Don’t Pack It All Away

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September 20, 2015

Collette is fashion forward and design orientated. Practicing a healthy lifestyle, she is a stylist & wardrobe consultant. A Bachelors in communications and marketing, years of experience in the garment district, she celebrates everyday with enthusiasm for fashion and beauty while helping other women achieve their personal best. Collettep24@yahoo.com

While the cooler days and frosty mornings start creeping in, summer days are becoming a hazy memory. As we ease into fall, we slowly retire pieces from our summer wardrobe and grab for the heavy dark colored sweaters and bottoms. Don’t be in such a hurry to pack away all your summer pieces. There are certain ones that should remain in your closet year round.
Multipurpose dresses and skirts, some are a must to keep present. It’s time to archive any linen dresses, cotton gauze skirts, and pastel shorts.
Your basic sheath dress, strapless, evening dress, reds, denims, burnt oranges, navys and teals should all stay put. Simply add a denim jacket, a black or taupe blazer, or a long cream cardigan. Polish your look with an infinity scarf, in any warm fall hue and you’ve just saved yourself a bundle on new dresses and skirts.
Don’t be so quick to bury the tank tops and t-shirts. They are great staples for layering under blazers, jean jackets, and cardigans. Even under sweaters that may have a crochet finish, sheer blouses, tunics or silk blouses and vests. Don’t under estimate the tank.
Obvious basics are white, black, navy, taupe and cream. These colors will pair with just about any of your fall colors. We are only changing seasons not quite shoveling snow yet, your instinct to reach for the turtleneck shouldn’t become routine yet. Any cami is worth keeping close at hand, they too can be popped under an array of blouses and crisp buttons down shirts. The cami is also an easy evening look under a motto jacket or cashmere wrap topped with a statement necklace, very chic.
The summer/winter exchange doesn’t have to be an overwhelming dreaded event. Take a deep breath of the crisp fall air and gracefully enter the new season while keeping a few summer staples in your fall wardrobe. The colors of the trees are changing and leaves slowly falling. The new season is inviting you to relish in its beauty.

Managing The Job Search Rollercoaster

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September 20, 2015

Don Benenson, SPHR, is the owner of MVP Resumes. He has over 30+ years of corporate HR experience and happily helps clients with resume preparation and interviewing skills. He can be reached at
631-428-5877 or at
mvpresumes@yahoo.com

Like a rollercoaster ride, a job search in today’s ultra-competitive market can make you queasy. Hopefully, you will experience more ups than downs, but truth be told, for all too many job seekers the ride is far more exhausting than exhilarating.

Manage Your Mindset
Managing your mindset is the most important goal to achieve. Have you ever met anyone who derives pleasure from feeling ignored and being rejected? Job #1 is staying mentally tough when you have every right to feel anger, frustration and annoyance. When you’re tempted to throw in the towel, do your best to focus on a statistical truth….every resume you’ve submitted that has been ignored is bringing you one step closer to the one that will generate a phone call back.

Simple Plans Are Easy to Execute
You can’t eat an elephant in one bite and you can’t effectively execute an overwhelming job search plan. I encourage you to have a master plan that covers a lot of activities. Then break it down to manageable tasks that you know you are committed to. For example, if you decided to identify all the executive recruiting firms that work within the NY-metro area, then go a step further and make your objective to identify at least 25 a week. If you remained steadfast in your resolve, you’d have been able to send your resume out to 100 firms within 30 days. Focus on getting a few tasks accomplished daily at a very high quality level versus working through a lengthy to do list.

Avoid Spray and Pray
It may take between 4-9 months for a job seeker to get the role he wants. The “spray and pray” tactic certainly occupies time and enables the job seeker to feel good that they worked for 10 hours and applied to numerous positions. Unfortunately, this approach typically doesn’t get the phone to start ringing which further exasperates the emotional rollercoaster involved in a job search.

Avoid the Crash and Burn Stage
When you’d prefer having a tooth extracted than applying to another job, you’ve reached the crash and burn stage.

