Labor Day Menus!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about Labor Day Weekend! It’s this weekend! Personally I think it’s the fact that it’s a  three-day weekend and it’s the last “hoorah” of the summer. I really enjoying inviting a couple of friends over to my apartment at Alexan Solmar. We’ll spend the day at the pool for a part of the day, then we’ll come inside and prepare our Labor Day dinner.

I know that Labor Day isn’t a large holiday, but I love to cook and it’s always better when I get to cook with my friends and neighbors. My Labor Days are kind of like a pot luck but we choose to cook everything in my apartment together.  We usually come up with a menu beforehand and we’ll each bring something to make the meal for the night. Here’s our menu for this weekend! What are you doing for Labor Day?

Appetizer
Baked Caprese Salad

Entree
Southwest Turkey Burgers

Dessert
Cranberry Granita

Photo by The_Smiths

Top 10 Cheap Eats!

None of us are made of money and we’re always looking for great eats for the best price. Well look no more, Alexan Solmar found the 10 best cheap eats around Broward County!! There’s nothing like having great food at a reasonable price, it makes your want to come back for more!

Have you already found these great eats? If not check them out and tell us what you think!

Jerk Machine 111 NW Second St., Fort Lauderdale 954-467-8882	Southport Raw Bar 1536 Cordova Rd. Fort Lauderdale 954-525-CLAM
Lester’s Diner 250 W. State Road 84 Fort Lauderdale 954-525-5641	Stork’s Cafe & Bakery 2505 NE 15h Ave. Wilton Manors 954-567-3220
Tom Jenkins 1236 S. Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale 954-522-5046	The Le Tub Saloon 1100 N. Ocean Dr. Hollywood 954-921-9425
The Downtowner 10 S. New River Dr. E Fort Lauderdale 954-463-9800	Hot Dog Heaven 101 E. Sunrise Blvd. Fort Lauderdale 954-523-7100
Beefeater Steak House 1902 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood 954-920-4450	Villa Rose Pizza 1114 N State Road 7 Hollywood 954-983-7660

Budget Healthy Food

When I moved into my first apartment I remember being so tight with my money. I didn’t want to move back to my parents’ house so I made sure I saved as much as I could. This of course limited me to the activities I participated in and mostly importantly the food I ate. I couldn’t have a steak dinner every night at my favorite steak house.  I had to cook my own meals. While I’m okay with cooking my meals I had to be picky about what I bought.

I didn’t want to eat junk food and bad meals so I had to buy smart, healthy food and on a budget! I found that peanut butter was great and eggs were even better. They could go a long way in my apartment and at a great price!

Now that I’m older and I have better spending habits (and more money) I could buy those crazy items…from time to time. But when it comes to food I still buy healthy food on a budget!  You should too…here’s a great list of yummy budget friendly food.

• Peanut Butter
• Eggs
• Oats
• Spinach
• Canned Tuna
• Beans
• Frozen Vegetables
• Apples
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brown Rice

Photo by michelle@TNS

You cannot have Mango!

On Las Olas Boulevard you will find Mango’s Restaurant, an indoor and outdoor dining restaurant full of great food and even better music. Many people say, that you haven’t truly experience Las Olas if you haven’t tried Mango’s yet. I find this statement to be completely true! During the day, you’ll find the restaurant filled with business professionals out on lunch and at night its filled with people looking for a Margaritaville atmosphere.

Their food is great, featuring things like the Las Olas Shrimp and their Grilled Pork Chops. You can enjoy music every night at Mango’s while eating dinner. The owners of Mango’s wanted to create an atmosphere of relaxation and fun and they did just that!

Mango’s Restaurant is located off of 904 East Las Olas Boulevard, you can call 954.523.5001 for more information!

Photo by Mahesh Khanna

Grilling out for Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is upon us and this holiday is the start of the SUMMER! Who doesn’t love it, everyone will be grilling, out at the pool and celebrating with friends. Here’s a great recipe for Grilled BBQ Potato Skins!!! You can bring them to any gathering you’re going to be at, they’ll be perfect for Memorial Day!

