Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

Just in case you’re still looking for that special pumpkin pie recipe, then look no further!  This one will surely delight and impress all of your guests.  Happy baking!

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Prepare pie crust by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together.
3. With lightly floured hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside down 8 to 9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
4. In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

FOOTNOTE: To Prepare the Mashed Pumpkin:

Use 1 1/2 pounds of skin-on, raw pumpkin to yield 2 cups of mashed. Halve pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Cut

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pumpkin into chunks. In saucepan over medium heat, in 1 inch of boiling water heat the pumpkin to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

According to Lender Processing Services (LPS), there were 6,298,000 mortgages going unpaid  in the United States as of the end of October.

Although that sounds like an incredibly HIGH number of delinquent mortgages, that total is actually less than the previous months.

At the beginning of this year, there were 6,870,000 delinquent mortgages.  Compare that to the beginning of 2010 that showed 8,118,000 and you can clearly see how there’s been a major decline in the total numbers of past due mortgages.

CLICK HERE for more info on this story.

Does all this mean that we’re nearing the end of the housing problems?  I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, but I feel it’s definitely showing that we’re heading in the right direction.  And although it may confirm that we’re heading the right direction, it’s kind of like we’re on a cross-country journey and we still have a long road ahead of us.  Hopefully the trek will be less cluttered with road blocks the further we get.

Have you noticed the beautiful colors in the trees around you lately?

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Well, that means that Fall has arrived.  But it also means that a cold winter is close behind.  (Ha, I said behind!)

Here is a list of 10 “To do’s” courtesy of Paul Bianchina and Inman News.

1. Check smoke detectors: Don’t neglect that smoke detector any longer! Take some time right now to check the operation of detectors, and to change batteries.  If you have an older house with a limited number of smoke detectors, install additional ones at each sleeping room, and make sure there is one centrally located on each level of the home as well.

2. Install a carbon monoxide detector: As houses get closed up for winter, the chances of carbon monoxide poisoning from malfunctioning gas appliances increases substantially. If you have a furnace, fireplace, water heater, or other appliance that’s fueled by propane or natural gas, or if you have an attached garage, install a carbon monoxide detector. They’re available inexpensively from many home centers and other retailers, and offer easy, plug-in installation.

3. Service your heating system: Perform a complete system check of your furnace annually, either by yourself or by a trained furnace technician. Check for worn belts, lubrication needs or other servicing that might be required; refer to your owner’s manual for specific suggestions, and follow any manufacturer safety instructions for shutting the power and fuel to the furnace before servicing. Check the condition of duct joints and insulation, and of course, change the filter.

4. Upgrade your thermostat: An older thermostat that’s a couple of degrees off can result in a lot of wasted energy, and so can forgetting to set the thermostat down at night. You can take care of both of those problems with an upgrade to a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats are digital and typically very accurate, and they allow for easy, set-and-forget programming of temperatures for different times of the day, including energy-saving nighttime and workday setbacks.

5. Trim trees: Trees that are overhanging your home can be a real hazard. They can deposit debris on your roof, scrape against shingles during wind storms, and, worst of all, snap off with potentially devastating results. Have a professional tree trimming service inspect the condition of overhanging tree limbs, and safely cut them back as needed.

6. Check the gutters: Clear the gutters of leaf and pine needle debris, and check that the opening between the gutter and the downspout is unobstructed. Look for loose joints or other structural problems with the system, and repair them as needed using pop rivets. Use a gutter sealant to seal any connections where leaks may be occurring.

7. Break out the caulk: A few hours and few tubes of caulking can make a big difference in both your heating bills and your comfort levels this winter. Caulk around windows, doors, pipes, exterior electrical outlets, and any other exterior penetrations where cold air might enter. Use a good grade of acrylic latex caulk, either in a paintable white or, if you don’t want to paint, use clear.

8. Drain sprinkler systems: In colder areas, now is the time to be thinking about having your sprinkler and irrigation systems blown out. You can rent a compressor and do this yourself, or contact a landscape or irrigation system installer and have them handle this for you. This is also the time to shut off outdoor faucets and install freeze-proof faucet covers as needed.

9. Adjust exterior grade: Fall is also a great time to look at the grade around your home, and make sure that everything slopes away from your foundation to avoid costly problems with ground water. Add, remove or adjust soil grades as necessary for good drainage.

10. Change light times: If you have exterior lights that are controlled by timers, including low-voltage ones, check the timer settings. Change the “on” times to an earlier hour to reflect the earlier winter darkness, so that you always have adequate outside light available.

Remodeling and repair questions? Email Paul at paulbianchina@inman.com. All product reviews are based on the author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by the manufacturers.