Avocado Goat Cheese Salad with Fried Egg

Recipe Courtesy of Mari Not So Bland

You know how I like a good salad… especially one that will actually keep me full. The lettuce I bought at Costco (in the photo below) inspired me, and can you blame me? Look at those beautiful greens!

So, after I washed the lettuce, I remembered that I bought an avocado at Kroger. I really really really really love avocados…in case you were curious. If you love them too, but have a little trouble getting the green goodness out of them in one piece, here’s a little how-to:

How-To Open an Avocado:

1. Insert the knife in the middle and cut (gingerly - there’s a pit, remember) it completely in half - all the way around the avocado.

2. Hold the avocado so that one hand is one either side that you’ve cut into.

3. Turn the avocado with your hands and pull!

4. Stick your knife into the pit and turn it…

5. Ta dah! Now, just take a large spoon and scoop out the inside! And there you have it!

Now, back to the salad… I crumbled some goat cheese over the lettuce and added fresh tomato slices, toasted walnuts, the avocado and…. a fried egg! Surprise! It’s so delicious!

So, here it is - the salad of my dreams! It’s healthy, tasty, and will keep you full. I put a simple oil and balsamic vinegar dressing on it, but you can put whatever dressing you would like! Enjoy!

★ ★ ★ Keep working toward your goals, ignoring negative emotions, fears and obstacles. Slap yourself some skin for each step in the right direction. One day you’ll wake up and what you’re reaching for will “fall” into your lap. ★ ★ ★

The list price you choose effects the sale of your home positively or negatively. You want a price that will cause Pricing your home too high will cause an unnecessary delay in the sale. Houses on the market too long generally do not sell for the best price. Price your home judiciously for a quick sale.

Home Improvements

The improvements and additions you’ve made to your home are not always recoverable in the asking price, but can add value to your home. Your swimming pool may have cost $25,000, but that doesn’t mean your home is worth $25,000 more. Swimming pools, decks, built-in-bookshelves and hardwood floors all make your home more attractive to home buyers.

Don’t Waste Time

When pricing your house, the key is this: Don’t waste time. Homes on the market a long time are perceived negatively by home  shoppers. They get suspicious and wonder, “Why hasn’t anyone bought this home yet?” Price your home at five to ten percent above the price of comparable homes in your neighborhood and you should get the right price and make good time.

Sounds great doesn’t it? Go to Home Depot, stick stab a sign in the lawn and viola! Someone comes by to beg to take that home off your hands. Right? 

Unfortunately, the process of selling your home is not that easy. Your home is a huge investment with many different legal ramifications. When you go to sell it, there’s a zillion issues to consider and things can go wrong if left in the wrong hands.

Do You Really SAVE MONEY when you sell your home yourself?

According to the National Association of Realtors, “the typical FSBO home sold for $145,000, compared to $175,000 for agent-assisted home sales.”

Most Difficult Tasks for FSBO Sellers:

• Getting the right price 19%
• Understanding paperwork 30%
• Preparing / fixing up home for sale 26%
• Attracting potential buyers 7%
• Having enough time to devote to all aspects of the sale 14%

A Realtor can help in more ways than one:

While it may seem clever to pocket the commission fees of a Realtor and sell your home yourself, be aware that there are risks involved in doing so. Realtors are experts who know how to…

• Differentiate your home from other homes in your neighborhood.
• List your home in such a way that it will sell.
• Show your home to prospective buyers better than the average person.
• Market your home in a variety of ways available to licensed Realtors.
• Rely upon their license training to handle legal situations that may arise.
• Help you to avoid pitfalls that they’ve learned to avoid through experience.
• Serve as the middle-man during the negotiating process, which goes along way towards easing buyer - seller relations.
• Access network of professionals that are reliable for the home selling process such as painters, inspectors and plumbers.
• Help you overall make the process smooth.

And if that weren’t enough reason not to sell your home yourself, ask yourself the following questions:

Who will be completing the contract forms, negotiating the offer, and looking out for YOUR interests?

The eight-page contract (and many addenda attached thereto) contains the agreement of Buyer and Seller, stating representations and promises to be performed by each of the parties.

