From the category archives:

Southern Gardening

Southern Pruning

by Christi on March 6, 2010

The Crepe Myrtle is one of my favorite trees/bushes. When everything else in the garden starts looking a little tired in the hot days of summer, the Crepe Myrtle still shines bright.

Pink Crepe Myrtle

Unfortunately, the beautiful Crepe Myrtle is also one of the most abused of plants. I have seen such abuse in my own neighborhood just this week. It makes me very sad. Cutting the poor tree down to the knuckles or “topping” them by cutting off all the beautiful arms is just wrong. It has even been referred to as “Crepe Murder.”

Crepe Murder

I am writing this post in an attempt to “stop the abuse.” If you want a short Crepe Myrtle, buy the dwarf variety. The natural form of the Crepe Myrtle is a lovely bottle shape that makes a wonderful addition to the landscape.

Southern Living wrote a great article on the proper care of Crepe Myrtle and included alibis for anyone who may have been guilty of abuse

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday – and feeling PINK!

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Today’s Lagniappe: Lemon Garlic Chicken Breast
Something light and delicious.

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 lg. cloves garlic, minced
Grated peel & juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
4 lg. chicken breasts, skinned & boned
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. coarse ground pepper

Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice, salt, pepper and bring to boil. Set aside. Arrange chicken in single layer in a lightly buttered shallow baking dish. Pour lemon garlic mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with lemon peel. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove foil and bake additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to individual dinner plates and keep warm. Pour liquid from baking dish into small skillet. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Cook until reduced by half. Whisk in butter. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

{ 7 comments }

Southern Sunday Favorite

by Christi on January 17, 2010

bloggerspiritsidebar

Sunfav

Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday.

Hmmm, last week my favorite was about gardening and so it is again this week. I see a trend here. A garden in just inspiring. In 1912, a scripture inspired C. Austin Miles to compose a favorite hymn, In the Garden:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

Refrain

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain

Here is one of my favorite posts from New Years day of this year:

I really used to dread January. After all of the color and celebration of the Christmas holidays, January just seemed so dull. What changed my mind about January was gardening! Yes, gardening in January. When I finally got around to enjoying gardening, I was in my late 30’s.

As with most things, I got into it full force. I went from reading gardening books to going through Master Gardening training and then was an active Master Gardener for three years. Two months after Master Gardener graduation, I was chairing the Master Gardener booth at our local home and garden show. See, I tend not to do things half-way. Some would say I go a little overboard!

Anyway, back to January. Now January is the time to peruse garden catalogs and start sorting through seeds to see when to start those little seedlings that will eventually go out in the garden. I now notice the silhouette of trees in the late evening winter light – lifting their arms to God!

In the South, we even have some flowers that will bless us with their lovely blooms in the winter. One of my favorites, which also happens to be the state flower of Alabama is the beautiful Camillia.

Camellia_japonica

It comes in many colors but I like this pink one for Pink Saturday.

Click for Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Another winter bloomer is the Lenten Rose (sometimes called the Christmas Rose).

lenten-rose

And one more that I love is Daphne – fragrant and pretty and early-blooming.

daphne

None of these will be blooming here in my part of the South in January, but I still love thinking about them and knowing they will be here soon.

I hope your January will be a wonderful one. If you are a fellow gardener – Happy Planning!

Today’s Lagniappe: Spinach Grapefruit Salad
This is a good time of year for grapefruit and here is a wonderful way to enjoy it.

5 oz of fresh spinach.
1 teaspoon of olive oil.
1 garlic clove, minced.
1 grapefruit.
1 avocado.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Stem and rinse the spinach. Spin or gently pat it dry. Tear the large leaves into smaller pieces but keep the small leaves whole.

In a bowl, mix together the olive oil and minced garlic. Add the spinach and toss well. Set aside.

Peel, seed, and section the grapefruit.

Halve the avocado, remove the pit, peel, and cut into 1-inch slices.

In a small bowl, combine the grapefruit and avocado.

Add them to the bowl with the spinach.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then gently toss.

Serve immediately.

