Stone Crab Season Has Finally Arrived

As we ease into the coming fall and winter seasons here at the Villages of Citrus Hills, one of the many bright spots on the horizon is the return of Stone Crab season in Florida.

Whether you prefer to get out on the water and catch your own or simply buy them from one of our local fresh seafood markets, those delicious stone crab claws are going to be plentiful throughout the rest of this year and the first part of 2020.

About Stone Crab Claws

Unlike so much of the seafood that comes out of the Gulf of Mexico, stone crab claws are actually a renewable resource since they are able to regrow their claws after those claws are harvested by local fishermen.

Stone crabs are able to regenerate their claws over the course of about a year, and with a life expectancy of about 8-9 years, they can produce that delicious claw meat quite a few times in their lives.

Catching Stone Crab Claws

Like any seafood that you might be looking for here in Florida, there are plenty of rules and regulations to be aware of when it comes to stone crab claws. The most important of those is the fact that you can only catch stone crabs when they are in season from October 15 through May 15.

Any amateurs fishing for stone crab need to obtain a saltwater fishing license and respect limits of just five traps, only collecting one gallon of claws per day, and making sure that all of those claws are at least 2 ¾ inches long.

Of course, if you don’t feel like remembering all of the details, you can always go the charter route and let the captain take care of worrying about the rules, or you can just purchase claws that someone else harvested at one of our many local seafood markets.

Cooking Stone Crab Claws

There are four ways to cook your freshly harvested stone crab claws, and the easiest one is to throw them right into a pot of boiling water. The only tips you need to worry about here are to make sure that you season the water with plenty of salt and be careful not to overcook the claws.

Another simple way to cook your fresh stone crab claws is to put them in a casserole dish with a little bit of water at the bottom and bake them covered in the oven at 350 degrees.

The slightly more complicated way to cook stone crab claws that often produces a better quality meal is to steam them in a basket over a pot of boiling water. It’s really only complicated in that you have to have the right equipment. Once again, you want to be careful not to overcook the claws.

Boiling your stone crab claws should take about 5-10 minutes. For steaming and baking allow 8-10 minutes. You know they’re done when they smell like delicious crab meat. You will also see the color change and brighten.

In Florida we love to grill all year round, so why not grill our claws. Simply put the claws on a medium heat grill for about 5 minutes for each side. The temperature for grilling should be between 300 and 325 Fahrenheit. When you are grilling, it's advisable to spread olive oil or butter on the claws.

Again, it is crucial to check the crab claws when heating them. Baking and grilling can give out sweet meat, but overheating them will make the meat tough and lose the flavor.

Stone Crab Claw Dippage

One of the things that make stone crab claws so popular is that there is a wide variety of things you can dip them in. For many home cooks, the best place to start is with drawn butter or cocktail sauce.

Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami is probably the most popular stone crab restaurant in the world, and they are known for serving stone crab claws with a unique mustard dipping sauce. Thanks to websites like Epicurious, you can make a great mustard sauce for your home-cooked stone crab claws using their version of that recipe.

If you are a stone crab expert looking for some new flavors, this article from News-Press offers some unique twists on dipping sauces like Brandy Mustard Sauce, Jalapeno Honey Sauce, Ginger Scallion Sauce, and Spicy Marinara Sauce.

However you prefer to cook and dip your stone crab claws, there is no denying that they are one of the best treats available throughout the winter here in Florida. Make sure you take the time to enjoy plenty of these local delicacies this year!

Choosing Your Home: How Much Square Footage Do You Really Need?

The Westchester Floor Plan

Deciding exactly how big you want your new home to be here at the Villages of Citrus Hills is one of the first steps that every new home buyer struggles with. And while it can often be hard to imagine the difference between 2,200 square feet and 2,800 square feet, the difference in size is a very real factor that must be given a serious amount of attention.

Whether you are planning to downsize from a larger home, upgrading from a smaller condo, or looking for something right in the sweet spot for a perfect retirement lifestyle, there are more than a few options to be had here in our community. In order to get to the heart of your needs, all you have to do is ask yourself the right questions.

