I’ve moved!

Dear Readers,

I’ve migrated from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. Go to www.NeighborHoodBlogParty.com.

What’s New in Brentwood? Me.

Not exactly new…more like repurposed.  This week I became the first Realtor in East Contra Costa County to earn my EcoBroker certification, renewing my committment to help the community conserve our resources.  I will be the first to admit I’m on the learning curve at this point (who isn’t?) about what I can do to help the planet.  The certification is really an acknowledgement I don’t have all of the answers…but I know the questions and am determined to get those answers!

EcoBrokers function as a conduit for the community to the information and services needed to transition homes (new construction or existing homes) into energy-efficient, healthy habitats.   I’m excited by the new possibilities for our community, and look forward to learning more about the programs and resources available and getting that information out to you!

Now What?  Now I am racing at a dizzy speed to develop a network of people and programs for existing homeowners to leverage readily available financing, fabulous rebates and incentive programs…and whatever else we can do! My partner David is almost done with his certification too…he was busy writing for my blog and I left him in the dust (sorry David!).

Very exciting stuff…

SHOES…that’s all I have to say about that.

Okay, DSW is not the only store coming to The Streets of Brentwood, located on the corner of the Hwy 4 Bypass and Sand Creek. But it might just be the best one…

Here is the scoop from the City of Brentwood site:

COMING SOON The Streets of Brentwood
After months of anticipation, the Streets of Brentwood is under construction. Located on Sand Creek Rd. and the Highway 4 Bypass, the Streets of Brentwood will include more than 80 shops and restaurants, including a 14-screen movie theater operated by Rave Motion Picture Theaters, based out of Dallas, Texas. This will be Rave’s first theater to open in California. They currently operate 22 theaters in the South and Midwest. The Streets of Brentwood has announced its initial lineup of 24 tenants for the project. The tenants are:
	American Eagle
	Ground Zero
	Rave Motion Pictures
	Banana Republic
	Gymboree
	REI
	Bath & Body Works
	Hollister Co
	Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
	Chico’s
	J.Jill
	Sunglass Hut
	Children’s Place
	Jos. A. Bank
	Talbots
	Coldwater Creek
	LensCrafters
	Tilly’s
	dELiA*s
	Limited Too
	Victoria’s Secret
	DSW
	No Fear
	White House/Black Market
The Streets of Brentwood is under construction with the completion of the project scheduled for fall 2008.

Ok, ok…I HEAR you Antioch!

Though licensed to sell real estate for the entire state of CA, my core territory is East Contra Costa County and I primarily service the fine cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, Byron, Pittsburg and Bay Point.  Neighborhood Blog Party started with Brentwood, because my home and office are there!  Due to popular demand I will be adding the other cities gradually, starting with Antioch…since Antioch has been asking!  Thanks visiting Antioch folks, come back soon and we’ll have you hooked into our cool site. 

Last Minute Father’s Day Gift Idea

To wrap up the BBQ series, I have a recommendation for a cool and inexpensive Father’s Day Gift. This cast iron smoker box holds wood chips (pre-soak please!) and adds delicious flavor to your favorite grilled foods.  Best of all, it is under $10 at Linens-and-Things in the Home Depot shopping center on Lone Tree Way.  FYI folks, Linens-and-Things is going out of business and everything is on sale.  There are also coupons on their site, but I’m not sure if they accept them with the going out of business sale – anyone know?

Kiss the Cook, Eat the Food

As a follow up to our grilling advice, I asked David Navarrette for his secret and delish recipes.  In for a penny, in for a pound…thank you David!!

Tri-Tip

Apply Pappy’s dry rub, found in most grocery stores, generously on the tri-tip at least an hour before grilling. Let the meat stand for 15- 20 minutes before you barbeque to bring the tri-tip closer to room temperature, allowing for some great grill marks also helping the rub caramelize immediately to seal in the moisture and tenderness.

Pour 1-2 cups of red wine over the cooked tri-tip once in the ice chest (see previous post) to add a secondary flavor and moisture. Use a good wine, as the flavor and alcohol will not be cooked off.

Chicken

Place 5 to 7 chicken breasts into a zip lock bag with 4 to 6 ounces of Yoshida’s marinade. Yoshida’s is a sweet, soy-based marinade. Let the air escape from bag, zip and place in a pan or dish to lay the chicken flat and protect against spillage. Refrigerate the marinating chicken for at least an hour, though overnight will result in a deeper flavor.

Pour a cup or so of Yoshida’s over the chicken once cooked and in the ice chest. Do NOT use the same marinade as the chicken was previously in, use NEW from the bottle.

