Not waiting for life to begin: I am right smack in the middle of it. And life is exciting again.
Last summer I planted Shata Daisy seeds around the base of my mailbox. Plants emerged from the ground and they were maintained, but no blooms. I didn’t despair, for I knew from experience in another life that perennial daisies take a year to mature and bloom. So, one plants the seeds and the payoff is 365 days later. Worth the wait.
Also worth the wait are birthdays of grandchildren. Born 21 days apart are Levi and Hazel. Sweet, Sweet.
Daisy and Birthday Blessings from theexileskitchen.
It’s Memorial Day Weekend, when we honor our fallen service people. Thank you for your complete dedication and service. It is also the unofficial start of summer; school is out in this part of the world and picnic/cookout season has begun.
When does summer really commence? June 21 is the official beginning of the seasons changing from spring to summer. The weather has been quite warm and muggy here in Southwest Mississippi. But I don’t need a calendar or a thermometer to know that it is summer, or at least close to being summer: the day lilies are in bloom.
My favorite day lily is the one given to me by my Aunt Gayle. The winter of 2017 was harsh, with two unexpected snowfalls and then the following spring was very dry. Aunt Gayle’s day lily set only a few blooms and then they quickly dried up and fell off.
I was anxious about the plant living through this past winter, though the weather was mild. The pot it has been in for the last 4 years is cracked and 10 year-old day lily needs to be repotted. I have been hesitant to do it. I don’t want to do something that would kill it and my connection to a beloved aunt- my mother’s twin sister.
Then early in this month, Aunt Gayle’s day lily started putting up scapes. On each scape are multiple buds. The blooms are a wide and ruffled peachy pink. So pretty.
So, for me summer begins when Aunt Gayle’s day lily blooms. When does summer start for you?
Blessings.
(Note: here’s the link to the back story to my favorite garden plant. Aunt Gayle’s Day Lily )
If you’ve read theexileskitchen the last few years, you probably know that I am a fan of Mayhaws. I was thrilled to find the remains of an archord on the small piece of property I bought back in 2016 and really excited that it contained two Mayhaw trees. Each Spring when they begin budding and then setting fruit, I get super jazzed about the upcoming jelly making days. Mayhaw jelly is such a pretty pink, with a flavor of strawberry/apple.
Doing some research today, for other Mayhaw recipes, didn’t net much success. I did, however, find the nutritional information on this tiny red fruit.
You can Google Mayhaw facts for yourself; LSU Agricultural Department has great information on this fruit tree found in our native Southern states.
After I have a years worth of jelly in the pantry, I will put up jars of juice for teas and Lemon/Mayhawade. For my supper beverage this evening, I mixed into my sweetened iced tea 2 tablespoons of mayhaw juice. It was a refreshing berry-tasting tea.
Sorry this video is sideways. I cant figure out how to edit it. Check local farmer’s markets for Mayhaws this time of year. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to snag this superfood.
Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
First tee-ball game.
Baby brother.
A tour around a local favorite flea market: R and R Bargain Center.
Ice cream at KDJ’s Ol’Skool Ice Cream Parlor; the cherry on top.
And the #FlowersProper gardens are in full bloom this weekend.
Blessings to your pastimes.
It’s already Thursday and I am despondent. You see, I’m just now hearing about Pie Week. Pie-Week. Let that sink in. Oh, the recipes that go swimming through my head. Sweet and savory. Lemon Meringue, Sweet Potato, Pecan (peh-cahn), Chicken Pie (not chicken and dumplings, but a rich meaty pie).
Pie, Pie, Pie, PIE!
Hand pies too.
There’s a store bought pecan pie in the frig, right now. But I had oral surgery yesterday and am on a soft foods only diet for the next few days. Sigh. Lip poked out.
Here’s a round-up of past recipes for some of my favorite pies:
Sounds Like A British Put Down
Pie in Sky and not in the face blessings, from the Exile’s Kitchen.
