CAROLINA PINES REALTY

Hapy Autumn - At LAST!

2010-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn!

It has been one HOT and LONG summer here in North Carolina. Over the summer - Cathie and I took a Harley out to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho for a few weeks. What a great trip. Since we’ve been back, we have been busy taking care of some things around the house - inside and out. Working on landscaping and outdoor painting in this heat was not fun. Needless to say, we are looking forward to cooler, crisp temperatures. Fall begins this week - a sign that change is on the way – at least with respect to the seasons.

The real estate market certainly hasn’t “changed” much over the last months. Even here in North Carolina where the markett held pretty steady for quite a while even during the initial downturn – things really have slowed down. Bad news for some – but FANTASTIC news for others.

If you are a buyer or a renter and have not yet taken advantage of the unbelievable values on existing and new construction (tens of THOUSANDS of dollars off original asking price – and an overflow of upgrades) as well as the lowest interest rates in decades – what are you waiting for?

I am currently working with a local couple looking for new construction and even I can’t believe the incentives builders are throwing at them – no closing costs, free warranties, tens of thousands of dollars off asking price – thousands of dollars in upgrades FREE.
And interest right around 4%.

If you aren’t in a position to buy just yet because you still need to sell your existing home - don’t despair. Make your house appealing to buyers both inside and outside by de-cluttering, painting, perking up your landscaping and most importantly – by pricing your house RIGHT. Do your homework. The market has CHANGED since you’ve bought your home – even if you bought it two years ago. The bottom line is you won’t get for it what you would have gotten for it a few years back. Having said that – if you do take a hit when you sell, remember -- whatever your buy next will be proportionately less expensive as well. NOW more than ever – it makes good sense to have a real estate professional you trust – working with you.

WE’RE STILL HERE – and we’re not going anywhere. So give us a call if you want to talk about where you stand with regard to buying or selling a home. Call us even if you have a few questions. We are here to help.

Rhubarb Crumble ....... Yumm!!!

2010-04-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

It's Spring!

So - what's in Season??? Oh, Straw-berries, Collards, Rhubarb.... a bunch of great stuff.

One thing my husband the Chef has always told me - buy what's in season because it's at it's flavor peak and..... it's Cheap!!!

Keeping that in mind as I shopped the other day, I picked up some wonderful rhubarb at the grocery store. I had all intentions of making a pie but didn't feel like fussing making homemade crust - so, I redirected back into my comfort zone and made rhubarb crumble. It's easy, it's quick and it's so delicious! And with the exception of the fresh rhubarb, it can be made with supplies you have in your cupboards right now....

Directions

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup oats, 3/4 cup sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl.

Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or peacans or walnuts; squeeze into large crumbles and place in the freezer.

Toss 2 pounds chopped fresh rhubarb, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Scatter the crumble on top and bake in a preheated 375F degree oven until golden and bubbly, 45 minutes. (I like to sprinkle a wee bit of brown sugar on the top before I put it in the oven!) Let cool for 15 minutes; serve with whipped cream.

I like to make my own whipped cream, it's so easy and makes all the difference in the world, but you can add Cool Whip, or Redi Whip, and/or Vanilla Ice cream.

A few variations of this recipe - you can add some strawberries to the recipe, or you can do 1/2 strawberries 1/2 rhubarb, and a nice finish is to drizzle some Amaretto over the top. Be creative. Crisps can be made simple or fancy - and they look beautiful served up in a delicate bowl, a beautiful large wine glass, or smothered in ice cream and whipped cream in a styrofoam bowl!

Have fun - and enjoy!

Pollen, pollen EVERYWHERE!!!

2010-04-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Just like this little bee here - North Carolina is covered in a blanket of pollen. It's unbelieveable!

We welcome spring as there is nothing more beautiful than spring in North Carolina - but having said that -with spring - comes beautiful flowers - and with those flowers comes POLLEN.

Thankfully the blanket of yellow we see covering everything from our cars, to our porches, to our pets (yes, Tobie and Gizmo get covered in pollen every time they go outside!) is not typically the kind that makes you sneeze and get itchy eyes. It's the stuff you can't see that usually makes you miserable - if, of course, you are allergic to pollen. And even if you're not allergic - it's sure to bring about a least a sneeze or two.

Not to worry though - it doesn't last long, and a few good bouts of rain will wash all of that yellow stuff off of the cars, and the porches and the pets and it will be all but a memory. Leaving us with only a bounty of beautiful flowering trees, bulbs and plants - to enjoy!

So come on out and pay us a visit. It's a beautiful time of year - with warm breezy days and cool, comfortable evenings. And while you're here - give us a call. Let us take you on a grand tour of the Raleigh area - and show you all of the reasons the Triangle area is one of the nation's top places to live, work and play!

Happy Spring Everybody!

Blaise & Cathie

It's Springtime in North Carolina....

2010-03-26T08:51:00.001-07:00

Just a few weeks ago we were outside playing in a few inches of snow - and now... look at everything. The trees are in full bloom, the daffodils and tulips are up and flowering, and Cathie has already put our summer garden in. It won't be long before we are burriedunder fresh tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, jalepenos, and every type of herb you can imagine. We have an extremely long growing season here in North Carolina - so you'll find avid gardeners getting their seeds/seedlings into the ground by the last week in March which historically, is the last frost of the season.

Hey - you are aware that the deadline for receiving the Homebuyer's Tax Credit is coming up at the end of April? Have you thought any more about making the move to North Carolina? Well now's the time to act while you can still take advantage of that rather large tax credit.

Hop on over to our Carolina Pines Realty website and search for your dream home utilizing our Dream Home Finder link. There, you can fill in your criteria (number of bedrooms, bathrooms, size of property, etc.) without passwords, and you have access to tens of thousands of homes in the Triangle Multiple Listing Service.

What are you waiting for? Let us help you make your dream of moving to beautiful North Carolina and purchasing a home - utilizing the Homebuyer's Tax Credit - become a reality!

Have a great week.

Bad News is GOOD NEWS for the Triangle...

2010-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Some folks may look at it like Raleigh's drop from the NUMBER ONE spot in the country to start a new business to the NUMBER THREE spot as bad news. But here in the Triangle - we say that's AWESOME NEWS!

Knocking the entrepreneurial ball out of the park in 2009 was Austin, Texas, which preceeded Baton Rouge, LA (number TWO,) and Raleigh, NC (number THREE) which the Triangle Business Journal justified Austin's move to number ONE by saying,

"Last year’s top market for entrepreneurs, Raleigh, drops to third place this year. Its five-year population increase of 22.5 percent was the best in the study group, but Raleigh couldn’t match Austin’s growth rates for jobs or small businesses." (1/20/10)

So while yes, Raliegh did drop from our previously held and most prestigious #1 spot to start a business in the entire country - we earned the #3 spot - and that's alright with us!

To read the article in it's entirety, go to the Triangle Business Journal - which, by the way is a great place to get employment information, business news and more.

Have a great week!

Got Questions about the Tax Credit???

2010-01-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

You're not alone. Everyone has questions. But with the April 2010 deadline looming in the not too distant future - you need to get moving and figure out what you're going to do.

Here are some excellent links to the Federal Housing Tax Credit Question and Answer Pages - brought to us by the National Association of Home Builders. Within these links you will find answers to Frequently Asked Questions concerning the $8,000 first-time home buyer principal residence tax credit; $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credit; as well as information on special rules that apply to military personnel:

Frequently asked questions about the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit.

Frequently asked questions about the $6,500 tax credit for repeat home buyers.

Some key points for prospective home buyers.

Special rules that apply to members of the military, the foreign service and the intelligence community.

Still got questions? Give us a call. Let us help you figure out what all of this means for you and your family. Don't let this opportunity pass you by.

If you are even thinking about making a move to North Carolina -- now is the time. Put some of this Federal Tax Money to work for YOU!

Visit our Carolina Pines Realty Website where you can search for homes with no passwords. Just click on the Dream Home Finder, enter your criteria (number of bedrooms, bathrooms, price range, etc.) and there you can view tens of thousands of listings in our Multiple Listing Service.

Let us help you make your dream of owning a beautiful home in North Carolina become a reality!

Have a great week.

Blaise & Cathie

NEW YEAR, NEW DECADE.... NEW HOME!

2010-01-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year.

2010!

Can you believe we are starting a new decade? We sure can't.

The older we get, the quicker time passes. And the quicker time passes - the less we should procrastinate in making our dreams come true.

What are your plans for 2010? Are you still thinking of relocating? Are you still longing for a better quality of your life for you and your family?

If you are like many people - the answer is YES. Now more than ever.

It seems that with the downturn of the economy, many people are re-focusing their attention and their lives. While the past decade was in many ways, one of decadence - it appears that this next decade, for many - is going to be one of sustenance.

We have heard (at least in our neck of the woods) that the economy is turning around. Home sales are increasing, foreclosures are in the process of decreasing, and things are starting to move again in the real estate market. While we are not yet getting too excited - I will say that we have notice small fissures in the ice. Houses that we've had sitting on the market for a good amount of time - are finally starting to move - but not without alot of sweating. And while lenders have tightened their belts a bit - there is still plenty of money out there to be lent and a good lender can sure help the process to be less stressful and successful.

People are starting to wake up from their hibernation and are begining to make inquiries - of banks, of mortgage brokers and of real estate agents. THIS is a positive sign - one we have noticed by the number of calls that are coming into our office from out-of-state buyers.

With the extension now of the home buyers tax credit to April, 2010 - there is still plenty of time for you to take advantage of not only the tax credit, but low interest rates, and some outstanding home values - particularly in this area.

Let's talk about your options and what you can expect along the road to making your dream of moving to North Carolina -- a reality. We know you have tons of questions -- and we're here to help.

Happy New Year!

Let's Make 2010 the year you finally make your MOVE to beautiful North Carolina.

Blaise & Cathie

Whole Grain Cranberry Muffins

2010-01-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

These healthy and absolutely YUMMY muffins, are loaded with cranberries and nuts and flavored with orange are 100% whole-grain -- and they taste AMAZING!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1/4 cup buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries,*

chopped1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Glaze 2 tablespoons orange juice AND 3 tablespoons sugar

For sweeter muffins you can substitute 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (but those have added sugar!)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cranberries and nuts. Whisk together the orange zest, eggs, milk, and oil or melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until blended; don't beat, or your muffins will be tough! Fill 12 greased muffin cups or paper liners about 3/4 full.Bake the muffins in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.In a small saucepan or the microwave, stir together the glaze ingredients. Bring just to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. Dip the tops of the warm muffins into the glaze. Yield: 12 muffins.

You can make these ahead and heat them up in the microwave, or get up before the kids and serve 'em up fresh out of the oven. These tasty guys are the perfect wholesome breakfast on the cold Carolina mornings we've been having around here. It's been in the low, low 20's lately when we rise and shine!

Do try these when you get the chance.

Keep Warm!

GREAT NEWS FOR HOME BUYERS..

2009-12-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Yahoo!!! Great News!

The United States Congress finally passed and the President signed into law new measures to maintain the momentum for a housing market recovery. Action that should really give the real estate market a much needed shot in the arm!

The home buyer tax credit which was going to disappear at the end of November will now be available through the middle of next year (2010) and more potential buyers will be able to take advantage of it.

Guess what else! The income limit was increased so many move-up buyers - not just first-timer purchasers - also will qualify. Furthermore, loan limits will not shrink as was planned for next year; in high-cost areas, the loan limit will remain at near $730,000 in 2010, thereby permitting more consumers to tap into the historically low mortgage rates.

This is GREAT NEWS! Give us call today. Let us help you put the wheels into motion to make your dream of owning a home in Beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina - become a reality!

It's getting cold here in Raleigh (30s-40s at night!) We're hoping to get a good bit of snow this year. It's been a wet 2009 in these parts, which hopefully will translate into some snowflakes for us within the next month or so. It sure would be nice to have a white Christmas.

Blaise & Cathie

The Leaves are Falling in North Carolina....

2009-10-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

With temperatures in the seventies during the day and dipping into the forties and fifties in the evenings, North Carolina is certainly NOT lacking in glorious Fall color. The leaves here in Raleigh finally started changing last week, but over in the Blue Ridge and Appalachians, Peak Fall Color is in full swing.

