The St Petersburg Home show is coming up again this month. The exact dates will be January 27, 28, and 29.  There will be FREE parking and Admission for everyone. This will be another great opportunity for homeowners to come out and mingle with various home vendors. Tax season always creates a busy time for home improvements as homeowners are looking to invest their returns back into their homes. From complete kitchen remodels and room additions to minor home upgrades we always see a nice spike in foot traffic in our showroom around this time. Oldja Enterprises and Euro Flooring and Design center will be in attendance as usual at the Tampa Bay Home Show. Be sure to stop by our section and meet with Johnny and Mark as they will be happy to answer any of your home remodeling questions. We have the largest showroom in St. Petersburg, FL. We have all of your remodeling needs covered as Johnny with Oldja Enterprises specializes in Kitchen Remodels, Granite, and many brands of all wood cabinetry. Mark with Euro Flooring and Design center can assist you with all of your carpet, tile, hardwood, blinds, shutters and any other additional flooring needs.

In case you are unsure of where the Tampa Bay Home show takes place it is located in St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field just off of I-275 exit 22. The doors open at 10am and close at 6pm on Friday, 7pm on Saturday, and 5pm on Sunday. There will be a range of exhibitors from some of the following categories: Home Improvement, Building Products, Remodeling Services, Windows, Flooring, Carpet, Counter tops, Tile, Kitchen Cabinets, Doors and more.

Come meet our staff face to face as we attend the Tampa Bay Home Show in St. Petersburg. We can answer all of your kitchen design and remodeling questions. You will have an opportunity to learn more about bringing your dream kitchen or bathroom to life. We are filled with different ideas on kitchen cabinet styles and finishes to a large selection of flooring choices. In addition to general contractors you will have an opportunity to meet landscapers, travel promoters, security experts, fencing installers, pool and spa technicians and many more home professionals.

The home show will be open from 10am - 6pm, Saturday 10am - 7pm, and Sunday 10am - 5pm. It will be held at Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg exit 22 on 275. It’s free to park and free to attend. In addition there will be plenty of shows on Saturday and Sunday. Learn how to cook with wine and some great gardening tips!

How to create your own spice rub and have total awesomeness in the kitchen.

As fall approaches here in St. Petersburg, FL we all know it means great mild cookout weather. From tailgates and the Tampa Bay Buccaneer games or for the USF bulls or just hanging out with friends and family. One of our favorite things to do before a cookout is prepare the meat with a spice rub a few days before.

Most of us are familiar with using a marinade to prepare meat but most have never explored the benefits of using a spice rub as well in the kitchen. Spice rubs can contain a variety of ingredients and spices but some of the most common ingredients are: salt, brown sugar, garlic powered, and pepper. Besides saving some money, and adding flavor to your meat or poultry you can use you spice rub in a variety of ways. It makes a great homemade gift for the upcoming holiday season. You can add it into any sauces you may have lying around that need an extra kick.

The simplest rub you may have heard of is just coarse black pepper used in Steak au poivre. The steak is then seared in high heat to quickly cook the outside and undercook the inside. Spice rubs flavor the meat from the outside and generally seem inside after about a day or so. They also help seal in moisture for a juicier cut of meat. Another option is to lightly coat your meat in oil to help you rub stick.

For a simple rub follow our steps and please remember you can modify and add ingredients as you please.

Chicken Spice Rub:

3 tablespoons ground cardamom
3 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cayenne
1 tablespoon ground cloves

Jamaican Jerk Spice Rub

2 tablespoons coriander
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons ground thyme
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Lucy’s Chile Rub

3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
2 tablespoons guajillo chile powder
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

When seasoning your meat you will need a minimum of 1 tablespoon per pound of meat. The most common method of cooking meat that has a rub is by using dry heat, which consists of grilling, baking, or broiling. Enjoy!

Your kitchen is the most important part of your home. Its main use is preparing meals. We often talk a lot about how we can make your kitchen look better, or how we can completely remodel it. But what about making it better for its main intended purpose? Cooking. All foodies know that you cannot cook a great meal without the right ingredients. They need to be fresh and pure. After you make sure to have the right ingredients you need to have the proper spices for your selected recipe. Most kitchens have a spice rack or spice cabinet where all of their spices are kept. Of course we can help you if you don't have enough cabinet space for all of your spices. Depending on your culture and food preferences you may may have as few as 5 or more than 60 different spices. You may think that salt is the popular spice but salt is actually a mineral. Pepper is actually the most popular spice in the world. They are the result of dried berries from the piper nigrum plant. Humans have been have been harvesting these berries for thousands of years and they were even used as a form of currency. Another common spice you will find in the kitchen is Cinnamon. Outside of the kitchen cinnamon is known to have some special medicinal properties. The bark of the tree is what is used as a spice and in the middle ages cinnamon was only affordable by the wealthy elite of society and you social rank was determined by the number of spices you possessed. We know that humans have used spices since 50,000 BC and that spice trade began in the middle east around 2000 BC starting with cinnamon and pepper.

Hopefully you have a decent amount of spices in your kitchen as our next blog will focus on creating your very own spice rub to use. Technically speaking any dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetative substance could be considered a spice. Spices are usually nutritionally insignificant during normal usage and can add flavor, kill bacteria, or give color to food. Spices are generally available in several forms including, fresh, whole dried, and pre ground dried. Sometimes spices are used for other purposes including medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, or perfumery.