Culinary Classes

  With August coming to a close this week, it always exciting to look ahead and see what kind of activities are on the near horizon.

Let’s see….what to do…what to do……Have you ever had dreams of becoming a Chef?  You might not have time to change careers, but you sure would like to pick up some new skills in the kitchen. Maybe it’s Italian, French or Asian food that you crave. You can even purchase a gift certificate and surprise someone with an amazing culinary adventure.  Cooking classes are light hearted, fun, and a very hands- on way to learn a new recipe. Better yet, as a very talented Chef once said to me, “ Learn a recipe and you can cook one dish….Learn a technique and you can cook 100 dishes ! “ . Why not make September the month you sharpen up on your culinary skills in one of the many cooking classes available!

Publix Apron’s Cooking School http://www.publix.com/aprons/schools/Tampa/Home.do

Chef Justin Thyme http://www.justin-thyme.com/

Sept 1     Cooking at BergHOFF: Amore Italian Cuisine

Healthy cooking techniques in hands-on classes.
 Homemade ricotta, osso bucco, risotto Milanese among dishes at hands-on class of Italian favorites.Price: $45.BergHOFF Culinary Center 
11063 SR 54, Odessa, 33556

Sept 5    Rolling Pin Cooking Classes: Totally Tempting Thai

Classes on a variety of culinary topics designed for the home cook. Call for other class topics.Bold Asian flavors in dishes like chicken curry, shrimp pad Thai, mango ginger floats. $50, includes house wine, beer or beverage.Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium 
2080 Badlands Drive, Brandon, 33511

Sept 10              French Cuisine

Expand your international cuisine repertoire in class that makes classic French dishes.Price: $37.50Cafe Largo 
12551 Indian Rocks Road # 18, Largo, 33774

Sept 14 Indian Cuisine

Explore the flavorful cuisine of India with Surinder Dhaliwal, includes meal.Crispy vegetable fritters, shrimp and avocado curry, Bombay potatoes, roti bread.Price: $45, registration required.Allegro at East Lake 
1755 East Lake Road S, Tarpon Springs, 34688

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.

Weather info for the road trip

Good afternoon and thanks again for stopping by to check out our weekly blog.   We’re always looking for interesting and useful information to share with you. This week, on a road trip traveling through several states, you might say we had a very interesting adventure. We left home with beautiful sunny weather, but as we traveled several hundred miles, going from state to state, the temperature and weather conditions varied quite dramatically. The early morning hours were perfect for driving,   but the conditions in the afternoon changed to a very heavy storm.   Most days we had such blinding rain we needed to pull off the highway due to the lack of visibility. Then as the lightning and heavy rains let up, we were able to hop back on the road again. We enjoyed more beautiful weather until the sun finally set in a spectacular array of colors.  I was thinking how great it would be if there was a site available to give you the weather forecasts as you drove from one destination to another. Well….sure enough, we did find a pretty cool site that is very helpful. They allow you to key in the point you’re leaving from and the cities you expect to travel through until you reach your final destination. Check it out……. lo and behold…they’ll have the weather forecast for your entire trip!  You’ll also find this site has some great travel tips and you can check the weather on a particular highway by keying in the specific route and then narrow it down to a region if you wish:

 http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/interstate/

 

 Have fun 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.

How much gold is in an Olympic gold medal?

The 2012 Olympic Games finally closed last week in London. It sure seems like the time flew by so fast. We had a chance to see some amazing performances from the swimming pool to the gymnasium. The level of competition continues to grow each year and while it seems impossible at times that an athlete could attain a new world record….records always seems to be broken! Michael Phelps has now attained more Gold Medals than any other athlete in Olympic history!

