Congratulations to the winner of our Favorite Fourth of July Recipe Contest - Frank Gallagher, with his mouthwatering recipe for July 4th Red Velvet Whoopie Pies! Frank has won a $100 gift car from Sweetbay Supermarket. There are fewer things more southern than a whoopie pie, and I'm looking forward to trying out your recipe, Frank!

The best thing about a long weekend? A short work week! Ann Kelly here, hoping your 4^th of July weekend was fantastic. I have to say the highlight of my weekend was at the Ray’s game on Sunday at The Trop, and the chance to meet the Wiggles as they kicked off their 20^th Anniversary Tour. Of course, that wonderful Rays win sure made my day. How about Johnny Damon bringing in four runs to help the Rays beat the Cards 8-3! And way to go winning pitcher Jeremy Hellickson! But I’ll admit that watching the game from Suite 39 was beyond cool. Executive Chef Joshua St Pierre, who’s in his third season with the Rays stopped in to say hello (yes, that's me and Chef Josh...thanks to Simone who took the picture at just the perfect moment). We tasted dishes including from the Everglades Barbeque Smokehouse, starting off with the Pulled Smoked BBQ Pork Nachos ($9) which immediately disappeared once the kids discovered those, and the sauce selection made it tough to choose just one, but the fav seemed to be the Citrus (other choices included the Smoky Original and Carolina Gold). Personally, I couldn’t take my eyes off the Cuban Burger from Burger Up! ($12). We’re not talking some frozen patty here; all the meat is custom ground from Pinellas Meats right across the street. This is just one of their four signature burgers, and it’s more than enough for two to share, and can I tell you how great the fries were-even after 4 innings! They’re always fresh, naturally cut, and irresistible. Both Burger Up! and Everglades are in the First Base Food Court. Oh, and Chef Josh told me that delectable pulled pork? That is actually smoked on site for twelve hours at the Trop, and during the big home stands those smokers are pretty much going nonstop. My personal thanks to Brandi, who made sure everyone in our suite had a great time - and can she create a beautiful chef salad. Between that chef salad and the Cuban Burger, I really didn’t need dinner. Of course,  it was all those more than patient parents with the kids perched on their shoulders to watch The Wiggles that earned gold stars for the week! Please check out my Facebook page at for more pictures from Tropicana Field, and for more details on the Rays Summer Concert Series, go to www.raysbaseball.com .

And don’t laugh...Little Miss Thrifty here realized on the way home from the Trop I could stop and spend way too much on one little ice cream cone, or I could stop in at Sweetbay and take advantage of the Sweet Sale that has Friendly’s Ice Cream at two for $5. Hello! Suddenly there is more than enough room in the freezer.

Heads, or would that be, Paws up people! Fergs, right across from the Trop will be holding a Party for the Paws Happy Hour this Friday from 6-10 pm, with all proceeds assisting Pet Pal Animal Shelter’s emergency medical fund. I know you heard the story of Lotus, which made national news, when she was rescued from a St Pete canal this past May. Lotus will be in the house for a while, and a great example of the work of Pet Pal; Pet Pal gives dogs and cats a second chance at life. You can help and have a little fun after work to start the weekend with me! The $5 cover charge includes a complimentary drink and live music will come from....get ready... Screaming Donkey! If you’d like to share a personal story about a pet you’ve adopted from Pet Pal, send it to me at 949comments@coxtampa.com. I’ll choose one at random, and you’ll win a $50 gift card from Sweetbay Supermarket! Take a moment to visit with Pet Pal at www.petpalanimalshelter.com .

Today’s Words of Wisdom from Kelly’s Kitchen; Happiness is a warm puppy-Charles Schultz.