Shop Talk with JILLIAN BOS: Mortgage Made Easy

Cocktail Friday: The Lady Mary

In honor of the ever popular, Downton Abbey, we bring you The Lade Mary.

The crisp bite of Lilet Blanc, the French apertif wine, was, I felt, a good match for Mary's occasionally acerbic personality. Add basil, lemon, and champagne for a cocktail that's simultaneously tart, complex, and refreshing.

Lady Mary
makes 1 cocktail
1.5 oz Lillet Blanc
.75 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4-5 basil leaves
brut champagne, chilled

Add the basil and lemon juice to your shaker and muddle. Add Lillet and ice and then shake and strain into a flute. Top with champagne.

Photo & recipe

Read All About It: RE News Hot Off the Press

Goldman Sachs predicts home sales will keep increasing for four years | HousingWire

Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs says, "We project national house prices to rise 17% over the next four years and the unemployment rate to drop to 6.2% by the end of 2016," they add. "These improvements support more economic activity and housing transactions."

Cocktail Friday: The Queen's Park Swizzle

In the mood for something tropical...to take your mind off the arctic valley lows?  Here’s the Queen’s Park Swizzle – in honor of the Royal Pregnancy. This delight is sweet and sour, deliciously minty, earthy, and spicy all at the same time.  Even though its ingredients resemble those of many other drinks, especially the more effervescent Mojito, this Swizzle has a taste like nothing else, and it’s very, very good.

Queen’s Park Swizzle

3 oz Clear Rum (Demerara Rum is best)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup (again, Demerara sugar is best)
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
Angostura Bitters
Mint Leaves

Photo & recipe courtesy of Nole Garey

Cover the bottom of a highball glass with mint leaves.  Don’t muddle: since the mint is staying in the glass, bruising it will turn the mint bitter, so just slap the leaves a few times in your palm.  Cover with lots of crushed ice.  Add the rum, lime juice, sugar, and falernum.  Cover with more crushed ice.  Swizzle (more on that in just a moment).  Add the bitters, and don’t skimp – a dozen dashes isn’t out of the question.  Top with more crushed ice, garnish with a bunch of mint, plunk in a straw, and enjoy!

Dallas!

This past week, I was in Dallas for Keller Williams' annual real estate conference, affectionately referred to as "Family Reunion".  It was an incredible 5 days of learning...  Networking with top agents from around the country, learning from the founders of this great company (which is now #1 in the USA...big news!), listening to Dave Ramsey...in person, and discovering new ways to improve my business and provide my clients and team members the results and exceptional service they deserve.

Oh, and we had a little fun while we were there too :-)

Cocktail Friday: The Love Letter

In the spirit of St. Valentine, we bring you The Love Letter.  It's a little sweet, very floral, perfectly red, and lovely....


The Love Letter

2 oz Hibiscus-Infused Gin
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Grenadine

To make the infusion: simply add an hibiscus herbal tea bag or two to a bottle of gin or genever, wait a couple of days, then remove the bags and strain out any sediments (if any) with some cheesecloth. Make sure that it’s just hibiscus; if there’s any actual tea leaves in the bag, infuse for just a few hours or else the tannins in the tea will leave the spirits too bitter.  Shake all the ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and enjoy!  *For the adventurous, try adding an egg white before shaking to give the drink a silky texture and nice froth on top.

Photo & recipe: Nole Garey

Seeing double...

And another lot is now SALE PENDING in beautiful, gated La Valencia.  Keep your eyes on this neighborhood...there is some gorgeous new construction in the works!

And another...

Sale Pending!  Can't wait to see what's in store for this beautiful cul-de-sac lot in La Valencia...

Sale Pending!

 This NW Visalia beauty is Sale Pending!  After multiple offers...there are hearts breaking.  Working on finding another one of these..though it will be challenge!