It's Easy to Grow Your Own Garlic !

This morning I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning after last night’s rain. While sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee, I noticed the garlic that was recently planted in the pot nearby has just completely taken off. Growing herbs in pots is such a great way to enjoy a little gardening even if your space is limited. I find that if I put the herbs in the garden, in the middle of cooking a meal I don’t tend to take a walk to get what I need. I know…I know…if I just planned better I could get what I need before cooking…. but I just find having the pots right on the deck by the kitchen is so convenient and the plants really are beautiful.  With a quick push on the front door and a few short steps…I have the fresh herb department that no grocery store can provide.  Besides that…it’s a blast to grow them!

So, back to the garlic in the pots….it’s really easy to grow. Sure, you can pick up some garlic in your favorite gardening center and it will run a few bucks for a couple of bulbs of garlic. This year, I opted to buy some from the grocery store that looked like they were going to sprout. All you do it split them up into individual cloves, push them into the soil an inch or so (root side down), cover with soil and water. You’ll be surprised to see how fast they sprout. The garlic bulb takes a couple months to fully grow to maturity and each one of the cloves will have formed a full garlic bulb. In the fall, when the green tops start to dry up and fall over, they will be ready to harvest. 

The next time you’re cooking baked potatoes and looking for a tasty topping, snip off some of the green tops from the garlic and sprinkle them on top with some butter and sour cream. Or, finish off your favorite soup, roasted chicken or fish with a little fresh garnish to brighten up the dish.

It is our pleasure to provide this information. If you are traveling to the Tampa area for an military housing or are in need of corporate housing please consider Avenida Suite - Tampa.

Medical Care in Tampa

The Tampa Bay area has numerous hospitals that service a community of more than 4 million residents. Besides an excellent source for our medical care, the medical facilities contribute to our community as a large employment resource for thousands of our residents.  Tampa General Hospital alone has approximately 6900 employees, is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the area and is one of the only four burn centers available in Florida.

This week we have a list of several of the hospitals and medical facilities in the area.

Tampa General Hospital

2 Columbia Drive, Tampa, FL

(813) 844-7000 ‎ · tgh.org

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa

3001 West Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, Tampa, FL

(813) 554-8500 ‎ · sjbhealth.org

Memorial Hospital of Tampa

2901 Swann Avenue, Tampa, FL

(813) 873-6400 ‎ · memorialhospitaltampa.com

Shriners Hospitals for Children

12502 Usf Pine Drive, Tampa, FL

(813) 975-7130 ‎ · shrinershospitalsforchildren.org

Life Alert

1211 N West Shore Blvd # 110, Tampa, FL

(800) 247-0000 ‎ · lifealert.com

University Community Hospital

7171 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL

(813) 932-2222 ‎

Kindred Hospital - Bay Area -Tampa

4555 South Manhattan Avenue Tampa, FL 33611

813-839-6341

www.khtampa.com

It is our pleasure to provide this information. If you are traveling to the Tampa area for an military housing or are in need of corporate housing please consider Avenida Suite - Tampa.

Fresh Seafood and Markets

When we think of Florida, many of us envision endless sunshine, palm trees swaying in the breeze, miles of sandy beaches and delicious fresh seafood. Now, when you’re looking to prepare seafood in your home, regardless of the many spectacular culinary tricks you wish to employ in the kitchen…it won’t taste right without having the absolute freshest and best ingredients.  When the ingredients are fresh…you don’t have to dress it up with a bunch of fancy sauces and spices to enjoy a spectacular meal

 This week I wanted to share a few seafood markets worth exploring. There are several to choose from and each market has their own flare. Some will even have live saltwater tanks filled with fish, blue crabs, lobster or Dungeness crabs and allow you a chance to select what you would like to buy.  Cleaning your own fish doesn’t sound too exciting? No problem, they’ll be happy to quickly take care of it for you and send you home with the freshest catch you can image. I like to take a cooler along with me and fill it with ice to keep the seafood as cold as possible for the trip home. 

Have fun shopping and don’t forget the lemon and the limes!

Cox's Seafood Market

821 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, FL 33614

(813) 879-5084

The Cox family are locally owned and operated and the service and quality is what you would expect from a day gone by.

Land & Sea Market

3838 W Neptune St
Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 983-7395

Fresh local grouper, Key West shrimp, prime cut tenderloin, grass fed beef and choice meats. Service with a smile and some of the best beef around.

Fish Tails Market & Gardens

4005 S Macdill Ave
Tampa, FL 33611

(813) 832-3632

Great selection, excellent service and they do buy fish from the local boats off Madiera Beach.