McDonald’s doesn’t make an English muffin breakfast sandwich as good as this one. Here’s what ya do:
I Shook The Tree One More Time or I’m Your Huckleberry
Can This Really Be Considered Cooking or Dorm Room Fare
My Cup of Coffee Went to Heaven and Came Back For Me to Enjoy
Breakfast Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
It’s my birthday today so, I declared it a holiday and took the day off from work. Marigold was happy; she got an extra day in the country.
Walking around my property, netted a huge mixed bouquet of blooms. To the left of my farmhouse there are four rows of a camellia specimen garden. No two are exactly alike. I do not know their names and wish someone who could identify them would come and do so. The solid, medium-sized white ones are my favorite.
The bulbs that we’re planted last October are all up and blooming. I was surprised to see that, down by the lower, ground-sweeping limbs, the Pride of Mobile azaleas are beginning to bud and bloom. 
All the blooms were brought into the kitchen, trimmed and placed in an antique pedestal bowl.
In the remains of the old orchard, one of the Mayhaw trees was abuzz with honey bees. Come one jelly making season.
I’m an easy person to please. My nephew asked me, “You’re not doing anything for your birthday?”
My answer: “Oh, yeah, baby. I’m enjoying the solitude.”
Just give me a sweet breeze through the trees, lots of flowers to gather, the songs of birds and the sunshine. That’s all the birthday present I need.
My Birthday Blessings to you.
Randomness
Have you heard that song called Love On The Weekends? At least, that’s what I think it’s called. I don’t know who sings it. And I’ll be up front with y’all, not a fan.
Anyway, while getting my breakfast ready this morning, that horrible tune popped into my head. Instead of “love”, I inserted the words Bacon on the weekends. Bacon on the weekends. My thyroid is screwed up again and I’ve been reading up on thyroid nutrition. Limit processed meats, sigh, including bacon. So, like the lovers in the song, I have to wait to the weekend for my BACON! I’m right there with you Jim Gaffigan.
In the picture you will see marshmallows in my Pecan Praline Community Coffee. Yes, yes….. Don’t judge me. Try it, Mikey. You just might like it.
Also in the pic is a square of banana, chocolate chip breakfast cake. Sweetened with honey, lower in refined sugar, but still tasty.
Chocolate Chip Banana Cake:
Line an 8×8 pan with parchment and spritz with vegetable spray. Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, mash up a very ripe banana. Add a 1/4 cup of honey, an egg and a big generous dash of cinnamon. Stir together. Then add 1 1/2 cups of biscuit mix. Before you stir it in, pour in a half cup of Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. Stir till combined. Lastly add 1/2 cup of milk and a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean; about 22 minutes. Cool slightly in pan then turn out onto a plate and cut into 16 squares.
Also in the the picture of my breakfast, is my coffee cup. My nephew sent it to me at Christmas and it has the names of my grandkids on it: Parker, Brentlee, Levi and Hazel Ray. They are so much fun and precious to me. Which brings me to my next bit of randomness.
New York State and the Commonwealth of Virginia have legalized infanticide. God forgive us. We have become such a selfish and wicked nation. Again Crises Pregnancy Centers are located all over this country. Our local center is located at 406 Delaware Ave, McComb, MS 39648 601-684-3987.
Hug your children and grandchildren close.
Blessings.
So, what to do with that week between Christmas and New Year’s? Well, at Flowers Proper, the Christmas trees came down and the floor was swept clean of tinsel.
A walk around the gardens and a quick check on the bulbs planted in October netted a promise of Spring. The green tips are emerging from the dormant ground.
In the kitchen, fresh bread came out of the oven. Small round cake pans substituted for bread pans. Pretty, artisan round loaves, smeared with butter and mayhaw jelly. Yum! And We’re almost out of mayhaw jelly. Sigh.
Since I don’t return to work till next week, no wake up alarms are wonderfully absent.
Should New Year’s resolutions be made? Why not rename them as goals? Dropping the holiday pounds, writing another chapter or two or ten, finishing that project started months ago. Making plans for a potager and greenhouse. Do remember: slow progress is still progress. Look back and reflect, but keep moving forward.
Happy New Year from the Exiles Kitchen.
