No Comments

Watermelon Granita Recipe

When it is hot the last thing any of us want to do is turn on the oven, but Lee and I have the fix for dessert on a Hot Summer Day, Watermelon Granita. This recipe makes a cool, refreshing dessert and no special equipment required. Only a few ingredients, and a tasty way to beat the summer heat. We have even served this granita in a glass with a shot of rum, tequila or vodka. So, it can be a summer sun quencher for adults or a dessert after dinner for all to share.

  

Recipe:

7 cups cubed watermelon

The Zest of One Lime 

3 medium limes, juiced  (zest the lime before juicing)

1/3 cup sugar. Taste the watermelon, if sweet you can reduce the sugar. 

 

Place the lime juice, zest, watermelon, and sugar in a blender. You may need to do this in a few batches. Blend until pureed.

 

Pour the pureed watermelon juice into a 9 x 13” casserole dish and place in the freezer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 1 hour, remove the granita from the freezer and use a fork to scrape the granita. Return the dish to the freezer for another hour, do this once every hour until the granita is frozen, approx. 4 hours till done. When done Use a fork to scrape the granita into fine fluffy crumbles. Easy, Delicious, Refreshing. Serve and enjoy.

No Comments

Fun Facts about Florida.

Did you know that Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous US. We have 825 miles of accessible beaches, and the coastline is 1,197 statute miles.

Did you know that Florida has more than 700 freshwater springs.

Did you know that Florida has 7,700 lakes, 11,000 miles of rivers, and 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline.

Did you know that Florida’s largest river, the St. Johns River, is one of only a handful of major rivers that flow from south to north.

Did you know that Florida has produced more than 900 world fishing records, more than any other state or country.

Did you know that wherever you are in Florida, you are never more than 60 miles from the nearest body of salt water. I always say Living in Central Florida puts you Center to all Florida has to offer. 

Well Now that You Know more about Florida, come down and visit, and see for yourself how good life can be in Solivita. 

No Comments

Beat the Heat by Visiting one of the below Indoor Venues

MOAS – Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach

A Wonderful Museum for all.  Do you love paintings, sculpture, ceramics, furniture, and other works of art?  If so you have come to the right museum, the Dow Gallery covers several eras of American History from the Pilgrim Century the 18th Century and the American Victorian Period. 

Do you love history?  If so, you have come to the right museum, tour the Root Family Collection which includes the largest Coca-Cola Memorabilia collection in the world.  Lots to experience and enjoy.

Do you love the sky? Visit the Planetarium and explore the galaxy while comfortably seated under a 40’ diameter dome structure with an amazing sound system and digital projector.   Explore all MOAS in one day or enjoy an exhibit, hit the beach, and return another day to visit again.  This museum has lots to offer with a wide range of permanent collections plus there are always several temporary exhibits on display.  

Would you rather search for treasure?

The McLarty Treasure Museum on A1A in Vero Beach may satisfy your craving.  Of course, you can’t take any treasure home with you, but I think you may enjoy a walk-through Florida History.  The museum occupies part of the former site of the Survivors’ and Salvagers’ Camp and exhibits the history of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet’s failed mission. This famous fleet, a group of 11 ships, set sale from Havana to bring a massive haul of gold and silver coins to Spain when a hurricane struck off the Florida Coast.    A wonderful and informative movie is shown telling of the fleet’s attempt to return to Spain. In fact, treasure hunters still come to the town’s beaches to search for washed up coins from sunken ships. McLarty’s Treasure Museum is a mile north of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Or Enjoy a Solivita Activity 

You can always Stay within the gates of Solivita and enjoy any of our 14 pools, our hot tubs with the heat turned down in the summer months, a picnic at the park, a game of golf or tennis, a ride on your golf cart, lunch or dinner at the Bistro or Stonegate Grill or an evening at Mosaics.  Sign Up and Enjoy any one of the many activities Solivita Offers.  Attend a concert, a softball game, a tasting demo, a murder mystery dinner, a live performance, or one of the Wine Down Evenings Solivita is sponsoring.  There is always something to do in our own community.  I have been reading the July Reflections and see lots of planned activities for August and September too.  Looks like it is Time to get out and have some fun.   After all, living in Solivita means you don’t have to travel far to have fun and enjoy the laid-back lifestyle and beauty of Central Florida.

