In the space of three minutes, give or take a few seconds, my middle son and his family lost their home. An EF4 tornado raged through plantation pines and across farm fields to leave complete devastation behind.
My son was at work three hours away in Louisiana when the super cell tornadoes spun up on Saturday. My daughter-in-law and young grandsons were at home. So many things lined up and fell into place (quite literally) to get them out of their home and to safety. All clicked together in the space of three minutes to save their lives. Praise God!
A gofundme page has been set up for them. Any amount will help. Thank you.
I’ve had a potting shed built in the back garden. It houses the well and has room to store garden tools. Along the south wall, antique windows are mounted to let in the light. Under the windows is an L-shaped work space. At the end of the work space, in the corner, stands a sink. The porcelain sink had been in the barn collecting leaves; the base is, an old Singer sewing machine that long ago had been my great grandmother’s. I learned to sew using the treadle sewing machine. My daddy taught me how to use it.
I could gleefully go from December 26th straight to March 1st. I don’t like winter. January eeks by. And though it’s the shortest in days, February is a long month.
Itching for spring, I potted up a few zinnia and bishop flower seeds. It’s a windy, warm day today, but rain is coming later tonight, and the temperature will drop back down to finish the month out cold.
February is my birthday month. It’s a big one this year: 60. I admit that I’m not handling it very well. Then I think about my daddy. He died young, age 47, five days after my 16th birthday. That sad anniversary date is another reason February drags on. My daddy never got to be old. He missed so much, and I miss him so much.
Inside the potting shedThe sun comes in pretty.The sink will come in handy this spring and summer.
Is this really Mississippi? Like really southern Mississippi? We’re less than 3 hours from Coastal Mississippi or the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America….
They predicted snow and were right.
We started renovations on the porch back in October, so excuse the tools and boards in the pic. The elephant was my mother’s. The base of the bird bath was, too. I put the pretty blue gazing ball on top after the birdbath bowl was broken. The elephant hasn’t complained about the cold weather. It was 10° F yesterday.
Marigold didn’t want anything to do with the snow while we were in blizzard conditions on Tuesday. (Yeah, the weather people called it a blizzard!) Anyway, Wednesday, Marigold didn’t want to come in. Yes, I have a warm place up on the new porch for her. Here she is in front of that wonderful mayhaw tree. I’m hoping this cold weather will set record fruit yields in the spring. Ah, spring…
The camellias got bitten pretty hard, so their season is probably over for the year.
Herman and Tex were turned into snowmen.
I’m looking forward to spring, but I understand that in every life, a little snow must fall. Really, I’m enjoying the different seasons.
The new porch; I’m looking forward to sipping tea there in warmer days.
Have you ever been junking and come across a glass or ceramic disc with holes in it and wondered, ‘What is this thing?’ Well, it’s a flower frog. It can turn any shallow dish into a flower vessel.
Some moan about there being no flowers in winter. I beg to differ. Plant camellias. If azaleas are the Fun Girls from Mt Pilot who come bursting onto the scene every spring, camellias are the steady and elegant Helen and Thelma Lou. They never demand attention but command your attention.
I took a walk around my camellia garden; they are loaded with buds and beginning to bloom. A big handful of ruffled blooms came back to the house. In the kitchen, I snipped and began to arrange the blooms, but they tumbled out of my flower bowl. I remembered I had a flower frog and no more tumbling flowers. It’s a very handy flower arranging tool.
So, the next time you see one, grab it.
#flowerfrog
#flowersproper
#camellias
#winterflowers
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DELl99AxaoTq1FLvXo2O8Kn7JE6Sfqrij0GYZ00/?igsh=NjN1MGVrZW4wbHZ2
Do you want an easy breakfast recipe for Christmas morning? Prep time is 15 minutes and bake time is 30 minutes. What am I talking about? Well, its store-bought croissants, chocolate chips and a baked custard. I’m not sure what to call it. Delicious, I’ll just say it’s delicious.
Here’s what to do:
In a small oven proof skillet, melt 3 pats of butter, while the oven preheats to 350°.
Split lengthwise 5 to 6 small croissants and set aside.
Crack two eggs into a small bowl and whisk them well. Set aside.
Making the custard:
On the stove, in a one quart pot, combine 1 cup half-and-half, a scant half cup of granulated sugar and a teaspoon of pure vanilla. Heat over medium heat till it just begins to boil.
Now, pour just a little of the hot half-and-half mixture into the eggs and quickly whisk them together to temper the eggs. Repeat. Then, when the eggs are tempered, pour them into the pot with the rest of the half-and-half mixture, whisking to incorporate. Turn off the stove.