Here are some photographs Cathie took last week during our yearly Fall ride. This year there was one difference, however - instead of taking the Harley, we decided since we were only going for the day - we'd take the Jeep, as we knew we would be coming home late at night or in the wee hours of the next day.

The day started out a bit gloomy, but it suited the crisp, breezy tone of the day...

We passed several Christmas Tree Farms. What a great way to make a living!

The forest was on fire with yellow. Everywhere we looked trees were covered with bright yellow, orange and red - but clearly, yellow was the dominating color.

This is the only way she can get in a picture...

Every twist, every turn brought about a different vision of beauty....

The highlight of the trip was our outdoor lunch overlooking the Appalachian mountains where nature's landscape left us both breathless. You can read about the creation of the Appalachian Mountains here.

Just a few short hours to our west, we never tire of riding through the mountains and are looking forward to the first few snowfalls. In just a few weeks, these gorgeous mountains will be covered in a dusting of snow - creating a whole new beautiful landscape.

NEXT WEEK: Cathie's been cooking again and has a few great recipes to share; and some great tips for Sellers in this unusual market.

It's good to be back.... Have a great week!

All "Dressed Up" and Everywhere to Go......

2009-08-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our new family member. It's been a long time coming, something we've talked about for a very long time and something Blaise has dreamed about his entire life. We have taken a hit like everyone else due to the downturn of the economy, and we decided in this instance, to make it work for us by moving up our decision to buy a bigger, safer bike by about 4 years. Like everyone else, Harley Davidson has felt a pinch this year and offered us a pretty good deal on an Ultra Classic. It's big, it's loud, its gorgeous and it's safer than our other bike which we no longer own.

Sabrina was away for the entire day over the weekend so we decided to take a ride over to Topsail Island Beach on the Carolina Coast. That is one beach we have not been to so I was excited to check it out. Neither one of us were disappointed.

After only a 2.5 hour ride on uncongested country roads from Raleigh, we found ourselves (on a Saturday) parking right at the base of the stairway to the boardwalk to the beach. The beach was all but deserted and was cool, clean and quiet. Dogs are permitted so we did have to share the beach and the ocean with a few four legged creatures - who were all too happy to be there.

We still marvel over the beauty and ease of the beaches here in North Carolina. Living in South Florida for so many years, we became "jaded" beach goers. Florida beaches had way too many people (it was hard sometimes to even find a spot to lay down), no frisbee, no beach balls, no dogs allowed, no parking, junk in the water, wall to wall traffic to get to the beach (a 10 minute ride would take sometimes close to 45 minutes because of traffic). We love spending time on the Carolina Coast and still giggle every time we get a parking space right at the entrance and there are no other cars. It's our private beach.

We love living in Raleigh for this reason. We are about 2 hours away (at the closest point) from the beach so we don't get all that tourist traffic, pollution and congestion - but we are close enough we can leave around 9 or 10 am, spend an entire day at the beach and still get home way before dark - not too exhausted.

Sabrina is going to Washington DC in a month or so and we were just talking today about packing up the Harley -- no corgis this time (sorry guys) and heading over to the Smokeys for some cool mountain air.

Are you jealous yet? Give us a call and let's talk about how we can help you make your dreams of living, working and playing (at the beach and in the mountains!) a reality.

Have a great week.

School Starts in One Week...

2009-08-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

With only one more week left until the 2009-2010 school year begins, Blaise and I decided to take advantage of a "childless" weekend (Sabrina went to Carrowinds Amusement Park for the day Saturday) and take a Harley Ride over to Topsail Island, NC.

I took lots of pictures and will be sharing them here, next week. THAT's what we love about living in North Carolina. This weekend we drove only 2.5 hours to escape the nearly 100 degree temperatures to cool off in the crystal blue Atlantic Ocean at one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. On the flipside, in a few weeks, we'll be heading over to the Carolina Mountains for some cool mountain air and wildlife watching. It doesn't get any better than this and we LOVE LIVING IN NORTH CAROLINA.

In the meantime, while I'm organizing my pictures and information on Topsail Island, below is a recipe I wanted to share. NO, it's not a Southern recipe - which is what I typically put up on our blog - but this one is one of my favorites and definitely worth sharing.

WOW Your Family & Friends with Ravioli or Pasta with VODKA SAUCE

2009-08-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to New York City, I tried a dish which I've seen on menues millions of times but never ordered - Ravioli with Pink Vodka Sauce. Let me tell you, it was one of the most beautifully presented and delicious meals I've ever eaten.

Immediately upon arriving home, I put a pot of sauce on to cook all day and decided to look up a vodka sauce recipe. How EASY and how DELICIOUS! And while this is certainly NOT a Southern Recipe (which is what I typically share, ) this is so good, I want you to try it.

NOTE: I make the sauce and pour it over fresh ravioli (either cheese or veal ravioli). You can certainly use a good quality frozen ravioli, or pasta such as penne, rigatoni, bowties, etc.

VODKA SAUCE

1/4 lb. diced pancetta (Italian bacon) (if desired. this ingredient is NOT mandatory)

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. vodka

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 1/2 c. tomato sauce

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. When the butter foams, add the diced pancetta. When the pancetta browns slightly (takes 2 to 3 minutes), add the vodka and stir.

After the alcohol burns off (about 3 minutes),

SLOWLY stir in the tomato sauce and cream.

Stir continuously for 5 - 8 minutes.

If you want to serve it over ravioli, place the cooked ravioli on plates and nicely drizzle the sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh, grated parmesan cheese and italian parsley.

If you would like to serve pasta such as penne or rigatoni or even shells, then throw the cooked (al dente!) pasta into the frying pan WITH THE SAUCE and toss. Then place on plates, grate fresh Parmesan over the top and garnish with Italian parsley.

Another idea for this sauce that I've tried is adding a cup or so of chopped tomatoes at the very beginning when you are heating up the butter and pancetta, throw some diced tomatoes in at that point. That gives the sauce a real "al fresca" taste.

HOW EASY IS THAT? And oooooh so impressive. It really is delicious. If you don't make your own sauce and want to use jarred sauce, you can do that to. Just follow the recipe using jarred sauce. I do recommend that you use a fine quality jarred sauce that has less sugar.

Drop me an e-mail or leave a comment if you've tried this and let me know what you think.

Now Mange!! Mange!!!

Mange: (from Middle English manjeue, from Old French manjue, from mangier, meaning to eat)

Summer's in Full Swing.....

2009-07-07T07:12:00.001-07:00

It finally got hot this past week in North Carolina. We were just talking about how nice the weather has been - warm breezy afternoons and comfortable evenings - and it got HOT. I shouldn't complain -- after all, it IS July, and before you know it -- it will be September and the weather will be cooler again.

We just returned from a great trip from the Northeast where the temperatures were unusually cool we were told - due to all the clouds and rain. Needless to say we didn't mind the cooler temperatures at all as it made for some great motorcycling and sightseeing weather.

We trailed the bike behind our vehicle as we brought Sabrina with us. We stopped in Pennsylvania to see Blaise's sister and her family and Sabrina stayed with them after we took her to NYC. Blaise and I then took the motorcycle up through PA, DE, NJ, NY and VT. As you may know, the weather on the east coast has been horrendous - with daily downpours lasting for weeks. We did get two full days of rain - but doning our rain gear, we refused to let the bad weather stop our journey. Here are a few quick shots of our trip:

Roadside in Vermont...

Blaise & Cathie in Times Square....

Row Houses in Greenwich Village....

Way too many taxis in NYC....

MOMA - Museum of Modern Art....

The view from Broadway....

Undercover in Upstate New York....

Isn't she pretty???

MOMA - Museum of Modern Art exhibit....

We didn't do as much picture taking as we usually do - due to the rain. I keep the camera on my lap on the back of the Harley and typicall snap hundreds of pictures during a roadtrip, but because it was raining so hard - I didn't do that.

We're back home safe and sound and ready to resume the busiest time of year for our company. and our clients. People are shuffling about the country in a desperate attempt to get packed up, moved and settled in to North Carolina before school starts.

Give us a call and let us help you with a smooth and seamless relocation. It's what we do - and we're really good at it! And don't forget to visit our Carolina Pines Website where you can search for homes without passwords, check out employment, the schools, neighborhoods, culture and recreation.

Whatever you're up to this week - have a great one!

Summer's Here in Beautiful North Carolina....

2009-06-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing here in North Carolina. The kids have been out of school for over a week and vacation plans are in the works. THIS is the time of year we really appreciate our decision to move to beautiful North Carolina.

The Recca family tends to make the most of summer. With the mountains about 2 1’2 hours to our West and the beach less than 2 hours to our East we can wake up on a Friday morning and ponder our weekend adventure, make a decision, have breakfast, pack up the car and be there before noon.

This year we plan on making at least a few trips over to the beach – probably the Outer Banks and Topsail. We also plan on going over to the mountains next month to check out some possible locations for a vacation home. Cathie is in love with the Carolina mountains, particularly close to the Tennessee border. We can drive over there in less than three hours and enjoy cool mountain temperatures in the dead heat of summer.

What are your plans for Summer 2009?

You’ve been thinking about making a move to North Carolina – so why not plan a trip and come pay us a visit? Let us show you just how much home your money can buy for you in the Raleigh area. You will be absolutely amazed.

With motivated sellers, low interest rates, and incredible buyer’s incentives, there has never been a better time to buy a home in North Carolina.

Give Blaise or I a call. We'd love to help you plan a trip to Raleigh so you can check it out. We can get you inside to see some of those beautiful homes we've been sending you to take a look at -- up close and personal!

C'mon - pack up the car and the kids and head to North Carolina. Let us help you make your dreams of owning your Carolina Dream Home.....

...Become a Reality!

Springtime at the Recca House, an $8,000 Tax Credit and USDA Rural Development Loan Program - NO DOWN PAYMENT!

2009-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, the trees are all leafed out, the garden is in and proliferating and the pine tree pollen is GONE! Spring is in full force and effect and we're loving it.

Spring is traditionally one of the busiest times of year for the real estate business as folks are up and moving around and planning ahead for the future. Many families put their homes up for sale in April and May in order to get it sold, and a new

one purchased and settled into before the kids start school in August or September.

If you are thinking of finally taking that giant leap and either purchasing your first home, or - selling your existing home and relocating to beautiful North Carolina, here are two programs that we believe may be of interest to YOU:

USDA's Rural Development Loans and the new $8,000 IRS Tax Credit.

TAX CREDIT:

Qualifying taxpayers who buy a home this year before Dec. 1 can get up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married filing separately. “For first-time homebuyers this year, this special feature can put money in their pockets right now rather than waiting another year to claim the tax credit," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “This important change gives qualifying homebuyers cash they do not have to pay back.”

This year, qualifying taxpayers who buy a home before Dec. 1, 2009, can claim the credit on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns. They do not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their main home for 36 months after the purchase date. They can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately.
Here is the IRS website that has all the details on the newest tax credit.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204672,00.html

And if you’re not a first time buyer, why not take advantage of the USDA Rural Development Loans?

USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOANS:

For many the mention of USDA conjures up thoughts of farmers, ranchers, and regulations related to the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products.Indeed USDA is committed to helping farmers and ranchers and their associated industries, but the agency does much more to assist Americans of all backgrounds in many ways.In fact, more and more Americans are taking advantage of USDA's programs designed to bring housing, modern facilities, telecommunications, and safe drinking water to unincorporated rural areas, towns, and cities with lower populations.One of the housing programs gaining popularity is the USDA Guaranteed Rural Development Loan, a program with unique benefits to assist individuals and families acquire homes.

Here’s a link to the USDA Rural Development Loans website if you’d like more information
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/index.html

Give us a call – let’s talk about what either of these two programs can do to assist you in making your dreams of owning your Carolina Dream Home come true.

Spring Greens - What to Do With Them....

2009-03-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

Spinach is in season RIGHT NOW and over here at the Recca House, we eat a ton of spinach as it's so easy to grow here in North Carolina.

You can only eat so many spinach salads, so what do you do with all that spinach?

