Unsalted Popcorn

Recently, my husband and I decided to reduce the amount of salt we eat. While we don’t shake salt on our food any more, reading those labels will amaze one how many foods start with the ingredient “salt”. So taking this new diet seriously we realized our first movie night snuggled on the couch that Orville’s popcorn was out of the question. Oh no what do we do? Easy, so I thought, purchase unsalted popcorn.

While Paul Newman has his 94% fat free, unsalted popcorn, one has to order it online at $3.20 for three packs in a box or get lucky and find unsalted popcorn in a specialty grocery store. We did neither instead we went back to the old fashion way of popping corn except we still use the microwave.

Here’s the recipe. It’s easy, cheap, has no preservatives or chemicals and it is just delicious! After all, as I said to my husband, this must have been how Orville got started.

1/3 cup of Popcorn –
2 Tablespoons unsalted Butter

· Pour the popcorn kernels into a brown paper lunch sack.
· Fold the top over a few times and place a piece of tape over it to keep it closed.
· Shake bag a little as you lay the brown bag down flat inside microwave. You want the kernels to spread in the bag.
· Cook for 3 minutes 10 seconds – your microwave may be different.
· Listen to see when the popping slows down.
· While kernels pop, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in small saucepan on stove.
· Pour popped corn into a large bowl, drizzle melted butter and toss.

Yummy!!

Unsalted, Delicious Popcorn to Enjoy.

Monterey County Market Statistics

Data collected from REIL.COM
Single Family Residential
Updated 1/20/07
Click on image to enlarge it.

A Crossroad Year for the Economy and Real Estate Market

The other day, I had the privilege to hear a presentation about the economy and real estate for 2007 by Carol Rodoni. It was so good I thought I would share some of what Carol had to say.

2007 will be a crossroad year for both the economy and the real estate market.

As for the economy, expect a slowing down:

• GDP at 3%


• Inflation will be up at close to 3%


• Bond yield will continue to rise to close to 5%


• The stock market will be the “to own” asset


• The Fed will continue to hold rates and then by mid-year start to lower rates


• Mortgages will continue to creep up and may reach 7% by year-end

The slowing of the economy is normal for an economy this far mature into a rebound after the recession of 2000-2001. We are four years into a bull stock market with an increase from 2000 of 30%, the employment rate is down to 4.6% from the high 6.5%, GDP is still at 3%, and productivity is slowing to the 2.5% range. All in all a good economy but a mature one.

As for the real estate market the Fed has been slowing the market down for the last year. Lenders are helping by tightening the underwriting standards and the consumer who took out $600 billion dollars last year in resales, refis and home equity lines will only take out $200 billion this year. Also, as we move into 2007 we will see inventory grow, days on market increase—all of this is good for the market not bad. The worse possible thing would have been for the real estate market to blow up as the stock market did in 2000. A market coming into balance, cooling down is just what this market needs after a 40% appreciation across the nation in the last 4 years and over 80% in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the San Francisco Bay Area we will continue to see the first time muti-offer market, the move up and move around market and the high end market but sellers will have to get more aggressive about their pricing and they will have to be willing to do some negotiating at the table. Buyers will continue to be available but more cautious, some will be priced out of the market with rising interest rates and those that stay in the market will want concessions at the bargaining table.

One pocket of the market that will be very active will be the investor market—rental properties including apartments, office spaces and retail spaces. In this pocket of the market anything from $1 – 25 million dollars will be multi offer and will look like the single-family market of 2004. This market will be driven both by the consumer and the international buyers.

About Me

I suppose every “good” blog begins with telling its readers a little about the writer. I will try to make my introduction short, but at the same time hopefully give you a feel for who I am.

I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and at the age of twelve my family moved to California. My family, consisting of my Dad, Mom and two brothers, lived in various places in California over the years and before leaving for college my home was in Hollister. While attending college in Southern California, my parents moved from Hollister to the Monterey Peninsula.

After two years of college I moved back home which was now in Pacific Grove. Along the way I met, in Lake Tahoe, my husband Dana. We married a couple years after meeting and have been residents of the Peninsula for over 30 years. We own and operate two businesses. One business is landscape/maintenance and the other is web design. We have two daughters. Elizabeth is a first grade teacher and Jordana is the designer of The Knitter's Purse.

My priorities are family, church, community and my Real Estate business. I am a wife, mother, professional volunteer and Realtor. I am a firm believer that if one has his/her priorities right, everything else in life falls into place.

My community is a priority and the children that live here are very important. Extending the hand of warmth and love to a child is a major part of my life. In October 2001, I became the coordinator for and established “Project Linus Monterey Bay”. Nothing moves my heart quite like looking in the eyes of a child in pain. I chose to become involved with Project Linus because I believe it is an organization that not only brings a sense of security, warmth and comfort to a child who is hurting, but it brings individuals and groups in our community together for the benefit of children.

My work is Real Estate and I have a passion for it. To some this seems crazy, because when was the last time a favorable movie, sitcom or article was written about the world of Real Estate? If Realtors do appear in a story they are, to my knowledge, never shown to be principled, hard working or diligent. But, nothing could be further from the truth. In order to have a successful Real Estate business, one must build it based on principles. This is a business that is rewarding both financially and emotionally. The passion for me comes from meeting or exceeding the goals of the client and then and only then being compensated for helping the client meet his/her goal.

I look forward to sharing with all my knowledge and passion for Real Estate and my other passions.