West Fortune St Fish Market

1926 W Main St
Tampa, FL 33607

(813) 254-1741

Live blues crabs and reasonably fish priced!

Oceanic Oriental Supermarket

1609 N Tampa St
Tampa, FL 33602

(813) 254-2041

http://www.oceanicmarket.com/

Large Asian market with everything from seafood to meat, cookware, wide variety of Asian sauces, noodles and hard to find items. Friendly service and they are happy to help you find what you are looking for.

It is our pleasure to provide this information. If you are traveling to the Tampa area for an military housing or are in need of corporate housing please consider Avenida Suite - Tampa.

Italian Focaccia Bread Made Easy

Well, today is Monday and I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! 

The last few months I’ve had this craving for fresh baked bread. I’ve baked several different types, but one of my favorites is Italian Focaccia. Now, if you’re not familiar with this type of bread, Focaccia is just a rustic Italian bread flavored with rosemary, a little kosher salt on top and the loaf is dimpled, drizzled with olive oil on top and flatter than what you might be accustomed to eating.

There’s something special about the smell of the rosemary and the salt on the crust that just makes your mouth water.  You can serve it at the table with butter or my favorite way is to fill a shallow dish with basil, orange or lemon infused extra virgin olive oil. You can also add a little balsamic vinegar to the oil in the dish and you’ll have a great flavor combination that will not soon be forgotten!

Now, don’t be intimidated by a bunch of fancy cooking terms and techniques you might think only a trained chef can do.  The basics of bread are really simple if you follow the recipe…it’s just flour, water, sugar and a little yeast! So, try this recipe out for dinner this week or the next time you entertain…your bread will be the talk of the town!

4 ½ cups bread flour

2 cups water

2 packages of dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary rough chopped (or to your taste)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put 1 cup warm water in bowl, add yeast and sugar. Whisk until dissolved and wait 10 minutes until foam forms on surface. Put flour in mixing bowl; add salt, rosemary and 1 tablespoon olive oil. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment. Add water slowly and mix until dough ball forms and bowl will then be clean. I don’t mix much longer than 5 minutes and then dough is ready to transfer to a bowl that has been coated with olive oil. Cover with moist cloth.  Now here’s a trick to get the dough to rise faster. Turn your dryer on for a couple minutes until warm. Open the door, place bowl inside and close door. Now…don’t turn the dryer on! Just let the bowl stay in there for 50 minutes and the dough should double in size. Put a little oil on your hands (to keep the dough from sticking), knock the dough back down and reshape into ball, cover and put back into the warm dryer again ( I’ll usually reheat the dryer again as before). Let dough rise for 20 more minutes.  Remove from bowl, make into two rounds and place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Spread dough out as if making pizza but you can shape this rectangular so it fits easily on pan. Using your fingertips, make dimples, with a basting brush, brush on olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt to taste and more chopped fresh rosemary. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then lower temp to 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Cooking times can vary with each oven, so check and remove bread when golden brown or remove it earlier if you like your bread softer. Cool slightly on a wire rack and then cut into squares and enjoy!

It is our pleasure to provide this information. If you are traveling to the Tampa area for an military housing or are in need of corporate housing please consider Avenida Suite - Tampa.

Concerts and Events

May is going to be an awesome month around Tampa for concerts and events. You can still catch some MLB action tonight at Tropicana Field…Oakland A’s vs Tampa Bay….Go RAYS !

Check out what’s going on this week !

Fri 05/04/12
MLB Action: Oakland A's at Tampa Bay Rays
Game Starts: 7:10 pm
Venue: Tropicana Field
Address: 1 Tropicana Dr
City: St. Petersburg, FL - Phone: (888) 326-7297

Fri 05/04/12
New Edition
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $52.50 - $63.50 - $125.00
Venue: Tampa Bay Times Forum
Address: 401 Channelside Dr
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 301-6500

Sat 05/05/12
Creed
Show Starts: 9:00 pm - Tickets: $39.50 - $49.50 - $69.50
Venue: Ruth Eckerd Hall
Address: 111 N. McMullen Booth Rd
City: Clearwater, FL - Phone: (727) 791-7400

Sat 05/05/12
Shen Yun
Shows Start: 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Venue: Progress Energy Center For The Arts - Mahaffey Theater
Address: 400 1st St South
City: St. Petersburg, FL - Phone: (727) 892-5767

Sat 05/05/12
Fear Factory, Shadows Fall, Legacy of Disorder, The Browning and The Devastated
Doors Open: 7:00 pm
Venue: State Theater
Address: 687 Central Ave
City: St Petersburg, FL - Phone: (727) 895-3045