An easy recipe that is as healthy as it is delicious - spaghetti with spinach. And the variations - are endless!

What You Need:

Spaghetti (I prefer to use whole grain spaghetti as it lends itself nicely to this type of dish)

At least 4 cups of fresh (baby) spinach

1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic Cloves (as few or as many as you like) Crushed

Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

And here's where the fun starts. This recipe is so versatile. You can add any, all or none of the following ingredients depending on your taste:

1-3 (depending on your taste) tablespoons of capers

1-3 tablespoons of pine nuts (my favorite)

2 or 3 sliced dried red chillies or a teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1/4 Cup of Feta Cheese (this is really good)

Some crumbled bacon (I don't use Bacon Bits, I like to use fresh, cooked bacon)

1/2 Cup of sliced up chicken breast

1/2 Cup of sliced mushrooms

Really, list goes on and on. Use your imagination.

Directions:

Boil your pasta al dente. Do NOT overcook whatever you do.

Drain and Rinse

In a nice sized skillet, heat up olive oil, throw in garlic and cook it until it starts to turn light brown. When the skillet and garlic are nice and hot, throw in your chicken if you are going to use it. Let it get nice and hot. Then it's time to throw in the pasta and toss around for a few minutes - you don't want to brown the pasta but again, you want it to get nice and hot.

Then it's time to toss in whatever else you are adding - capers, peppers, etc.

and toss that around for a minute - not much more.

Finally, throw in your spinach - and toss until it wilts.

Put it in a pretty bowl (I love to use a nice white pasta bowl) and sprinkle with Parmesan. NOTE: if you use Feta cheese, I put that in BEFORE I take it out of the pan so it has a chance to soften up just a wee bit.

Time this takes to prepare - once the spaghetti is cooked - about 5 minutes. It's a beautiful and impressive dish sure to please the most discriminating palette. Great for a light dinner or a fancy lunch.

I like to serve this with some fresh semolina bread and a glass of red wine. Yumm!

Bon appetit!

P.S. I also make this exact same dish but instead of spinach, we use broccoli rabe - I like that even more. It's absolutely delicious - and oh so healthy!

BizJournal.com ranked Raleigh, NC #1 Best Place to Launch a Small Business, AND...

2009-03-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

Counts the Raleigh-Cary market among a small group of Metropolitan Statistical
Areas that ADDED JOBS in the fourth quarter of 2008, says a study released Monday.

Bizjournals used a six-part formula to analyze the nation''s 100 largest metropolitan areas, noting population growth between 2002 and 2007, employment growth from 2003 to 2008, small-business growth from 2005 to 2006 and small-business population. Bizjournals defines a small business as any private-sector employer with 99 or fewer employees.

The country's top five rankings went to Raleigh, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Seattle, Wash.; Austin, Texas; and Boise, Idaho.

Not only that, Bizjournals counts the Raleigh-Cary market among an ELITE small group of Metropolitan Statistical Areas that added jobs in the fourth quarter of 2008, says a study released Monday.

The number of jobs in the Raleigh-Cary MSA, which comprises Wake, Johnston and Franklin counties, increased by 3,500 from the fourth quarter of 2007, according to a bizjournals analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Bizjournals is part of American City Business Journals, the parent company of Triangle Business Journal.

Raleigh's total of 434,100 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2008 gave the MSA a 0.8 percent gain year-over-year and a 21.6 percent gain (a whopping 77,000) job gain since 2003.

Why don't you visit our website: http://www.carolinapinesrealty.com/ where you can search our local MLS direction without passwords. Then, give us a call - let's talk about what we can do to assist you in making your dream of moving to North Carolina become a reality!

Have a great week!

Is it Spring Yet????

2009-03-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, officially - no, not yet. But with temperatures in the high 70's and 80, it sure feels like it. A week ago we had almost 5 inches of snow and temps dipped into the teens. This week - we're up to 80! I love the weather in North Carolina. Because we're the dividing line between the North and the South, when those weather systems collide - we get some really interesting results. My daffodils are blooming, the tulips are ready and my seedlings (radishes, turnips, beets, and broccoli rabe) are germinating already. So in my mind - Spring is here!

I don't know if you've noticed in your supermarket, but it also appears that Strawberry Season is Fast Approaching. While North Carolina is not an "official" US Strawberry producing state, we have our share of fresh strawberry farms and in our house - we love to take advantage of that.

Just up the street in both directions from our home – there are fresh picked strawberry stands where you can buy a bucket of strawberries for $10. It seems from April through June we always have a bucket of strawberries in our refrigerator.

We use them in protein shakes, on ice cream, in cobbler, on cheesecake, in cereal, in yogurt – I can name 100 ways we use fresh strawberries. Toward the end of the season, I always over-buy a few buckets, wash them, dry them and freeze them for future use.

Plentiful, naturally low in calorie and rich in antioxidents, strawberries are a staple here in the Recca house. So, in honor of strawberry season, here are two of my favorite strawberry recipes – one healthy, and one, well – just plain delicious!

Cathie's Spinach, Strawberry and Pecan Salad:

· 1 large bag of fresh spinach, washed and patted dry with paper towels
· 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
· 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts or pine nuts)
· 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Kraft Light Mayo)
· 1/4 cup sugar (I use 2 packets of Splenda)
· 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
· kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Place spinach, strawberries and pecans in a large salad bowl.
2. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over salad. Toss gently, but well.

NOTE: a variation from the mayonnaise dressing, I also use basalmic vinaigrette dressing with this salad - either bottled, or you can make your own.

This is a pretty spring/summer salad – great served with steak, hamburgers, or as a main lunch dish. You can add radicchio for more color.

Chocolate – Strawberry Shortcake:

This is so easy it's ridiculous – but it's a nice twist to traditional strawberry shortcake. Considering the chocolate lovers that live in this house – this one is a winner for Sunday dessert.

Ingredients:
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Bittersweet chocolate squares (4)
· 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
· 1/3 cup granulated sugar
· 1 Tbsp. baking powder
· 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
· 4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into chunks
· 1 large egg
· 2/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
· 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
· Fresh mint leaves
· 1/4 cup powdered sugar
· You can use store bought whipped cream or thawed frozen whipped topping – but I like to make my own whipped cream using heavy cream and sugar – whipped on high.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. With a pastry blender or two forks, cut in butter until crumbly.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream.
5. Pour cream mixture into the flour mixture, and mix with a fork until the dough just comes together. It will be sticky.
6. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
7. With an ice cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Flatten with your fingers to about 3/4-inch thick.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, stir together strawberries and powdered sugar.
10. Melt dark chocolate or bittersweet (sweetened) squares in a metal bowl over pan
of gently boiling water.
10. To make shortcakes, place on chocolate biscuit, flat side up on a plate. Top with strawberries , fresh whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate and garnish with mint leaves.

For dozens of Southern recipes utilizing strawberries, (including the 2008 prize winner) visit the NC Strawberry Organization recipe page.

And when you finally decide that you'd like to call North Carolina "home" so you can pick your own strawberries in April (!) – give us a call at Carolina Pines Realty. Let us assist you in making your dreams of home ownership in North Carolina a reality!

Also, be sure to visit our website at http://www.carolinapinesrealty.com/ where you can search for your dream home in our local Multiple Listing Service without passwords.

Have a great week!

Why Do So Many People Still Want to Relocate to Raleigh, NC?

2009-02-17T06:28:00.000-08:00

If you’re like most folks who are considering relocation, you’ve got a lot on your mind. Things like the current state of the housing market, employability, quality education and superior health care are but a few of the concerns that may enter into the picture.

For that reason, I am sending you a link to a great website that will provide you information on exactly what Raleigh has to offer by virtue of those very concerns, addressing topics such as Raleigh’s:

Livability
Climate
Business Opportunities
Educational Opportunities
Public Safety
Recreation
Health Care
Professional/Collegiate Sports
Cultural Opportunities
Cost of Living
Taxes

It is very important to educate yourself before deciding on whether or not relocation to Raleigh is the best things for you and your family. Follow this link to see why Raleigh is the City four YOU and YOUR family. http://www.raleigh4u.com/rising/index.html#/landing/

Let the professionals at
Carolina Pines Realty
Assist you by providing you with the information necessary
to educate and inform you so that you are best prepared to make decisions that will affect your family’s future.

Raleigh, North Carolina
A Great Place to Call Home.

Blaise & Cathie Recca

Who Wouldn't Want a $15,000 Tax Credit for Buying a Home????

2009-02-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Carolina Pines Realty is excited to share with you a Press Release from Senator John Isakson’s website, which describes the NEW $15,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase a home in the next year. This Amendment effects us ALL and is NOT JUST FIRST TIME BUYERS! Read on…….
-------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWednesday, February 4, 2009
Senate Unanimously Approves Isakson Amendment to Stimulate Housing MarketHomebuyer Tax Credit Revived Market in 1975 and Would Work Today
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today unanimously approved an amendment by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to stimulate the nation’s declining housing market by offering a $15,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase a home in the next year.

“It is time to fix America’s problem, not throw money at the symptoms. It is time to fix housing first. It is rare that we have a road map to success in times of difficulty, but this country has once before realized a housing crisis every bit as bad as the one we have today and economic troubles every bit as dangerous,” Isakson said. “We have a pervasive housing problem, and we have a historical precedent that works. I am proud this Senate has joined together, learned from history and repeated a method that worked by adopting this amendment.”

We are thrilled to share this information with you. You may or may not already be aware of it. Please click HERE which will take you directly to Senator Isakson’s website and explains the Isakson Amendment in greater detail. Now keep in mind - this is not finalized yet and in this uncertain economic climate - who knows how it may change. But the point is - there are steps being taken to assist hombuyers and homeowners.

If you’d like to talk about exactly what this may mean to YOU, give us a call and we’d be happy to explain it, as well as how this may effect the already in place the $7,500 tax credit.
Don't forget you can also visit our website at http://www.carolinapinesrealty.com/ and search for homes in our local MLS without passwords. Come and see what your money can buy for you here in North Carolina -- you will be AMAZED!

First Time Buyers or Anyone Who HAS NOT Owned a Home in the Last 3 Years - Read On......

2009-02-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

GREAT NEWS FOR...

First Time Home Buyers
or Anyone Who Has NOT Owned a Home in the Last Three Years

There are TWO programs being offered RIGHT NOW to help you make your dream of owning a home become a reality:

1. The $7,500 Federal Housing Tax Credit; and
2. The USDA’s Rural Development Housing Program

Are you ready to move in to your very own home?
Then read on, as I explain the basics of these two programs:

$7,500 Tax Credit Program - Here is the “jist” of the $7,500 tax credit which applies to single taxpayers earning up to $75,000 and married couples earning up to $150,000 and who have NOT owned a home within the last three years:

• The tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only.
• The maximum credit amount is $7,500.
• The credit is available for homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008 and before
July 1, 2009.
• Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
• The tax credit works like an interest-free loan and must be repaid over a 15-year period.

Here is a link for you to review this proposal in more depth:
http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/
and, if you have further questions, here is a link to their frequently asked questions page which is also very helpful:
http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/faq.php

Now with regard to rural development, North Carolina is lucky to have quite a few areas that qualify for USDA Rural Development Housing Program Dollars.

Did you know that USDA is accepting applications for $45.8 million in loans and grants to support rural communities and spur economic development through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program? You can look through the site, as well as search for homes that directly qualify for that program.

Here is a link to the USDA Rural Development Housing Program:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/

Blaise is your direct link to these two programs. Give us a call at 919-491-2885 and let him explain these programs to you in detail.

Don’t wait – you only have until July 1, 2009 to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit.

Easy Come, Easy Go.....

2009-01-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

It came..... it went...... but not without a whole bunch of attention. We did get our snow (almost 7 inches) and it hung around for about 3 days -- plenty of time for the Reccas, and everyone else to go outside and have some fun. Another great thing about North Carolina is - while we don't get much snow, when we do - EVERYTHING shuts down, or delays so everyone can take a deep breath and take advantage of the beauty and the opportunity to share some down time with those who matter most!

With 2-6 Inches of Snow in the Forecast for Raleigh, I Do Believe a Pot of Chili is in Order!!