Build frequent downtime periods into your overall job search. Make believe you’re working Monday-Friday from 9 to 5. Go at it hard, but when the day is done, relax and try to completely forget about finding a job. Don’t sacrifice your family time to hammer out another resume submittal.

If you don’t “get off the grid”, all the negative aspects of looking for a job become even more frustrating and eventually, you will reach a point where you can’t seem to motivate yourself to do anything at all.

Stay balanced and mentally strong. Remember that this is a numbers game and like Lotto, “you got to be in it to win it”.

Lunch At The Palatial Oheka Castle

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Joe Alicata is a 2009 graduate of
Northport High School, he has his B.A. in Public Administration from the
University at Albany. Joe works in the insurance industry, is a member of the
Advisory Board for the Northport High School Academy of Finance (AOF)
program, and is a Director for
Northport Student's Mean Business.
He can be reached at etrestaurants@gmail.com

  Nestled on the border of Nassau and Suffolk counties, right at the edge of the Town of Huntington, lies one of the most spectacular pieces of Long Island’s Gold Coast heritage: The Otto Kahn Estate, more commonly known as Oheka Castle.
   Built in 1919 by financier and philanthropist Otto Kahn (who served as the inspiration for the Monopoly man) and later purchased and restored by Long Island businessman and philanthropist Gary Melius, Oheka Castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and operates as a world class hotel and event center. In addition to its lodging and event offerings, Oheka provides a unique dining experience that transports patrons to a time long since passed.
   While Oheka is a place most Long Islanders probably associate with weddings and events, and the rest of the world associates with Taylor Swift, as the Oheka served as the backdrop for the music video for her 2014 song “Blank Space”, the castle is the perfect place to escape on a summer afternoon, or to wow that special someone with an exquisite dinner. Diners are treated to breathtaking views of the historically accurate and meticulously manicured gardens and grounds, along with the classic European style architecture that gives Oheka its unique character.
   On this trip, I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy a late lunch. Soon after being seated, diners are treated to a delicious take on the generic breadbasket that dons many restaurant tables across America: warm, crusty, seasoned bread served with a scallion cheese sauce. A cheese sauce that will seriously have you considering using your spoon to finish off what you missed with the bread.
   Once you have had a chance to enjoy your crusty bread and heavenly cheese sauce, give the lobster and shrimp meatballs a try. Served with a lobster bisque dipping sauce, these meatballs come packed with nice sized pieces of lobster and shrimp and are fried to perfection. If seafood is not your thing, the burrata mozzarella is certainly a crowd pleaser, served with sliced beefsteak tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and a balsamic reduction.
   When you are ready to move along to your main dish, Oheka offers a variety of dishes, from more traditional entrees to soups, salads and sandwiches. The Kelly Steak, a delicious combination of sliced grilled filet mignon, broccoli rabe, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, caramelized onions and marinara sauce served on a toasted garlic hero was my personal favorite. The steak is cooked to perfection, and the vegetables provide the perfect texture contrast to the steak and warm, crunchy bread. If you are not a steak fan but are still in the mood for a sandwich, The Elena is a tasty alternative. A delectable combination of grilled chicken, avocado, bruschetta and fresh mozzarella topped with basil oil and a balsamic reduction, it’s a wonderfully balanced dish that leaves diners asking for more.
   So if you are looking for a unique spot to grab a meal that is not too far from home, not prohibitively expensive and is a virtual time machine, Oheka Castle is the place to be.