Have you ever wondered…What are Olympic medals made of? Are the gold medals actually 24 carat gold? The last Olympic medal actually made from gold was back in 1912. So, if the gold isn’t really solid gold, what is it made from? Well, the exact design and composition is determined by the host city’s organizing committee. However, the committee must abide by a certain standard:

Gold and silver medals must be 92.5% silver

Gold medals must be plated with at least 6 grams of gold

All Olympic medals must be at least 60 mm in diameter and at least 3 mm thick

Bronze medals are actually bronze… which is an alloy of copper and usually tin. At the 1896 Olympics, winning athletes were awarded silver medals and the runner ups got the bronze medal. The custom of awarding gold, silver and bronze began with the 1904 Olympics.

So, how can you get a solid gold medal? Well, before 1980 the Nobel Prize medal was 23 carat gold..….the newer ones are 18 carats green gold plated with 24 carat gold….but that’s another story.

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.

Best time to see the Perseid Meteor shower

Falling star...shooting star....meteor... Whatever you like to call it, one of the best times to have an opportunity to see one is during the Perseid Meteor show that takes place every summer. Saturday August 11, should be one of the best times for viewing. If the sky is clear from clouds, try to find the darkest place with wide open viewing. Lie back in a lounge chair, grab a blanket if it happens to be chilly and just look up at the sky and wait. Around 11pm or midnight, you may even see a meteor a minute on average. 



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.

August Event Schedule

Well…August has arrived and we have some awesome concerts and events to check out around the Tampa Bay area. Take a look at what’s on the schedule this month!

Live Acoustic Music w/ Hurricane Johnny Duo (Dos Locos)

Aug 2   5:00 pm Green Iguana Bar Grill

Fresh Market at Wiregrass

Aug 4 - Shops at Wiregrass

Carreño Dance Festival

Aug 5    (Aug 5 - Aug 25) Sarasota, Florida

Ted Nugent

Aug 6   Ruth Eckerd Hall

Jason Aldean

Aug 10  800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre At The Florida State Fairgrounds

Short Film Festival

Aug 10   David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

Pier 22 Summer Luau & Pig Roast

Aug 11   Pier 22

 Jason Mraz Comes To Central Florida!

Aug 14 - 800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre At The Florida State Fairgrounds

Steve Vai

Aug 16   Palladium Theater Of Saint Petersburg

William "Duece" Hulett Concert at VFW Post 2473 in Clearwater

Aug 24   VFW Post 2473

An Evening With Carlos Santana

Aug 26    Ask-Gary Amphitheatre At The Florida State Fairgrounds

Hyde Park Village- Live Music Series

Aug 29   Hyde Park Village

THE LEGENDS of DOO WOP & Billy Lambert as ELVIS

Aug 31   Bradenton Municipal Auditorium

RJ HOWSON

Aug 31   Cortez Fishing Festival

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.

Summer Travel Tips

Summer is the most popular time to take time off from our busy schedules to head out of town for a vacation. More than likely, you’ll be packing the luggage and driving a distance much greater than your normal weekly commutes. Maybe you’ve put off installing new windshields wiper blades or checking the air pressure in your tires. Making sure our cars are mechanically in tip top shape is imperative to our safety and comfort. This week we found some great tips that will help you prepare for your road trip. 

We hope you have a wonderful vacation and we’ll see you next week!

Get your car a check-up 
Nothing wrecks a fun time faster than auto troubles. Avoid problems on your vacation by having your vehicle checked by a mechanic before leaving. Get the oil changed, tire pressure checked, brakes checked and any needed maintenance completed. Have your windshield wipers replaced if it's necessary. Proper maintenance can help insure you avoid potential problems with your vehicle while on vacation, and emergency repairs can be much more costly than those addressed in advance.

Provide itinerary and emergency information 
It's a good idea to leave a copy of your trip itinerary with a family member or friend. Also as important is to take a list of emergency information, such as contacts, medication requirements, etc. Finally, discuss basic safety information, rules, and procedures with everyone, so they know what to do should someone become lost or sick.

Set realistic driving distances 
For a long trip by car, it is best to break the trip up into multiple days to help avoid driver - and passenger - fatigue. It's a good practice to stop roughly every two hours to stretch, a bathroom break, and even a little exercise to the get the blood flowing and muscles loosened up, even if for just a few minutes. A cup of coffee, some fresh air or a short nap - all can help the driver become more alert and ready to drive again.

