Indy Home Marketing - August 2010 Newsletter

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August, 2010 Newsletter

Volume 4, Number 8


			Fishers and Carmel Rank High on List of "100 Best Small Cities" Two Hamilton county communities have once again succeeded in taking top spots on Money magazines an- nual list of America's 100 best small cities. Fishers ranked 8th best with Carmel close behind... ranking 14th.
	The magazine's criteria for selection included low unemployment, above average schools with high graduation rates, low crime, lots to do, and other features making the cities great places to live.


	Summer Lawn Care Essentials... In summer, lawns get hammered. There's extra wear and tear from weekend play, stress from summer heat, and correspond- ing pressure from utilities in some areas to cutback on watering. But if you start a sensible lawn-care program now, you can strengthen your turf going into sum- mer, help it stay greener, and give it a better chance against the ravages of in- sects and disease. MORE

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Grilled Pizza with Hot
Sausage, Grilled Peppers,
Onions and Oregano Ricotta

Here's a outdoor grilling recipe
perfect for August cookouts.
Courtesy: The Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

•	1/2 pound Italian hot sausage	•	Olive oil
•	1/2 pound grated fontina cheese	•	Salt and pepper
•	2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil	•	1 cup sheep's milk ricotta
•	2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
•	1 recipe favorite pizza dough, rolled into 4 (6-inch) rounds
•	1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
•	2 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
•	2 large red pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your grill.

Grill the sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked
through, about 10 minutes per side. Brush onions and peppers
with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions
and peppers until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove
the sausage from the grill and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Remove the onions, separate into rings, and roughly chop.
Remove the peppers and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices.

Continued HERE

SUMMER LAWN CARE ESSENTIALS (continued)

Fertilize. If you haven't fertilized yet this year – or if you're
growing heavy feeders such as perennial ryegrass, tall fescue,
Kentucky bluegrass, hybrid Bermuda, or St. Augustine – apply
2 pounds actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. If you've ferti-
lized during the past four months and aren't growing a heavy
feeder, give the grass 1 pound actual nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet. (The first number in a fertilizer bag's large, three-number
label gives the percentage of nitrogen in the bag. A 100-pound
bag of 29-3-4 fertilizer, for example, contains 29 percent actual
nitrogen, or 29 pounds.)

Mow. Cut often, so you never have to shorten the grass by more
than a third at one mowing. Use a mulching mower with a sharp
blade. Since grass clippings contain 3 to 5 percent nitrogen, they
feed the lawn if you let them drop (don't bag them). This allows
you to reduce your annual lawn-feeding program by half. Mow
your grass from 1-1/2 to 2 inches in height.

Dethatch. Most grasses develop thatch, a sponge-like layer of
roots, runners, and grass blades just above the soil surface.
Thatch interferes with the downward flow of fertilizer and water,
depriving plant roots; thin it now, if you haven't already done
so (use a dethatcher from a rental yard). The lawn will recover
quickly and will perform better through summer. Grasses like
Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue should be dethatched in fall.

Water. Most lawns need about 1 inch of water per week. Apply
it deeply and infrequently rather than often and shallowly – and
early in the morning or late evening when there's less wind and
evaporation than during the heat of the day.

Control pests and diseases. To keep the lawn looking its best,
watch for signs of critter damage or disease, and deal with either
immediately.

- Dogs. If a dog urinates on your lawn, flood the area with hose
water. Don't try to repair doggy spots (dead spots among healthy
green grass) by fertilizing; the excess nitrogen in dog urine kills
the grass, so adding more nitrogen won't help. Remove dead
patches along with 3 to 4 inches of soil underneath; fill the hole
with a fresh piece of sod, or overseed.

- Insects. Insect problems vary regionally and seasonally. Your
area nursery can recommend what's the best product to protect
your lawn from most common insects, such as grubs.

- Diseases. Highly maintained lawns (mowed low, heavily ferti-
lized, and liberally watered) are the most subject to disease. Fight
disease by backing off on the fertilizer and water, and by raising
the mowing height by 25 percent.

- Weeds. On most lawns, weeds really take hold when the grass
starts to go dormant in July. Hand-weed small infestations as soon
as they appear. For larger infestations, try a pre-emergence herbi-
cide made from corn gluten meal (available at nurseries).

Return to Top

DIRECTIONS (Continued)

Heat grill to high. Brush dough with olive oil, season with salt
and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the grill
and place on a flat surface.

Divide the fontina cheese among the 4 pizza rounds. Divide
the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. Place the
pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese
has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. To finish in the oven,
preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pizza on sheet
pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10
minutes.

Mix together the ricotta, extra-virgin olive oil, and oregano
in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove the pizzas from the oven and drizzle with Basil
Vinaigrette (See ingredients below). Top with dollops of
the ricotta cheese mixture and let rest for 5 minutes.
Slice and serve.

VINAIGRETTE: 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup white
wine vinegar,1 tablespoon honey, salt and freshly ground
black pepper, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Combine all ingredients
and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pep-
per, to taste. Blend until smooth. Add the green onion and
oil and blend until combined. Season with black pepper,
to taste. Return to Top