Is The Price Right? How To Price Your Home

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Michael Spampinato is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at The Donnelly Group, a real estate boutique office servicing Smithtown, Kings Park, Northport and surrounding areas. A lifetime resident of Long Island, Michael has extreme knowledge & passion for the real estate market. To contact Michael for real estate advice, please email mikes@thedonnellygroup.com or call/text at 516.242.2540

  What can I list my house for? A question that is asked by every homeowner right before they decide to put their home on the market. In my previous article, I discussed detaching yourself from your house, taking away that personal and emotional connection that you may have with your home. Once achieved, this will allow you to see the value buyers will place on your home when it hits the market. It will also bring you one step closer to start the search for a listing agent.
   Once you start to interview agents, you begin to realize that each agent has different ways to market your home to the public. You will hear about Trulia, Zillow, MLSLI and more. It is true that marketing your home will help in opening the door to new buyers, but the biggest factor is getting offers.
   Every agent coming in to present, should be showing you a Comparative Market Analysis, better known as a CMA. The CMA will show you comparable homes in the area that sold, are under contract and currently listed. The CMA is important to see what homes are going for and it can provide you with statistical data, such as days on market, average listing price, average sales price and more.
   A CMA can offer more information to sellers than they may realize. Outside of what buyers may be looking for, this data is extremely valuable to see what banks will be looking at. Remember that even after agreeing on a price for the home, the bank will need to appraise the value of the home (assuming the buyer is applying for a mortgage). The same CMA used in providing the listing price, can also give you an idea on an appraisal price of the home.
   I have been a part of many listing presentations and hearing from sellers some suggested listing prices that other agents gave, could sometimes make your jaw drop. Some realtors throw around numbers without providing any data so that they can get the listing. I refer to this as “buying” the listing, meaning they give a number that the seller wants to hear, without showing proof as opposed to what they should hear and see with a CMA. Some realtors may also use a strategy I refer to as “shorting” the listing, providing the bottom line of the home, in hopes that it sells quickly with little to no work. My thoughts on pricing a home are simple, choose a price to list the home at that will provide traffic for the home, set realistic expectations among buyers and prove to you, that work is still needed to get that price.
   Finding the right price for your home requires an agent that will do the research to provide you with the right numbers and one that will continue to work after signing the listing agreement with you, the seller.

Get Better Fall Foliage Pictures With A Polarizer Filter

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Larry Kelly has been taking photos for many years. He refined his skills as an amateur photographer and went digital in 2006. A retired environmental law enforcement officer, he enjoys photography, writing, and coaching others. He can be contacted at lwkelly113@gmail.com.

  It’s a beautiful summer day as I write this, but the nights are a little cooler and the katydids are in full song. Beautiful fall is just around the corner. If you like taking pictures of the wonderful fall foliage, a circular polarizing filter can help you get better fall photos.
   Simply put, this lens works by blocking some of the scattered light reflecting off your subject. It kind of cleans up the “noise” in the light entering the lens allowing for a clearer image to be recorded. Colors will become darker and richer. Reflections and glare will be reduced and colors will be more saturated. Like wearing a pair of polarizing sunglasses, you will also be able to see better below the surface of water with this filter attached.
   The circular polarizer lens’ full effect is realized when your subject is 90 degrees to the sun. In other words, if you are facing your subject, the full effect of the polarizer lens will be had when the sun is over your right arm, or your left arm. If you are shooting directly into, or directly away from the sun (i.e. 180 degrees), the effect of the lens is less. Also, the polarizer is most effective during the mid-morning and mid-afternoon hours, least effective during sunrise and sunset, and at high noon. But don’t let that stop you from using it during those times.
   The circular polarizer is adjustable by turning a ring on the outside of the filter. You can vary the effect from just a touch to getting the maximum effect, depending on how the scene looks in front of you. Get a thin-mount filter to reduce the chance that the filter will show up in the image, especially when using a wide-angle lens. Get the best filter you can afford. You don’t have to go crazy, but don’t put a cheap $30 filter on your lens that costs hundreds of dollars.
   Since the leaves haven’t changed yet, I took two unedited photos of colorful flowers to show the “before” (without polarizer filter) and “after” (with filter) to give you an idea of the effect.
   And if you only have your cell phone with you, try putting your polarizing sunglasses in front of the lens and take a picture of that awesome tree. Don’t laugh, try it!