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.

Summer Camps and Programs

Summer is a wonderful time to allow the kids to explore and enjoy one of the many summer camps and programs available to us.  Who doesn’t have the greatest memories of summer camp…learning to canoe, waterski, sail, archery, pottery, horseback riding, camp songs, orienteering, pitch a tent and watch falling stars while we tried to remember the name of all those constellations? Kids love the action packed days and they’ll have memories for a lifetime!  Here are a few of the locations that have summer programs that are still available.

Busch Gardens Summer Camps   swbg-adventurecamp.com/adventure-camps

Tampa Bay History Center offers a History Adventure Camp www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/

The Florida Aquarium Aquacamps     www.flaquarium.org

 

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

Summer Camp Programs

Extreme Youth Sports

Circle F Dude Ranch

Camp Illahaw at Forever Florida

 Big Cat Rescue's Young Adult Expedition

Clearwater Community Sailing Center clearwatercommunitysailing.org

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.

Tampa Attractions

Looking for some fun and excitement around Tampa Bay this weekend? We are fortunate to have so many different attractions and activities available within a short drive.  This week we listed some of the places that you might like to enjoy.

 Be sure to stop by next week for more discoveries and information around Tampa!

Adventure Island
Address: 10001 Malcolm McKinley Drive
City: Tampa, FL 33612
Phone: (813) 987-5600 or (888) 800-5447

Big Cat Rescue 
Address: 12802 Easy St
City: Tampa, FL 33625 
Phone: (813) 920-4130

Busch Gardens of Tampa Bay
Address: 3000 E. Busch Blvd
City: Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 987-5082 or (888) 800-5447

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Address: 600 North Ashley Drive
City: Tampa, FL 33602

GameWorks
Address: 1600 E. 8th Ave. #A 147
City: Tampa, FL 33605 
Phone: (813) 241-9675

Lowry Park Zoo
Address: 1101 W. Sligh Ave
City: Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 935-8552

Malibu Grand Prix
Address: 14320 N. Nebraska Ave
City: Tampa, FL 33613 
Phone: (813) 977-6272

Skydive City
Address: 4241 Sky Dive Lane
City: Zephyhills, FL
Phone: (813) 783-9399 or (800) 404-9399 

Tampa Museum of Art
120 West Gasparilla Plaza
Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 274-8130 - Fax: (813) 274-8732 

Ybor City Museum State Park
Address: 1818 East 9th Ave
City: Tampa, FL 33605 
Phone: (813) 247-6323

The Florida Aquarium
Address: 701 Channelside Drive
City: Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 273-4000 - Fax: (813) 273-4160

Tampa Firefighters Musuem
Address: 720 E. Zack St 
City: Tampa, FL 
Phone: (813) 964-6862 

Museum of Science & Industry
Address: 4801 E. Fowler Ave
City: Tampa, FL 33617 
Phone: (813) 987-6000

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.

Fitness Centers around Tampa

Whether you are traveling and visiting Tampa  or this is where you call home, our city offers many different types of fitness centers to suit everyone’s needs. There are a wide variety of activities you and your family might enjoy. If you are a serious weightlifter, like to play competitive tennis, racquetball, yoga, Pilates, push the pedals in a spin class or looking for a fun summer camp for the kids….Tampa has a number of choices available.  Here are a few of the clubs around town. 

  

Gold's Gym 3689 W Waters Ave Tampa

YMCA 104 South Franklin Street Tampa

Powerhouse Gym 1120 E Kennedy Blvd Tampa 

Vertical Ventures Rock Climbing 5402 Pioneer Park Blvd Suite#E Tampa

 

Choice Fitness Clubs 936 South Howard Ave Tampa

 

Around the Clock Fitness - 24 Hour

314 S. Belcher Rd, Clearwater, FL 33765

Starka Fitness
1800 Arbor Greene DR Suite # 300 Tampa

 

 

 

 

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.