Protect Your Home From Freeze Damage
January 15, 2012 by Laura Duggan · Leave a Comment
Prepare your home to prevent damage to water pipes and landscaping.
Drip all indoor and outdoor faucets before the cold snap hits. Wrap exposed pipes. Open the door to utitlity rooms that have an exterior wall so that the heat of the house keeps connections from freezing. Turn thermostats to the 60’s in buildings that are vacant.
Water lawns and flower beds thoroughly before the temperatures fall. Watering will help protect the plants from freezing. Add some protective mulch around bedding plants. A protective covering that resembles cloth can be purchased from Home Depot to cover sensitive plants. Plastic will not give the protection delicate plants need. Secure the covering with rocks or stakes since most of the fronts come in with strong winds. Taking a little precautionary action can protect your home and your garden.
New Year's Day Good Luck Tradition
January 1, 2012 by Laura Duggan · Leave a Comment
Eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is essential for anyone in the South. No one in my family would even consider skipping this southern tradition for fear of having the promise of luck and prosperity that comes with this almost religious experience elude them. The black eyed pea, really a legume and not a pea, symbolizes good luck and prosperity for those that eat them on the first day of the new year. Dating back to Civil War days, legend has it that the fields were planted with black eyed peas to feed livestock and nourish the slaves. When Sherman’s troops marched through the South burning fields and confiscating crops, they left the fields of black eyed peas untouched giving the surviving Confederates a source of food to survive. Often eaten with turnip greens or collard greens, symbolic of green cash or dollars, the black eyed pea represents the coin. Legend also has it that eating cornbread, another tasty companion dish, fortells the the arrival of gold in the new year. Add stewed tomatoes to the black eyed peas and you get a promise of health with the impending prosperity.
Black eyed peas are also nutritious because they are low in fat (if you don’t cook them with pork, bacon or ham bone found in so many recipes). They have no cholesterol and they are low in sodium and high in potassium, iron and fiber.
I have cooked black eyed peas every way you can cook them. I have added a ham bone and cubed ham to the lot; cooked them with bacon and chicken broth; added chopped onion, garlic and tomatoes then served them over rice. But, several years ago, I figured out the perfect recipe, and it has become a family favorite both for flavor and because there is no fat added.
Laura’s New Year’s Day Black Eyed Peas
Take two packages of fresh or one package of dried black eyed peas and wash them thoroughly. Add water according to the directions on the package. Add one jar of Rose’s Just Right Red Salsa and cook until peas are soft and ready to serve.
If you don’t have access to Rose’s Just Right Red Salsa, the award winning Austin salsa that is made fresh from scratch every day and found in the cold section of the grocery usually by the milk and eggs, you can create your own. Mix two large fresh tomatoes chopped, tomato puree and salt. Add a handful of chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, several cloves of minced fresh garlic, fresh Serrano pepper, fresh lime juice, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Mix together. The real secret ingredient to this salsa? Gobs of fresh, chopped cilantro! Eat and prosper!
Happy New Year to All!
Prosperity, Health and Peace in 2012!
As always, thanks for thinking of me when you need real estate services in the Austin area. There has never been a better time to purchase real estate. Prices are great and interest rates are at an all time low below 4%. There are some great neighborhoods to choose from. Please call me today if I can be of service. My direct line is 512-750-2425. Austin remains a great place to live and to invest!
Austin Ranks One of Best Performing Cities
December 19, 2011 by Laura Duggan · Leave a Comment
Once again, Austin is setting records. Austin ranked 4th out of 200 large cities in the Milken Institute’s annual survey of Best-Performing Cities. Austin has consistently ranked well in this prestigious survey having ranked number 2 in 2010 and number 1 in 2009. The Best Performing Cities index includes both long-term (five years) and short-term (one year) measurements of employment and salary growth. There are also four measurements of technology output growth, which are included because of technology’s crucial role in creating good jobs and driving regional economies. Leaders in this year’s index, which ranks U.S. cities based on their ability to create and sustain jobs, are cities that most benefited from renewed investment in business equipment; have diversified technology bases, which also drive growth in business and professional services; are exposed to America’s booming energy sector; and are home to a large military presence.
Texas competed well with San Antonio coming in first out of large metro areas, and Houston ranking first among the 10 biggest metros. In fact, Texas metros occupied four of the Top 5 positions (vs. three last year), and nine of the Top 25 (vs.11 in 2010).