How To Feel Good About Going Back To School

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Lisa Navarra M.A. in Special Education with over 20 years of experience Lisa is the Founder/President of Child Behavior Consulting, LLC. For more insider tips and information, log onto
www.childbehaviorconsulting.com or contact Lisa at
Lisa@ChildBehaviorConsulting.com, FB Child Behavior Consulting. Lisa can also be seen on Verizon Fios Push Pause LI Parenting: Setting Limits.

Has your child's attitude changed from adventurous to suddenly avoidant? Child Behavior Consulting offers suggestions for you and your child to amp up that adventurous side to look forward to going back to school! Try to talk with your child about how he/she feels about going back to school. You might be surprised by the response. But what if you have a child who is not expressive and you really don't know how he/she is feeling? Well, we have suggestions for you too!

Reviewing or creating a check list can be a fun and validating activity to help create that feeling of a fresh, smooth start to a new school year!

Here are 2 check lists. One for the parent and one child. However, you and your child may want to personalize them to make your very own unique check lists.

Check List For The Child
Are you Quiet or Shy?
– Place a picture of yourself doing something fun over the summer that you can share with your classmates.
– Wear your book bag and pretend you are going to school.
– Visit your class before the first day of school.

Are you worried you might get in trouble?
– Pick your favorite or a bright colored string and wear it as a bracelet. Look at it as a reminder to raise your hand or to check if you are following directions.

Need a happy thought?
– Ask your mom/dad to pack your favorite snack or bake one with your mom/dad.

Thinking of things to talk to other kids about can make you feel more comfortable in a new class.
Here are a few suggestions:
1- "What was your favorite part of the summer?"
2- "Did you go anywhere over the summer?"
3- "Do you play any sports or play an instrument?"

How do you feel about going back to school?
– Excited – Happy – Worried – Sad – Terrified

Can you think of something that you can do to make you feel happy about going to school?

You know your parents the best! Write what would make your mom or dad not worry about you while you are in school.

Check List For The Parent
For the busy parent:
– Pack the school supplies ready to go for the first day of school.
– book bag – lunch box – pencils – notebook – folder
– label each item with your child's and teacher's name
– tell your child the bus number

For the forgetful parent:
– Hang a monthly wipe off board in a high traffic area for easy reference and updating.

Information to include on the wipe off board:
– Names of teachers
– Start and end times of school
– After school activities
– Meet the teacher date and other important dates

For the worried parent:
– Talk with your child about your concerns.
– Call the principal 1 week before to express concerns.
– Contact the school nurse with any necessary documents/medications for your child's allergies

Drying Clothes: Tips To Lower Energy Costs

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Bill Lauto is an Environmental Scientist and Energy Consultant who has been
teaching how we can save our money,
energy, environment, and health, since 1982. Mr. Lauto operates GoingTrueGreen.com and his work has been published in magazines such as: Consumer Report, Kiplinger's Financial and Business Ethics.

Here are 7 steps that SIGNIFICANTLY lower your energy cost to dry clothes:

STEP ONE:
Throw a Big DRY Bath Towel in the Dryer with the wet clothes! To save approximately 7 minutes drying time, every time you dry clothes, get one of the largest bath towels you own and make it your Dryer's default towel. Yes, this towel shall stay in the Dryer forever. Having an already “dry towel” in the Dryer with wet clothes will help absorb the moisture out of the air inside the dryer, thus helping to dry clothes in less time.

STEP TWO:
If you have an Electric Dryer and you have Natural Gas available. Consider getting a gas Dryer because the savings will justify the expense to switch.

If an Electric Dryer cost $1.00 to dry clothes, most Gas Dryers will only cost 25 cents to dry the same clothes. That is a possible 75% savings. The range of savings is from 50% up to 75%!

Make sure the cost to switch is within reason. Note that a master license plumber will be needed to run the gas line inside your house and to properly vent the gas dryer. Also make sure you buy the most energy efficient Dryer made.

STEP THREE:
Use the "Automatic Cycles" if your machine has that feature. Do not use or set a "timed" cycle because the clothes may be fully dry well before "time" is up.