2009-01-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

Finally -- Raleigh, North Carolina is slated to get some snow. We've been waiting all season long. And while that is what many people LOVE about North Carolina - the fact that we don't get much snow -- that is the ONE THING I would change. I LOVE SNOW - the more the better. So bring it on Baby!

In honor of our projected snow forecast, today is going to be the perfect day to drag out mom's recipe and make some chili. EVERYBODY loves chili... and EVERYBODY has their own recipe.

Blaise is from New Jersey and I am from Ohio -- and in Ohio -- we LOVE our chili. Ever heard of Skyline Chili? It is the best -- but impossible to duplicate. I know - I've tried. That's ok though because my mom made the best homemade chili ever, and I'm going to share her recipe with you.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound ground beef (sometimes I use ground turkey or a combo of the two)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons chili powder
At least! - 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
1 (15 ounce) can each of Kidney, New Orleans and Chili Beans. I cut the kidney and Chili beans cans in half and only use half but I use the entire Orleans beans can WITH THE LIQUID.
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

In a STOCK POT over medium heat, cook ground beef, green pepper, onion, chili powder and garlic, until beef is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain fat off of beef/vegetable mixture.
Add beans, tomato soup, vinegar and cinnamon to soup, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low for at least two hours. I keep a can of tomato juice handy and add a bit to the chili as it's cooking to keep it from cooking down.

(You can also add chili powder, red pepper flakes, etc. to kick it up a bit. It's up to you. Growing up my family did not like spicy food, so my mom's chili was mild, but Blaise likes his chili spicy so we add a ton of spice.)

Here comes the important part - dish it up and sprinkle with LOTS of shredded Cheddar cheese. I like sharp Cheddar. You can serve it in a bowl with our without spaghetti, with or without elbow macaroni, and with or without additional chopped onions on top. We like it loaded with cheese AND onions.

Chili is super hearty and super easy - and leftovers taste even better.
Hope you try this recipe - and Enjoy!

INCREDIBLE HOMES VALUES - here in North Carolina!

2009-01-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

We know you've heard how BAD the real estate market is right now . It seems every time we turn on the television there is more bad news about foreclosures and lagging home sales.
Now - Are you ready for some GOOD news? When you DO sell your home (and you WILL) and you find yourself ready, willing and able to finally make your dreams of moving to North Carolina a reality -- there is a BRAND NEW HOME waiting for you here in the Raleigh area for THOUSANDS, and in some cases, TENS OF THOUSANDS of Dollars off, or with THOUSANDS of dollars in incentives or BOTH!

I took time today to search our local Multiple Listing Service for NEWER homes in three popular price ranges (1) $125,000-$175,000, (2) $175,000-$275,000, and (3) $285,000-$400,000 you won't believe what I found. Home values in the Raleigh area are some of the best in the country. Here is a small sampling of the incentives being offered....

In the $125-175,000 price range:
MLS#1632816 is offered at only $149,900. An extraordinary value for this beautiful cape cod style home located in the heart of The Town of Wake Forest, a historic little town just on the outskirts of Raleigh . Wake Forest is a highly sought after area with wonderful schools, several parks, charming historic district and small historic downtown area. It's beautiful tree lined streets and sidewalks invite neighborly gatherings all year long.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS HOME: RES - Buyer Full

The Seller of MLS # 162990 is offering to pay $3,000 in closing costs PLUS giving purchasers a $1,000 Home Depot Gift Card. This home is located in the popular Wake County School District, and is currently listed at only $162,200, and the added incentives makes this gorgeous home all the more attractive.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS HOME: RES - Buyer Full

In the 175-$275,000 price range:
MLS #1617351 is located in charming and growing Johnston County. This gorgeous home has 1200 square feet upstairs ready to finish making the grand total of square footage 2881. This seller is offering buyers an incentive by paying for closing costs or offering a price reduction. Johnston County boasts many bedroom communities of Wake County only minutes away from Downtown Raleigh, and Research Triangle Park. CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS HOME: RES - Buyer Full

And finally, in the $285-$400,000 price range, hang on to your seat because you're not gonna believe this:
How about a beautiful Parade of Homes Prize Winning 2600+ square foot home, situate on a gorgeous, wooded 1 1/2 acre lot for only $350,000! This stunner is brand new, and located in beautiful Franklin County. Minutes from Raleigh and Research Triangle Park , Franklin County is an up and coming area offering extraordinary value in new construction.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THESE HOMES: RES - Buyer Full

We're not kidding when we tell you week after week in our newsletters that because of the over-
abundance of new construction in North Carolina , builders of new homes and sellers of newer resale homes are offering INCREDIBLE incentives in EVERY price range. Combine this with the super low interest right now and you've got the perfect combination for making your dream of owning a home in beautiful North Carolina a reality!

So - what are you waiting for? Come on down (or up - whatever the case may be!) to North Carolina . Set aside a weekend and let Blaise or I give you a personal tour of the beautiful Triangle area and get you "inside" to see some of these gorgeous homes. Let us help you make your dreams of moving to beautiful North Carolina -- a REALITY today!
And don't forget to check out our Carolina Pines Realty Website where you, yourself can type in those MLS numbers mentioned above, right into our search engine and see not only the homes featured in this newsletter, but search the entire Multiple Listing Service of this area WITHOUT PASSWORDS!

If you find that you have any questions about the information you see here, on our website, please don't hesitate to contact us. It's our pleasure to talk to you and share whatever information and knowledge we have.

NEXT WEEK: Some Spicy HOT Recipes for Cold Winter Days!

First Time Buyers & Sellers Must Read This.....

2009-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

With 2008 Finally Behind Us,
Let’s All Look Forward to the Promise
Of a Joyous, Peaceful and Prosperous 2009.

We hope everyone enjoyed a joyous and peaceful holiday season. We certainly did and we’re back at work and ready to roll up our sleeves to help you accomplish your New Year’s Resolution of finally making a move to North Carolina!!

We wanted to start the year out by sharing with you a recently published New York Times article that addresses the amazing situation first time home buyers are finding themselves in right now. With interest low, inventory high and motivation for sellers extremely high -- buyers could not be in a better position to take the plunge NOW.

And Sellers, this article addresses you too. With interest rates so low, motivated first time home buyers are going to be out and about looking for that perfect dream home – which very well could be the home YOU are trying to sell.

So to all of our Buyers AND Sellers – take a moment and click on this link to read the New York Times article which we think you will find very informative. And be sure to contact us if you have any questions or comments on it.

In the meantime, don’t forget to visit our Carolina Pines Realty website where you can search the Multiple Listing Service with no passwords, as well as find a wealth of information on living, working and playing in North Carolina. Again – Happy New Year to all of our past, present and future clients. We look forward to working with you to make 2009 a very joyous, peaceful and prosperous year!

Blaise & Cathie Recca

The Countdown Begins.....

2008-12-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

24 Days Until Christmas!!
Can you believe it? Where the 2008 go? It seems like we were just discussing spring time planting.

North Carolina is brimming with holiday spirit. Beautiful crisp blue sky days makes our holiday weather perfect for enjoying the outdoors -- whether it's piling the kids in the car with hot chocolate to check out the lights, enjoying winter sporting activities in Asheville, or taking the family skiing at one of the many nearby ski resorts. Nearly every family has its own traditions.

The Recca family puts up our Christmas lights the week before Thanksgiving so we can light up the neighborhood Thanksgiving night. It's a tradition we've been following since Sal was little. We're usually the first in the area to have our lights up and on.

Along with decorating the house, we typically venture out on at least one holiday excursion. Last year we drove up to Washington, DC (only 4 hours away) the week before Christmas to check out the State Trees and a few museums. We may even do that again this year. But one of our favorite places to go during the Christmas season is The Biltmore Estate, over in Asheville, NC.
The Biltmore Estate was actually first opened on Christmas Eve in 1895.
(click here to see some pictures of Christmas at the Biltmore)

I'm a history buff by nature, and love reading about places that we are planning to visit, or have visited already. If you're interested in a brief history of The Biltmore Family Estate, read on. I stumbled across this information somewhere on the internet ( I can't remember where.) It's a pretty interesting story.

In 1888, George Vanderbilt, youngest grandson of business tycoon Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, visited the Western North Carolina mountains with his mother. Asheville, North Carolina was a high-society health retreat for those looking for a rugged, yet pleasant retreat from the pressures of the Northeast. At 26, George Vanderbilt recognized the area as a perfect spot for an estate. He envisioned an estate that would not only showcase his collection of art, but also become a self-supporting business. He had traveled extensively throughout Europe, and believed he could bring a landed barony to America.

Also, George Vanderbilt was not without his competitive streak, and sought to create an estate to rival those belonging to his siblings in the Northeast. The Vanderbilts had a tradition of building lavish homes, a tradition begun by the Commodore. As a self-made man, Cornelius Vanderbilt and his wife Sophia found themselves not entirely accepted into Northeastern fashionable society so their lavish homes became a symbol of both their success and their gentility.

George Vanderbilt purchased 125,000 acres of land. Today, both Pisgah Forest and the town of Biltmore Village occupy land once owned by Vanderbilt. He called his holdings "Biltmore" - combining Bilt, the name of the Dutch town where his ancestor's originated, and more, the Old English word for open rolling land. Then Vanderbilt assembled his design team for the future estate.

Richard Morris Hunt, a popular society architect, became the designer of the Biltmore House. He had already built several homes for George's brothers in the Northeast. Hunt modeled the Biltmore House after early 16th-centure French châteaux. The design was very ornate and required an immense amount of materials. A special rail spur had to be laid between the depot in a neighboring village and the estate to carry the tons of materials used. Construction of the house required an immense amount of manpower, from the local laborers to world-renowned craftsmen. Vanderbilt spared no expense and, in fact, found himself in some financial difficulties by the time the estate was finished. Even the incredible wealth of the Vanderbilts had limits.
Vanderbilt wanted his house to be not only a showcase for his extensive art collection, but also a technological marvel. Vanderbilt included such cutting-edge technology as central heating, electricity, running hot and cold water to upstairs baths, a fire alarm, cold-storage mechanical refrigeration (using circulating chilled brine solution), an elevator, an electric communication system for calling servants, and a swimming pool with underwater lighting. Guests often marveled at these wondrous conveniences.

A prestigious landscape architect, Fredrick Law Olmstead, supervised the surrounding grounds. Olmstead had designed parks, including New York's Central Park and the U.S. Capitol grounds, and was a pioneer in conservation. Although Vanderbilt had originally wanted extensive parkland, Olmstead recommended a combination of a 250-acre pleasure park surrounded by commercial timber forest. This plan worked nicely with Vanderbilt's desired for the estate to be profitable. Renovation of the forest was handed over to Gifford Pinchot, who later established the U.S. Forest Service.

Olmstead's mix of wild areas and formal gardens could deceive at first glance. For example, the three-mile-long approach road to the house appears to snake through natural forest. In reality, the land was too overworked, overcut and rough in its natural state. Olmstead virtually sculpted the land before planting anything. Then he transplanted seedlings from all over North Carolina. These native plants were supplemented with plants grown in the Biltmore nursery, including decidedly non-native plants such as the bamboo groves. The design of the approach road intended to mix deciduous trees, pines and shrubs to offer an interesting drive during any time of year.

The estate was formally opened on Christmas Eve 1895, though even then, some of the rooms in the house were not complete and remain so even today. In 1898, Vanderbilt married socialite Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. Together, the Vanderbilts became known as excellent employers throughout the area. In addition to employing an 80-person staff, the estate also contained working farms and a commercial timber operation with its own mill.

George Vanderbilt introduced new farming techniques to the region and was instrumental in the founding of the Biltmore Forest School, the first institute for scientific forestry in America. The conservation techniques of these early foresters remain influential in American forestry today. The Vanderbilts also started Biltmore Industries to teach traditional handcrafts such as woodworking and weaving. Mrs. Vanderbilt also set up the School for Domestic Science to train young women in housekeeping skills. These training opportunities allowed local people to make better wages.

