Repurpose your Home and Go Green

Do you have a room or closet in your home that is under-utilized? Could you use just a little more space but don’t want to add on or move? Repurposing your home might be easier and more cost effective then you think. Instead of expanding your home, remove a wall between the kitchen and living room to create an open area for entertaining, expand you master bathroom into the linen closet or repurpose the junk room off the garage to a full size laundry think. By updating your home and repurposing each room for the needs of your family, you can increase the value of your home and reduce your expenses.

Interested in Home Repurposing? Rob Jackson, owner of Servant Remodeling, is an expert. For 23 years he has been remodeling homes in the Metroplex and was recently featured in The Dallas Morning News discussing the benefits of home remodeling without adding square footage. Call Rob at 214-343-1161 or visit www.servantremodeling.com to set up your appointment at their effective a home remodel can be.

Servant Remodeling is a member of NARI (National Association of The Remodeling Industry) and Rob is the current president of the Dallas Chapter. Servant has won an award for Kitchen Remodeling for the last 4 years.

WHAT GIVES? Small ways that you can make a big difference for neighborhood nonprofits

DONATE THAT OLD CELL PHONE at the American National Bank of Texas, 2703 Oak Lawn, March 1-5. That’s when the bank will be hosting “5 Days of Oak Lawn” in honor of its grand opening in its new 17,000 -square foot space, which was formerly occupied by Dallas National Bank. Several neighborhood groups and charities are getting in on the festivities. Metroplex Animal Coalition will be holding onsite pet adoptions, and Carter Blood Care will hold a blood drive. Donations also will be collected for The Family Place, AIDS Arms, Edison Medrano Elementary School PTA and the Friends of the Oak Lawn Library. Several other local vendors will be on hand with information booths, food samplings and health screenings. For more details on scheduled events, call 214.863.7300 or visit anbtx.com.

... to Hillcrest High School. The school recently launched a new recycling program that accepts electronics like cameras, laptops, MP3 players and cell phones. Hillcrest will also gladly take your unwanted inkjet cartridges, and gold, platinum or silver. Your donation will help neighborhood students because proceeds from the recycling program benefit the entire school. If you’d like to contribute, bring your recyclable items to the school’s library.

ATTEND AN EVENT ...

KNOW OF WAYS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.

MONEY- WISE GARDENING FREE

Learn how to save some green while flexing your green thumb, just in time for spring. Sheryl Burek, president of Colorful Impressions Ltd., has been a landscape designer for more than 14 years, and during this presentation, she’ll be sharing some of the tips she’s picked up along the way, including easy ways to save money while sprucing up your yard. The free talk starts at 3 p.m. inside the Bachman Lake Library, 9480 Webb Chapel. 214.670.6376.

SENIOR FEST 2010 $25

This event, which aims to embrace the gifts of aging, will feature keynote speaker Rev. Tom McDermott. The theme is “Living and Sharing Your Story”, so each participant will be given the opportunity to choose from eight different workshops that build off the theme. The event begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.The cost is $25,which includes a hot lunch. For more information contact Ken Holdorf, director of senior adult ministry at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, at 972.447.9887 or ken.holdorf@ princeofpeace.org. King of Glory Lutheran Church, 6411 LBJ Freeway.

JOE & TREE CICERO CONCERT

$12-$15 This veteran rock duo is known for its mellow, original songs, which were meant to be heard in intimate acoustic settings. You can listen to them this month in exactly that environment in the listening room at Uncle Calvin’s. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; the concert begins at 8; and tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse, 9555 N. Central Expwy. 214.363.0044 or unclecalvins.org.

KALEIDOSCOPE: EUGENE ANDOLSEK’S GEOMETRIC INK DRAWINGS FREE

This exhibition features the work of Eugene Andolsek, who spent 50 years producing thousands of drawings on graph paper, until failing eyesight ended his output at 81. He spent nearly every night working alone at his kitchen table in a state of entrancement to ease the debilitating anxieties that plagued him his entire life. His drawings, which explore a seemingly endless array of colors and geometrical combinations, would likely have remained unknown had they not been brought to the attention of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh by his caregiver. For more information, call 214.768.4439. Pollock Gallery in Hughes-Trigg Student Center on the SMU campus, 3140 Dyer.

