Anne Rains -Bethlehem Georgia Real Estate Agent

While in Crested Butte, Colorado last week I had the best roasted red pepper soup at the slope-side restaurant, 9380 Prime. It had such a great flavor and it was so smooth, it was the perfect lunch. Well, when I got home I began craving it and decided to look on the Internet for a close replica. (I thought about first calling the restaurant and trying to beg the chef for the recipe but decided to try it on my own first!) I found a great recipe from the blog, Kerala Kitchen and decided to try it out...I wasn't let down, it was delicious and tastes almost exactly like 9380 Prime's version.

You can still see the steam from the picture; really it was absolutely delicious and you must give a try.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Large Red Bell Peppers
• 2 C. canned diced tomatoes
• 2 C. chicken stock
• 1 red onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil (I left this out and it still tasted great!)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper (I used 1 tsp. for extra sharpness)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream (I actually used 3 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the onion into 4 quarters. Seed the red peppers and cut lengthwise into two pieces. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and place the red peppers skinside up. Fill the spaces with the onion pieces and the whole garlic cloves. (I recommend putting down a sheet of aluminum foil and then placing the olive oil and vegetables on top--easier clean up!!) Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil on top of all the vegetables and roast for 20 minutes or until the peppers turn brown. Remove the skins of the peppers and chop into large pieces. Set aside with the onion and garlic.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock oregano and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add the peppers, onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes. Then using a hand blender (or transfer to a regular blender), puree the mixture until it's smooth and an even texture. (The lady who wrote this recipe feels the soup tastes better if it's chunky, I disagree--I like the texture to be smooth, like a bisque). Return the puree back to the saucepan (if you used a blender) and add the sugar, black pepper and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes then remove the pot from the heat. Add heavy cream and stir in well. Garnish with basil and sour cream if you like.

I served it with a simple salad and chunks of french bread. Bon Appetit!

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

Last night I had the privilege to eat at a great restaurant in Buford, Georgia for the RETechSouth dinner; it was Sean's American Bistro in the live, work, play community called Buford Village. The atmosphere was terrific, I met a bunch of neat people and the food and drinks were amazing!

In case you're unfamiliar with the Buford Village development, it is conveniently located on Buford Highway at the Hamilton Mill intersection. This multi-function community sits on ten acres and 30,000 square feet of office space, 23 luxury town homes and 55,000 square feet of retail shops. These stores and restaurants include: Sean's American Bistro, Carter Elite Photography, Cone 7 Wines, Brand Bank and Smith's Bath and Home.

So, dinner was great; we started out the evening with an hour of cocktails, networking and listening to the live band. Next we ate a delicious dinner...appetizers included bread, spinach and artichoke dip and BBQ shrimp. We had our choice between four various entrees, which I chose the Lobster Tortellini. Oh wow! This was excellent--it was pasta with a cream sauce and huge pieces of lobster with spinach, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes (which by the way, I don't eat mushrooms or tomatoes and this dish still tasted great without those ingredients)! We followed up dinner with cheesecake for dessert. :-)

If you have a chance, I would highly recommend checking out Sean's American Bistro and the shops at Buford Village. Very cool atmosphere and a neat experience. A big thanks goes out to Matt Fagioli and Brad Nix making this possible!

Thank You For Reading!

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

Well, I'm very excited to share that Harbins Park is having their Grand Opening this Saturday, March 21st! I have enjoyed watching the progress of the park as it was being created and let me tell you, it's going to be a really great place to exercise and hang out!

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the park at 10 a.m. on Saturday and the celebration will last until around 2:00 p.m. Some of the free activities include: hay rides, crafts, pony rides, face painting and bike safety demonstrations. Also, people from local mountain biking and equestrian will be there to answer questions. A concession stand will be available for you to purchase food as well.

I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of this park, especially since it's so close to my home. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the Grand Opening because I'll be on a plane to Colorado to go skiing...but it's definitely something I'm going to check out first thing when I get back!

This would be an excellent family event to take the kids to and I believe the weather is supposed to be nice and warm on Saturday! Get out there and enjoy the beautiful outdoors!

Thank You For Reading!

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

Did you know that if you're a first-time home buyer purchasing a house between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009 that you can receive a tax credit up to $8,000?

Photo By: Jack Duval

Previously this government incentive to purchase a home was limited to $7,500 and had to be paid back over the course of 15 years. However, some changes have been made, which I will outline here that will hopefully answer all of your questions.

Photo By: Simon Doggett

1. Who can receive the credit? Only first-time home buyers are eligible and they must close between   January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. Investors or people purchasing a second home can not receive this credit.
2. What is a first-time home buyer? A buyer who has not owned a principal residence in the 3 previous years before buying a home. If you are married taxpayers, NEITHER you nor your spouse can own a primary residence; in other words if one of you owns a home (a primary residence) you can't obtain the tax credit if the other spouse purchases a home.
3. How is the amount of the tax credit determined? It is limited to 10% of the sales price of the home, but a maximum of $8,000.
4. What are the income limits on people claiming the tax credit? For single taxpayers the income limit is $75,000 and for married taxpayers filing a joint return it's $150,000. If you want more specific details on this, please visit www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com or ask your CPA or a tax professional.
5. How do I claim the tax credit? Simply claim it on your federal income tax return; just fill out IRS Form 5405 to help you know how much to claim and write it on Line 69 of your 1040 income tax return. No other forms are required.

An important difference between this tax credit and the $7,500 credit put into effect July 2008, is that this $8,000 DOES NOT have to be paid back! The only stipulation is that you must live in the home as your principle residence for at least three years, if you don't you will have to pay back the credit.

Also, because this tax credit is refundable, you could potentially receive a check from the government for part or all of the $8,000. To help you understand this a little better, here's an example from the Federal Housing Tax Credit's website:

"For example, if a qualified home buyer expected, notwithstanding the tax credit, federal income tax liability of $5,000 and had tax withholding of $4,000 for the year, then without the tax credit the taxpayer would owe the IRS $1,000 on April 15th. Suppose now that the taxpayer qualified for the $8,000 home buyer tax credit. As a result, the taxpayer would receive a check for $7,000 ($8,000 minus the $1,000 owed)."

Photo By: Visit Hillsborough

So, first-time home buyers, with this excellent tax incentive, coupled with the low interest rates and the extensive amount of homes on the market, why wouldn't you buy a home this year?

If you still have further questions, please watch the video below provided by the National Association of Home Builders.

(Please note, the content from this post was obtained from the Federal Housing Tax Credit's website.)

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

©2009 Anne Rains Photography, All Rights Reserved.

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!