After the death of George Vanderbilt in 1914, Edith Vanderbilt continued to be active in community affairs. She deeded close to 87,000 acres to the federal government to preserve Pisgah Forest for public enjoyment. The Vanderbilts' daughter Cornelia married John Cecil in 1924. Edith Vanderbilt moved out of the house in 1925, when she married Senator Peter G. Gerry, and left the Cecils to manage Biltmore affairs. In 1930, the Cecils opened the estate to the public in order to revitalize Asheville's economy with a tourism boon.

Even today, George Vanderbilt's grandchildren continue to benefit the region through employing a 650-person staff to maintain Biltmore House for public enjoyment. Change also continues, in 1979, William Cecil remodeled the Biltmore dairy barn to be used as a winery and beef cattle have been added to the farm operation.

If you're planning on paying us a visit here in North Carolina to look at homes, try and save a day or two to check out The Biltmore Estate. The Asheville area is beautiful any time of year, but particularly so during the holidays.

It's an Exciting Time to be an American....

2008-10-29T06:09:00.001-07:00

You can't escape it. The question on everyone's mind

by virtue of television, radio and conversation is, "Who will be the NEXT President of the United States?"

I know that is the topic of conversation at the Recca house. We are news junkies anyway, (even Sabrina!) but for the last month (or two) we are more obsessed than usual with watching cable news and our local news network.

I wanted to take a moment and share with you a website that is very informative with regard to the United States Presidential Election Process, the United States Government, the Freedom of Information Act, the Political Process and Congressional Acts, State of the Union Address and a very helpful listing of Governmental Offices. The Website is called, Presidential Election . com
Here is a link. Take some time and check it out. Bookmark it. It is s a great resource. Tell your kids about it too as there is a students' section with all kinds of education information. Presidential Election - 2008.

With less than a week to go until the election - you have got your work cut out for you:

1. DO - your research
2. KNOW - where your candidates stand on issues
3. VOTE - on November 4th

The next time you hear from us - we'll have a new President. It certainly is an exciting time to be an American!
Blaise & Cathie Recca

North Carolina State Fair.....

2008-10-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

What a glorious week for the North Carolina State Fair -
cool temperatures (60's), Carolina Blue Skies, and the scent of fried macaroni and cheese in the air - mmmmmmmmm.

(Although Sabrina would say there were a few other "scents" in the air!)

Blaise and I took our daughter and her best friend to the fair, where they met up with about 20+ of their "closest" friends for rides, food and fun. They went their way, (immediately to the midway) and we went ours (to the chicken, rabbit, goat, cattle , prized winning vegetables and antique farm equipment exhibits.) I guess it's safe to assume that our days of rides that shake you, drop you and twist and turn you until you want to "loose" that fried macaroni and cheese you just ate -- are OVER! (at least for the most part.) Every once in a while I con Blaise into going on a ride or two -- which immediately following, we both vow to never do again. There is so much to see and do, I don't mind not riding the rides so much anymore.

The animal exhibits are typically my favorite exhibits. There's a lot of pride and hard work that goes into raising such fine animals -- which is clearly evidenced by the calloused hands and weathered faces of their caretakers. Generations of farmers, their children and their childrens' children beamed with pride as the fruits of their labor were rewarded by blue ribbons.

Visiting the fair was a wonderful way to spend the day, and reminded us of just how blessed we are to live in beautiful North Carolina. Take the time this Fall to visit your state, county or town fair. Or, if you don't live in an area that hosts such an event, seek one out. In these troubled times we are experiencing -- it does the heart and soul good to take a breath, and experience the simple pleasures of life.
Enjoy your week!

P.S. Blaise, they
put those signs
up for a reason!!!

North Carolina State Fair Prize Winning Recipes....

2008-10-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

In honor of our recent visit to the North Carolina State Fair, I'm going to be sharing some of the prize winning NC State Fair recipes. Delicious and easy to prepare - for the most part they use local produce and/or products are are just plaing GOD!

Here's one I've tried myself and not only is it delicious - it's quick and easy!

Honey (or spicy!) Mustard Oven Fried Potato Wedges
by Janice Wolfe of Fuquay-Varina, NC

1 pkg. House-Autry Mills (a NC product) Oven Pork Coating Mix
4 large baking potatoes (pre baked)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
4 tbsp. honey mustard (or, I like to use spicey deli-style mustard + a tsp of honey)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Pre-heat your oven t 375 degrees. Cut potatoes into six wedges. Mix mayo, seasoned salt, honey mustard and pepper together. (you can add a bit of hot sauce to this mixture if you want to give it some kick!) Coat the potato wedges with the mixture - generously! Roll wedges in pork seasoning mix. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Put the extra mayo mixture in a little bowl for dipping. Yum!

And the Winner is.........

2008-09-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Bright and early this morning before she left for school, I had Sabrina draw a name out of just over 100+ and the winner is......

Charlene Conn!

Woo hoo!

Congratulations Charlene. Blaise is taking your package to this post office this afternoon so look for it in 2-3 days.

A Taste of Carolina Contest! Something Different -- for a Change...

2008-08-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Y'all. Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

Summer is officially over for the Recca family because Sabrina went back to school today.

In honor of the end of "our" summer -- we've decided that instead of sending out our usual weekly newsletter, we'd do something fun instead.

If you're reading this, it's because you read our newsletters, visit our Carolina Pines Realty website and/or visit our blog -- which tells us YOU are curious about North Carolina, or even thinking about the possibility of making a move to beautiful North Carolina and are curious about the area and the "Carolina" lifestyle.

Accordingly, we have decided that instead of giving you facts and information about North Carolina which we typically do in our internet communications -- this week, we'd share with you some of our favorite goodies and put together a little basket and give you a....

TASTE of North Carolina

Here's What's in the Basket......

A Carolina Panther's Hat; House-Autry Mills Old Fashioned Cornmeal (from Four Oaks, NC); Callahan's Original Calabash Hushpuppy Mix - Sabrina's favorite!(from Wilmington, NC) (click here if you want to know what "Calabash style" is) ; Carolina Treet original Cooking Barbecue Sauce (also from Wilmington, NC); Scott's Barbecue Sauce (from Goldsboro, NC) and two homemade potholders straight from Cathie's quilting studio here in Raleigh, NC.

All the items in this basket were MADE in North Carolina and are considered Carolina Kitchen Staples and we wanted to share them with YOU.

Here's what you have to do to enter your name into the contest:

1. Send an e-mail to: cpines@nc.rr.com with the following information in the subject line:

"Enter me in the contest"

and let us know in your e-mail who you are, where you're from (city and state), and if there's anything that you would like to know about North Carolina.

2. If you leave a comment to this post (by clicking on the comment link below), we will enter your name twice - so you will have "double" the chance of winning.

And if you live in North Carolina, we want you to enter too! This contest is open to all our blog and website visitors.

So there you have it! That's all you have to do. Now the contest will only be open for 30 days -- so hurry and get your name into the drawing.

On Monday September 15th, we will put all names received into a drawing and choose a winner which will be posted here, on our blog. The winner will also be notified by e-mail in order that they can provide us with their mailing address.

Have a great week and Good Luck!

Did You Know....

2008-07-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

That the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath that follows more than 2,100 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines between Maine and Georgia; and, it ONLY takes 5,000,000 adult footsteps to hike the entire trail??? 5,000,000 footsteps - No problem -- right?

Our family definitely lies victim to the lure of the Appalachians. Every chance we get we head over to Western Carolina to the Blue Ridge a/k/a the Chrystalline Appalachians. Only 3 1/2 hours away from Raleigh, the heart of the Blue Ridge helps us to escape the summer heat in no time. In fact, we're heading over there again this weekend to check out some property areas we may be interested in. We're thinking of expanding Carolina Pines across the state and just may have some news about a western office opening up over there within the next year. More on that later.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you an article recently appearing in our local newspaper The News & Observer, about the progress of the Mountain-to-Sea-Trail (click here to read the entire story.) In case you haven't heard of it -- The Mountain-to-Sea-Trail is a 900 mile trail leading from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, and ending up at the Outer Banks. How Cool is that! The article references the trail as 900 miles of roller coaster (ups and downs) through the mountains, the triad and the coastline. All the best scenery North Carolina has to offer with some pretty "off the beaten path" exposures.

While there is no "ETA" right now on the completion date of the Trail, there is work being done on it almost every weekend -- with trees being marked, roots being pulled, water being diverted and research being done to assure no rare or sensitive plants or animals are disturbed. It's a very ambitious undertaking (to say the least) - a one of a kind project and I believe --unique to Carolina.

Here is a brief timeline, outlining the progress:

TRAIL IS 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING

1977: Mountains-to-Sea Trail is proposed by Howard Lee, then secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, to showcase the state's beauty.
1982: First segment of trail is dedicated -- 75.8 miles along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

1997: Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is formed by Allen de Hart.

2000: State legislature designates Mountains-to-Sea Trail as a state park and authorizes state Division of Parks and Recreation to acquire and manage the land.

2001-04: Route planning from Wake to Carteret counties gets under way.

2005-07: Routes are mapped in the Piedmont.

2006: Western Piedmont sections are planned.

2007: 485 miles of trail are completed.

2008: State commits $8.5 million to acquire four tracts.

The Mountain to Sea Trail is steadily forging it's way toward the North Carolina Coastline and is currently being enjoyed by hikers, campers and nature buffs. This is just another reason North Carolina is home to so many outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers and will continue to grow in popularity as time goes by. Don't forget to click on the link above to read the entire article and find out where you can go to experience sections of the Trail. It makes for a great adventure -- whether your an avid hiker or trailblazer, or you just want to take the family out for some "back woods" fun.

Also, please visit our Carolina Pines Realty Website where you can find all kinds of information on vacation adventures in and around the Raleigh area, as well as relocation information. And be sure to click on the "Property Search" button. Just one click allows you to check out our local residential listings through the Multiple Listing Service -- without a password.

Have a great week -- and maybe we'll see YOU on the Trail!

North Carolina -- a Wonderful Place to Live, Work AND Play.

Fresh Out of the Garden - Grilled Summer Vegetables

2008-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Our garden crop is plentiful this year. We've had a nice bit of rain and wow what a difference a little rain makes!!!

As you can see by the picture on the right -- it seems that we need to harvest almost every other day. Our primary crop this year consists of two types of eggplant, tomatoes, squash, cucumber, peppers, beets, artichoke (yep that's right I've got artichoke growing in my garden this year!!) and herbs. But it is it doesn't matter what your crop is -- vegetables cooked on the grill or under the broiler taste soooooo good.

Here's an easy way to prepare a "grilled" salad made from your own abundance:

Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad

1 -3 ears of yellow corn, or even better yellow and white corn- grilled, shucked, and cut off the cob

1 red pepper -- roasted, peeled, and cut into thin strips

1 tomato -- grilled, peeled, seeded, and cut into a 1/2-inch dice

2 zucchini, yellow or other summer squash -- cut into 1/2-inch slices, grilled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice.

1 tablespoon each of lime juice and lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients. Marinate for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you have it, I like to throw in some fresh parsley and/or fresh cilantro into this. Cilantro makes everything taste fresh and delicious!

Sometimes in lieu of making a salad we just throw the grilled vegetables (eggplant, peppers, onions, squash, mushrooms) on a platter and serve them just as they are. In that case we typically slice all the vegetables, spray them lightly with Olive oil, sprinkle paprika, garlic, salt and pepper over them and just grill or broil.

Staging Your Home for a Quicker Sale....

2008-07-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Staging a house for sale means going beyond just making it look tidy. Typical buyers make up their minds about your home 10 seconds after they step through your front door. Just as stagehands set the stage for a production, you can do the same for your home. It can be made to look cozy, colorful and inviting to make it stand out from the rest of the other houses on the market using things such as accessories, colorful chintz fabric on the tables, fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase, scented candles on the fireplace mantel, and the way that the furniture is set around an area rug. Potential buyers want instant coziness and comfort in the home they'll choose.

Here are some tips from professional home stagers (that you may find useful):

Pack away most of your family photos. Buyers need to imagine their possessions in the home.

Pack up the bulk of large, personal collections, so that buyers don't get so interested in looking at them that they forget to look at the house.

Remove excess furniture to make rooms more spacious. Clean and organize the closets. Store boxes in an out of the way location or rent a temporary storage unit so you can de-clutter every part of the house.

