Sacramento Real Estate Views

Archive for the 'My Favorite….' Category

QUICK STATS: Average Sales Price In Rocklin Declines

UPDATE: 4.51% Decrease From June To July

The end of July has come and gone and the average sales price in the 95765 zip code of Rocklin appears to have declined again.

The average home sold is:

4 bedrooms, 2.81 baths, 2359 square feet and sold in 91 days.

The average listing price for this home was $308, 003 and the average sold price was $303,993, a 4.51% decline from $318,359 average sales price for the same house in June.

As it is the end of the month, there are still homes to be recorded and sold this month so these numbers may change between now and the first week of August.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the Rocklin or Roseville area, please call, text email or simply fill out the form below and I’ll get back to you promptly.

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Tags: rocklin home sales

What Makes A Great Hamburger?

Squeeze Inn In Roseville Comes Close!

It’s sad that my family and I don’t try new places as much as we should.  We have a lot of very good restaurants in the area yet we stay with just a few…BORING!

Last night my wife, who does this occasionally, was craving a hamburger.  She had a coupon for the Squeeze Inn in Roseville so we thought we’d go check it out.

Yay! Somewhere new!

A Homey Feel

The Squeeze Inn is a very down to earth, t-shirt and jeans type of place.  We got there about 5 and there weren’t that many people there but as we ate, the place filled up nicely.

It is a very relaxed atmosphere, not at all uptight.  They have a few video games that are in a very small room separated from the dining area so the noise from the games don’t disturb anyone.

Lots of families coming in to have a burger.

The Burger

I don’t know what makes a good burger honestly.  I really like an occasional burger but I don’t consider myself a connoisseur but just like what I like.

I’ve never been able perfect the burger at home.  I get compliments but personally I’ve not got it down.

The burger at the Squeeze comes out looking like a flying saucer of sorts.  You have the burger and bun then a flat saucer like bit of cheese that has overlapped the meat and hangs out around the perimeter of the bun.

The meat fits perfectly on the bun which is not your average bun.  It’s a little more dense and slightly toasted.

I know I do like lots of veggies on my burger and they definitely aren’t lacking on veggies.  Lettuce, a little bit of tomato, two types of onions and small slices of pickle underneath the meat.

I didn’t know it before last night that I really like pickles on my burger.  I had a burger over the weekend at my son’s ball game and put pickles underneath.  They were the waterlogged version that you’d find on MacDonald’s burger but these were more like Claussen pickles…VERY good!

You can find good burgers all over the region.  The Squeeze Inn is local for us, easy to get to near the intersection of Douglas and Sunrise in Roseville and a good value.

Thanks for visiting!

Tags: squeeze inn roseville

A Dinner At Skipolini’s

Pizza, Pasta and Ice Cream!

Last night my in-laws invited us to join them at the new restaurant near the new theatre off of Blue Oaks in Rocklin  called Skipolini’s.

Initially when I walked in this place a few weeks back, I was a little turned off.  I tend to shy away from not strictly pizza type restaurants.  I also like more local pizza like Cool River and Celestino’s.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was at Skipolini’s.

We had  pizza and didn’t try anything else but I will say that the pizza was quite good.

Also, the service was good as well.  Jesse waited on us and was very polite and patient.  We didn’t wait long for anything and he was very prompt.

The interior setup is pretty much the same as when it was Johnny Carino’s with exception to the left dining area as you walk in.  That used to be seating but is now dessert central.

They have gelato and frozen yogurt as well as other after dinner sweets.

They also have a nice selection of beers.  Not a huge selection but what they have compliments the food they serve.

By the time we left, it was pretty filled up for a Wednesday night.

I think the theatre being there really helps the traffic there and in the area.  Johnny Carino’s failed in the same location a year or so ago before the theatre opened for business.

For my son Ryan, who ordered a kid’s pizza, they brought out all the ingredients for him to make his own pizza at the table which we thought was cool.  The picture above shows you what he thought of it!  Very happy boy!

We go to the theatre every so often, it’s right down the street from where we live in Rocklin, and making a night of it and stopping for dinner at Skipolini’s is a pretty good call I think.

We enjoyed ourselves, the food was good, the service was prompt and the restaurant was clean and fun.  We’ll go back.

Thanks for visiting!

Tags: skipolini's rocklin

Don Quixote’s in Rocklin Contributes To Ruhkala Elementary School

The Food Was Great!

My son goes to Ruhkala Elementary school in the Rocklin School District.  This is his first year in their system and I couldn’t be more impressed.

My son is progressing very quickly and both my wife and I are constantly surprised by what he is learning and how happy he is with his teacher, Mrs. Singleton.

Every so often, so far twice this year that I know of, the school partner’s with a local restaurant for contributions.  The school sends out a voicemail message to all parents saying that this or that restaurant is donating “x” amount from the proceeds of the day or weekend sales when the patron mentions the school.

The business gets new visitors and the school get a donation from the restaurant in return.  Works great!

The first restaurant was McDonald’s at the corner of Park & Sunset.  I’m not really a MickieD’s fan but because it was for the school, my wife and I supported it. (since then I’ve come to indulge in a soft serve cone periodically!)

This weekend it was Don Quixote’s Mexican Grill in the same mall as McDonald’s at the corner of Park & Sunset in Rocklin.  I’ve never been to Don Quixote’s before so I thought it would be good to 1) support our local businesses and 2) support my son’s school.  Can’t lose, win – win combo.

