San Diego Lifestyle

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2014

Call Carolyn for the most effective marketing to sell your San Diego property.

S A N

D I E G O

SERVING CLIENTS WITH PRIDE AND PROFESSIONALISM FOR OVER 25 YEARS

Current Listings Exclusively Offered By Carolyn

THANKSGIVING GRATITUDE 660 Neptune Avenue | Encinitas | $2,999,000-$3,499,999

134 Brookdale Place | Solana Beach | $2,999,989-$3,299,989

1128 Las Flores Drive | Carlsbad | $639,000-$699,000

13572 Ridley Road | San Diego | $499,000-$549,000

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The homes included are listed and sold by various brokers, based on information from the MLS.

CohenRealEstateGroup.com

Home Sweet Home Remodel Should You ‘Love It’ Or ‘List It’?

Carolyn Cohen NDCAR, CAR, NAR

Broker | Owner 858.755.5566 Office 858.345.7695 Direct CarolynCohen@RealtyExecutives.com

If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing. CA DRE#01378598

A Time For Thanks

Produced by UpscaleRealEsateMarketing.com • 858.430.6502

Savor The Season Nine-Ten’s Short Ribs

Find Your Perfect Place Homes Exclusively Offered By Carolyn Cohen

Event Calendar

In Good Taste NINE-TEN Restaurant and Bar 858.964.5400 | nine-ten.com

PORT WINE BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS Ingredients: 3 1/2-4 lb beef short ribs, boneless if possible 1 c diced onion 1 c diced carrots 1/2 c diced celery 2 cloves garlic 1/2 bunch thyme 1 bay leaf 1 bottle red wine 2 c ruby port 4 c veal or chicken stock Method: Clean short ribs of any excess fat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan on medium high heat, sear the short ribs until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove ribs from pan and place in a crock pot or oven-proof pot. In the same pan you seared the ribs, place the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté on medium heat until golden brown. Add wine and reduce by half. Add thyme and bay leaf to wine mixture.

Pour over short ribs and marinate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Warm veal stock or chicken stock and pour over marinated short ribs. Cover with foil

N OVEMBER | DECEMBER 2014

A MODERN s the weather turns cooler and we set our dining room table for a Thanksgiving feast, we are given the opportunity to pause and reflect on all we can be grateful for. The tradition of Thanksgiving, of course, is not a new idea, nor one that truly began at Plymouth with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Cultures around the world have celebrated their harvest annually when the fields were full and ripe for picking. The word harvest is actually from the Old English word hærfest, meaning autumn and the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. At harvest festivals, ancient cultures took respite from the labor of the fields and gave thanks for their bountiful harvest by preparing large feasts to share and enjoy. Then, it was time to prepare for the long winter ahead when the fields lay barren for many long months.

Today’s Thanksgiving shares common threads with the harvest rituals of yore.

We still enjoy taking a break from work to celebrate our good fortune and give thanks for all we have by gathering to feast with family and friends. And we can thank President Abraham Lincoln for making the day official, as he declared the final Thursday in November a national

day of Thanksgiving. Congress made it an official day off from work in 1941 when turkey day became a true national holiday. An interesting side note: Congress also moved Thanksgiving back a week, in hopes of giving more oomph to the holiday shopping season. And would you believe shopping and our day of thanks are still inexplicably tied together?

Modern-day Thanksgiving is linked with Black Friday, the day after feast day, and the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. This year, some stores are even staying open on Thanksgiving.

Though most of us no longer work in the fields, we do live in a hectic, fast-paced digital world. Perhaps it’s now even more important to take the time to pause and remember to give thanks for our good fortune. This year, why not instill some new traditions at your Thanksgiving table? Perhaps ask each family member to tell what he or she is most grateful for before feasting on turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Or volunteer to work at a food bank on Thanksgiving to help others in need.

After all, Thanksgiving should be centered on gratitude and giving rather than on football and bargain shopping.

or an oven-proof lid and cook for 3-4 hours or until fork tender, checking every 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the short ribs from pot, strain the liquid and return liquid to stove. Skim fat from the top of the liquid and let reduce to sauce consistency (sauce should be thick). Return ribs to the pot and glaze and serve.