{ 8 comments }

Southern Garden Dreams

by Christi on January 1, 2010

In the South, we even have some flowers that will bless us with their lovely blooms in the winter. One of my favorites, which also happens to be the state flower of Alabama is the beautiful Camillia.

Camellia_japonica

It comes in many colors but I like this pink one for Pink Saturday.

Click for Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Another winter bloomer is the Lenten Rose (sometimes called the Christmas Rose).

lenten-rose

And one more that I love is Daphne – fragrant and pretty and early-blooming.

daphne

None of these will be blooming here in my part of the South in January, but I still love thinking about them and knowing they will be here soon.

I hope your January will be a wonderful one. If you are a fellow gardener – Happy Planning!

Today’s Lagniappe: Spinach Grapefruit Salad
This is a good time of year for grapefruit and here is a wonderful way to enjoy it.

5 oz of fresh spinach.
1 teaspoon of olive oil.
1 garlic clove, minced.
1 grapefruit.
1 avocado.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Stem and rinse the spinach. Spin or gently pat it dry. Tear the large leaves into smaller pieces but keep the small leaves whole.

In a bowl, mix together the olive oil and minced garlic. Add the spinach and toss well. Set aside.

Peel, seed, and section the grapefruit.

Halve the avocado, remove the pit, peel, and cut into 1-inch slices.

In a small bowl, combine the grapefruit and avocado.

Add them to the bowl with the spinach.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then gently toss.

Serve immediately.

{ 6 comments }

A Southern Garden Grows

by Christi on July 14, 2009

I showed you some pictures earlier this week of how my garden has grown. Here is my garden now – a little closer look.

Lily

Zinnia

Corn

Okra

Squash

Tomato

Basil

Mint

Elephant Ear

These are just a few close up scenes from my garden.

It is Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer.

outdoor-wednesday-logo5

Today’s Lagniappe: Tomato Pie
Courtesy of Carol Shackleford Benson of El Dorado, Arkansas. Carol says, “With summer tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, it is heavenly! I have already made several, and friends and family continue to ask for more!”

pie crust – I use Pillsbury in the dairy case
4 medium tomatoes – mixing red and yellow makes the pie so pretty – I have also used halved cherry and grape tomatoes
Whole milk mozzarella cheese, sliced about ¼ “ thick
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Thinly slice tomatoes and spread out on papers towels. Salt them liberally and let them sit for about 15 minutes. Place pie crust in 10-inch tart pan and poke holes with a fork. Bake the pie crust for 12 minutes at 400 degrees or until lightly brown. Remove the crust from the oven and cover the bottom of the crust with mozzarella slices. Distribute basil leaves evenly over cheese. Cover with tomato slices. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Let the pie rest about 30 minutes before slicing. It is best at room temperature.
I have also made this on a pizza pan and just used thinner slices of cheese.

{ 20 comments }

Southern Stroll in the Yard

by Christi on June 16, 2009

We have had a lot of rain lately. This afternoon after the rain, I took a stroll through the yard and snapped a couple of pics for Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer.

Click on the logo to see some great outdoor pics.

Okay, so here we go for the stroll.

Here is another pic of the little robin teenager looking for worms. We are so glad that they have stuck around. Apparently, they will stay within 1/4 mile of the nest.

Here is the garden. A little soggy,but loving the rain.

Can’t wait to harvest some of the vegetables out of the garden. They are growing really fast. I usually already am able to harvest by this time but got a little bit of a late start this year.

I've had this for a long time. I just moved it to the veggie garden.

You can see the clover, as well as the veggies, love the rain.

She Who Loves A Garden
Has A Very Special Treasure
For She Has Found Her Private Paradise.

Today’s Lagniappe: Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
This recipe is very similar to the Lemon Thyme Cookies, only with Rosemary. Hmmmm!

By the way, a friend asked what a lagniappe is – it is “a little something extra.”

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar for decoration

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour salt and rosemary until well blended. The dough will be somewhat soft. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles 1 1/2×2 inches in size. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the tops.
Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

{ 25 comments }

Southern Garden

by Christi on June 9, 2009

Several years ago, I built this herb planter. It originally resided on a side porch. Now it is in my yard.