The Milken report stated:
“For the five-year period ending in 2010, Austin had the third-fasted job growth in the nation. It is the largest metro to exceed its peak level of employment prior to the recession. Given its concentration in chips and computers, both volatile industries, the region’s economic stability is remarkable. The University of Texas, Austin, and the state capital have helped insulate Austin from the national economic contractions. Austin is a center of semiconductor production. After weathering a collapse in demand, Samsung Austin Semiconductor (SAS) is expanding its huge fabrication facility. An incremental $3.6 billion investment is under way, bringing it total investment in the Austin area to 9.2 billion. The facility is expected to create 7,600 jobs directly and indirectly, $296 million in wages annually, and 1.4 billion in total local economic activity per year. In addition, eBay is expanding its Austin office, and the city is attracting some operations from Facebook.
Based in Round Rock, Dell is the largest technology employer in the metro area with more than 14,000 employees. It is investing heavily in data centers and rapidly adding high-skilled employees. IBM, Freescale Semiconductor, AT&T Computer, National Instruments, and AMD are major employers in the region as well.
Retail and housing markets are recovering, thanks to job and wage gains at these tech employers. Due to an influx of new residents, housing prices barely slipped during the recession. Austin has one of the most educated populations in the country; over 37 percent of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree.” Inventory in the housing market in Austin is the lowest its been in 6 years
The Milken index ranks 379 metropolitan areas, grouped into large (population of more than 200,000) and small (population of less than 200,000) metros.
The 2011 top 10 performers (with 2010 rankings) of the 200 largest metros:
1. San Antonio, TX (14)
2. El Paso, TX (9)
3. Fort Collins- Loveland, CO (50)
4. Austin-Round Rock, TX (2)
5. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX (1)
6. Salt Lake City, UT (49)
7. Anchorage, AK (8)
8. Huntsville, AL (3)
9. Provo-Orem, UT (25)
10. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco Wa. (5)
It’s no wonder people continue to move to the Austin area. For a detailed look at Austin housing statistics, take a look at our monthly Advanced Real Estate Market Report.
Marcie's Holiday Yams are a Family Tradition
November 26, 2011 by Laura Duggan · Leave a Comment
My grandmother, Marcie, was a fabulous cook. When I was a little girl, I couldn’t wait to pull a chair up to her big maple table and help her make an array of holiday treats. One of the first things that she taught me to make were her yams, and they are a holiday tradition at my house at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we took them as our contribution to a Thanksgiving gathering at my cherished friend and clients’ home here in Austin. This family favorite got rave reviews, and no one could believe that there is no butter in them. My daughters and their cousins always put the marshmallows on top just before they go in the oven, another family tradition since they were little. This year, they had some help!
This dish is easy because it can be made the day before and refrigerated. The resting period gives the spices time to enhance the flavor. On the day of your feast, heat the covered dish for about thirty minutes at 350 degrees before serving. When it is thoroughly heated, remove from the oven, add the marshmallows on top and return it to the oven to lightly brown the marshmallows before serving.
Marcie’s Holiday Yams
10 small to medium yams (about the size of your fist)
1/2 Fresh Nutmeg (grated from the seed)
Ground cinnamon to taste
1 and 1/2 bags of large marshmallows
3/4 to 1 cup of water from the water that you boiled the yams in
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Wash and peel the yams and put them into a large pot. Cover with water and boil until soft. Lift the yams out of the water with a large, slotted spoon and place them in a large mixing bowl. Dip the water out of the pot and add small amounts slowly as you mash the yams until they have the consistency that you want. They should be light and smooth, but not runny. Marcie used to mash them with a potato masher, but I prefer to mix them with an electric hand mixer. Cut a fresh nutmeg in half and grate one half of it into the mix. Fresh nutmeg is key! Don’t use pre ground nutmeg; it just doesn’t taste the same.Add cinnamon to taste. Mix thoroughly. Spread the mixture into a large casserole dish (38 X 25 X 4). Take a spoon and spread it across the top of the mixture for even distribution in the dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Heat until thoroughly warm and steaming, then add large marshmallows on top. Put back into the oven until they are slightly brown. Marshmallows can brown quickly, so keep your eye on them! Serves 18-20