Remove area rugs if they expose nice hardwood floors.

Buy or borrow living houseplants. They look better than artificial ones.
Create a mood. Bake bread or cookies during showings, or place a fresh loaf of bread and/or fresh colorful fruit in a basket on the counter.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember -- LESS IS BETTER.

We're Home and Getting Back To Work....

2008-07-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

after a great vacation out West. What was planned as a Colorado High Country camping adventure -- turned into a Harley Davidson road trip through Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota (Black Hills & Sturgis!) and Wyoming -- all because of MUD. It's a long story -- but we learned on this trip that while things don't always go as we have planned, (even after months of planning and mapping) being flexible and having the right attitude sure can carry you a long way and we had an amazing journey.

We started in Grand Mesa, Colorado -- at about 11,000 elevation, we drove in an out of snow and mud, through the Aspen trees until finally coming upon a beautiful mountain clearing with a small lake (and lots of trout!). We camped there for our first night. Never, have I ever seen so many stars and galaxies.

The first state we hit after leaving Colorado was Nebraska -- where we were greeted by a giant dust storm with winds approx 80-90 mph. We saw it coming across the prairie and at first glance thought it was dust being kicked up by plowing -- but quickly realized that the dust cloud was far to huge to be plowing kick up. We stopped in the middle of the road and jumped off the bike to avoid being blown over. The duration of the blast -- about 1 minute.

We loved driving through Nebraska. Did you know that is where much of Dances with Wolves was filmed -- along with South Dakota? Blaise has been through Nebraska, but this was my first time. Nebraska truly is the Heartland of America -- and the kind and helpful people we met and chatted with at a local diner just reinforced that notion.

We shot up through Nebraska into South Dakota -- which was my favorite stop on our trip. All motorcycle enthusiasts are familiar with the "Black Hills" of South Dakota and Sturgis (Sturgis is home to the motorcycle rally every year.) Click on the Sturgis link above to check it out -- you won't believe it. As we are always in search of peace and serenity when we head out west, it is needless to say we didn't go to Sturgis DURING the rally!

We of course drove by Mount Rushmore, which in and of itself was quite impressive. However, we really couldn't wait to see Crazy Horse the great Sioux Warrior. I myself am very interested in Native American history and have read both Larry McMurtry's Crazy Horse and Lakota Woman an autobiography by Mary Crow Dog -- both of which provide great insight into this rich and fascinating culture. The Lakota/Sioux are a gentle and proud people and make it quite clear that the Black Hills are both a monument to their heritage and sacred to their hearts. The beauty and sense of spirit there is indescribable.

This first picture is of the model created by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski for the mountain carving. Ziolkowski and Chief Henry Standing Bear of the Lakota Tribe began a foundation to honor Native heritage in 1948. (Click on Ziolkowski's link above to read about this monument and to read about Ziolkowski himself which is also a wonderful story.) The monument itself is far from complete but you can see by the model below just how munificent a representation of the Great Warrior it's going to be.

There was much to do in South Dakota and it was breathtakingly beautiful. On the way back from the Black Hills we stopped in Deadwood, stayed in a nice Hotel/Casino -- played some blackjack and slot machines. We didn't lose any money, and I actually won $35 on a penny slot machine -- too bad it wasn't a $1 machine! We're not big gamblers, but Deadwood was an interesting little town aside from the casinos and is steeped in history.

Unfortunately, I thought we were going to be traveling by Jeep so I brought my 35mm camera which is rather cumbersome. Since we ended up on a motorcycle, it was a bit hard to take pictures with a big camera and I didn't take as many as I would have liked, but still got some great shots here and there.

On the way back through Colorado, we stopped to watch two fly fishermen. These two guys were also watching their "masters" fish.

We had a fantastic break from work and day to day responsibilities -- and made some wonderful memories along the way. Alas, it's time to get back to work.

As far as our unexpected change in vacation plans go -- sometimes things don't work out as planned, and sometimes it's that deviation makes it all the better!!

What's Driving the Trend in Raleigh?

2008-06-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

"Raleigh is increasing in popularity in the United States. We are being noticed by other parts of the country and are growing in size." (Brooke Fortson, marketing director at The Glenwood Agency.) That seems to be the common notion in these parts lately. While other parts in the country are cooling down -- Raleigh is HOT and getting HOTTER by the minute.

What is driving this trend in the Raleigh area? Well, if you've been reading the newsletters we've been sending, Raleigh keeps making everyone's "A-list" and such accolades may partially explain the continued growth in Raleigh's urban housing market.

Here's what various publications are saying:

- Forbes Magazine named Raleigh as on of the TEN BEST CITIES FOR JOBS.

- The International Downtown Association recently selected Raleigh as its DOWNTOWN OF THE MONTH.

-Raleigh was named THE BEST AMERICAN CITY FOR SINGLES by Rachael Ray, popular cooking star on Food Network.

- Men's Magazine ranked Raleigh 5th on its BEST PLACE TO FIND A MATE list.
(Realtor Review Vol2 No.5 2008)

So, if you're looking for a job, a cool place to hang out, a place to find a mate -- sure sounds like Raleigh is the place for you!!! And remember, this is just a sampling of the "best" lists that Raleigh has been named on.

Simply put -- Raleigh is a wonderful place to raise a family, find a job and spend your leisure time.

Drop us an e-mail if you want to know more. Oh and be sure to visit our website at Carolina Pines Realty , where you can really do some exploring and get a good feeling as to what Triangle Life is all about!

Another North Carolina Recipe.....

2008-06-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

From time to time I like to share with you a recipe that highlights a North Caroloina Agricultural product -- and this time, it's APPLES. Did you know that North Carolina is the 7th largest apple producing state?

The following delicious Apple Crisp recipe comes from the wonderful Grove Park Inn & Spa located in beautiful Asheville, NC. What makes this recipe so special is the addition of Bourbon -- Kentucky Bourbon, of course!!!

NC Apple Crisp with Walnuts
& Bourbon Topping:

Crisp:
3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats
½ cup brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
½ cup butter-room temperature

Filling:
2 ½ pounds North Carolina Apples
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup granulated sugar
1 TBS flour
1/4 cup bourbon (Kentucky Bourbon!)
½ tsp cinnamon
2 TBS butter

Peel, core and slice apples. Toss with sugar, flour & cinnamon. Add walnuts & bourbon, toss to mix. Spread apple mixture into buttered 8x8 baking pan. Evenly spread crumb topping over.
Bake 350-degrees approximately 35 minutes or until top is golden and apples are tender. Serve warm. Delicious served with Vanilla ice cream!

Be sure and let me know if you try this and how it turned out. It is a perfect addition to the menu any time of year.

Oh, and be sure to visit The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa by clicking on the link below. One of North Carolina's finest resorts and, consequently, one of the finest in the country.

Deborah J. Ivey, Chef TournantThe Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa90 Macon AvenueAsheville, NC 28804groveparkinn.com800-438-5800

Memorial Day Weekend Motorcycle Trip

2008-05-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a safe and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend and that you took a moment to Honor the meaning of this special holiday.

We are not big fans of taking off during "holiday" weekends. We hate crowds, we hate traffic and we hate rushing. Instead, we prefer to take our three day weekends one day at a time -- maybe catching up on a little work, or yard work, hanging out with the kids and, such as was the case this weekend, taking a day trip on the boat or the motorcycle.

This weekend, Blaise and I got up very early on Sunday morning and decided to head out toward Wilson - a historic town, named as one of North Carolina's Most Beautiful Cities. And THAT it was -- with gigantic oak-lined streets, to sprawling historic southern mansions, Wilson is an absolutely lovely town that epitomizes "southern charm."

From Raleigh, we drove about an hour and a half through the country. We were surprised to see how far along the tobacco and corn crops are this early in the year -- and WOW do they look healthy. Last year it was rather a depressing site as the drought took a huge toll on the the crops causing many of them to wither and die before coming into fruition. And I know I've said this before, but one of the things I love so much about riding the Harley out in the country is the smells. Every corner we turn brings about a new smell -- freshly cut fields, recently turned earth, animals, jasmine, magnolia, etc., etc., It's beautiful -- and there's nothing like it.

Continuing on our journey, after exploring Wilson for an hour or so, we decided it was time for breakfast. We drove around a bit looking for a place to eat and didn't have any luck until we came upon a rather dapper gentleman obviously on his way to or from church. We pulled over and asked him if he could recommend a place nearby where we could have breakfast. He immediately told us to turn right at the light and go down a "piece" and there is a place right there on the right hand side of the road.

Well, we did just as he said and sure enough -- there was a restaurant with real down home cookin' -- right where he said it would be. It was an adorable looking little restaurant, but as good as "gizzards and livers" sounded (at 7:30 in the morning!) I really had my heart set on french toast -- so we continued on until we found a Denny's!

I think we were only gone about 4 hours -- start to finish. That's another thing we love about living in North Carolina -- in an hour we can get far enough away it actually feels like we took a "trip" somewhere. We came home from our little excursion renewed and refreshed -- ready for part 2 of the weekend and ready to spend time with the kids.

Alas -- the weekend is over and it's time to get back to work!

Have a great week -- and don't forget to checkout our website when you get the chance. There you can search for homes (without passwords), check out schools, universities and employment, and just get a really good feel as to what living in the Raleigh/Triangle area is all about.

The Fruits of our Labor are FINALLY, Paying Off!!

2008-05-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it - I'm addicted to HGTV. I started watching it 8 years ago while we were still living in Florida -- the land where NOTHING grows -- other than pricker bushes, palm trees, St. Augstine Grass, and other stuff that never DIES! Maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit -- but I couldn't grow anything in Florida.

Well it's been three years now since we put our first sets of plants in the ground here in North Carolina. And, if you watch HGTV you know what they say:

"The First Year They SLEEP...."

"The Second Year They CREEP...."

"The Third Year They LEAP..."

As is evidenced by the growth occurring in and around our yard -- that addage is so TRUE! The lavendar bushes and roses I put in exactly three years ago are huge and proliferating with blooms. They are really taking off -- and smell sooooo good. There is a special hybrid lavendar that grows particularly well in this area of the country (zones 7-8) and is pretty much ever green and blooms all but 2 months of the year. Sabrina loves to make Lavendar sachets from the dried lavendar buds.

The purple salvia in the front of the house I just planted last summer - and they were tiny. For our clients who are currently living in North Carolina -- Salvia plants from Home Depot are the way to go. You can't kill them, they're drought resistant and they make wonderful visual impact with planted "en masse." We have an exceptionally long driveway, so I had to put something in that would get pretty dense and be able to be seen from the street. These did the trick -- they are gorgeous -- and again --flower right up to the first heft freeze and begin flowering again before the last frost.

Horticulturally speaking - the only downside of living in an area where things grow so prolifically -- is the TRIMMING. And, as Blaise will tell you -- that is a never ending job. As soon as he finally makes his way around the house -- the bushes in the spot where he began are almost ready to be trimmed again. It's a never ending job. Thank goodness we both enjoy working in the yard.

Finally - I send a question out to YOU, What is LEAPING in your garden? Click on comments (below) and tell us all about it. Even if you're not living in North Carolina (yet!) we'd love to hear from you! Gardeners LOVE to share stories and we'd sure enjoy hearing yours.

North Carolina State Farmer's Markets....

2008-05-02T07:01:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite things to do is to take off early in the morning on the motorcycle and head out to the farmer's market. The Raleigh Market is awesome -- it's huge!

We love to stroll down the isles tasting samples as we go of fesh strawberries, apples, cider and honey. There are rows and rows of fresh vegetables in season and at the very end of the market are all the plants. That's my favorite section. They have the most gorgeous geraniums, petunias, flowering bushes and flowering trees. Come to think about it -- I think that's why Blaise likes to take the motorcycle when we head out there -- so we can't buy too much as we can't transport it!!

The main market downtown also has a fabulous restaurant that only uses items sold by local farmers -- so everything is fresh, fresh, fresh. Fresh Vegetables, Fresh Fruit, Fresh Bacon and Eggs -- it's wonderful. You gotta get there early though -- because that place is packed all the time.

