Dr. G and Special Sauce Penne

Dr. G and Special Sauce Penne

with Italian Garlic Bread

Ingredients for Penne:

• 1/2 box penne pasta 

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• handfull of mushrooms, chopped (your choice, but I use baby bellas from publix)

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

• 1 can of diced tomatoes

• 1/2 jar of Tomato Sauce

• 1 tsp. Adobo with pepper

• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp parsley (fresh or dried)

• Grated Cheese

Ingredients for Italian Garlic Bread:

• Sliced Italian Bread from your local bakery or Farmer's Market

• Olive Oil

• Italian Seasoning

• Garlic Powder

Directions:

• Heat Olive oil in skillet on medium

• Boil penne as directed on package, until al denté

• Coarsely Chop Mushroom, Onions and Garlic 

• Sauté until Golden Brown

• Add Can of Diced Tomatoes and set heat to med-high

• Add 1/2 Jar of Tomato sauce, and simmer till it's bubbling

• Add dry spices, and stir, turn the heat to low.

• sprinkle cheese over the top, don't mix yet

• When pasta is done, gently fold into Sauce in skillet, and turn off 

heat

For Garlic Bread:

• Pre-heat toaster/oven to 350º

• Cut slices of bread in half, and place on baking sheet

• Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning

• Bake for 10 min, or until light golden brown

Garage Sale!!

If you'd like to donate any items or goodies for the bake sale, all proceeds go to the Kunze Family. Their family took a hard and unexpected hit this year, Mr Kunze has a rare and unknown disease that is deteriorating his brain, he basically has the mind of a 6 year old. The doctors have no idea what it is. They are definitely feeling the strain financially and the kids are in desperate need of a break from the situation. Any little bit helps.

Accolade Chem-Dry is donating their first set of season tickets to the Bucs Game to their family as way for them (especially the kids) to have a break and just have fun. We are having the bake sale to raise money for parking, concessions, and t-shirts for the kids. If you are able to help us by donating a baked good for our sale I know they would appreciate it.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Grass Clippings floating through the hot breeze.  Piles of flip-flops in the doorway.  Kids running through the sprinklers.  Hot dogs and hamburgers sizzle and pop on the grill.  Summertime.

Summer in Florida is fierce (and can be deadly), but there are so many ways to beat the heat AND the humidity, and not spend a fortune on your A/C bill.  

Did you know?  Air Conditioning in Florida can be 60-70% of your summer electric bill!

- If you have a programmable A/C thermostat, you can save by setting it CORRECTLY for the time of day:

6 a.m. to 9 a.m. = 75 degrees

9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. = 80 degrees

5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. = 75 degrees

11 p.m. to 6 a.m. = 80 degrees*

- If you have central air, set your thermostat above 78 degrees, and each degree above 78 will save you up to 8% on cooling costs.

- If you leave your home for more than an hour, set your thermostat to 80 degrees, or turn it off completely. (It cools off again in 15 minutes or less, and uses less energy than leaving it running while you were gone.)

- Use a fan.  Ceiling fans can make a room feel 6-9 degrees cooler, and uses less electricity than your A/C, but make sure the fan is turning counter-clockwise, so that it's blowing down and not up.  Turn the fan off when you leave the room.

- Add curtains, blinds or both to your windows.  The sweltering summer sunlight creates about 20% of the heat in your home*, and comes in through the windows.  Try fitting it into your normal morning routine, eat a healthy breakfast, grab a water, and close all the blinds and curtains before you leave.

- Greener shade.  Plant some shady shrubs and trees near your windows, especially the West facing windows, to keep the afternoon heat from making your home about 10 degrees warmer.  Awnings over your windows can also be installed to block the heat.

- Run your most heat-making appliances at night during cooler hours, like the dryer and dishwasher.  The oven can also produce unnecessary heat in the home, so use your microwave, or even better- take it outside!  Use your charcoal grill to make dinner with some yummy recipes from DG.

- Use Energy Saver Fluorescent bulbs to reduce heat and electricity - they use up to 75% less energy and 90% less heat*.

- If you have a spare bedroom that rarely is used, close the vents that feed that room until you're entertaining guests.

- Clean or Replace your A/C filter MONTHLY!  A dirty filter makes the A/C work harder.

*-sources: www.thisoldhouse.com, michaelbluejay.com

Trash to Treasure, the video, Part I

You may have seen the garage sale finds, but you haven't seen how we got them... or what we did with them....

Take a look:

Saturday: Trash to Treasure

Saturday, June 13th at 3pm

Brooke Ernst's House

(where we had our first meeting)

Bring your "Trash" for advice, or show off your "Treasure!!"

Call Kerri or Brooke for more info.

Project: Trash to Treasure, Part I: Treasure hunting

Brooke and I went "Treasure hunting" on Saturday morning. We got an early start (with the help of some coffee) in the downtown area of Lakeland. It was quite an adventure. We had to maneuver a fallen tree full of bees, and field calls from our S.O.'s while trying to wheel and deal with the locals. There were so many signs around downtown and lake hollingsworth, we had our work cut out for us. The best part was getting to see all of the historic downtown area this time of year, when everyone's lawn is lush, flowers are blooming, and people trying to sell their junk in their yard!

Granted, the whole scenario of going to a yard sale is - there will be junk. Stuff NOBODY wants. Items you can't even identify. But then again, that's the thrill of the hunt! 

We lucked out at the first place we came to on NY ave. I found 2 small jar/vases with thick wire for hanging, one clear and one green - and immediately dropped the green one right after I paid for it.

Brooke found a cute lamp, like new, that was brushed silver with a white shade.

We spotted a wrought iron wall hanging candle holder, that she flipped upside down and I got IDEAS!

So we spent a total of $6, and got several projects. But the fun wasn't over then...

Through the course of the day we saw very few things that caught our eye amidst the junk and clutter (and beautiful houses), but as we were about to call it a day, I spotted a green metal chair on the side of the road on edgewood, Brooke saw it too. It was next to a pile of trash bags, and we maneuvered traffic to stop and ninja it from their yard. It was our coolest find of the day - and the best part - it was FREE! And so it was literally a trash to treasure day!

Interior Decor: Pottery Barn Style on a Wal-Mart Budget

Get to work on a summer DIY project that's affordable and fun, and hopefully it will spark your imagination to create even more DIY for your home.  

This month: Interior Decor.

So how in the world can we get Pottery Barn style on a Wal-Mart budget?  Here's some tips to get you started, and at the June 13 meeting, Brooke and Kerri will show you HOW we did it.

- Hitting garage sales, tag sales, and second hand stores is the first step to finding your treasure among the trash.  Look on Craigslist and in the classified section of the newspaper to find out what's going on in your area.

- Do some homework. Make a list of anything specific you are looking for, and how much you'd be willing to spend on it.

- Sharpen your eye: It might be tough at first to see a pieces true potential at first. Make sure you look at plenty of examples of what you want so you can easily recognize those that have potential as opposed to wasting $30 on something you think might work.

- Look for structure…not style: Upholstery and paint can drastically change a piece.

(we will have more tips for you at the meeting on June 13)

Now, go out and get started!