STEP FOUR:
Start saving with your clothes Washer by using the longer spin cycle on your washing machine to remove as much water from your clothes as possible. Obviously this will NOT apply to "Delicates" because you will be laying these clothes flat to air dry.

STEP FIVE:
Do you use fabric softener sheets? How many boxes do you buy each year and at what cost? For about $10.00, Dryer Balls can replace the sheets, save money, drying time, and our environment.

STEP SIX:
On Wash Day try to run your Dryer two, three, or more times in a row. This will allow you to take advantage of the retained heat in the Dryer. Make sure the Dryer is filled, don't run the Dryer just to dry a pair of socks. Dry as you washed: Meaning, you just ran a load of underwear, then dry underwear. Don't mix “long to dry” items such as bath towels with underwear. ALWAYS clean out the Lint Screen after EACH time you run the Dryer! Lint is the number one cause of house fires.

STEP SEVEN:
You can save 100% on your Dryer cost by using Solar, aka Clothes Line

Using a Clothes Line has numerous benefits:

a. No utility bill
b. Fresh clean air smell to the clothes
c. Less wear and tear on clothes, thus clothes last longer
d. Exercise for your TriCeps and BiCeps
e. More energy saved for our grandchildren
f. Helping our planet's environment

Yoga For Back Pain

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Nancy Kelly is a yoga teacher and personal trainer who teaches hatha, vinyasa, prenatal, restorative and children’s yoga. She encourages her students to use their yoga practice as a method to improve their mental, physical,
emotional and spiritual health. She can be contacted at nkelly1127@gmail.com.

Back pain is one of the most common ailments and one of the primary reasons people take up yoga. Yoga can be helpful in both preventing and healing back pain because it can gently stretch and strengthen the muscles in the hips, legs and back as well as the abdomen, which supports the lower back.

If you are familiar with yoga, you may have already experienced the benefits of the poses listed below. If you have never done them before, please be careful to perform them correctly and to listen to your body. It might be helpful to use props (pillows or folded blankets) for support.

1. Child’s pose – come onto hands and knees and carefully lower hips down toward your heels. Let the entire spine lengthen and, if possible, extend arms forward and sink hips down even more with each exhalation. If back or hips are tight, spread knees further apart or use a prop under hips to prevent straining.

2. Cat and cow – on hands and knees, be sure to stack wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Begin by lowering head toward the floor
and rounding the upper back while exhaling (cat pose). Next, bring head and chest upward and sink lower back down while inhaling (cow pose). Repeat several times, moving slowly with each breath, to lengthen and strengthen spine.

3. Knees to chest – on back, carefully draw one knee at a time into chest. Bring hands or arms around to hold bent legs and try to bring knees closer toward chest. Gently rock from side to side or bring head toward knees to stretch your cervical spine.

4. Supine twist – on back, bend knees with feet on floor and extend arms out to each side at shoulder height. Move both knees to the left, carefully lowering toward the floor while shifting upper torso to the right. Try to keep both shoulders on the floor and gaze toward your right hand. Stay here for several breaths, and bring knees and torso back to center. Repeat the twist on the opposite side. For more comfort, place a prop under knees for better support in the twist.

To feel the benefits of yoga it helps to practice as often as possible. If you suffer from or want to prevent back pain, try to make this sequence a part of your daily routine.

Dishin with Denise… Ripe, Robust and Ravishing… A Tomato Sandwich

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webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

Denise Gianatasio is a Northport
Village resident and freelance writer.
She is a licensed agent at Signature
Premier Properties, 172 Main Street, Northport 631-754-3600. Denise
enjoys cooking and sharing her recipes and family stories, as she wants to
inspire a warm sense of home with
her readers. Please feel free to contact her for any advice you may need at
dishinwithdenise@yahoo.com.

