Newsletter 32 – October 8, 2009

70% off Most Plants!

Fall Bulbs - Buy 1 Get 1 Free!

Boston Ferns - Nature's Air Freshener

  Recipe - Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

“It’s too bad I’m not as wonderful a person as people say I am,

Because the world could use a few people like that”.

Alan Alda

Progressive Sale Continues

70% OFF

Perennials, Annuals

Trees & Shrubs

Hurry in, before they’re gone!

FALL BULBS

Buy One Get One Free

Equal or Lesser Value

Mums, Asters, Houseplants, and Fall Merchandise not included

Alarms:  What an octopus is.

Joke 1

Now is the Perfect Time to Plant Bulbs

Every fall I talk to you about how important it is to fill your flower beds with bulbs.  In Wisconsin, October is the best time to plant them. The cooler weather has lowered the temperatures of the soil, and the fall rains have softened the ground.  By spending a couple of hours on a nice autumn day digging in the garden, you can give yourself weeks of beautiful blooms next spring, and for years to come.

To make it even better, this week all bulbs at America’s Best Flowers are Buy One Get One Free (of equal value or lesser value).  There truly has never been a better time to invest in spring-blooming bulbs.  With choices ranging from the earliest snowdrops, crocus, and grape hyacinths to a rainbow of tulips, daffodils, alliums and fritillaria, we guarantee every gardener will find new, exciting bulbs to love. 

Come out today for the best selection.  While you’re here be sure to pick up a bag of Scotts Bulb Plant Food to provide your bulbs with everything they need for the best possible show.  As I always tell you, “Next spring, you’ll be so glad you did.”

Dockyard:  A physician’s garden.

Joke 2

Boston Ferns

Improve the Air Quality of your Home

Houseplants benefit us in so many ways.  Often chosen for the color and texture they add to a room, houseplants are a beautiful addition to any home.  Nothing helps create a pleasant, relaxed mood faster than the addition of a few plants.  Research has shown that the benefits of indoor plants go far beyond decorative, proving that people living in homes and offices with plants have fewer problems with stress-related illnesses.  The group also had lower blood pressure than those living without plants.

Boston Ferns are on the list of best choices for air purification, and ours are especially nice this year.  Stop out today and pick up several for your home and office. Click to learn how Indoor house plants remove toxins from the air  

Photo: http://www.houseofplants.co.uk/Nephrolepis_exaltata_bostoniensis.htm#

Incongruous;  Where bills are passed.

Joke 3

BONNIE’S KITCHEN

I think you’re going to like this. It’s actually a Rachael Ray Recipe from Food TV, and I was surprised how good it was. Something a bit different, yet perfect for autumn. Terrific served with a loaf of Pumpernickel and a spinach and apple and red onion salad. Grrrreat!

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

1 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 more T, divided

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage

4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

4-6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 T. Additional for garnish

1 c dry white wine

1 c chicken stock

1 c canned pumpkin

½ c heavy cream

1/8 t ground cinnamon

½ t ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

1 pound penne rigate, cooked al dente

Romano or Parmigiano cheese, for grating

Heat a large, deep, nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return the pan to the stove. Add the remaining T of oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3-5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente. Drain.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the skillet. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock, and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer mixture 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

On That Note

When I sang in the concert choir in high school,

we had a very skillful, operatically trained director.

One day she was demonstrating tonal and breath control

and sang a single note, perfectly true, with no vibrato,

for what seemed to us like five minutes.

Just as she finished, with no time for her to regain her breath,

a voice from the back of the room piped up,

”If this had been an actual emergency-”

SEE YOU SOON!!!