214.691.2369

TJSSEA

“DON’T TRUST A SE AFOOD MARKET THAT NE VER RUNS OUT OF THINGS.” That’s the TJ’s Fresh Seafood Market philosophy. “We get small quantities of fresh fish multiple times a day with the intent of running out,” explains Jon Alexis, whose family has run the shop since 1989. Neighbors, most of them regulars known by first name, shop here for salmon, tilapia and tuna. Depending on the season, there’s harder-to-find fish, like arctic char, black cod and flounder. If you need help getting started, just ask one of the smiling faces behind the counter for a few tips. They’ll send you home with recipes and the needed sauces and marinades. Or their chef will even come to your house for a “Seafood 101” cooking class. TJ’s also has entrées to-go, like hickory and alder smoked salmon and cocktail shrimp, which are cooked with their shells then peeled by hand, so they’re exceptionally tender and succulent. —MARLENA for crab, this spot carries varieties like Florida Stone, Pacific Northwest Dungeness and Dutch Harbor Red King. got a

The Mexican shrimp martini here is made tableside, so you can tell the waiter how generous to be with the avocado and how heavy handed to be with the tequila.

CHUBBY&S $ When looking for a restaurant to have breakfast, lunch or dinner, we all want a place that serves up variety, hearty helpings and even bigger portions of friendliness. The Touris family has developed a recipe that delivers all of the above at a good price. With four locations in the Metroplex, Chubby’s Family Restaurant provides a rustic setting with down-home cooking. Catering available. Locations: 11331 E. NW Hwy. 214-348-6065 and 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd. 972-298-1270.

THE EGG AND I $ Eggceptional Breakfast & Lunch

Menu with all items available all day! Creative Sandwiches, Eggs Benedict, Belgian Waffles, Delicious Wraps, Omelets, Vegetarian Options, No Egg Options, Homemade Soups, Premium Fresh-Ground Coffees, Flavored Coffees, Smoothies.

Open Daily 6am-2pm/7am Sunday. Call Ahead Seating!

Business Catering / Senior Discounts / Free Private Room / Patio 15203 Knoll Trail Drive (NW Corner Arapaho & Montfort) 469-375-0750 www.TheEggandIrestaurants.com.

TERILLI&S ODFB Terilli’s, which has been open for over 20 years, continues to attract savvy diners interested in great food, live jazz and tons of fun! Terilli’s unique Italian fare, including their signature ‘Italchos’ (Italian nachos), brightens a stressful day or provides the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening! Speaking of romance, don’t miss the the opportunity to soak in some live jazz while you experience Terilli’s fine Italian fare! 2815 Greenville Ave. 214.827.3993.

GLEN ELLEN OLD VINE ZINFANDEL ($5) CALIFORNIA>

Cheap wine is all the rage in the wine business, because of the recession. National and regional retailers, the biggest wine producers in the country, have been wine that costs $5 or less a bottle for almost a decade, duplicate the success of Two Buck Chuck.

Two Buck Chuck is the nickname for the Charles that sell at California-based Trader Joe:s for $1.99 depending on store location. Trader Joe:s has sold million cases of Two Buck Chuck, which accounts petition it:s facing these days.

There are no Trader Joe:s here, but there are what the industry calls Oextreme valueQ or Osuper wines.And there will be more, when discount grocer Aldi, well-known for its $5 wines, opens stores in the neighborhoods where we publish magazines.

Do these wines offer value? Or are they just cheap? To that end, I did a tasting panel of six ordinary wine-drinking consumers W no wine geeks here, but people who actually taste wine before they judge it W to decide if wine that costs less than $5 a bottle is worth it. The results? Mostly yes, though two wines scored perfect zeros with the panels. The best-liked wines were: sold at Walgreen:s ($2.99). This California chardonnay was the surprise of the tasting. The panel gave it high marks (OI:m a red wine drinker, but I like this,Q said one), and I thought it approached the quality of some of my favorite $10 chardonnays, like Bogle.

sold at Target ($9.99 for a 1.5-liter box/about $5 a bottle). The panel liked this wine better than I did, noting its lemony flavor. And, as one noted, OYou shouldn:t discount this just because it comes in a box.Q I thought it was a little thin, though acceptable.

($9.99 for a 1.5-liter bottle/about $5 bottle). This was the best-rated red wine, Ogood aroma and wellrounded flavors.Q I liked it, too, even if it was a little softer than most zinfandels.

—JEFF SIEGEL