How Much Home Can You Afford?

The first factor that comes into play when deciding how much square footage someone needs in their new home is how much they can actually afford. Understanding what your new home is going to cost is a great way to come around to a starting point on how much space you can actually afford.

Once you have a rough estimate of what your new home is going to cost, you can quickly figure out a reasonable range of home sizes you have to choose from.

Do You Plan on Staying Here Forever?

How long you plan to call this new house your home is another critical factor that you are going to want to spend some time thinking about. If you are only planning to spend a few years in this house, you have less to worry about.

However, if the goal is for this new house to be your “forever home,” then you are going to want to nail down each and every detail to make sure that you enjoy your lifestyle here for years to come.

What Does Your In-Home Lifestyle Look Like?

Another way to look at the same question is to examine what your lifestyle will look like once you are moved into your new home. Are you the type of family where everyone needs their own separate space? Or are you comfortable with everyone sharing the same open living spaces?

There are no right or wrong answers here, so the trick is to be completely honest with yourself on how you and your family will ultimately occupy the space you are building.

Do You Need Your Own Personal Space?

With so many of our floor plans offering extra bedrooms and flex rooms that can be converted into different kinds of spaces, this is also a time to be honest with yourself about how much personal space you are going to want to have in your new home.

If there is any chance that you are going to be taking up a hobby like scrapbooking or crafting that will need a dedicated space, this is the time to make sure that you are going to have the square footage to accommodate those activities.

How Often Do You Expect Visitors?

How often you plan on hosting visiting friends and family is another factor that can increase the amount of square footage you will need in your new home. Just as you are going to want to know whether you need dedicated personal space, having a spare room ready for visitors will require extra square footage that you need to account for.

Once again, there are no right or wrong answers to any of these questions. It is also important to remember that today’s open floorplan designs maximize square footage in a way that older homes simply can’t compete with, so the same amount of square footage is going to feel much bigger in a modern home.

Regardless of how much square footage you ultimately decide on, you are going to love everything about your new lifestyle here at the Villages of Citrus Hills.

Let’s get started talking about your new home in our community!

October 2019 Activities and Events at the Villages of Citrus Hills

We’re rolling into the month of October and with all of our snowbird friends heading south for the winter, it’s setting up to be a very busy month here at Citrus Hills.

Between all of the social events, educational talks, sports competitions, and delicious dinner specials, there is an almost endless amount of ways to keep yourself busy in our community this month.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the things you are going to want to have circled on your calendar this month.

Social Events

The first social event of the month will be the Shalom Social Club Dinner at Skyview Restaurant on Friday, October 4. On the menu this month will be your choice of New York Strip Steak, Chicken Piccata, or Bourbon Salmon.

On Friday, October 11, the action will be in the Hampton Room for the Rockabilly Dance Party featuring live music from Sherry & The Rockafellas. Doors open at 7 pm for this event, and there will be Costume Contest Prizes announced at 8 pm.

Tasty Trivia Tuesday will also have a Halloween theme this month with questions revolving around all of your favorite monsters. The competition will happen in the Hampton Room on Tuesday, October 15, and the menu this month will include Shepherd’s Pie and Roasted Pork Loin Dijonase.

We might be well into the fall season, but the Sizzlin’ Summer Show Series has one more concert set for Thursday, October 17 in the Activity Center Auditorium. Rocky and the Rollers will be the featured band for this one, and they will be switching things up a bit and performing an unplugged show.

A fun event this month will be the Halloween Costume Party at Skyview on Wednesday, October 30. The Halloween-themed cocktails will be flowing, and there will also be prizes for most creative, best duo, and spookiest costumes.

Arts & Education

The Activity Center Parking Lot will be hosting an Autumn Farmers’ Market and Craft Fair on Saturday, October 13 from 10 am to 2 pm. In addition to the local vendors, there will also be live entertainment and local food trucks spicing up the event.