Serves 6

HOME SWEET HOME REMODEL A popular HGTV show, Love It or List It, is themed around homeowners who have shortcomings with their current home. Two experts are called in to help. One expert, a designer, comes up with a design and remodels the home in order to address the current issues so that the homeowners will “love” the home again. The other expert, a real estate agent, shows the homeowners other properties in order to persuade them to “list” their current home and move to one of the other properties. The premise is straight-forward, but how many times does the remodel win over moving to another property? According to Wikipedia, the percentage of homeowners who chose to “love it” is an overwhelming 59% (averaged over the first seven seasons of the show).

Maybe a popular TV show does not

mimic real life exactly, but why do so many homeowners decide to fix up areas in their home or remodel it because they want to put their home on the market and sell it? They have already decided to “list it” and move, rather than remodel and “love it.”

A home remodel should concentrate on both the value of the remodel to your lifestyle as well as the value of the remodel to selling the home sometime down the road. If you plan on staying in the home for a long time, the remodeling project should address what matters most to you. Just like the frustrated homeowners on the TV show, you can probably list the top five shortcomings or issues with your current home. Make a list and then consider both the immediate value to your lifestyle and the return on investment in terms of resale value of the home in the future.

According to Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report for 2014, the top five renovations that yield the greatest percentage return on investment are: • Entry door replacement: 96.6% • Wood deck addition: 87.4% • Attic bedroom: 84.3% • Garage door replacement: 83.7% • Minor kitchen remodel: 82.7% For example, a minor kitchen remodel is defined as updating a functional but dated kitchen with modern yet mid-priced finishes such as raised panel cabinet door fronts and upgraded countertops.

The bottom-line is that a home remodeling project should give you, the homeowner, the biggest “bang for the buck” so that you will love your home, whether it be for many years to come or until it’s time to sell.

San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival San Diego Bay | November 16 - 23 619.342.7337 | SanDiegoWineClassic.com As one of the largest wine and food festivals in the nation, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival has helped shine the light on San Diego’s thriving food scene. We’ve got our eyes and ears peeled for the city’s most drool-worthy restaurants and newest food trends to hit the streets, bringing you an epicurean experience unlike any other. The magnitude of culinary talent in San Diego combined with an international showcase of the world’s premiere wines and spirits, and the nation’s trendsetting culinary masters, makes attendance at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival a mouthwatering feast and precursor to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Encinitas Annual Fall Festival Encinitas | November 23 760.943.1950 | Encinitas101.com Encinitas 24th Annual Fall Festival is a holiday street fair in historic downtown Encinitas. Enjoy hundreds of unique booths, music and dance performances as well as the Kids Zone and Dog Park. Find local, beautifully handcrafted gifts for everyone on your holiday list.

Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day Run & Walk Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion | November 27 619.446.2100 | ThanksgivingRun.org Join Father Joe’s Villages 13th Annual Thanksgiving Day 5K Run & Walk through picturesque Balboa Park, a fun way to kick off Thanksgiving Day, all while the turkey is still basting. Join in this family fun event that gives back too. All proceeds go to help Father Joe’s Villages – the leading local organization working to transform lives and end the cycle of homelessness.

Balboa Park December Nights Balboa Park | December 5 – 6 619.239.0512 | BalboaPark.org Balboa Park December Nights, the nation’s premier holiday festival, will take place for the 36th consecutive year. The event brings families and friends together to spread holiday joy, revel in top-notch musical and dance performances, enjoy holiday favorites from around the globe at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages and unique gift shopping at the museum stores and with the artisans of Spanish Village. Share in the night, as Balboa Park kicks off the “most wonderful time of the year.”

California Ballet’s The Nutcracker San Diego Civic Theater | December 13 – 21 858.560.6741 | CaliforniaBallet.org California Ballet’s glittering production of The Nutcracker, a classic ballet about Clara, a young girl who is given a Nutcracker for Christmas. In the exquisite production, Clara learns her gift is far more than an ordinary Nutcracker. The California Ballet takes you along with Clara on a magic journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of the Sweets. An event the whole family is sure to enjoy.

