Monday, September 24, 2012

It's easy to make your own pasta



There’s nothing better than the smell of garlic, onions and tomatoes simmering on the stove! Ladle the rich sauce on your favorite pasta and you’re in for a healthy treat.  Sure, you can pick up a package of fresh pasta at the grocery store, but trust me….it’s still not the same as making your own homemade noodles. The taste is amazingly different and the silky texture is incredible. Now, you may be thinking, “There is no way that I could ever make my own pasta, that’s for those experts! “. Don’t be intimidated…it’s really not that difficult to make your own pasta at home.  The ingredients are simple, so inexpensive, and in less than 10 minutes you’ll have the dough made.

Pasta

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 tablespoons water as needed

I like to use a counter top mixer with a dough hook (it only takes about 5 minutes). If you make it by hand, you still put the dry ingredients in the bowl, then add beaten eggs and olive oil and mix until dough is almost formed, you’ll need to add water a couple of tablespoons at a time until the dough forms into a ball. Finish by shortly kneading it on a floured board and then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut dough in 4 pieces and work one dough ball at a time. Make sure you recover the dough that is waiting so it doesn’t dry out. Roll through a pasta machine and cut with the noodle attachment or roll out with a rolling pin until about 1/16”, roll up the pasta like a pinwheel and then cut with a knife.  Drop the pasta into boiling salted water and it will be done when the noodles float. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.


 



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.

Monday, September 17, 2012

September concert and event schedule



It’s a great time to enjoy one of the many concerts and events happening around town. Check out what we have on the calendar this month!

Sep 17   6:30 pm
TAMPA

Sep 17   6:00 pm
Business Assistance Center

Sep 18   7:00 pm
Mystikal Scents


Sep 19   7:30 pm
Mahaffey Theater

Sep 20   7:30 pm
McCurdy's Comedy Theater


Sep 21  10:00 am
South Florida Museum Courtyard

Professional Bull Riders

Sep 21 - Tampa Bay Times Forum


USF Botanical Gardens Volunteer Orientation

Sep 22 - University of South Florida

Sep 22   6:00 pm
National Forensics Science Technology Center

Sep 23   1:00 pm
Peabody's Billiards


Anderson Cooper

Sep 23 - David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

Florence + The Machine

Sep 25 - The USF Sun Dome

Tampa Bay Lightning vs St. Louis Blues

Sep 26 - Tampa Bay Times Forum

Sep 27  11:59 pm
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa


Brad Paisley with The Band Perry

Sep 28 - 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre At The Florida State Fairgrounds

Sep 28   7:30 pm
Ruth Eckerd Hall


Sep 29   8:00 pm
Ruth Eckerd Hall

METRIC

Sep 29 - The RITZ Ybor

 



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.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Finding a new Golf Course



Do you enjoy a relaxing game of golf while on vacation or you are always searching for the challenge of a new course? This week we found a website that will give you not only the info on the course, but also the weather! You can begin your search with either the name of the course or just by keying in the zip code. This is a great tool to have when traveling and you’re unfamiliar with the area.  I tried the zip code search and found a huge selection of courses with the locations, stats, fees, and phone numbers conveniently listed.  Have a great time out!

 



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.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Why leaves change colors in the Fall



 As the month of September is upon us, we say saying goodbye to the warm summer days and welcome in the fall season. It’s always amazing to see the beauty and vibrancy of the fall colors. The mixture of purple, red, orange and yellow is the result of a chemical process that takes place inside the tree as the season changes.

During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. This extraordinary chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch.

Along with the green pigment are yellow to orange pigments, carotene and xanthophyll pigments which, for example, give the orange color to a carrot. Most of the year, these other colors are hidden by great amounts of green coloring.

In the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.

So, there you have it….the next time you see the leaves changing to their magnificent colors…you’ll know why!

 




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.