Sat 05/05/12
Diecast
Doors Open: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $10.00
Venue: The Local 662
Address: 662 Central Ave
City: St. Petersburg, FL

Sat 05/05/12
MLB Action: Oakland A's at Tampa Bay Rays
Game Starts: 7:10 pm
Venue: Tropicana Field
Address: 1 Tropicana Dr
City: St. Petersburg, FL - Phone: (888) 326-7297

Sat 05/05/12
Bogus Pomp
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $12.00 Advance - $15.00 Day of Show
Venue: Skipper's Smokehouse
Address: 910 Skipper Road
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 971-0666

Sat 05/05/12
Arena Football League Action: Orlando Predators at Tampa Bay Storm
Game Starts: 7:30 pm - Tickets: $15.00 - $22.00 - $30.00 - $60.00 - $90.00 - $125.00
Venue: Tampa Bay Times Forum
Address: 401 Channelside Dr
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 301-6500

Fri 05/05/12
The New Vibes Band
Doors Open: 6:30 pm - Tickets: $10.00 - All Ages Show
Venue: The Center For Spirtual Living Tampa
Address: 4600 East Busch Boulevard
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 985-2428

Sat 05/05/12
Set It Off
Doors Open: 5:30 pm - Tickets: $8.00 Advance - $11.00 Day of Show
Venue: The Orpheum
Address: 1915 E. 7th Ave
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 248-9500

Sun 05/06/12
MLB Action: Oakland A's at Tampa Bay Rays
Game Starts: 1:40 pm
Venue: Tropicana Field
Address: 1 Tropicana Dr
City: St. Petersburg, FL - Phone: (888) 326-7297

Mon 05/07/12
Mayer Hawthorne & The Country and The Stepkids
Doors Open: 7:00 pm - Tickets: $16.00 Advance - $18.00 Day of Show
Venue: State Theater
Address: 687 Central Ave
City: St Petersburg, FL - Phone: (727) 895-3045

Tue 05/08/12
The Gipsy Kings
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $49.50 - $69.50 - $95.50
Venue: Ruth Eckerd Hall
Address: 111 N. McMullen Booth Rd
City: Clearwater, FL - Phone: (727) 791-7400

Tue 05/08/12
Simplified
Show Starts: 7:00 pm - Tickets: $7.00
Venue: Skipper's Smokehouse
Address: 910 Skipper Road
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 971-0666

Tue 05/08/12
Overkill, Diamond Plate, Belphegor, Aborted & Suidakra
Doors Open: 6:00 pm - Tickets: $22.00 - All Ages Show
Venue: The Orpheum
Address: 1915 E. 7th Ave
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 248-9500

Wed 05/09/12
Enter Shikari, At The Skylines and Letlive
Doors Open: 7:00 pm - Tickets: $13.00 Advance - $15.00 Day of Show - All Ages Show
Venue: State Theater
Address: 687 Central Ave
City: St Petersburg, FL - Phone: (727) 895-3045

Thu 05/10/12
Uncle John's Band and HuDost
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $8.00
Venue: Skipper's Smokehouse
Address: 910 Skipper Road
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 971-0666

Fri 05/11/12
Cope
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $5.00 - 18+ Show
Venue: Ringside Cafe
Address: 2742 4th Street North
City: St. Petersburg, FL - Phone: (727) 894-8465

Fri 05/11/12
He Is We, Deas Vail, Plug In Stereo and South Jordan
Doors Open: 6:00 pm - Tickets: $12.00 Advance - $14.00 Day of Show - All Ages Show
Venue: The Local 662
Address: 662 Central Ave
City: St. Petersburg, FL

Fri 05/11/12
Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Thomspon Square
Show Starts: 7:30 pm - Tickets: $29.25 - $44.00 - $54.00
Venue: 1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre
Address: 4802 US Highway 301 N.
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 740-2446

Sat 05/12/12
Cope
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - Tickets: $8.00 Advance - $11.00 Day of Show - 18+ Show
Venue: Ace's
Address: 4343 Palma Sola Boulevard
City: Bradenton, FL - PHone: (941) 795-3886

Sat 05/12/12
Four Star Riot
Venue: Dunedin Brewery
Address: 937 Douglas Ave
City: Dunedin, FL

Sat 05/12/12
Chris Cornell
Show Starts: 8:00 pm - All Ages Show
Tickets: $35.00 - $42.00 - $51.00 - Tickets From Postponed Fall 2012 Show Honored
Venue: Tampa Theatre
Address: 711 N. Franklin St
City: Tampa, FL - Phone: (813) 274-8981

It is our pleasure to provide this information. If you are traveling to the Tampa area for an military housing or are in need of corporate housing please consider Avenida Suite - Tampa.