Raiders and 49ers Youth Skills Camps

Colby and I with Aaron Miles

We are blessed in the Bay Area with abundant exposure to the best professional sports organizations on the planet.  Whatever the sport, a professional team is a short drive away.  My son Colby recently had the opportunity to spend time with several local celebrities.  Early this spring we hung out with the Aaron Miles family watching a SF/Cardinals game at Monster stadium in SF.  Fran (aka Aaron’s mom) Miles and I chatted about what it takes to raise a professional athlete and at her advice, I promptly signed Colby up for a youth skills camp in the sport of his choice.  

This past weekend, Colby attended football camp with the Oakland Raiders and had an amazing experience.  The staff and players were top-notch of course, but what was unexpected and sweet was the patience and compassion they showed the kids, and how much fun those Raiders’ rookies can be when a handful of 8 year olds want to play dog pile! Tyvon Branch really hung in there with my son’s group; the little guys have a shorter attention span and he not only played football, he played it on their level.  For fans who favor the other side of the Bay, the 49ers youth skills camp is coming up in July and if you’re interested in having your child attend, visit them at https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=H2HA16E.  

 

Colby and his team with Tyvon Branch

Humphrey’s New Menu

I just received an email from East County Live announcing that Humphrey’s has a new menu.  For those of you who don’t know, Humphrey’s was named for the wandering whale who hung out by the restaurant in the late 80s.  Humphrey even has his own wikipedia site, which as we all know, marks the rich and famous these days.  Humphrey’s restaurant in Antioch does not have their own wikipedia page, but maybe someday…

My favorite at Humphrey’s is the oysters rockefeller, followed by seafood louis salad – they also have a fabulous bar!  Hope those are still on the menu.  Give them a try this weekend, and comment to let me know what you think of the new menu.

* for questions, contact Frank MacCallister at 925-325-0934.

If you can’t stand the heat, don’t let me BBQ

In the art of food development, I am the equivalent of a finger painter; and my results, though heartfelt and zealous, are loved only by those who love me.   Last weekend marked my second attempt at grilling…the first being a drawn out affair with charcoal claiming to be ignitable, but failing, sadly, to live up to those claims.  Thanks to the clever application of lighter fluid, this time I was able to manage a happy, roaring blaze…all foodstuffs produced a satisfying sizzle when plunked onto the grill.  About 30 seconds later I scraped the charred, blackened mess off the grill and microwaved some Ball Park Franks for the kids.

We Brentwoodians love a good BBQ, do we not? Looking for grilling solutions, I turned to my dear friend David Navarrette, who knows everything, and asked if he would kindly share a bit of his magic.  If you’ve been to a large BBQ function anywhere in East Contra Costa County, chances are David had some hand in it…he is highly renowned and sought by many. 

David says:

Summer is here and it’s time to light up, plug in or turn on your gas grill. Whatever your preference, a few basics will always apply:

 Ø Keep your grease or drip pan clean. Dirty drip pans are a fire hazard!

 Ø Have a spray bottle fill with water handy at all times.

 Ø Periodically change the lava rocks in your gas grill.

 Ø Always check the hoses and fittings on gas grills before lighting.

 Ø Barbeque away from your home, in an open area.

 Ø Exercise extreme care when using lighter fluid.

 

When cooking for a large crowd my choice is beef tri-tip and boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Allow 1/3 to 1/2 pound of tri-tip and 1/2 pound of sliced chicken breast per person.

 Follow these tips so you can cook and still enjoy your party:

 Ø Marinate the meat in advance.

 Ø Cook the tri-tip 15 minutes on first side and 10 minutes   on reverse side.

 Ø Immediately put the meat in a clean dry ice chest (you might want to purchase a small ice chest exclusively for this purpose). The beef will stay warm and continue to cook for 1-2 hours.

 Ø Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the reverse.  Put the chicken in an ice chest as well.

 Ø When you’re ready to serve, slice and drizzle the meat with the drippings left in the ice chest.  You will have plenty of rare, medium and well done pieces to serve your guests.

 Ø Clean the ice chest thoroughly after use and fill with a solution of bleach and hot water to prevent staining and disinfect, then dry and store it until your next party.

For more tips see, www.bbqu.net. 

Want to cook a whole pig? www.lacajachina.com

  Have a happy and safe BBQ season!

 

 

May Home Sales Posted by Neighborhood

Check out the May home sales by clicking the Brentwood Neighborhoods links.  The hottest areas this month appear to be California Orchard, Deer Ridge and Garin Ranch.  Why do you suppose?  I have my ideas, but would be interested to hear what you have to say.

Please keep in mind that I didn’t come up with this info, I’m just the messenger.  If you see somthing blatantly off, such as a street in the wrong neighborhood (*gasp*) just let me know and I’ll do a bit of research and tidy things up if needed.  Also – the sold prices do not include credits like closing costs, down payment assistance, etc, which are typical with bank owned properties these days (up to 8 or 9%).