North Carolina State Farmer's Markets....

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.....

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....

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

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!!!!

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.....

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!!!

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!!