Recipe: Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

What You Need:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

7 Tips For Selling Your Home When You Have Children

Selling a San Diego home is a complex process. When you add children to the mix, there are a few special considerations that you will want to take. Read on for our 7 Tips For Selling Your Home When You Have Children!

Make Sure Your Kids Know You’re Selling Your Home
This may be surprising, but many parents do not inform their children about selling the home. Make sure you clearly explain the situation and the process. Many children don’t realize that they get to bring all their toys and possessions with them to their new home and that their family is going too. And if you’re moving locally, they could keep the same friends and even go to the same school! Removing your child from a familiar and comfortable sanctuary can be hard on them, but by taking the time to prepare your child for the change, you can often make the process easier.

Prepare Your Home For the Market!
Whether you have children or not, preparing your home for market is an important step in the sale process. First impressions are lasting so it’s a good idea to paint over the crayon scribbles that never went away, install new carpet, fix the broken drawer that’s been on your to-do list, replace any burnt out lights, and get those fingerprints off the windows with a professional cleaning!

Stage Your Home
Make sure to clear and tidy up playrooms and children’s rooms. You want a potential buyer to imagine themselves living in your home…even if they don’t have kids of their own! It’s a good idea to hire a professional stager to give your home that on-trend look buyers are looking for, even if they just stage the common areas.

Secure a Storage Unit
Families with children tend to have a lot of stuff! Between the sports equipment, the toys, the books, and the art supplies, it’s a good idea to secure a storage space. The less cluttered your home, the better it will show. But be sure and let each of your children keep a few of their favorite toys or books so they don’t feel deprived. This will go a long way towards keeping them on board with the whole home selling process.

Choose Optimal Times For Open Houses
If you choose to have open houses, you will want to make sure the whole family is out of the house! Give yourself enough time before the start of the open house to tidy up and get everyone packed and ready to go. Open houses are a great opportunity for a family outing – go to the beach, watch a movie, go on a hike, or visit one of San Diego’s great museums.

Prepare Your Home For Showings
Between showings, make sure your home stays clean. Enlist the help of your children during this process. Make it into a game to earn points for making their beds before school, putting their toys away nearly, and helping Mom and Dad with the rest of the house.

Have a Game Plan
The most important tip for families during the home selling process is to have a game plan. Have regular family meetings to make sure everyone knows the schedule and understands what’s going on with the house. Children like to be included in the affairs of the family so keep them involved from listing to sale!

Selling a home usually means that a new chapter is just beginning. Take time to embrace the change with your family and prepare for the years of new memories you will make in your new home!

 

Restaurant of the Moment: Corner House Cafe

Corner House Cafe

11815 Sorrento Valley Rd, San Diego, CA 92121

858-755-3183

If you live in Carmel Valley or Sorrento Valley, Corner House Cafe must sound familiar! The family-owned business has been impressing our taste buds since 2000, and is a hot lunch spot due to it’s impressive menu, and central location. The cafe offers a wide array of food, anything from pizza to wraps, but specializes in hot and cold sandwiches.

As adults, sandwiches seem to be an underrated food group due to the fact that we consumed countless PB&J’s while growing up. After discovering Corner House, sandwiches have become a popular food item for us once again. The cafe uses quality meat, cheese, and bread to provide a hearty sandwich that makes you a repeat customer.

If you are in the mood for a hot sandwich, the “Iron man” is a fan favorite and consists of Grilled Chicken Breast, Avocado, Swiss, Honey Mustard Dressing, Tomato & Sprouts on Sourdough Bread. Our favorite cold sandwich is the “Turkey Avocado” that includes turkey Breast, jack, avocado, onion, tomato, lettuce & mayo on sourdough Bread.

Be sure to order the “special sauce” too…it’s a perfect compliment for any sandwich on the menu!

Parking is limited so be sure to allow enough time to find a spot!

Pinteresting Five: Halloween Goodies

Say goodbye to ordinary Halloween candy! These goodies are sure to impress this Halloween.

All images via our Pinterest

 

 

 

Recipe: Savory Pumpkin Hummus

What You Need:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seed kernels, or more to taste
• 1 pinch paprika

Directions:

1. Pulse lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and salt together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add garbanzo beans and olive oil and pulse until smooth. Add pumpkin, cumin, and cayenne pepper; process until well blended. Transfer hummus to a container with a lid and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2. Fold pumpkin seeds into hummus; garnish with paprika.

 

5 Tips For Choosing the Best Schools in San Diego for Your Child

Picking a school for your child is an important and big decision to make. Parents always want what’s best for their children and it’s imperative to make the right choice. Here are 5 things to keep in mind when selecting a school for your child!

Decide What You Want for Your Child. Which characteristics of the school are deal breakers and which characteristics are mandatory? It’s important to know exactly what you want to narrow down your options as a whole.

