(480) 545-1144 service@saksinsurance.com
Saks Insurance, LLC

Tag: summer

  • Tasty Recipe For Tonight’s Dinner!

    Tasty Recipe For Tonight’s Dinner!

    Seared Tuna With Avocado Salsa

    Even though summer is coming to an end, it does not mean that it is time to start pulling out all of your favorite soup recipes. There is still plenty of time to enjoy fresh summer fruits and vegetables with your meals. Try out this delicious seared tuna with avocado salsa recipe that the whole family is sure to love.

    You will need:

    • ½ cup vertically sliced red onion
    • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
    • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 3/8 teaspoon of salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 avocados, peeled and diced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
    • 2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
    • Cooking spray
    • 4 6-ounce tuna steaks

    Then you will need to:

    1. Combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper, avocados, garlic, and jalapeno together in a medium bowl.
    2. Combine the soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl, stirring until the brown sugar dissolves. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce mixture. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Coat the pan evenly with the cooking spray. When the pan is extremely hot, add the tuna steaks and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until the desired degree of doneness is reached, basting the steaks frequently with the soy sauce mixture. Remove the steaks from the grill pan, drizzle with the reserved 1 tablespoon of soy sauce mixture. Serve the fish with the salsa and enjoy!

    All of us at Saks Insurance Agency in Mesa, Arizona would like to encourage you to try out this tasty recipe!

  • Are Your Trees in Trouble?

    Are Your Trees in Trouble?

    Tree Dangers

    Trees are a great way to help keep your house cool during the summer while also helping to increase the value of your home. However, if you do not properly care for your trees, they can cause serious and expensive damage to your house. Make sure to look out for these signs of trouble in the trees in your yard.

    • V-shaped forks in between branches are more likely to split in two and cause damage than U-shaped ones.
    • Trees that are leaning significantly or look one-sided are at danger at falling onto your property and causing damage.
    • Any limbs that can come in contact with overhead power lines can cause damage to your property, as well as cause damage to the power in your whole neighborhood.
    • If you find any cracks in major limbs or in the trunk of the tree, it can mean that there are structural issues with the tree.
    • Mushrooms that are growing from the bark of the tree can be an indication of a weakened or decaying tree.
    • Branches that cross over each other can rub against each and interfere with each other’s growth, which can weaken the tree overall.
    • Branches that hang over the roof of your house are much more likely to fall and damage your house.

    One of the best ways to prevent problems with your tree is to regularly prune it. However, over-pruning can lead to a significantly weaker tree. If you find that you have a damaged, diseased, or dead tree in your yard, can help to limit the spreading of any diseases, as well as reducing the possibility that the tree will damage your property.

    Having the right homeowners insurance policy can help to make sure that you and your home are protected in case of any damage that occurs. Contact Saks Insurance Agency in Mesa, Arizona for all your home insurance needs.

  • Delicious, Easy Recipe for Summer

    Delicious, Easy Recipe for Summer

    Salsa Verde Steak Sandwich

    Summer is the perfect season to spend as much time as possible with your friends and family, not in the kitchen cooking up complicated meals. There are plenty of delicious, quick meals that your whole family will enjoy that will not keep you cooped up in the kitchen. Keep this easy salsa verde steak sandwich recipe in mind to enjoy this summer.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 ½ pounds petite filet, beef or shoulder tenderloin
    • 6 large tomatillos
    • Salt and pepper
    • Vegetable oil spray
    • 3 tablespoon canola oil
    • 1 chopped large onion
    • 4 chopped cloves of garlic
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
    • 1 cup room temperature lager beer
    • ½ cup canned green chilies, drained
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon mild-flavored honey
    • 4 hoagie rolls
    • 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

    Directions:

    1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Freeze the meat for 10 minutes.
    2. On a baking sheet, spray the tomatillos with the vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatillos until they are charred, about 20 minutes.
    3. While the tomatillos are roasting, heat up 3 tablespoons canola oil in a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, and coriander. Sauté until the onions are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat by half.
    4. Puree the roasted tomatillos in a food processor with the cilantro, chilies, and honey. Add the tomatillo puree to the skillet, keeping the salsa verde mixture at a simmer.
    5. Cut the meat against the grain. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to a clean cast iron skillet or griddle pan over high heat. Sear and toss the meat to cook through, working in batches. Once all the meat is browned, dress with Worcestershire.
    6. Turn on the broiler. Pile the meat on your roll bottoms, scatter cheese on top, and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil for 1 minute to melt the cheese. Before serving, add lots of salsa verde and the bun tops, and enjoy!

    All of us at Saks Insurance Agency in Mesa, Arizona would like to encourage you to try this delicious recipe this summer!

  • Summer Kid Activities

    Summer Kid Activities

    Summer’s Coming – What to Do With the Kids?