No Comments

End the Summer at the Pensacola Seafood Festival – September 23 – 25th

The Seafood Fest has lots to offer and is a nice way to spend the afternoon or the evening.  The seafood is local and fresh from the Gulf of Mexico and served by local restaurants.  You can enjoy shrimp, crab, scallops, grouper, alligator, crawfish, and for the folks who don’t love seafood you will find a large assortment of food including hot dogs, burgers, chicken, and nachos.  While enjoying festival goodies you can wander around and check out the local artists selling paintings, photography, ceramics, etc.  Enjoy the live bands, the chefs are doing cooking demonstrations, and as always the Florida Sun is shining.  What more could anyone want from a day.  The beauty of a festival in Pensacola is the beach.  You can stay in Pensacola, Fort Walton, Navarre, or any of the beach towns in the area that you love.  This is a great vacation stop and a nice celebration at the end of the summer.  Cool weather is coming, and I for one can’t wait.

No Comments

Too Hot to Cook, Why Not Enjoy Gazpacho with a Twist

  • 5 Cups cubed watermelon
  • 1 Cup Seeded and diced tomato
  • 2 cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion
  • ½ jalapeno chili, seeded and minced.  If you like hot leave a few seeds
  • 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Tsp Kosher salt.

Process watermelon, tomato, cucumber, onion, and jalapeno in a blender until smooth. Stir in last two ingredients. Cover and chill for 2 hours and serve chilled in bowls or glasses.  Chilling this soup in the fridge for a few hours gives the flavors a chance to mingle.   We enjoy this soup topped with a dollop of sour cream or crumbled feta, chopped cilantro or avocado.

No Comments

Looking for a new restaurant. Why not go Mediterranean and give Mediterranean Fresh Grill in Winter Haven a try.

The cuisine is Lebanese and Mediterranean and is served in a modern, spotless, restaurant that you might just drive past, as it is in a strip mall.  Please don’t let the location stop you from giving this eatery a chance.  Lee and I drove past this location many times and never gave the restaurant a second look, but while we were shopping in Winter Haven we met a group of folks that were raving about this spot.  On our next date night, we found ourselves in Winter Haven and decided to go Mediterranean.  We were both delighted by the service and the quality of the food.   The food is fresh and delicious making this stop a local gem and a place we plan to enjoy again. We recently had family with small children in town and we recommended they visit the Fresh Grill after spending the day in Legoland.  They too came back with amazing reviews.  If you are looking for a new, fresh flavor and a new restaurant add this one to your list.  If you go, let me know what you think, and we may meet you there.

No Comments

Downtown Kissimmee

Downtown is a nice spot to spend an afternoon or an evening, and it is within 20 minutes of Solivita.  The Historic Downtown District has come a long way from a Rough and Tumble Cow Town to a modern, outdoor, safe, yet fun downtown destination.  Take a walk in the park, enjoy the beautiful lakefront within walking distance to downtown, stop at one of the family owned shops or salons, shop for antiques, or visit Kissimmee Jewelers for a special gift.  If you are hungry, you have come to the right place as you can enjoy breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, dinner, a good glass of wine, and complete your downtown day with a delicious cup of coffee at Carino’s Cafe.  Downtown Kissimmee has music, fun, and a laid-back vibe.  A short walk-up Broadway leads you to food from around the world, Latin, Turkish, Greek, Italian, Sushi, Caribbean, and Good Old American Flavors can all be enjoyed within a few blocks.  Spend an afternoon or evening in downtown, it is almost as good as taking a vacation, without the need for a plane ticket.   On weekends music wafts through the streets. Embrace the history that downtown Kissimmee offers us within a short ride from our gates.  The folks from Makinson’s Hardware have retired, so shopping in this very cool old space sadly is no longer possible, but currently this old building is being reinvented into a new Restaurant for us all to enjoy.  We are looking forward to the grand opening, hope to see you there.

No Comments

How to Choose a Real Estate Broker

Choosing the Correct Real Estate Agent is an important step in every real estate transaction. A good agent will come to the table with contacts, experience, and the ability to save a transaction that may not be moving forward smoothly. An Educated Consumer is the best consumer and all BVR Agents are open, honest, and educate their clients along the way.