Event Calendar

In Good Taste NINE-TEN Restaurant and Bar 858.964.5400 | nine-ten.com

PORT WINE BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS Ingredients: 3 1/2-4 lb beef short ribs, boneless if possible 1 c diced onion 1 c diced carrots 1/2 c diced celery 2 cloves garlic 1/2 bunch thyme 1 bay leaf 1 bottle red wine 2 c ruby port 4 c veal or chicken stock Method: Clean short ribs of any excess fat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan on medium high heat, sear the short ribs until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove ribs from pan and place in a crock pot or oven-proof pot. In the same pan you seared the ribs, place the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté on medium heat until golden brown. Add wine and reduce by half. Add thyme and bay leaf to wine mixture.

Pour over short ribs and marinate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Warm veal stock or chicken stock and pour over marinated short ribs. Cover with foil

N OVEMBER | DECEMBER 2014

A MODERN s the weather turns cooler and we set our dining room table for a Thanksgiving feast, we are given the opportunity to pause and reflect on all we can be grateful for. The tradition of Thanksgiving, of course, is not a new idea, nor one that truly began at Plymouth with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Cultures around the world have celebrated their harvest annually when the fields were full and ripe for picking. The word harvest is actually from the Old English word hærfest, meaning autumn and the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. At harvest festivals, ancient cultures took respite from the labor of the fields and gave thanks for their bountiful harvest by preparing large feasts to share and enjoy. Then, it was time to prepare for the long winter ahead when the fields lay barren for many long months.

Today’s Thanksgiving shares common threads with the harvest rituals of yore.

We still enjoy taking a break from work to celebrate our good fortune and give thanks for all we have by gathering to feast with family and friends. And we can thank President Abraham Lincoln for making the day official, as he declared the final Thursday in November a national

day of Thanksgiving. Congress made it an official day off from work in 1941 when turkey day became a true national holiday. An interesting side note: Congress also moved Thanksgiving back a week, in hopes of giving more oomph to the holiday shopping season. And would you believe shopping and our day of thanks are still inexplicably tied together?

Modern-day Thanksgiving is linked with Black Friday, the day after feast day, and the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. This year, some stores are even staying open on Thanksgiving.

Though most of us no longer work in the fields, we do live in a hectic, fast-paced digital world. Perhaps it’s now even more important to take the time to pause and remember to give thanks for our good fortune. This year, why not instill some new traditions at your Thanksgiving table? Perhaps ask each family member to tell what he or she is most grateful for before feasting on turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Or volunteer to work at a food bank on Thanksgiving to help others in need.

After all, Thanksgiving should be centered on gratitude and giving rather than on football and bargain shopping.

or an oven-proof lid and cook for 3-4 hours or until fork tender, checking every 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the short ribs from pot, strain the liquid and return liquid to stove. Skim fat from the top of the liquid and let reduce to sauce consistency (sauce should be thick). Return ribs to the pot and glaze and serve.

Serves 6

HOME SWEET HOME REMODEL A popular HGTV show, Love It or List It, is themed around homeowners who have shortcomings with their current home. Two experts are called in to help. One expert, a designer, comes up with a design and remodels the home in order to address the current issues so that the homeowners will “love” the home again. The other expert, a real estate agent, shows the homeowners other properties in order to persuade them to “list” their current home and move to one of the other properties. The premise is straight-forward, but how many times does the remodel win over moving to another property? According to Wikipedia, the percentage of homeowners who chose to “love it” is an overwhelming 59% (averaged over the first seven seasons of the show).

Maybe a popular TV show does not

mimic real life exactly, but why do so many homeowners decide to fix up areas in their home or remodel it because they want to put their home on the market and sell it? They have already decided to “list it” and move, rather than remodel and “love it.”

A home remodel should concentrate on both the value of the remodel to your lifestyle as well as the value of the remodel to selling the home sometime down the road. If you plan on staying in the home for a long time, the remodeling project should address what matters most to you. Just like the frustrated homeowners on the TV show, you can probably list the top five shortcomings or issues with your current home. Make a list and then consider both the immediate value to your lifestyle and the return on investment in terms of resale value of the home in the future.

