Pinching Pennies

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

You know it’s there. That box of cereal that no one finished. What do you do with it now that it’s gone stale? Throw it out? That’s wasteful, and in this depressed economy, we need to pinch pennies any way we can.

So, I decided to make cookies. I’m not sure what to call them. Cereal Cookies sounds kind of bland, and these cookies are definitely full of flavor. Chewy and crunchy, they are great for dunking in a cup of coffee or hot tea.

Here’s what to do:

Preheat I’ve to 350° and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a big mixing bowl, cream together one stick of softened butter, a half cup of brown sugar, and a half cup of white sugar.

Next, add in an egg and a splash of vanilla, with a dash of cinnamon. Mix all really well.

Then stir in 2 1/2 cups of cereal. I had Special K with Almonds and Great Grains. Also, add in at the same time as the cereal a cup of self-rising flour. Incorporate everything well.

(I used a cookie scoop, but if you don’t have one, drop cookie dough onto parchment in heaping teaspoons.)

Space them about two inches apart, as these buttery cookies spread. Smoosh the cookie dough down slightly, with the bottom of a small juice glass dipped in water. Then bake them for 15 minutes.

This recipe makes two dozen, three inch cookies. I still don’t know what to call these. So, how about October Cookies?

Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.

Continue reading Pinching Pennies

Mum’s the Word

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

It’s that time of year and mum’s the word. Chrysanthemums are flooding garden centers and pouring out of nearly everyone’s front porches. Mine included.

There’s a garden center in Wesson, MS, near Brookhaven, called Buds and Blooms.

I love that place. And boy, did they have the pumpkins and chrysanthemums. Their garden cat Ramona hopped onto my cart and helped me pick out my potted plants. You can find them at the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/budsandbloomsnursery?mibextid=ZbWKwL

I brought my selections home and did the pot in a pot trick. The mums probably won’t make it beyond the fall season, so I cleaned up a few empty garden pots and slipped them inside of those. Voila! No fuss, no muss.

Last spring, we planted the little sugar pumpkins, and I mixed them in with the pretty decorative pumpkins I bought at Buds and Blooms. A 1970’s planter (my mother’s) was a special add and held two of the little pumpkins.

During the eclipse yesterday, I took an update photo. The chrysanthemums have started to open. The sun was casting some interesting shadows on Saturday. 










Happy Autumn from the Exile’s Kitchen.