Doc Talk will be back in the Activity Center Auditorium on Tuesday, October 22 at 10 am. The Grove Health & Rehabilitation Center will be our guests this month, and their representatives will be discussing everything you need to know about diabetes health management.

Dr. Aparna Bapat will be our guest for Lunch & Learn in the Garden Room on Monday, October 28. The presentation will cover healing and health maintenance through food and lifestyle regulation, then lunch will feature a Zucchini Burger served with a Cilantro Chutney.

Golf & Tennis

Our golfers will be getting right back into the swing of things with the Ghost Open on the Meadows Course on Saturday, October 5. That will be a great event to get ready for the Skyview at Terra Vista Men’s Club Championship on October 28 and 29.

If you need to put in some work on your swing this month, our very own Mary Slinkard will be leading free golf clinics for beginners on October 7, 8, and 9. Then she will be back to work with intermediate golfers on October 14, 15, and 16.

The regular Free Beginners Tennis Clinic will be held on Tuesday, October 8 at the Skyview Tennis Center. That will be a perfect way to prepare for the exciting Tennis BurgerFest mixed doubles event that is scheduled for Sunday, October 20.

Dinner Specials

Skyview Restaurant is going all out with some new weekly specials like Lobster Roll Wednesday, Oktoberfest every Friday in October and our Sunday Brunch on October 27. Plus, you won’t want to miss out on Bayou Night on October 10.

Other great dinner specials to keep an eye out for this month include Pulled Pork Night at the Tiki Bar on Saturday, October 12 and Taste of Germany at The Grille on Sunday, October 13.

BellaVita Spa

When you find your free time, take some time to pamper yourself over at BellaVita Spa with their European Rose Mud Body Treatment on special all month long.

With so many things filling up our calendar in October, you should have no problem keeping yourself busy throughout the entire month. Make sure that you mark these events on your own calendar so that you don’t miss out on any of the fun!

7 Benefits of Building a New Home

The Westchester

One of the biggest questions faced by many people who are relocating to Florida is whether they are better off to build a new home or buy an existing one.  

While there are advantages to both options, building a new home has certain key benefits that just can’t be matched when buying an existing one.  

Here are the seven top benefits of building a new home instead of buying a resale: 

Choose the Exact Look and Floor Plan 

When you choose to build your new home from scratch, you get to build it the way you want it. You will have the option to choose the ideal floor plan you want and you will also be able to choose the materials and color schemes that fit your personality.  

Personalize Each and Every Detail 

Another big selling point for new home construction is that you will have the ability to personalize many aspects of your home. Adding features like a pot filler above the stove or a particular type of recessed lighting in a certain spot are easy to integrate when they are added before the walls go up.  

New Homes Have Warranties 

Should anything go wrong with your new construction home in the first few years, it will almost certainly be covered under your warranty. The same cannot be said with a resale home, where what you see is often what you get and you could be opening yourself up to tremendous risk if something goes wrong down the road.  

Save Energy With New Technologies 

Whether you are selflessly concerned about protecting the environment or more interested in protecting your bank account from high energy costs, the modern green technologies that will be included in your new home will actually be able to do both!  

Your new home is sure to have energy efficient appliances, and it may also feature energy saving technologies in its roofing materials, windows, and ventilation system.  

Modern Style and Design 

Building a new home instead of buying a resale also guarantees that you are on the cutting edge of the most modern style and design in the industry. At Citrus Hills you will have all of the design features that are popular today like granite countertops, open concept kitchens, elegant master suites, and covered lanais. 

Lower Maintenance Costs 

Simply put, new homes will require less maintenance. Your home will already have a fresh coat of paint and a brand new roof, air-conditioner and appliances, so those types of maintenance projects and replacements will not be necessary until years down the road. You will also be able to design your landscaping in a way that can help you save on maintenance there as well.  