Putting it together:
Next, take the hot skillet from the oven and place it on the stove. Be careful. Arrange the bottom halves of the croissants in the buttered skillet. Top each half with a sprinkling of granulated sugar and chocolate chips. Place the croissant tops over each. Then, pour the custard over the prepared croissants. Sprinkle the top with additional sugar. Just a little. The sugar will caramelize and make the tops crunch.
Bake it:
Place croisssant custard in the preheated 350° oven in the middle. Fill a shallow, oven proof dish with water and place on a lower rack. This will help to evenly cook the custard. Bake for 30 minutes or until a case knife put in the center comes out clean.
Chocolate chip croissant custardThe tops have a nice caramelized crunch.
Serve with your breakfast favorites; mine are coffee and bacon… I hope you try this recipe.
What to do with the leftovers from Thanksgiving ? Of course, some of the remaining turkey and dressing were placed in containers, labeled and tucked into the freezer. They’ll be pulled out for easy meals later in the new year.
Breakfast Biscuits were made with leftover ham and cheese this weekend. Waste not, want not, ya know?
Here’s what I did:
I preheated the oven to 350°. In an iron skillet, I melted a pat of butter by placing it in the oven as it heated up.
I then measured Pioneer Baking Mix, according to the directions on the box, into a medium-sized bowl. One cup of Dubliner cheese chopped small, one cup of chopped ham and half a stick of melted butter were added to the bowl.
Then, I added enough 2% milk to bring everything together. Using an oven mitt, I retrieved the hot skillet and placed it on the stove and dropped my batter into cathead biscuits. Then the skillet was returned to the oven and the biscuits baked till their tops were a light golden brown. About 20 minutes.
A side of Two Brooks Grits (a Mississippi company) and leftover cranberry sauce accompanied the ham and cheese biscuits.
Let me know if you try this recipe.
Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
We also had some silly fun with a big pack of kazoo.
I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately. This time of year has me remembering all kinds of things. Nat King Cole has been featured a lot on my playlists. He was a favorite of my Daddy’s.
I’m trying to watch LSU play (?) Bama, right now. We just cannot manage a touchdown. Yeesh… Daddy graduated from LSU with a degree in mechanical engineering. I miss my Daddy.
The other week, two of my sons worked on Tilly, my Daddy’s Kubota tractor. She needed a new radiator and battery cables, so Lee and George fixed her up, and now she starts on the first try. Good job, guys! You’re Mama appreciates you. I know in my heart that my father would be proud to know that his grandsons are keeping the old girl going.
Here’s a nostalgic recipe for you, one I learned to make way back in Mrs. Deaton’s 8th grade home-ec class. Home Economics: Is that taught anywhere anymore? It should be. We’d all be healthier. I digress.
Old Fashioned No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Here’s what to do:
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a 2 qt pot, cook 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk, and a 1/4 cup cocoa powder over medium high heat. Stir till the butter is melted and these ingredients are mixed well. Bring to a boil that can’t be stirred down. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes. You’re basically making a fudge base.
Next, take the fudge mixture off the hot burner. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1/2 cup of Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter, and 1/2 cup of allergen free chocolate chips. Stir until peanut butter and chocolate chips are melted. Then, fold in 3 cups quick cook oatmeal.
Using a spoon, drop cookie mixture onto prepared cookie sheets. The size of your spoon will determine how big your cookies will turn out. Big spoon, bigger cookies. Smaller spoon, yadayada.
It’s halftime and LSU is pitiful tonight. A cup of Community Coffee and Old -Fashioned No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies have been the highlight of this Saturday night.
I’m trying to watch the LSU Football game against South Carolina. It’s been a rough one. So, I thought I’d make brownies….
Ingredients:
1 stick of salted butter
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/2 cup allergen free chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup self-rising flour
Sprinkles, if desired
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9×9 pan.
In a 2 quart pot, over medium heat, melt butter, cocoa powder and chocolate chips, stirring to combine. Remove from heat. Add in sugar. Next, add the eggs one at a time, stirring each in quickly so they don’t curdle. Next, add in the vanilla. Lastly, stir in the self-rising flour until it combined; don’t over beat. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares. The chocolate chips make these brownies nice and fudge-like.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350°
The second half has been better. I think I can say so because of the brownie ala mode.
Desert Rose cup and saucer for holding dessert
It’s the third quarter and LSU is down by one point. We’ll, no, now they’re down by four points. The brownie ala mode makes things better.
theexileskitchen 