The food was authentic and very good.  I had a shrimp burrito and my wife had chicken taco’s.  I’m in a rut lately..the shrimp burrito is my favorite but I’ve got to branch out.  I ate is so quickly I didn’t get a picture of it!  Very good.

The staff is VERY friendly, helpful and fun.  I highly recommend it!

Big Buddy Program

One of the draws I used to get my son to agree to go to Mexican food when he really felt like mac & cheese was that he might see one of his school buddies there.

He’s very social and agreed. I was lucky!

When we got there, Ryan’s Big Buddy Seth was there with his family.  Ruhkala has a program that pairs up 6th graders with kindergartners in a buddy program.

I think this is such an incredible idea.  Seth seems like a very nice guy and I was lucky enough to get a picture of him with his family.  Seth’s mom is a teacher at the school and knows Ryan very well. (Seth is the one between Mom & Dad)

My wife and I lived in Rocklin for 4 years without having any kids in school.  Looking back on it, compared to now, I never felt like part of the community until my son started school.

We can’t say enough about how much we love this community and the people who live here.  We have all pulled together for fun things like this and tough times for one another as well.  Rocklin is very community minded.  I’m very proud to live here.

Are you looking for an awesome community to become a part of?  Rocklin is the place!  Homes are more affordable now than they have been in years and the interest rates are at historic lows.

If you’re looking for someone to help you buy a home in this awesome community, please fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you promptly.

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Tags: don quixote's rocklin

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is by far my most favorite holiday. Turkey, lots of fun with family, food and pumpkin pie that I make from scratch.

Pumpkin Pie From Scratch

This year I’ve added a new and daunting aspect to my pumpkin pie.  This year I’m diving off the cliff and making my pie with fresh crust not store bought crust.

In the past, I thought that I just didn’t possess the kitchen / baking prowess to create my own crust.  That was until I went to our friends and past clients, Rick and Belinda Davis.

Belinda is from Oklahoma originally and has that southern charm that just makes ya want to give her a kiss every time she opens her mouth.  She is just so sweet!

Along with being from the south comes the easy kitchen prowess.  She whipped up homemade crust like pouring milk into a bowl of Cheerios, she made it look that easy.  It was delicious!

Fortunately for me, she was willing to share her recipe with me.  But as I don’t have her permission to share it with you, you’ll have to do some major sucking up to get it!

No, you should be able to find it all over the internet along with my recipe for Eagle Brand Pumpkin Pie.

Here is a link to the recipe that I’ve used to make “the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had” for 20 years.  Mess with the spices to taste and don’t get too locked in to the recipe spices if you can avoid it.  Following the instructions make it just about dummy proof.

I add a little cloves, a bit more cinnamon than it calls for cause that’s the way my wife likes it. (mother in law had the cloves idea)

The difference for me is that I use pumpkins, clean, peel and boil to get the meat where it’s pie ready.  I don’t use pumpkin from a can….NOT that there’s anything WRONG with that!  If you go this route, use sugar / baking pumpkins not the jack o’ lantern variety.

I hope you have many things, as I do, to be grateful for.  I know a lot of us have had a tough time with the economy and such.  It really serves to prove that the only things that really matter are family, love and giving to one another.

Those things can’t evaporate in a recession, be foreclosed on or sold short.  You don’t have to get approval from a bank, write 50 offers or give 4 pints of blood to qualify!  You’re in!

Get out there and have an awesome holiday!

Wishing you abundance and joy………..

Thanks for visiting!  I’m most grateful that you have.

Tags: pumpkin pie

My First Gardenia of the Year

It’s That Time of Year

Ahhh, a post about nothing in particular.  Sometimes I need to do that.

I love gardenias.  I wore one on my wedding day although they can fade pretty fast especially in heat.  I love the smell of them, it’s kind of intoxicating. My wife thinks they are a little too fragrant.  I can’t argue with that.  That’s what I like about them.

Flowers that don’t have a scent just don’t do it for me.

I always look forward to the first blooms of the year, feed them the “flowering food” in hopes that they will come out a little earlier but it always seems to be right around this time.

My mother in law has one in her backyard that seems to always have flowers on it but they are much smaller.  I think although I’ve never researched it, that there are several varieties of them as the plant looks a little different than mine.

Sappy post, I know.  Thought I’d share.

Thanks for visiting!

Tags: gardenias

My Favorite….

Chinese Food In Rocklin

Chang Brothers Chinese has been in Rocklin behind Safe Credit Union on Stanford Ranch Road since around 2002 or 2003.  My wife and I moved here from the bay area and were having trouble finding good Chinese food other than downtown Sacramento.  When Chang’s opened all that changed.

I can’t claim to know what “authentic” Chinese is like.  I have some Chinese friends and from what they tell me, I’m ok with that!  Chang’s is the good, solid Chinese food that has become mainstream in American culture without the chickens feet!

My favorite dish, while there are many, is the General So Shrimp.  A little fried but it’s light, a touch spicey and very good.  That said, you really can’t go wrong and if Jack Chang is cooking..you’re in for a treat.  He rarely cooks as he’s generally out front schmoozing with the guests but sometimes you can catch him in the back preparing food and when he does, it’s twice as good.

In addition to good food, Chang Bros. is also a good value and in these tight times, we all need good value.  You’ll get that and more at Chang’s.

If you do stop by, mention you read about them on my site.  It won’t do much for you but Jack will appreciate it.

Eat well, thanks for visiting!

Tags: chinese food rocklin