According to Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report for 2014, the top five renovations that yield the greatest percentage return on investment are: • Entry door replacement: 96.6% • Wood deck addition: 87.4% • Attic bedroom: 84.3% • Garage door replacement: 83.7% • Minor kitchen remodel: 82.7% For example, a minor kitchen remodel is defined as updating a functional but dated kitchen with modern yet mid-priced finishes such as raised panel cabinet door fronts and upgraded countertops.

The bottom-line is that a home remodeling project should give you, the homeowner, the biggest “bang for the buck” so that you will love your home, whether it be for many years to come or until it’s time to sell.

San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival San Diego Bay | November 16 - 23 619.342.7337 | SanDiegoWineClassic.com As one of the largest wine and food festivals in the nation, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival has helped shine the light on San Diego’s thriving food scene. We’ve got our eyes and ears peeled for the city’s most drool-worthy restaurants and newest food trends to hit the streets, bringing you an epicurean experience unlike any other. The magnitude of culinary talent in San Diego combined with an international showcase of the world’s premiere wines and spirits, and the nation’s trendsetting culinary masters, makes attendance at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival a mouthwatering feast and precursor to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Encinitas Annual Fall Festival Encinitas | November 23 760.943.1950 | Encinitas101.com Encinitas 24th Annual Fall Festival is a holiday street fair in historic downtown Encinitas. Enjoy hundreds of unique booths, music and dance performances as well as the Kids Zone and Dog Park. Find local, beautifully handcrafted gifts for everyone on your holiday list.

Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day Run & Walk Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion | November 27 619.446.2100 | ThanksgivingRun.org Join Father Joe’s Villages 13th Annual Thanksgiving Day 5K Run & Walk through picturesque Balboa Park, a fun way to kick off Thanksgiving Day, all while the turkey is still basting. Join in this family fun event that gives back too. All proceeds go to help Father Joe’s Villages – the leading local organization working to transform lives and end the cycle of homelessness.

Balboa Park December Nights Balboa Park | December 5 – 6 619.239.0512 | BalboaPark.org Balboa Park December Nights, the nation’s premier holiday festival, will take place for the 36th consecutive year. The event brings families and friends together to spread holiday joy, revel in top-notch musical and dance performances, enjoy holiday favorites from around the globe at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages and unique gift shopping at the museum stores and with the artisans of Spanish Village. Share in the night, as Balboa Park kicks off the “most wonderful time of the year.”

California Ballet’s The Nutcracker San Diego Civic Theater | December 13 – 21 858.560.6741 | CaliforniaBallet.org California Ballet’s glittering production of The Nutcracker, a classic ballet about Clara, a young girl who is given a Nutcracker for Christmas. In the exquisite production, Clara learns her gift is far more than an ordinary Nutcracker. The California Ballet takes you along with Clara on a magic journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of the Sweets. An event the whole family is sure to enjoy.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2014

Call Carolyn for the most effective marketing to sell your San Diego property.

S A N

D I E G O

SERVING CLIENTS WITH PRIDE AND PROFESSIONALISM FOR OVER 25 YEARS

Current Listings Exclusively Offered By Carolyn

THANKSGIVING GRATITUDE 660 Neptune Avenue | Encinitas | $2,999,000-$3,499,999

134 Brookdale Place | Solana Beach | $2,999,989-$3,299,989

1128 Las Flores Drive | Carlsbad | $639,000-$699,000

13572 Ridley Road | San Diego | $499,000-$549,000

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The homes included are listed and sold by various brokers, based on information from the MLS.

CohenRealEstateGroup.com

Home Sweet Home Remodel Should You ‘Love It’ Or ‘List It’?

Carolyn Cohen NDCAR, CAR, NAR

Broker | Owner 858.755.5566 Office 858.345.7695 Direct CarolynCohen@RealtyExecutives.com

If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing. CA DRE#01378598

A Time For Thanks

Produced by UpscaleRealEsateMarketing.com • 858.430.6502

Savor The Season Nine-Ten’s Short Ribs

Find Your Perfect Place Homes Exclusively Offered By Carolyn Cohen