Grilled BBQ Potato Skins

Ingredients

Directions

*3 russet potatoes scrubbed * 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled * 2 tablespoons butter, melted * 1 clove garlic, minced * 3/4 cup Cheddar * 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, warm * 1/2 pound pulled pork * Sour cream, for topping * 2 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Bake 4 strips of bacon on a small sheet pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Crumble bacon when it’s cooled. Preheat grill to medium heat. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell. Melt the butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms. Place potatoes on grill and cook until crisp, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill. Divide the cheese, barbecue sauce and pulled pork among the potatoes. Top potato skins with sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives for garnish.

What are you doing Friday night?

It’s Friday and we all know what that means, relaxation. However how you choose to relax, you’re going to need to get some dinner. Have you tried these places yet? They are close to the apartment and pretty delicious!

Mc Guire’s Hill 16 535 North Andrews Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301(954) 764-4453	Jackson’s Steakhouse 450 East Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (954) 522-4450	Christina Wan’s Mandarin House 664 North Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304-4687 (954) 527-0228

Cafe Bluefish is on the Menu!

I’m not a cook.  I actually can only cook eggs, it’s such a sad story but the upside is I love to try out new restaurants! Recently I tried Cafe Bluefish and I was floored with good food and a great atmosphere! Being known for their “Floribbean” food I knew this was a restaurant I had to try.  Their spices and fresh seafood are great additions to their service and fun environment.

You might ask what is “Floribbean” food, well it’s a combination of fresh Florida citrus and aromatic Caribbean spices. Cafe Bluefish offers great entertainment during the week as well!  Monday through Friday you can catch happy hour from 3:00-7:00 p.m. and Live entertainment on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Call 954-563-3474 for more restaurant information.

Photo by norwichnuts

Are You a Beer Connoisseur?

Well if you are I’m sure you appreciate local breweries but have you ever thought about brewing your own beer. Brewing beer is a cheap way to get great beer. Plus it’s fun and can be a great social get together. If you are interested in learning how to brew your own bee then you should attend the beer making class by the Fertile Earth Foundation this weekend.

Time: March 21, 2010 from 1pm to 5pm
Location: Earth N’ Us Farm
Street: 7630 NE 1st Ave
City/Town: Miami, FL
Phone: 786.253.2222
Cost: $35 prior to March 14th, $45 until March 20th, $55 at the event. Bring 6 empty beer bottles with the labels off to house your own brew. Send payment by clicking on the “Paypal” button on the homepage of www.fertileearth.org and put “beer” in the subject.

During this class you will physically make a 5-gallon batch of beer, and cover every step of the process from start to finish. Hope to see you there!

Get out and Enjoy it!

The warm weather is returning and it’s time to get out of our apartments and play. I look for any excuse to get outside so I’ve added picnics to my list of things to do this spring! The idea came to me after seeing this cool picnic accessory in a store this weekend.

It’s a Picnic Backpacks and is great for the more adventurous and discriminating picnicker. They are lightweight, compact, and come complete with all the accessories to transform an ordinary picnic into an outdoor dining experience! Equipped with comfortable back and shoulder straps they make the perfect accessory for hiking, cycling, tailgating, concerts, a day at the beach or sporting events. Don’t leave home without one!
Find Them Online!

Eat Right for Your Type

Have you ever noticed that some foods just don’t seem to agree with you. Or have you noticed that those run of the mill diets don’t really work for you. I was on the South Beach diet a couple months ago and I was following it perfectly. The first stage of the diet cuts out a lot of carbs. but as you move into the other stages you can start adding in whole grains. Well I had a little weight loss in the first phase but when I started adding whole wheat products to my diet I gained a lot of weight really fast. Meanwhile my boyfriend was loosing a couple pounds a week. I didn’t get it

A friend brought it to my attention that I might not be on the right diet for my blood type. My first reaction was that they were crazy. What would my blood type have to do with anything? Well I read up on the matter and it began to make more since. If you think about it your blood is what caries nutrients through your body. It’s also what fights off diseases so the type of blood just might have something to do with your daily health regimen.

I found out that I am O positive. I then read what foods were good and bad for O’s and on my bad list was wheat products! That makes since as to why I was gaining so much weight on the South Beach Diet. Since reading the book I’ve heard a lot of mixed review on whether there is such a thing as eating right for your blood type. But I’ve found that I feel better when I follow these tips and to me that is all that matters. Check out the book and see for yourself. http://www.dadamo.com/

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