It's Springtime in North Carolina....

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.

Whole Grain Cranberry Muffins

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!

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

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)

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

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.

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

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!

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!

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

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....

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.

Staging Your Home for a Quicker Sale....

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....

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?

"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!

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

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 STRAWBERRY PIE.....

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!!!!

A Great Day in DC....

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!