What's also great about our farmer's market here is that they have set up little markets all over the county so that if you don't have time to go all the way downtown -- chances are you'll pass right by one one the way home from work. They have one set up in historic Wake Forest, and a few up off Capital Boulevard right in Raleigh.

Strawberry stands are everywhere right now. We live just down the street from a BP Gas Station -- and they have a huge strawberry stand right out front - we drive by it every day so fresh strawberries are at our beck and call. We eat them every day in something -- strawberry protein shakes, strawberry smoothies, fruit salad, etc. Scroll down below for one of my favorite strawberry pie recipes.

NORTH CAROLINA STRAWBERRY PIE.....

2008-05-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's time for another "Southern Favorites" recipe -- and since strawberries are in season right now here in North Carolina and the Farmer's Market is just brimming with them -- I'm going to share one of my favorite strawberry pie recipes with you today.

It's ridiculous how easy this is to make -- and people just ADORE it! Ready???

Ingredients
Crust...

Your own favorite pie crust recipe, or - store bought pie crust is fine for this.

Filling...

2 Cups Fresh Strawberries

1/2 Cup of Water

2/3 Cups of Sugar

1 Tablespoon of FRESH Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of Cornstart

6 more cups of Fresh strawberries

Topping....

I like to make my own whipped cream because it is so easy to make and tastes so good, but Cool Whip, Ready Whip, will work in a pinch. (click on the link for directions on how to make your own)

Preparation.....
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake pie crust at 350° for 10 - 15 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, mash 2 cups strawberries with a potato masher. Combine mashed strawberries and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the strawberry mixture through a sieve (to eliminate seeds) into a bowl, and reserve 1 cup strawberry liquid (add enough water to measure 1 cup, if necessary). Discard pulp or - I keep mine to make healthy smoothies from!)

Now, you combine 2/3 cup of sugar and the cornstarch in a pan; add strawberry liquid, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in FRESH lemon juice. (Lemons are so inexpensive, ALWAYS use FRESH lemons or lime for juice!!)
Arrange a layer of strawberries cut in half (flat sides down) in the crust. Spoon about one-third of sauce over the strawberries. Arrange the remaining strawberries on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over the strawberries. Chill for at least 3 hours.

When you're ready to serve, whip up your cream and spoon it on top. I think you and your family are gonna love this.

Enjoy!!!!

What We Love About North Carolina....

2008-04-22T09:37:00.001-07:00

People ask us all the time, "What is it about North Carolina that makes living there so special?"
That's a hard question to answer. On any given day, Blaise or I could give you a list a mile long of why we love living in North Carolina.

But, if you're really interested -- here are just a few of the things we LOVE about living in Raleigh, North Carolina........

The View from Our Front Porch right around martini time. On a clear night, right before the sun totally sets, the sky gets an amazing shade of blue, and if you're lucky, you can see the moonrise. We have a front row seat from our front porch for this spectacular view. Sometimes we have a martini, sometimes a cup of coffee -- and we just sit there and take it all in.
I took this picture just last week:

The View from the Harley as we ride through the Fields. This is one of my favorite things to do early on a Sunday morning. We get up before the kids, I grab my camera and we ride the Harley way out into the corn and tobacco fields where the air smells sweet and the vision is a sea of kelly green....

And, then, of course, there's my personal View of Sabrina, on outdoor chore day, when she stares at me from inside the downstairs window taunting me, whilest I toil and struggle. This is Sabrina's (I don't want to work outside) View:

Finally, a Recca Family Favorite -- is the View from the Outer Banks just before Sunset....
when the air is warm and salty, yet there are no crowds, no traffic -- just the quiet sound of the ocean....

I could go on, and on, and on. Isn't it time you came to pay us a visit -- so you can come up with your own list of reasons why you LOVE living in North Carolina???? You may think you're just coming for a visit -- but I'll just bet -- you'll NEVER want to leave!!!

Have a great week everybody. Spring is finally HERE!!

Spring Marks the "Busy Season" for Real Estate

2008-03-31T07:19:00.001-07:00

As the tulips and daffodils emerge -- so do the home buyers! NOW is the busiest time of year for us here at Carolina Pines. Sellers are cleaning up and out to get their homes on the market -- and buyers are looking for those "Great Deals." And the great deals are everywhere right now in the Raleigh area as builders of new homes have an abundance in their inventories and are offering some outstanding incentives.

Visit our website at http://www.carolinapinesrealty.com/ and click on the "Search for Homes" button. There you can search our local MLS all on your own - with no passwords required. Just fill in the required fields (i.e. how many bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.) and click "search." The engine will bring up prices, pictures and details of homes for you to see. Our site contains a wealth of information tailored to buyers and sellers.

So come pay us a visit! Explore our site -- see for yourself why Raleigh is consistently on Forbes "Best of" lists.

Have a great week.

Cathie & Blaise

Spring Has Sprung in North Carolina!!!!

2008-03-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

It's about time! We have been patiently waiting the first of April as that is the approximate cut off date for a "freeze" here in NC. What does that mean??? Well, that means we can go outside and play in the dirt!!! And here at the Recca house -- we LOVE to play in the dirt.

Bulbs and Vegetable seedlings we have been tenderly nurturing inside the house can now be set into their "growing space" in the garden. Yeah - I may have to go outside and cover them up

with a blanket or sheet one or two more nights if the temperatures drop -- but that's okay -- because they are finally in the dirt and ready to "GrOw!"

Blaise has been walking around the property pruning and cutting down a few dead trees. It's good to get a jump on things before the growing season gets into full swing.

Right now the Azaleas are exploding with color while the Bradford Pear and Cherry Trees are begining to loose their flowers and are starting to leaf out already.

Just when we've had enough of winter -- spring kicks in. That's one of the great things about living in North Carolina -- winter is short and sweet!

CAROLINA PHOTO OF THE WEEK.....

2008-03-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Azaleas create rivers of color up and down the treelined streets as they are finlly in full bloom. Gorgeous!

Forbes Names Raleigh NUMBER TWO!!!

2008-03-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

March 2008

Raleigh & Charlotte, North Carolina
Make the “Envious” Forbes List…..

Raleigh and Charlotte -- North Carolina’s two largest cities once again have made it to the headlines of Forbes. This time, the well respected publication names Raleigh and Charlotte numbers 2 and 4 (respectively) among their “10 Best Cities in the Country for Housing BARGAINS.”

Here’s what Forbes has to say about Raleigh which is number 2 on the list:

“#2 – Raleigh: Another place where building got ahead of the curve, but the economy is expanding quickly.”

So not only does Forbes recognize the outstanding value of your house buying dollar here in the Triangle, but the fact that our economy here is “expanding quickly,” is also acknowledged and this translates into a wealth of employment opportunities and a steady increase in property values.

Raleigh, North Carolina - one of the BEST places to LIVE, WORK & PLAY!!

SUPER LOW (Under 6%) Interest Rates Mean.....

2008-02-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

IT'S TIME TO BUY!

NOW is a great time to buy your Carolina Dream home. Why?
Because Interest Rates Less Than 6 % Are Available RIGHT NOW.

And, because new home Builders are offering UNBELIEVABLE Concessions and Incentives to Buyers Right NOW!

We are currently working with several clients who have recently locked-in financing for the purchase of their Carolina Dream Home under 6% interest - and our lenders tell us that the possibility exists to go even lower than that with a "float down."

Not only that – we are currently working with new home builders in the Raleigh/Triangle area that are offering these incredible incentives:

- Thousands of Dollars off Asking Price

- Hundreds/Thousands Dollars in Concessions and Upgrades

- Builder pays ALL "pre-pay/escrow" payments for HOA dues, insurances, taxes and more.

If you have been thinking about making a move to the Raleigh/Triangle area – NOW is the time to do it.

Let us assist you in not only finding your Carolina Dream Home, but by putting you in touch with a lender that will assist you in getting pre-qualified at a payment and super low interest rate you can COMFORTABLY afford. You will be amazed at just how much "home" your money can buy for you here in beautiful North Carolina.

Carolina Picture of the Week....

2008-01-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture I took while Blaise and I were cruising the Blue Ridge Parkway on the Harley - early this past fall.

I am humbled by the forces that formed these gentle rolling hills and ancient rocks of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And, as intently as they have been studied - they are only partially understood as the events that took place to create our mountains "were many and complex" and took place millions, even billions of years ago.

" Geologists believe the Grenville Orogeny—a collision of earth's sliding plates—formed the basement rock of the Blue Ridge, forcing up the first Appalachians that wore down before the present-day mountains formed. That event happened more than 1 billion years ago. As the continents broke apart about 750 million years ago, a sustained period of volcanic action followed. Evidence of viscous lava flows can still be found at Mount Rogers in the southwestern Blue Ridge Highlands.

A final orogeny—again a collision caused by continental drift—ended a mere 250 million years ago. The basement rocks were once again forced up and over adjacent younger layers of rock to the west. If layers of younger sedimentary rock such as limestone were on top, they completely eroded away to expose the ancient bedrock once again. Because of the east-to-west direction of the thrust, younger rocks in Shenandoah National Park are exposed to the west, and older Precambrian granites to the east. The metamorphic and igneous rocks—gneisses, schists, quartzites, greenstones, and granites—were formed by intense pressure and heat, and left few fossils."

If you'd like to learn more about the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway and/or the Shenandoah Valley, click here: http://www.sherpaguides.com/virginia/mountains/blue_ridge/index.html

We spend alot of time in these mountains with and without kids! Western North Carolina is only a 1 1/2 -4 hour drive from Raleigh - depending upon where you want to go and offers a myriad of outdoor activities for the entire family.

Cathie's Southern-Style Pot Roast....

2008-01-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

This super easy braised oven pot roast is flavored with burgundy or red wine, fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme. It’s a very hearty "wintery" meal that is great served that day or as leftovers. It takes literally minutes to throw together and is tasty enough for company!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pot roast, chuck or other suitable pot roast (the bigger the better because the leftovers are great!)
5 medium cloves garlic, halved
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
1 package of FRESH mushrooms (which you will slice up)
4 tablespoons flour (to be divided between dusting the roast and making the gravy)
1/2 cups burgundy or even red wine
1-2 tbs of beef bullion paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, ½ tablespoon of fresh rosemary (or use dried if that’s all you have) (I also throw in some fresh parsley or dried parsley if I have it)
2 pounds potatoes, cut in 2-inch chunks
5-10 carrots cut lengthwise and then halved
1 bunch of celery stalks - halved

PREPARATION:
Make 4 slits across top of the roast about 1/4 " deep –
Place butter in roasting pan on stove top on a higher heat
Lightly flour the pot roast and place in the roasting pan turning to brown well all sides.

Then remove the potroast from the pan.
Add additional tablespoon of butter to the hot pan and reduce heat to medium. When butter is hot -- add the onions and garlic -- cook, stirring, until tender and lightly browned.

Throw in mushrooms, and herbs -- cook for 2 minutes longer. Stir in flour and then add beef bullion paste and 1 cup of water.

Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute longer. Stir in wine and beef broth (if you didn’t use the bullion) Continue cooking, stirring, until the liquids are thickened and bubbly.

Put the roast back in the pan. Cover with a lid or foil and move to the oven. Cook for at least 2 hours – the longer the better if at a lower temperature. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and cover, and continue cooking for 45 minutes to an hour longer (or until potatoes are done.)

A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA - if you'd like to add some old fashioned (easy) dumplings to your potroast, add another 1/2 -3/4 cup of water to the gravy about 1/2-45 minutes before it's done. Then, open a package of Pillsbury Pop 'N Fresh Bisquits. Divide the bisquits up and drop them into the gravy. My mom used to do this with beef stew and the bisquit dumplings were great. Enjoy!

Sure Doesn't Look Like Winter....

2008-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it! 75 and clear blue skies - in the dead of winter. Look at this green grass. We've had some crazy weather here in NC. In the low 20's one day and up in the mid 70's a few days later. As you can see by this picture -- the corgis don't seem to mind. That just means another few days of frisbee-paloooza!!

Facts I'll Be You DON'T KNOW About North Carolina!!!

2008-01-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit of a history buff. Like my dad, I love reading historical accounts as well as historical fiction. Right now I'm reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbric which, if you haven't read it -- should be required reading for all Americans.