Location, Location, Location. Think about how your child will get to school. If the commute is no problem, then your options are open. However, this isn’t always the case with busy parents. Keep in mind if the school is within walking distance, if there is a school bus stop nearby, or if there is potential to join a carpool.

Choose the Style of Learning That is Best For Your Child. While it’s important to keep in mind what you want for your child, you also want what’s best for them. Traditional classrooms are not always the best fit for every child. There are a variety of schooling styles that tailor to your child’s needs from a private school to a charter school to a neighborhood public school.

Learn About Prospective Schools. What academic and nonacademic programs do they offer? How safe is the school? What is their mission? What kind of curriculum will be taught? What is their reputation like? There are a million things to learn about. Knowing your prospective school allows you to understand the school and their ideals. Do their ideals match what your ideals? You can find ratings for area public and private schools on GreatSchools.org

Observe Your Options. Once you have narrowed down your options, visit and observe the schools. Speak to the principal and faculty. Tour the institution. Look into the parental involvement available to you and how the community interacts with the school. You want to walk away feeling confident in your choice.

School hunting can be just time-consuming as house hunting, but finding the right school for your child will always be rewarding. Ask your Realtor about the local schools to help guide you in your search. Remember to keep in mind your needs and your child’s needs, while finding the perfect fit.

Restaurant of The Moment: Stratford Court Cafe

Stratford Court Cafe

1307 Stratford Ct, Del Mar, CA 92014

Stratfordcourtcafe.com

This house-turned-cafe is located on the popular Del Mar street, Stratford Ct, and has been a staple of locals for years! Walking distance from the beach, the delicious cafe offers quality homemade food that coincides perfectly with the healthy Del Mar lifestyle.

Good news for dog lovers, the cafe is very dog-friendly. It is rare that you will ever see less than five adorable dogs relaxing on the patio, and be sure not miss the picture of dog trainer extraordinaire, Cesar Millan, that is framed next to the register!

The beach-casual cafe serves breakfast and lunch all day, and makes some of the best hot drinks. If you are in the mood for breakfast, our go-to healthy item is the Powerhouse scramble that comes with with egg whites, soy sausage, spinach, tomato, feta cheese, black beans, and a spinach tortilla on the side. For lunch-lovers, the sandwiches are drool-worthy and are served with the best homemade cilantro pasta.

Before leaving, do yourself a favor and order the Comfort Bowl. Don’t let the name deceive you as it is a warm drink that consists of frothed soy milk, honey, and chamomile tea.  Although simple, it is surely one of the most delicious things we have ever been lucky enough to taste!

Design Trends: Halloween Lawn Decor

Halloween is just around the corner so start clearing your lawns to make room for some of these awesome Halloween themed lawn decorations! Whether it’s carving out classic Jack-O-Lanterns, hanging up plastic skeletons, or another spooky idea from your imagination, give your lawn the power to let out screams and gasps this year. Below are some simple and easy decoration ideas to make your lawn the talk of the block on Halloween!

Show off your cinema knowledge by creating these tribute signs from classic horror films!

These simple signs are a cheap and great DIY activity to give your lawn a Halloween feel!

Although not particularly frightening, you can use scarecrows and Jack-O-Lanterns and set up an adorable pumpkin patch to bring attention to your lawn!

Combine funny and scary by positioning skeletons in ordinary, yet hilarious scenarios!

 

Recipe: Apple Butter Pork Loin

 

 

What You Need:

• 2 (2 pound) boneless pork loin roast
• seasoning salt to taste
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Season the pork loins with seasoning salt, and place them in a 9×13 inch baking dish or small roasting pan. Pour apple juice over the pork, and cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. While the pork is roasting, mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Remove pork roasts from the oven, and spread with apple butter mixture.
4. Cover, and return to the oven for 2 hours, or until fork-tender.

Restaurant of The Moment: Chopstix

Chopstix

4633 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111

(858) 569-9171

If you are craving authentic Japanese cuisine at an affordable price, Chopstix is the perfect place for you! Located on Convoy Street, famously known primarily for their variety of Asian restaurants, Chopstix offers traditional Japanese meals and recipes in a casual setting. Their specialty cuisines are primarily noodle items such stir-fry and ramen, however they also offer non-noodle items such as katsu, curry, rice bowls, and an assortment of tempura and sushi.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is very laid back and relaxed, perfect for a lunch break or a meet-up with friends and acquaintances. There are two television sets located on the back and side walls of the restaurant, however the sounds are set to low and offer more as an background ambient noise for chatting customers. Also, there is wall behind the cashier’s counter where you can personally see the chefs preparing and cooking your meals while you wait. So if you’re searching for delicious Japanese and Asian culture inspired meals in a comfortable setting, look no further, Chopstix is the place for you!