The Staycation: Using Your Vacation Time at Home

Cozy Fort

A comfy place to hang out either solo or with family is a must. Building or transforming a room into a cozy fort is great indoors, solitary activity to keep positive energy going. There’s a lot of things that can be in a cozy fort but some ideas are sheets, pillows, blow up mattresses, plants (real or fake), string lights, board games, and movies. Here’s an example of a Halloween themed cozy fort:

25 Days of Christmas on Freeform

Freeform’s traditional marathon is highlighted by some classics like Home Alone, Toy Story, and more in their entire day binge sessions. The schedule is located here.

Education Station

Our Planet | Forests

Experience our planet’s natural beauty and examine how climate change impacts all living creatures in this ambitious documentary of spectacular scope.

In this episode: Examine the fragile interdependence that exists between forests’ wide variety of residents, including bald eagles, hunting dogs and Siberian tigers.

Consciousness is perhaps the biggest riddle in nature. In the first part of this three part video series, we explore the origins of consciousness and take a closer look on how unaware things became aware.

Cancer is a creepy and mysterious thing. While we tried to understand it, to get better at killing it, we discovered a biological paradox that remains unsolved to this day: large animals seem to be immune to cancer. Which doesn’t make any sense – the bigger a being, the more cancer it should have. To understand why, we first need to take a look at the nature of cancer itself.

Follow makeup artist Lisa Eldridge and women’s beauty and fashion expert Madeleine Marsh through the history of makeup, from the Victorian era through the 1970’s. These videos tap into an interest than many of us have in the modern day, and demonstrates how the industry has changed, evolved, and how styles have changed throughout time.

PBS Space Time

PBS Space Time is a youtube channel that answers popular science questions with the realistic possibilities from a scientific perspective. They also have great production value. Here’s a classic episode on different forms of realistic interstellar travel.

DIY Terrariums

Making a cool tabletop or shelf plant home is actually pretty easy and fun. The link to some easy steps are located here.

Basically, you need activated charcoal, pebbles, a little potting soil, a glass container, and some plants. Air plants, succulents or cacti work best!

Outdoor Adventuring

Bundle up, venture out of the house (with your mask and hand sanitizer), and see nature! Here are some beautiful places to visit around us this winter and spring.

Untermyer Park and Gardens
945 N Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701

Untermyer Park and Gardens is a historic 43-acre city public park, located in Yonkers, New York in Westchester County, just north of New York City. The park is a remnant of Samuel J. Untermyer’s 150-acre estate “Greystone”.

New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Blvd, The Bronx, NY 10458

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden located at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a 250-acre (100 ha) site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a greenhouse containing several habitats; and the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, which contains one of the world’s largest collections of botany-related texts. As of 2016, over a million people visit the New York Botanical Garden annually.

Bronx Zoo (Holiday Lights)
2300 Southern Blvd, The Bronx, NY 10460

The Bronx Zoo is a zoo located within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area, and is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States by area, comprising 265 acres of park lands and naturalistic habitats separated by the Bronx River.

Teatown Lake Reservation
1600 Spring Valley Rd, Ossining, NY 10562

Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit nature preserve and environmental education center in Westchester County, New York, U.S., located in the towns of Ossining, Yorktown, Cortlandt, and New Castle. The reservation includes an 1,000-acre nature preserve and education center, visited annually by around 25,000 people.

The Joy of Painting

Secluded Bridge (Season 10 Episode 4)

What do you need to paint along?

• Oil Paint

• • Titanium White
  • Phthalo Blue
  • Prussian Blue
  • Midnight Black
  • Dark Sienna
  • Van Dyke Brown
  • Alizarin Crimson
  • Sap Green
  • Cadmium Yellow
  • Yellow Ochre
  • Indian Yellow
  • Bright Red
  • Liquid Clear

• Palette or Palette Paper
• Odorless Turpenoid and a Jar
• Paper Towels
• 24” x 24” canvas
• Easel
• Brushes/Paint Applicators
  
  
  • Palette knife 
  • 2” brush 
  • Liner brush
  • Oval Brush
  • Fan Brush

Yummy Dinners

Cajun Baked Tofu with Creamed Swiss Chard & Pickled Cauliflower

Serves 2

Prep & cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 10 oz Organic Firm Tofu
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 shallot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 oz Swiss chard
• 5.5 oz coconut milk
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 oz pickled cauliflower
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Tools

• Medium saucepan
• Baking sheet

Instructions

1. Bake the tofu

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Drain the tofu and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Cut into 1 inch cubes and transfer to a baking sheet. Toss cubed tofu with Cajun seasoning and 1 tbsp vegetable oil, and bake until crisp in places, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Prepare the produce

Peel and thinly slice the shallot. Peel and mince the garlic. Thinly slice Swiss chard leaves and stems.

3. Sauté the chard

Heat a medium saucepan with 2 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add sliced shallot, minced garlic, ⅛ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper, and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sliced Swiss chard and cook until just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Cream the Swiss chard

Add the coconut milk and nutritional yeast to the sautéed Swiss chard and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Serve

Divide the creamed Swiss chard between bowls. Top with Cajun baked tofu and pickled cauliflower. Enjoy!

Recipe from Purple Carrot

Sticky Apricot Chicken and Broccoli

Serves 2

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

This sticky apricot chicken is so juicy and delicious! The chicken is seared and glazed with a jammy apricot sauce. Serve with broccoli and rice!

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 to 4 cups)
• olive oil for drizzling/spraying
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• ¾ cup apricot jam/preserves
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish
• brown jasmine rice, for serving

Tools

• Large skillet
• Baking sheet
• Rice cooker

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the broccoli on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly charred. Add rice into cooker during prep.

2. While the broccoli cooks, prep the chicken. Toss the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle the flour all over the chicken and toss well until it’s coated.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the chicken in a single layer. Cook until browned on each side, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.

4. Steam Broccoli. Whisk together the jam, minced garlic, soy sauce and brown sugar until combined. 

5. Once the chicken is brown, pour the sauce in. Stir to coat all the chicken. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, so the sauce thickens more. Sprinkle with chives. You can toss the broccoli in with the sauce or serve it on the side. Serve with brown jasmine rice.

Recipe from How Sweet Eats