Anyway -- like most North Carolinians (even the non-natives!), I am fascinated by the early American historical aspect of our coastline. But, aside from being the birthplace of the first true American (Virginia Dare) there are many more interesting people, places, events and products that we proudly call our own.

For the next few weeks I will be featuring some of those people, places, events and products on our blog. So read on, and find out just a few reasons why North Carolina is so special....

Did you know.....

1. That the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States;

2. That in 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk. The Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawks now commemorates their achievement. (Kill Devil Hill is a great place to visit - we went there last summer!);

3. And for all you shopaholics out there - did you know that High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World. (Any trip down a highway here in NC reveals dozens of semis hauling freshly cut hardwoods to the manufacturers -- to be made into fine furniture);

4. Know as "Fish Town" in the early 1700's when Blackbeard frequented the coast, "Beaufort Town" was established as a seaport with the right to collect customs, in 1722; and finally

5. This isn't news -- but it IS official -- The Outer Banks of NC hosts some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. (Just click on some of the links over on the right side of the blog to see pictures as we frequent the coast!)

Take some time to explore some of our links. You too will see why North Carolina is such a wonderful place to live, work and play!!!

Welcome to the Carolina Pines Realty Blog!!!!

2008-01-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

Remember the song: Carolina in the Morning -- "Nothing can be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.....??"
Happy New Year to our Family, Friends and Clients from beautiful North Carolina. As you can see we have some beautiful "Carolina Blue" skies today. Believe it or not it's going to be 74 here in Raleigh -- on January 7th!! Last week we had temperatures in the teens and today in the seventies.

Anyway - we would like to welcome you to the "official launching" of the Carolina Pines Realty blog.

The purpose of the Carolina Pines Realty Blog is to introduce you to life in North Carolina. Like our website www.carolinapinesrealty.com this blog will offer you links to various "information" concerning life in North Carolina, but will focus more on the recreational and fun side of living in North Carolina -- with highlights on the people, places and cultural aspect of life in the Triangle Area.

So -- sit back, grap a "cuppa" something -- and explore the Carolina Pines Realty blog. And make sure to BOOKMARK it and visit often as it will be updated daily.

And, to finish what I started, the song, Carolina in the Morning (in case you are interested) was written in 1922 by Kahn/Donaldson team. Believe it or not it was written for a broadway musical called The Passing Show of 1922 -- but it wasn't until Fred Mertz sang it in an episode of I Love Lucy that it became mainstream. Since then numerous artists such as Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Dinah Shore, Judy Garland, Bill Haley and the Comets have performed the song and it caught on like wildfire and has become a very "recognizeable" song -- even to the young 'uns.

Here's the words to chorus to refresh your memory:

Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning,
No one could be sweeter than my sweetie when I meet her in the morning.
Where the morning glories
Twine around the door,
Whispering pretty stories
I long to hear once more.
Strolling with my girlie where the dew is pearly early in the morning,
Butterflies all flutter up and kiss each little buttercup at dawning,
If I had Aladdin's lamp for only a day,
I'd make a wish and here's what I'd say:
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.

A Taste of the South....

2008-01-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "down home" and "Southern" more than a delicious mouth-watering cobbler. Here at the Recca house we love cobbler. I'll make one, take it out of the oven -- and it's gone before it even gets a chance to cool.

Cobber is easy to make and very adaptable to whatever fruit is in season -- or, in the alternative, I've even used canned fruit if I can't get to the store to buy fresh.

Here, is one of my favorite recipes for peach cobbler -- so fire up that oven and put the vanilla ice cream in the freezer -- 'cause there is nothing more heavenly than a piece of this cobbler warm out of the oven and a scoop of old fashioned Vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 large can (29 ounces) sliced peaches in syrup
1 medium can (15 ounces) sliced peaches in syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour (I use whole wheat flour - it's healthier!)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
6 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons sugar, (you can use 1 teaspoon of granulated and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, if you like) mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION:
Drain peaches, reserving syrup in a measuring cup. If you don't have 1 cup of syrup, add water to make 1 cup; set aside. Toss peaches with spices. Combine 3/4 cup of the syrup with the cornstarch; stir into peaches. Arrange peaches in an 11x7-inch baking dish. Into a bowl, sift the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the beaten egg, 1/4 cup of the reserved syrup, 1/4 of milk, and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Spoon the batter evenly over the peaches. Drizzle with remaining butter then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Carolina Photo of the Week...

2007-12-30T05:23:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "southern living" like the vision, or the scent of a giant leafy magnolia blossom.

Here is a macro close up of one of the most beautiful flowers the South has to offer.

A Great Day in DC....

2007-12-21T04:35:00.000-08:00

Turns out the week before Christmas was the perfect time to visit DC -- no crowds, no traffic and no lines. Awesome! Less than a four hour drive from Raleigh, we got up to DC by 11:00 a.m. We immediately found a place to park (!) and were on our way to the Smithsonian. We parked close to the National Mall so we first took a walk down that to see the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. It was a beautiful blue, crisp day in Washington and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

Having never been to Washington before, Sabrina and I were both very excited. The city really is very beautiful and immaculately clean -- at least where we were. We only drove up for the day so we were limited in what we could experience. At Blaise's urging we first visited the Air and Space Museum, then the National Gallery and finally the Natural History Musuem. What a wonderful job they did laying these museums out. The buildings are beautiful and the exhibits are meticulously put together and very spacious -- which made the experience all the more pleasant. Did you know that it is absolutely FREE to get in to all of the museums in DC? I guess living in South Florida for so long - I had gotten used to PAYING through the nose for everything -- so I was totally shocked to find out that there is no charge for entrance to all of these spectacular. After the museums closed (5:30p.m.) we made our way over to the White House to take some pictures and then to our ultimate destination -- which was the National Christmas Tree. The White House looked lovely all lit up under the winter sky -- it gave me chills. The National Christmas Tree which was directly across the street from the White House was fun to see as not only was the tree itself pretty impressive, but what we enjoyed even more was seeing all of the U.S. Territory and States' Christmas Trees -- each one decorated by hand made ornaments from the region.

Blaise was amused by me because I was really moved by the experience. It was all very exciting to me and I really felt a sense of pride as I gazed upon the nucleus of our Great Nation (sigh!)

It was a wonderful trip and we are already talking about going back in a few weeks to see more as we barely scratched the surface. Even Sabrina is looking forward to making a return trip as she really wanted to see the contemporary art exhibits and we just didn't have the time.

I'll tell you what -- I think both Blaise and I would take a visit to the Smithsonian over a trip to Disney World any day!

Nothing Like a Mini Road Trip to Zap Holiday Stress!!

2007-12-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

Let it Snow!!!
We keep watching the weather and both Blaise's (New Jersey) hometown and my hometown (Ohio) are covered with the white stuff. We keep looking outside as it certainly is cold enough to snow right now here in NC -- but alas, the skies remain Carolina Blue.
If you are like most of us -- this can be a very hectic time of year and with that hectic schedule and pressure comes all kinds of stress. So what can one do to beat that stress? Well, if you get your hands on any of the recent articles from NBC news, Forbes, or Kaboodles you can read some pretty bizarre suggestions -- everything from skipping Christmas all together, celebrating Christmas on the New Year to avoid the crunch or, my personal favorite.... pulling over in traffic after getting stressed out holiday shopping to "take deep breaths and meditate." LOL! Can you imagine -- leaving the mall with a kid or two in the backseat, a trunk full of gifts to be wrapped, aching feet, a headache and dinner to prepare and "taking a minute to pull over, take a few deep breaths and meditate??" Come on guys -- you gotta be kidding!
We are feeling the holiday stress level rise here at our house, too. Between working (yep - we're still busy here at Carolina Pines), holiday parties, Sabrina's exams, last minute shopping, holiday baking, and the list goes on and on.... we decided that we need to step back and are going to "take a break" from the holiday commotion by taking a drive up to Washington, DC (about a 4 hour drive) to see the National Christmas Tree and the beautiful lights in DC sometime this week. So once Sabrina completes her exams -- we are in the car and driving up to DC for some good old fashioned "down time." Check out all the holiday happenings in Washington, DC by clicking here; http://godc.about.com/od/seasonalevents/a/Xmas_trees.htm?p=1.
That's just one of the many reasons we love living in North Carolina. It's great being able to say to eachother, "what do ya feel like doing this weekend?" and being able to drive in only a few hours to the mountains, the beach, Washington, DC, Nashville, and the list goes on and on. So -- beat those holiday blues -- take a mini road trip -- and put your cares behind you!
Have a great week.
Blaise & Cathie

It's Begining to Look A Lot Like Christmas....

2007-12-04T16:12:00.001-08:00

Every year the weekend before Thanksgiving, Blaise goes up into the attic and pulls down box after box of reindeer, wreaths and lights so we can decorate the outside of the house and, on Thanksgiving night, be the first family to "light up the neighborhood!" It's been our tradition ever since we've been married. The kids always loved being the first ones to have their house decorated. The tradition lives on!

A Room with a View....

2007-11-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the view outside of the Recca home today! I couldn't resist taking a few pictures and posting them on our blog. If this isn't a reason to move to North Caroina -- I don't know what is!! Having lived in Florida for many, many years where things are GREEN all year long, day after day, year after year -- we all get excited when the leaves start changing and the temperature starts dropping because that means that Blaise will be igniting the fire pit, I will be firing up both ovens for baking, and we all will be decorating the house for the holidays. North Carolinians embrace the onset of fall and all through the neighborhoods on any given day you smell the sweet smell of burning wood in firepits -- burnining leaves -- and burning logs in fireplaces.

HELLO - And Welcome to the Carolina Pines Realty Blog!

2007-11-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

We are so glad you are here!
We have created this blog especially for people like YOU. Why should you move to North Carolina???? That's easy - just click on a few of the links over on the right, or explore the information below. Here you will find a plethera of information that will touch on and hopefully answer many of the questions that folks may have who are considering the possibility of relocating to our beautiful State. For example, on the right you will find links to some of our favorite day and weekend trips -- all destinations of which are little more than a 2 - 5 hour drive. Also, down below you will find information and articles on employment, education and housing -- as well as radom informational and fun facts and pictures -- just to help you get acquainted with the area. In no time at all you will see just why the Raleigh area of North Caorlina is the perfect place to live, work and play! And, once your finished here -- visit our http://carolinapinesrealty.com/ website. There you will find all kinds of practical information such as pictures, prices and details of all of the homes listed in our Multiple Listing Service as well as information on school districts, subdivisions, communities and more. So sit back, relax and explore all of the wonderful opportunities that await you in the Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cary, Research Triangle Park, Rollesville, Wake, Johnston and Franklin County areas area of beautiful North Carolina!!

Thanksgiving Fruit Cake Recipe to Die For.....

2007-11-05T09:18:00.001-08:00

This week I deviated a bit from my usual Carolina Pines Realty Newsletter contents and instead of writing about Real Estate News, I decided to share one of my favorite recipes instead. So, if you didn't get a copy of our newsletter -- here's the recipe in its entirety:

Alton Brown's (I wish I could say it was my great, great grandma's -- but it's NOT!)
Free Range Fruit Cake

1 cup golden raisins - 1/2 cup sun dried cranberries - 1/2 cup sun dried blueberries -1/2 cup sun dried cherries -1/2 cup dried apricots- chopped Zest of one lemon -chopped coarsely Zest of one orange- chopped coarsely 1/4 cup candied ginger- chopped 1 cup gold rum - 1 cup sugar - 5 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks) - 1 cup unfiltered apple juice - 4 whole cloves-, ground 6 allspice berries -ground 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon ground ginger - 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoon baking soda - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 2 eggs - 1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted pecans -, broken Brandy for basting and/or spritzing

Combine dried fruits, candied ginger and both zests. Add rum and macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit. Place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices. Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.) Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, then fold in nuts. Spoon into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check again. Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet. Baste or spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan. When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, spritz with brandy. The cake's flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks. If you decide to give the cake as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient that they are very lucky indeed.

Due to the alcohol content of this delicious little number - be sure to keep AWAY from open flames (and the kids!!!) Enjoy - and let me know if you try it and how you liked it!