Do I need earnest money?

What happens to the earnest money?

What if the check does not clear?

What if the Buyer changes his mind, after signing? 

. Why an option period?

How much should be deposited?

How many and what kind of inspections?

What are the time limits for all inspections?

Once inspected, what are the parties’ choices?

How do I know what financing options there are?

As you can see, there is much that a Realtor can do to help you when it comes to selling your home. You may save money, but you will have to deal with many issues to make you lose time and potentially peace of mind when you sell your home by owner. Having an expert to handle the sale of your property makes economic sense and helps give you peace of mind.

The outlook for Dallas home prices was brighter in two indexes released Tuesday.

They were down 2.2 percent in June from a year earlier but rose 2.7 percent from May to June to the highest level since last September, according to the closely watched Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Index. It was the fourth consecutive month of gains in the Dallas index price, S&P said Tuesday.

And the Federal Housing Finance Agency said that Dallas-area prices were up slightly in the second quarter.

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Highland Park trustees toured the ongoing school construction at several campuses Friday. The extensive renovations and building projects throughout the district will remain in progress as students arrive for the first day of school on Monday. Most of the projects – at four elementary schools, a middle school campus and Highland Park High School – are scheduled to be completed during the school year, with the last of the work at the Highland Park Middle/McCulloch Intermediate School campus to be completed by the end of next summer. The renovations and building projects are paid for by a voter-approved $75.4 million school bond. Highland Park trustees toured the ongoing school construction at several campuses Friday.

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A transplant from the heart of Austin is moving north Monday when the University of Texas Co-op opens its first store in Dallas.

The store will occupy 6,000 square feet next to Barnes & Noble on Northwest Highway, across the street from NorthPark Center. It will be filled wall-to-wall with Longhorn merchandise and memorabilia, from burnt orange T-shirts and letter jackets for dogs to pepper grinders and evening wear.

Brian Jewell, director of marketing for the Co-op, said the goal is to recreate the unique feel of the original store.

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In another context, the name Vince might evoke a well-built Italian-American longshoreman you spent a stormy summer weekend with, sharing too much Dewar’s and information. This VINCE is another affair altogether – fashion shorthand for sturdy, sexy, contemporary sportswear from a seven-year-old LA-based label opening its first North Texas store in Highland Park Village this month.

Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston are fans of the bordering-on-designer separates, as are Katie Holmes, Kate Moss and Jennifer Garner. The tabloid mainstays, who get major paparazzi snaps for their off-duty style, are particularly fond of Vince knitwear. But the label is comprehensive – from swimwear to pleated khakis.

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This is the sixth year Highland Park High School has made Newsweek’s “Top 100″ listing.  HPHS is the highest ranked comprehensive high school in Texas, outscored only by magnet and charter campuses.

Newsweek’s article, “America’s Best High Schools,” compiled a listing of 1,500 high schools, with public schools ranked according to a ratio that divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests taken schoolwide by the number of graduating seniors in the school.

Using that ratio, Highland Park High School scored a 6.108, up from 6.035 in 2008, and 5.727 in 2007.

“We are excited to be named to Newsweek’s list of the best high schools in America once again,” said HPHS Principal Patrick Cates. “This recognition validates the work our students and teachers do every year in our Advanced Placement program.  Our program is one of the largest in the country, and we believe that it prepares students for success in any college or university anywhere.  This ranking brings honor to our school, our school district, and our communities.”

Click HERE to read the article.

Ray Washburne wants Park Cities residents to know that the new Highland Park Village is going to look a lot like the old one.

The real estate investor and restaurateur said he wrapped up negotiations to buy the Village this week. As this article went to press Wednesday, Washburne said he was hammering out final details at a title company.

Washburne had a lot to say about the future of the Dallas’ oldest and most valuable shopping center. Its taxable value has been reported as being $80 million.

Washburne — who bought the center along with his wife, Heather; her sister, Elise Summers; and her husband, Stephen — emphasized that all four are lifelong residents of Highland Park and graduates of Highland Park High School.

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