The thyme that is hanging over and the thyme in the left corner have been there for about five years. The rosemary really struggled this past winter with the ice storms. It has come back a little bit, but I boosted it with a new planting this year. I have nasturtiums, cat mint, chives, oregano, and basil. I’ve thrown a few seeds for dill and parsley around as well.

Of course, I have to have a sign telling me that these are herbs

This is a saying that I love so much, I put it on the front of the planter:

A kiss of the sun for pardon.
The song of the birds for mirth.
One is nearer God’s heart in the garden,
Than anywhere else on earth.

This little guy holding the wind chimes . . .

used to be a part of this rowdy little group, playing tug of war.

I also have some herbs planted among the other plants in the vegetable garden. This is the first year that I have planted my entire vegetable garden from seed. It has been a learning experience. I think, I should have started sooner. At this time of year, I normally would already be harvesting veggies. This year, I’m a little behind normal.

Hope you have enjoyed the tour of my little herb garden and the glance at the veggie garden.

Click the pics above for more 2nd Time Around and 3 or More Tuesday posts.

Today’s Lagniappe: Heavenly Angel Food Cake
Quick, easy and no baking! (Unless you want to bake your own angel food cake).

1 Angel Food Cake
1 Large package of vanilla pudding
2 Cups sliced strawberries or whole raspberries
1 Small can crushed pineapple
12 Oz. Cool Whip

Slice cake horizontally. Mix Cool Whip, dried pudding mix and drained pineapple together with mixer on low speed. Fill between layers and ice cake with it. Top with strawberries or raspberries.

{ 4 comments }

Southern Basil

by Christi on June 5, 2009

I worked in my herb garden yesterday. I love working in the herb garden. It is like aromatherapy. The smells of the thyme and rosemary and basil are heavenly. I am always happy to run across recipes that use these herbs in simple ways. One of my new favorites is those lemon and thyme cookies that I posted a couple of weeks ago.

Basil

Here is recipe using basil that I really like from Giada De Laurentiis. A crispy parmesan wafer with lemon and basil.

1 cup shredded Parmesan
2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Transfer a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan mixture onto a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended for this recipe. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture, spacing the spoonfuls about 1/2-inch apart. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool and use a flat spatula to transfer from lined baking sheet.

The name basil means “be fragrant” and it certainly lives up to its name. In herbal medicine it is used to colds, indigestion, depression and exhaustion.

What a lovely thing to grow in the garden!

Join Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday with lots of great recipes from lots of great people.

Today’s Lagniappe: Tomato and Basil Dip
Another way to use this fragrant and lovely herb

4 beefsteak tomatoes
1 small onion
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
freshly ground black pepper

Slice the top of each tomato, and scoop out the flesh and seeds. Reserve the flesh and discard the seeds. Place the tomatoes upside down on a plate to drain.

Finely chop the tomato flesh and place in a non-metallic sieve. Press out any excess juice with a wooden spoon. Discard the juice. Place half of the chopped tomato and all of the chopped onion in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Stir in the remaining chopped tomato and chopped basil, and season well. Divide the dip mixture evenly among the four hollowed-out tomatoes. Cover and grill.

Garnish with basil leaves and serve with breadsticks and strips of cucumber and celery.

{ 14 comments }

The Southern Garden is In!

May 10, 2009

It’s Metamorphosis Monday! Click on pic to see more on Between Naps on the Porch

Finally done! The rain finally stopped long enough for me to finish getting my garden in. It isn’t a really big garden but it is just right for my husband and me and a little extra to share. I’ve got lots [...]

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Southern Frugal Friday

May 1, 2009

I’ve had so much fun with y’all this week. I hope you have had a good time as well. So, Frugal Friday, finds me trying to find inexpensive ways to garden. Well, yesterday, I stumbled upon the best garage sale I have ever been to. I’m not sure where the sellers got all of these [...]

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Southern Outdoors

April 27, 2009

I am always love spending time outdoors. Always have. When you are inside, you sometimes, forget that there is a whole other world going on outside. There are birds flying around, singing their songs. The robins loved the freshly tilled ground for gathering worms. The squirrels are, as usual, trying to raid my bird feeder. There are bunny rabbits hopping around. It is a bustling, busy world out there!

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