies. Autumn and Afton did a great job demonstrating and the full recipe is printed below:

 

Autumn & Afton’s Mini Apple Pies

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg Ready Made Refrigerated Pie Crust
  • 2 Large or 3 Medium Apples
  • 1 Stick of Butter (plus extra for greasing pan)
  • Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a standard cookie sheet and set aside.
  2. Unroll pie crust onto a clean surface then slice in half so you have two half-circle pieces from each crust. Let it come to room temperature.
  3. Peel, core and slice the apples. (The thinner the slices, the better.)
  4. Cut sticks of butter into thin slices.
  5. Move a half-circle of dough onto the cookie sheet.
  6. Assemble pie by layering apples, a few pats of butter, a generous (about 1 TBSP) spoonful of sugar, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
  7. Fold dough over the top of the apple stack, enclosing the filling.
  8. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the top.
  9. Bake at 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes.
  10. Enjoy!!!

We hope you enjoy the pies. For an extra special treat, try them with vanilla ice cream on the side! What are your favorite apple recipes? Please share with us in the comments!

By The Property Geeks