You’re the Only One 

The Westchester

Another advantage of purchasing a new home is the feeling of knowing that you are the only person who has ever lived there. You won’t have to ever consider what might have happened in the home before you lived there. Everything will be brand new and built just for you.  

Building a new home from the ground up gives you the ability to create the home of your dreams where every detail matches your expectations.  

While there are pros and cons to both building a new home and buying a resale, for most people the benefits of building a new home far outweigh any potential drawbacks.

Weekend Getaway: 48 Hours in Gainesville

Are you ready for another weekend getaway?

Looking for a destination that is packed full of fun outdoor activities and unbelievably delicious dining options?

Located just a little over an hour north of the Villages of Citrus Hills, Gainesville is a thriving college town that offers one of the best destinations for a weekend getaway packed full of great food and fun activities.

While just about everyone in Florida knows that Gainesville is the place to be during home football games every fall, we have actually found the town is just as enjoyable during the rest of the year as well.

If you are in the market for an easy weekend getaway where all the details are planned out in advance, here is the 48-hour itinerary that we recommend for a first trip to “The Swamp.”

Day One: Casual Dining and School History

Assuming that you are going to plan on arriving in Gainesville hungry, our first stop is going to be Public & General. This is a hip lunch spot where patrons serve themselves from a menu of specialty sandwiches or by customizing a cheese and charcuterie plate.

Following lunch, we are going to introduce you to the thing that Gainesville is most famous for: The University of Florida. We’ll spend the afternoon exploring the exciting student union building and walking past the massive Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

For dinner on your first night in town, it has to be The Top. This casual downtown restaurant specializes in big-time burgers, but make sure that you also order some of their famous Corn Nuggets.

You’re welcome to hang out at The Top as late as you like, but when you’re ready for a change of scenery we recommend a quick stroll over to Madrina’s for a fantastic selection of craft cocktails to close out your night.

Day Two: Butterflies, Cubans, and Fine Dining

The first stop for our second day in Gainesville is going to be the 6,400-square-foot Butterfly Rainforest. On any given day, you will find up to 50 different species of butterflies occupying this amazing space, making it the most popular non-football-related attraction in all of Gainesville.  

After enjoying the Butterfly Rainforest, our next stop is La Cocina De Abuela for some authentic Cuban cuisine. This is a great lunch spot because everything is fast and easy. Just pick the type of rice, beans, and meat you want and you’re on your way. We recommend going with the Mojo Pork.  

Following lunch we’re heading back outdoors to explore the swamps that this town is known for at Paynes Prairie. This is a beautiful outdoor space that might give you the chance to catch a glimpse of an authentic Florida gator, wild horses or even bison.

For your second dinner in Gainesville, it’s time to class things up a bit, so we’re making reservations at Ember’s Wood Grill. This is a first-class steakhouse so you can feel confident ordering your favorite cut, and make sure you get the Lobster Mashed Potatoes.  

After having an outstanding meal at Ember’s Wood Grill, there is nothing wrong with heading straight to bed. But if you would rather enjoy your last night in town, we suggest heading down to Sidecar Gainesville to cap off your visit in true college fashion.

Day Three: History, Brunch, and Shopping

The last popular attraction that you have to see on your first trip to Gainesville is the Florida Museum of Natural History. This is a small museum, but it is packed full of interesting local history, and you can’t argue with the price because it’s FREE! 

We can’t recommend coming back from any 48-hour adventure without having a decent brunch, and the place to find a great one in Gainesville is Daybreak Pleasant Street. Whether you are looking for basic pancakes, huevos rancheros, or something a little more specific like the Daybreak Hash, this is a brunch that will not let you down.  

If you are looking to do a bit of shopping before heading back home, downtown Gainesville is the perfect place to explore all kinds of unique shops that all feature plenty of University of Florida gear.  

In addition to all of the things to see and do in Gainesville, there are also plenty of lodging options in and around this popular college town.  

So the next time you are looking for a good destination for a little weekend getaway, think about heading north to Gainesville….just remember to check the football schedule before you book your trip!