Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Sierra Lifestyle Team!

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD, BUT GREEN!

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast–on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.

In the centuries following Patrick’s death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well-known legend of St. Patrick is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations Around the World

Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world in locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia. Popular St. Patrick’s Day recipes include Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage and champ. In the United States, people often wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.

So, put on a bit of green, fire up the corned beef and cabbage, and celebrate!

CELEBRATE ST. PADDY’S – PARTY WITH LOVED ONES!

Public health concerns are seeing local events canceled or postponed as we write. One thing we love about living in the Sierra Foothills is the proactive efforts of our County managers and government to protect our environment and well-being of our colleagues and our neighbors.

So let’s celebrate at home with some great Irish food!

Corned Beef With Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots

SARAH DIGREGORIO

YIELD 4 servings

TIME 4 3/4 hours

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: LIza Jernow

Cure beef brisket in a salty, spiced brine and it becomes savory, tangy and aromatic corned beef. Get a corned beef made from flat-cut brisket, if you can, as it will be easier to slice into neat, uniform slabs. (The point cut has more striations of fat and may fall apart when sliced.) Braise the meat until tender, and add the vegetables toward the end of the braising time so they’ll absorb the beef juices and soften until perfectly crisp-tender. Finish the beef with a simple honey-mustard glaze and a quick broil to caramelize, then serve it with more Dijon mustard and beer. (Here are slow cooker and pressure cooker versions of the recipe.)

INGREDIENTS

3 to 3 1/2-pound ready-to-cook corned beef, preferably flat-cut

1 ¼ cups semi-dry white wine, such as Riesling

1 pound red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces

2 to 3 large carrots (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces

½ small head green or savoy cabbage (about 1 pound), core left intact, cut into 4 wedges

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons honey

Flaky sea salt, if necessary

Black pepper

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the corned beef from its packaging in the sink and reserve the spice packet. Rinse the beef well under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels. (If you don’t rinse off the brine, the meat will be too salty.) If there is a substantial fat cap on top of the beef, place the beef on a cutting board and trim most of it, if you’d like. (The fat will not completely render away during cooking.) Be sure to leave at least a thin layer of fat on top, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, to keep the meat moist.

Transfer the corned beef to a large Dutch oven with the fat cap facing up. Add the wine and the spices from the packet. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven to cook, 3 hours.

Baste the beef with the cooking liquid. Drop the potatoes and carrots into the liquid surrounding the beef and lay the cabbage wedges on top. Cover and cook until the corned beef and vegetables are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (A paring knife should slip easily into the beef, but the meat should not be falling apart.)

Heat the broiler to high. Stir together the mustard and honey in a small bowl. Remove the corned beef from the pot and put it on a foil-lined sheet pan. Spoon the honey-mustard glaze all over the top and sides of the beef and slide it under the broiler. Cook until the glaze bubbles and caramelizes in spots, about 3 minutes.

Let the corned beef rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice it against the grain into 1/2-inch slabs. Place the beef slices on the serving platter alongside the vegetables and drizzle everything with a little bit of the cooking liquid. Taste the vegetables, and season them with flaky sea salt, if necessary. (The beef will not need to be seasoned with salt.) Season the beef and vegetables to taste with black pepper. Serve with Dijon mustard.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MARKET OBSERVATIONS

2020 Market Observations

by Bryan Lynch

Its hard to believe we are already near the end of February
in 2020. So far this year, my assignments have consisted of a continued mix of lender (mostly VA or conventional purchases) and private work. I am getting
some calls from agents and/or homeowners who are discussing the possibly of selling their home and need a neutral 3rd party appraisal to guide.

What is interesting is interest rates are very attractive seemingly. At a glance last week, the average 30 year fixed rate is hovering around 3.75% and the 15 year rate is at 3.08%. Will low rates encourage buyers to spend more and spur on prices? From my appraisal work, this does not seem to be the case.

Here are a few observations and tips.

The market has slowed. Slow does not mean the sky is falling or there is any immediate danger. It’s just that- slowing. In many areas, days on market has increased and pricing is very critical. I can’t emphasize that enough.
Buyers are generally not over-paying. With expenses continuing to rise and in the Foothill market and the spike in home insurance costs, this will impact the buyer’s bottom line. Buyers know the numbers and are being generally cautious. It’s not just buyers obtaining a loan, but also cash buyers. I’ve completed a handful of private appraisals the past year for cash buyers who are concerned of not wanting to over-pay.
Pay attention to recent closed sales as well as active listings and pending sales. I’ve completed some purchases recently where the contract price was not supported in my estimation. In an ROV (reconsideration of value) recently sent to me, the addresses sent to review in an attempt to support the contract price were 2 sales from 2018. There were plenty of comps in the PUD subdivision in 2019/20 as a reference.
Pay attention to sales in your segmented market and subdivision, NOT sales in the entire zip code. Neighborhoods may trend slightly different and while the zip code provides an overview of the market, it may not apply to subject’s neighborhood. Just because a similar size SFR sold 2 miles away at xxxx, does not mean the same size unit in subject’s subdivision will sell at same price. There may be different market influences in place influencing price.

With spring just around the corner, it will be interesting to see how the winter market evolves into spring. I am sure we’ll get an influx of positive spring numbers but the above can’t be overlooked. There are definitely some underlying changes happening in the market as a whole.

Bryan Lynch
Certified Real Estate Appraiser
Office: 530-878-1688
Bryanclynch@gmail.com
Roseville Office : Auburn Office
http://www.AdvantageAppraisalsCa.com

Disclaimer: All information deemed reliable but not
guaranteed. The information is meant entirely for educational purposes
and casual reading only and is NOT intended for any other use. This
information is NOT intended to support an opinion of value for your
appraisal needs or any sort of value conclusion for a loan, litigation,
tax appeal or other potential real estate or non real estate purpose.
This appraiser is NOT a qualified home inspector and any tips are for
informative purposes only. If you’d like to obtain and order an
appraisal for your specific needs, please contact Bryan at 530-878-1688 for more information.

Bryan Lynch | February 25, 2020 at 8:32