    It’s the age-old question that parents in Arizona face every year: How do we keep the kids occupied this summer?

    Well, there are always the biggies, such as theme parks or camping. But, with work and other obligations getting in the way, not to mention your budget, you can’t always get away from home. So, we here at Saks Insurance have compiled a list of some activities that are both educational and fun — and that your kids are sure to enjoy!

    Art Projects

    There are a number of ways you can encourage the young artist in your family, from programs and offerings at local museums to do-it-yourself art projects. Try these ideas from The Artful Parent, a website focused on encouraging art and creativity in children:

    • Splatter painting: Spread an old sheet out in the yard, grab some watered-down acrylic paint and a brush or a spoon. Then, have your kids dip the brush or spoon and flick their wrist to splatter the paint! Try different colors and motions to make interesting patterns.
    • Body painting: Kids love to paint themselves! Washable, nontoxic tempera paint is just the ticket, and it comes off with soap and water.
    • Grape and toothpick sculptures: This is as easy as it sounds. Get a bowl of grapes and a box of toothpicks. The grapes hold their shapes well and are easily pierced by the toothpicks to create towers and other structures. And, when you’re done, you have a healthy snack!

    Science Activities

    Have a budding scientist around the house? Try these basic projects from PBS:

    • Grow something. Having your kids grow flowers, herbs or vegetables creates a long-term learning activity that encourages monitoring and observation.
    • Cook something. Working together in the kitchen invites all kinds of questions: What does baking soda do? Why is gelatin such a weird consistency? How do ingredients interact?
    • Get outside. The outdoors is full of things for kids to examine — plants, worms, frogs, bugs and more! Even running through the sprinkler can be an educational opportunity, once the rainbow appears.
    • Go Camping… There are many places to cool off up north while exploring the different plants and wildlife.
    • Stay up late … and look up. A clear summer night is perfect for checking out stars and pointing out constellations. You can talk to your kids about the various planets, and maybe even catch a firefly or two.

    Reading — It’s Not Just for School

    Encouraging your kids to read over the summer can help them when school gets back in session, so don’t miss an opportunity. You can share the newspaper in the morning, or simply read the cereal box at breakfast. Even a few minutes a day can have a big impact.

    You might also consider the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, a free online program for children from May 4 to September 4. Last year more than a million kids from 29 countries took part, and this year’s program features free book lists, a sweepstakes and the chance to set a world record.

    Of course, there are thousands of things you can do with your kids in Arizona over the course of the summer. If these ideas aren’t up your alley, consider summer camp, local music and sports programs or volunteering in the community.

    Summer will be over before you know it, so make the most of it!

    Contact Us!

    At Saks Insurance, LLC., we can work with you to make sure you have the coverage that you need, while at the same time using all possible credits and discounts to make that coverage affordable. Just give us a call at 480-545-1144 or send an e-mail to service@saksinsurance.com. We want to help you meet your goals, and make sure what’s important to you is protected!

     

  • Energy saving tips for summer

    Energy saving tips for summer

    Outlet

    Making your home energy efficient can help you trim hundreds of dollars off your utility bills this summer. Contrary to what you might assume, often all it takes are some simple and inexpensive measures to make a big difference.

    The best place to begin is with a home-energy audit. The goal should be to try and identify areas and systems in your home that may not be very energy efficient. For example, power outlets and gaps under baseboards, doors and windows can let cooled air escape from the house or let hot, humid air in. Similarly, a forced-air furnace with a clogged air filter has to work harder, and therefore consumes more energy, to heat or cool your house. Poor insulation in the ceiling, walls and attic can also drain energy from your home. Addressing such issues can almost immediately help you cut down substantially on energy consumption with relatively little effort and spending on your part.

    The U.S. Department of Energy recommends several other measures that you can take to trim your utility bills during the summer months. For example, setting your thermostat at 78 degrees F, or as high as comfortably possible, can help you trim your electricity bill substantially. The goal should be to have your thermostat at a setting where there is no big difference between the temperature outside and inside your home. Another way to save energy is to have your thermostat set to a warmer temperature when you are away and a cooler setting when you are at home. Programmable thermostats allow you to manage these settings automatically and with very little manual interaction.

    Ceiling fans offer another way to improve energy efficiency in your home. If you have central air conditioning in your home, a ceiling fan will allow you to set the thermostat four degrees higher than you normally would set it without sacrificing any comfort.  Similarly, you can also cut costs by not using your oven too frequently on hot day. Regular cleaning and maintenance of your cooling equipment are two other important considerations for cutting down on home energy costs this summer.

    To learn more about how you can save money this summer please contact the home insurance specialists at Hoey & Saks Insurance Agency in Mesa, Arizona.