When looking for a realtor we always recommend you ask trusted friends or family for a recommendation of a realtor they may have worked with. I also recommend that every client interview at least two realtors. Ideally, the interview and selection process of a realtor will be quick. A good realtor will come prepared with a home value analysis and current comps in your neighborhood. The realtor you choose should be a realtor with experience in your neighborhood, a realtor with an honest reputation, and a realtor that will not only work for you, but listen to your needs, and work with you.

The Real Estate Market is still “a buyer’s market” therefore homes are selling quickly, but as mortgage interest rates rise the experts predict the market will slow down a bit. Housing inventory is still in short supply and pricing of homes is commodity based (supply and demand) so at this time in the cycle it does not appear that house prices will be dropping anytime soon.

If you are considering the sale of your home, a BVR Realtor is always happy to come out and meet with you to discuss your home and provide a detailed report estimating your value. If you are looking to buy a home in Solivita or in our surrounding areas, call any of our realtors, we are always happy to work with folks to find them the home of their dreams.

No Comments

Live Performance Theatres near Solivita

Although we love to play golf, tennis, pickleball, and go to the pool, we all need a change of pace, and it always nice to have a diversion.  Our local theatres have the solution.  It is Easy and fun to Visit and Enjoy local theatre.  Due to Disney and the amusement parks we have allot of talent waiting in the wings, so head to one of the local theatres and see a show.  

Recently the Winter Haven Theatre has undergone quite a few major renovations.  The theatre now has new entrances, a renovated and expanded lobby, new lighting, and newly renovated restrooms.   This Theatre is comfortable and is an easy drive from Solivita.  The Mainstage Theatre has 332 seats and currently mounts five shows.  If you subscribe to the five shows you are guaranteed a seat and five great evenings or weekend afternoons of entertainment at very reasonable prices.  In addition, the Theatre is featuring Three Professional Touring Productions this year.  It is always nice to have “tickets in the bank”, as it gives you an event to look forward to, the joy of a good show, and if you treat yourself to dinner or lunch, you have a great day. Season tickets and Touring Tickets are on sale now, and individual show tickets for the Mainstage go on sale in September.  https://www.theatrewinterhaven.com

Good Live Theatre at Osceola Arts with the new season’s tickets going on sale June  15th.  This season Osceola Play House will mount 8 shows on the Mainstage. With the purchase of one of the season ticket packages, you will experience Central Florida’s acclaimed Broadway style productions at a fraction of the cost.  The season ticket packages for 2022-2023 are available June 15th to October 2nd.  Plus, if you are a season ticket holder you can also add tickets for two Special Engagement Productions at a reduced rate.   https://www.osceolaarts.org

Do you enjoy Good Fun and Entertainment and have a hankering for an historic theater setting?  If so, visit the Historic Ritz Theatre in Winter Haven.  The Ritz has been downtown Winter Haven’s Stage since 1925 when it opened as a venue for silent movies and vaudeville. In years gone by the Ritz played “A” Movies with casts including Betty Grable, Errol Flynn and Shirley Temple.   Today the Ritz is back in business with Multi-Level Seating that can accommodate over 450 guests.  Tables and Chairs are set on each level of the theatre for very comfortable seating.  The sound and lighting systems are wonderful, and the live performances and stage shows are fun.    Visit the Ritz at :    https://ritzwinterhaven.com

No Comments

Mango, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa

This is the perfect easy summer recipe, no cooking involved, yet you can serve this with chicken or pork, or serve in a taco, on a salad, or a fajita.  We enjoy this salsa on a slice of cucumber or a taco chip. Sour Cream on the side is a tasty accompaniment. 

3 Large Mangoes, diced

16 Oz of Frozen Corn defrosted and drained.

16 Oz Can of Black Beans, rinsed and drained

2 Limes Juiced, if you feel the salsa needs more juice add the juice from an additional lime

¼ Cup chopped fresh cilantro or if you do not like cilantro sub in parsley

½ Red Onion Finely Chopped

Toss all the items except Cilantro in a bowl and combine.  Add the Cilantro, serve and enjoy.

 

This Salsa is also good on chicken or fish and since we are all grill enthusiasts, this is a great accompaniment to whatever you are cooking up on your grill.