Before summer slips away pick up some of those big, ripe, beautiful, farm tomatoes! This sandwich treat has always been a favorite of mine~but I do dare you to try and eat just one? My dear mother, who was born in Queens, used to call anything between 2 slices of bread a “sangwich” and she always said “soup and sangwiches” go together. So if you desire, make a soup too (look up any of my recipes for a tasty cup of minestrone, clam chowder, or a fresh tomato soup, at etweekmedia.com) serve with the absolute best sandwich you’ll ever eat. If you have never had the experience of tasting a tomato sandwich~I’m sorry. Please try it and for sure you’ll wonder? How did you ever live this long…without this joy! This is not just a sandwich with just a tomato~this is summer as it’s meant to be tasted~ a sandwich simply made~with good old-fashioned white bread~ this is what I feel white bread was intended for! Thick slices of the season’s ripe, juicy tomatoes, a good mayonnaise, salt, fresh black pepper and a few of those large green fresh basil leaves. The real secret here is the late summer tomato debuting at their ultimate best! Do grab some extra napkins, as you’ll see this delicious sandwich is a bit messy! Who cares? If you should want to get fancy~ make a basil mayo by pulverizing basil leaves with a bit of olive oil and mayo. A quick and easy 5 minute prep from start to finish! Go and enjoy the remains of summer and the tastes of earth’s summer bounty. Just magical~ made better by of course by eating outdoors. Enjoy xo Denise

The Paramount

By

webpublisherpro

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September 6, 2015

After Summer Skin

By

webpublisherpro

-

September 6, 2015

Collette is fashion forward and design orientated. Practicing a
healthy lifestyle, she is a stylist & wardrobe consultant. A Bachelors in communications and marketing, years of experience in the garment district, she celebrates everyday with enthusiasm for fashion and beauty while helping other women achieve their personal best. Collettep24@yahoo.com

The long steamy sun kissed days of summer and red-hot sunsets have simmered down. The sun may have left an impression not only on our vacation but also on our skin. Post summer is a great time to lighten age spots, soften and exfoliate rough skin, and to
reverse any sun damage that the skin endured.
Whether we covered up or not, spots and freckles just seem to muscle their way onto our skin. They may appear on the face, the neck, the décolleté, arms and legs. The best defense to irradiate these spots is a professional strength glycolic acid. You can find professional strength without a prescription in creams or lotions that will help treat discoloration. Be sure to use the right product based on your skin type. A trip to the cosmetic counter is worth an evaluation of your skin type.
Exfoliate! Skin is always going to get some dryness and dullness after the summer heat. When your skin surface is covered with dry dead cells it needs more than a deep hydrating formula moisturizer to make skin feel soft again. It’s so important to exfoliate with a soft salux cloth or a buff puff in order to let the moisturizer absorb into porous skin. Moisturizers should always include a non-irritating uva protection. A high concentration of vitamin C can also help support skin healing and lighten hyperpigmentation.
Eating matters. While the summer creates seasonal indulgences at bbq’s, frosty drinks, and icy/frozen deserts, its time to start adding more water, water, water and more water! Add lots of veggies, whole foods, and fiber and try to minimize sugar intake. So much of our outside appearance is a byproduct of our systemic health and of course genetics play a role. However we can do our part to give ourselves the best chance to look and feel great.
The more we maintain our daily diligence and role with the changing seasons; we can make a difference and see great improvements in our skin.
VENeffect has an incredible firming neck & décolleté cream that will be sure to make a firm difference. The goal of the “venus effect” is to reverse lost elasticity while using 100% natural plant based phytoestrogens to safely and effectively preserve and restore the youthful glow of healthy vibrant skin.
www.veneffect.com has a wealth of beauty tips and solutions to enlighten women with knowledge. Easing out of summer and preparing for the cooler weather ahead doesn’t have to be a dreadful task, resulting in half used creams and lotions piled under the sink never to be used again.

