Mariano “Mike” Alesi and his wife Bertha relocated to Lafayette in 1957 and were quickly disappointed by the lack of quality pizza in the are.  Together, the couple decided to open their own restaurant dedicated to serving the Lafayette area with good quality, Italian style pizza.  Alesi opened its doors as Lafayette’s very first pizza house.  

Today, Alesi Pizza House is still family owned and operated; Mariano and Bertha’s sons, Mike Jr. and Charles, are now in charge, and they still use the original recipes that made Alesi so popular.  Quality has definitely not been lost!

In addition to the best pizza in Lafayette, Alesi also serves various pasta dishes, steaks, seafood, sandwiches, chicken veal, salads, and desserts.  If you’re not in the mood for pizza (but seriously, when does that ever happen?) you’ve still got plenty of options to choose from!  Alesi continues to be a Lafayette gem, and is a go-to for many Lafayette residents who crave Fresh Italian style pizza and pastas.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Zen gardens are extremely beautiful, and reflect tranquility, solitude and peace all throughout. If you’re thinking of creating a zen garden in your backyard instead of a traditional garden, or even both, then you’re definitely in the right place for some information to get you started.

Creating the Perfect Zen Garden 

First, you are going to need a lot of sand and a rake. The rake doesn’t necessarily have to be a big one; it can be a small plastic one if need be. Raking the sand around helps you to feel more calm, cool and collected, like waves on water. However, go for a more coarse sand that’s almost like gravel, instead of beach sand.

Next, you’re going to need to get some rocks. These rocks should be medium to large-sized. Dig a couple of holes, place the rocks inside, and move the sand around the rocks. This gives a look of rocks coming out of the ground, which represents mountains in Chinese culture. Make sure that the rocks are mostly sticking out of the ground, and are not too submerged in sand.

Lastly, it’s time for the plants; the perfect zen garden should definitely have Bonsai trees.  They don’t have to be large, and even random shrubs and evergreens will help to set the stage for your peaceful place.  As long as there’s a lot of green involved, it’ll be the perfect.

The Tranquility of a Zen Garden 

If you are looking to build a garden, but stress is getting you down, then a Zen garden is definitely what you need. The solitude, peace and tranquility of Zen gardens cannot be matched.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Ahhh, this weather has been wonderful (minus the monsoon we received last weekend)!  It seems that South Louisiana has finally decided to get with the program and embrace the fall season.  What better way to enjoy a breezy fall day than with a bowl of hot, yummy chili?

Frank’s International will be hosting its 4th annual Chili Cook-off Friday, November 6th at Blackham Coliseum, from 11 AM to 1 PM.  All proceeds will go directly to United Way of Acadiana.  Last year, the cook-off raised over $65,000!!

Do you think you have the best chili recipe in all of Acadiana?  Put it to the test!  This is a great opportunity to show off your culinary prowess and help create lasting, positive change throughout Acadiana.  Prizes will be awarded for best chili in both traditional and exotic categories, as well as for spirit and best costume!

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Life is so much simpler when everything works together.  That’s why IFTTT is one of my new favorite mobile apps!

IFTTT (which stands for “if this, then that”) forms links between two different services that you use and automatically integrates the two services in the form of your choosing.

Here’s how it works:  IFTTT uses simple conditional statements to connect “triggers” to “actions”.  These conditional statements are called “recipes” and can be customized to your liking.

Allow me to explain.  Suppose you post a status on your Facebook page (trigger).  Using IFTTT, you can form a recipe that automatically posts the status to your Twitter account (action).  This seems fairly trivial, but IFTTT is capable of so much more.

For example, any time you add a new contact in your phone, IFTTT can automatically save that contact information into a Google Drive spreadsheet.  You could go even further and have anautomatic “Nice to meet you!” email containing your contact information sent directly to your new contact.  How cool is that?!

There are virtually endless recipes you can form using hundreds of Android and iOS apps.  Want the day’s forecast when you wake up?  IFTTT can do that.  Want your phone to automatically be muted when you get to work?  Sure thing.  Want to be notified whenever an astronaut enters or leaves space?  Yes, that’s an option!  Connect your email, music, car, house, anything.

Synergy is a very powerful thing.  It’s also very easy to achieve with IFTTT!  All you have to do is make the recipe, and IFTTT does the rest.  It doesn’t get much easier than that.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Lemon and honey are so good together and the dish is bright, tangy, and sweet. It’s a fast, easy recipe that the whole family will love and it’s ready in 20 minutes. The angel hair pasta and bite-sized chicken cook so quickly. After cooking the pasta, it’s transferred into the skillet the chicken cooks in, and everything is tossed together in the honey lemon sauce the chicken simmers in. The sauce keeps the chicken moist, tender, and it’s tart yet sweet enough and coats the pasta perfectly. This dish is is great paired with a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. If you’re a lemon lover or a fan of easy dinners that taste like a million bucks but that are really so simple, you’ll love this healthy recipe for those busy nights.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS