Happy Thanksgiving from the Zander Team

Corey is the Chef in our home. We are so lucky! We thought we'd share a couple delicious family recipes for Thanksgiving. Corey's parents both immigrated to America from Germany in the 1950's.  He gained his love of cooking from his mother.  Thus, we have a wonderful and unique heritage as Corey is a first generation American.

COREY'S BRINED TURKEY

Brine Ingredients

2 cans Apple Juice concentrate
2 gallons Water

4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
5 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 ¼ cup Salt

2 cups Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
5 whole Bay Leaves

Peel Of 2 Large Oranges

Peel of 1 Lemon

Ice

Injection Ingredients

2 cups apple Apple Juice

¾ Cups butter

Combine apple juice and butter and warm in microwave until butter is melted.  Mix together and using an injector, inject the mixture primarily in breasts and legs.

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve.Bring to a
boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add ice to cool completely.

Place uncooked turkey in large pot or brining bag.  Pour solution with turkey and refrigerate for 20-24 hours. If you do not have room in your fridge, you can cover with ice and place a cooler or other protected area. 

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or
sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess
salt.

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, rinse, pat dry, and cook according to your
normal roasting method. 

VIDEO LINK COMING SOON.

Aunt Irma's Yam CasseroleFor me, this Yam casserole is better than the pumpkin pie! - Tamara

  

YAM CASSEROLE                                         TOPPING

2 lbs. cut and peeled yams                       4 oz. chopped pecans (photo has whole pecans)
1/2 c. brown sugar (I use a bit less)           2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter                                            1/2 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten                                        1/3 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Boil yams until tender; drain & mash until smooth.
2.  Add rest of main ingredients & put in a greased dish.
      (8x8, or 9x13 if you want a shallower casserole.  I usually 
       1 1/2 times the recipe for a 9x13)
3.  Combine topping ingredients & sprinkle on top of yams.
4.  Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.

VIDEO LINK COMING SOON.

Delightful Daybreak Home in Great Location

Welcome to your new home!

Quick Facts:

- Carpets were cleaned by Stanly Steamer on August 11, 2014

- The project bulb was replaced on August 16, 2014.

This house sits on a green court. This green court allows one to have a yard without the maintenance of a yard. During good weather children are outside playing in the green court. 

Within a minute walk are the walking trails of the Sunflower Park. This park goes from Grandville Ave to Kestrel Rise with trails connecting to other parks. The walking trails are good for existence, walking a dog, or walking with children.

This house is wonderful for entertaining, family events. We found to open main floor is great for get-togethers with lots of space. We also found the porch comes in handy for entertaining. 

Within a short walk is Daybreak Elementary School Park and Firmont Park, which children use for slip-n-slide or sledding. 

Incredible Upgraded home in Herriman

This home participated in the 2007 Salt Lake Parade of homes (Link) and has all the boxes checked.  As you enter you will be greeted by walnut hardwood floors, a beautiful white tongue and groove paneled ceiling, and a warm gas log fireplace.  Entering the kitchen your eyes will be drawn to the granite countertops, decorative bead-board, pendant lighting, and white staggered cabinets with moldings and glass panels.  Open the pantry to access the built in home sound system which plays music on the main and upper floors.  Heading upstairs to the master bedroom, you will love the large walk-in closet with built in shelving.  The master bathroom is also impressive with its jetted tub and separate shower with four body sprays. You will notice that the high end granite and cabinets in the bathrooms make this home stand apart.  Down in the basement, the family room is decorated with more bead-board and crown moldings, and has two finished storage areas.  The home also has a dual zone air conditioning system to keep you cool upstairs in the summer and a salt water softener.  Local amenities include the village clubhouse across the street with a pool, hot tub, gym and party room. There is a convenient gas station just around the corner and lots of delightful restaurants including Kneaders, Cafe Rio, and Fortune Cookie within a 10 minute drive. For those who like the outdoors, there are a number of running and biking trails close by.

To see more of this gorgeous home, check out the photo tour.

Gorgeous West Jordan Home Just Listed

This beautiful two-story home has a full-height entryway featuring a sunburst window and a plant shelf.  The formal living room is bordered by two stylish archways and an impressive staircase.  The kitchen has a large breakfast bar, lots of counter space and a walk-in corner pantry.  The adjoining dining area features a beautiful bay window and door that leads out to the deck in the back yard.  The main floor also has a welcoming family room and good sized laundry room.  All of the upstairs bedrooms have plenty of closet space and the master suite has vaulted ceilings, walk-in closet and grand bath with a garden tub and separate shower.  The basement is fully finished with 2 bedrooms, a full bath and a large family room with salon that could be easily converted to a wet bar.  The basement also features cold storage under the front porch, under stair storage, a storage/mechanical room and a separate entrance.  The 3 car garage has 8’ garage doors and extra height ceilings with above parking storage.  The yard is beautifully landscaped and fully fenced with custom vinyl fencing and precast concrete and features several tiers of usable space including a secluded area for entertaining guests and plenty of lawn for outdoor activities.  The side yard has a walk-through gate, a double-wide RV gate and plenty of room for boat, trailer or vehicle storage.

To see more of this home, check out the photo tour.

Feeling Famous

Last week Daybreak's official blogger called me for an interview.  See link below.  This blog went LIVE on Wednesday to 15,000 recipients and anyone else that goes onto it.  

http://www.daybreakutah.com/whats-happening/new-homes-in-daybreak-utah/better-time-list-home/

They asked for tips to stage and what to look for in an selecting an agent. I felt honored to be invited as the Realtor they interviewed!

Thanks to my community for asking me to share what has made our team successful as well as what has helped all of our clients have a fantastic experience selling and buying a home!

SLC: Hottest housing market this year?

As the market picks up, we wanted to share an article that was published recently. As Realtors in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas, we are thrilled to hear that our area is slated to be "the hottest" city for housing in the nation this year.

Here is an excerpt from the article (Salt Lake Tribune):

In Salt Lake City, the burst housing bubble of yesteryear is looking more and more like a distant memory.

That’s according to real estate website Zillow... predicted that Utah’s capital city will have the hottest housing market in the U.S. (in 2014). The rankings were based on data related to unemployment rates, population growth and the website’s "Home Value Forecast." Salt Lake City dominated the list due to low unemployment and a booming population.

That’s good news for people looking to sell; it means home values should rise in 2014 as demand swells.

Among other things, Zillow also predicts home values will rise across the nation and mortgage rates will hit 5 percent by the end of 2014. If that happens, it would be the first time rates went that high since 2010.

The good news for home buyers is that mortgages should be easier to get, though overall homeownership rates will sink to their lowest point in nearly two decades.

The news of Salt Lake City’s booming market comes after earlier reports indicated a strong real estate recovery in the region. Last year, National Association of Realtors noted that Salt Lake City’s market was heating up with home prices rising 7.5 percent over 2011. 

Seasonal Home Maintenance: Keep It Up!

Maintaining your home can be the best investment you make. Keeping track of what needs to be done is easy if you organize the information.

For a seasonal home maintenance calendar, go to this link in Google Docs. You can edit it to fit your needs: Yearly & Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist

Winter Month Recommendations:

Winter is the time to go around the interior of your home and check for any little things you may have overlooked, or perhaps noticed and said, “I’ll get to that later.” Winter is your later. If you have any interior honey-do projects, whether it be painting, building shelves, etc., now is a great time to tackle those as well.

• Remove showerheads and clean sediment. This prolongs its life and helps with water pressure as well.
• Deep clean and inspect the basement. Basements are notoriously overlooked, especially if they’re primarily just storage areas. Dust ‘em up, clean any windows, make sure there isn’t mold anywhere, etc. Give your basement a good inspection at least once a year.
• Tighten any handles, knobs, racks, etc. 
• Check all locks and deadbolts on your doors and windows. 
• Check caulking around showers and bathtubs; repair as needed.
• Regularly check for ice dams and icicles.
• Run water and flush toilets in unused spaces.

This information was collected from "The Art of Manliness" Blog. For more details, click here.