Dishin with Denise… Rock On Back To School With Lasagna Rolls

By

webpublisherpro

-

August 23, 2015

Denise Gianatasio is a Northport
Village resident and freelance writer.
She is a licensed agent at Signature
Premier Properties, 172 Main Street, Northport 631-754-3600. Denise
enjoys cooking and sharing her recipes and family stories, as she wants to
inspire a warm sense of home with
her readers. Please feel free to contact her for any advice you may need at
dishinwithdenise@yahoo.com.

It’s hard to believe it’s “Back to School” time already! How did it fly by so quickly? You gaze at your children, and see that healthy, golden, sun glow kiss on their skin, they look a bit taller, and just a tad older and perhaps more mature. Using this summer season as a measurement of growth that occurred in less than 10 weeks~ you’ll know~ they will be all grown in the blink of an eye. Like me, then you will see all the younger parents running around school shopping, buying clothes, new sneakers, supplies, getting haircuts, etc! You will stop, feel a pull at your heartstring and reminisce… WOW~ just how quickly those years rushed by. Of course we learn these things through hindsight sometimes rather than during the times of busy~ ness! Trust me, show the passion through your action. What you do speaks loud. Let your children know through you, that it was truly wonderful to have those lazy family filled days of summer. Then prepare them emotionally for the new challenges of going back to begin a new school year. I bring you back into the kitchen. Prepare this meal over a few days, if time is scarce. One day make your marinara, (or use a good jar sauce~ this 1 time only) Make your béchamel sauce and refrigerate till ready. Then the day before school, make your filling, roll your lasagna rolls and get ready to share a meal fit for a King or Queen! An easy and delicious meal, to roll them on back into their ABC’s.

Béchamel sauce
2 T butter
4 teaspoons of flour
1 ¼ cup of whole milk or ½ & ½
¼ teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper
Pinch or 2 of ground nutmeg
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, add flour and whisk for 4 minutes. Whisk in the milk and spices until sauce comes to a simmer and turns smooth and thick. Done

12-15 dry Lasagna noodles (I use Barilla brand)

Add noodles to a large boiling pot of salted water add 2 T of olive oil to water. Boil for 8-10 minutes, rinse with cold water, drain and lay flat on parchment paper to prevent sticking.

In a bowl mix together
1 (15 oz) container of ricotta
1 10 oz bag of frozen, thawed and drained chopped spinach
1 cup of grated locatelli cheese
1 egg beaten
½ t each of salt and pepper
Handful of fresh parsley chopped
2 T fresh-chopped basil

Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch microwaveable dish. Pour béchamel sauce on bottom of pan. Place approx 3 T of mixture on lasagna sheet and roll each noodle like a jellyroll. Lay rolls on top of béchamel sauce, cover with your marinara sauce. Sprinkle with a bit more grated cheese, parsley and basil. Cover with a glass top or saran wrap. Can refrigerate for a day. When ready microwave for 5~6 minutes, until bubbling hot.

Now I bring you back outdoors while the air still say’s Summer! Serve a fresh salad, some crispy bread and watch their smiling faces look happy and distracted for just that enjoyable mealtime~ with no regard about how they need to set their alarm clocks again! Good job by you~ Great job ahead for them!

Happy Back to School! XO Denise

Ciro's Italian Restaurant

Maria's Mexican & Latin Cuisine

O Sole Mio

Chiddy’s Cheese Steaks

La Piazza

Rincon Criollo

ET Week Media Group

Ciro's Italian Restaurant

Maria's Mexican & Latin Cuisine

O Sole Mio

Chiddy’s Cheese Steaks

La Piazza

Rincon Criollo

Don’t Pack It All Away

Managing The Job Search Rollercoaster

Lunch At The Palatial Oheka Castle

Is The Price Right? How To Price Your Home

Get Better Fall Foliage Pictures With A Polarizer Filter

How To Feel Good About Going Back To School

Drying Clothes: Tips To Lower Energy Costs

Yoga For Back Pain

Dishin with Denise… Ripe, Robust and Ravishing… A Tomato Sandwich

The Paramount

After Summer Skin

Dishin with Denise… Rock On Back To School With Lasagna Rolls

About ET Week

ET Week Media Group