alabama lifestyle – Page 33 – Camellia's Cottage

Posted on April 5, 2017April 7, 2017 by camellia's cottage · 11 Comments

Camellias of Alabama…

camellia 4 jeremy Long before Spring gets into full swing… Camellias grace the South with their gorgeous blooms. The Camellia is the state flower of Alabama and rightly so, from the southernmost coastal region to the northern border, Camellias thrive. camellia 8 j

An old gardener had a prolific Camellia bush- ‘Yep, she blooms her fool head off, right in the dead of winter all the way to spring.’ I asked the secret of his Camellia- he replied- ‘Well honey, it’s where she’s planted, close to home and always facing South.’ camellia 7 jeremy

Camellias, Azaleas and Gardenias make up the distinctly feminine fragrance of the South. Native to South China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea- Camellias are a member of the Tea family- is it any wonder we Southerners love our Sweet Tea and Camellias? camellia 10 jeremy with bug Alabama author Harper Lee put a White Camellia in a supporting role in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and CoCo Chanel elevated the White Camellia to star status as her trademark lapel pin. camellia 2 jeremy

From glossy evergreen leaves, to tight buds and flowers that open and fall as one whole flower…Camellias are completely non-poisonous. I love this about Camellias- from bud to flower to the shedding of blooms, the Camellia’s motto would be- ‘We rise and fall as one.’ camellia 5 jeremy

Blooming from October to April, Camellias symbolize Love in all Forms, from friendship, romantic love and love of a parent for a child- also Everlasting Devotion and Perfect Unity. camellia 6 jeremy

For me, the Camellia in all of her glory represents blooming despite adversity and the ability to withstand anything with grace and beauty. camellia 3 jeremy

Love y’all, Camellia

* These beautiful photographs were taken right here in Alabama by photographer-Jeremy Miniard to whom we are indebted for his generosity and talent. Find Jeremy at http://www.jeremy.miniard.fineartamerica.com. *Camellia Japonica is the most common type grown in the South, there are literally 100’s of varieties- some with the distinctive ‘crown’ in the center and some doubles or single blooms. Azaleas, Gardenias and Camellias all like acidic Southern Soil and enjoy the same growing conditions- however the Camellia is generally the easiest of the three to cultivate in the South. In other regions, above Zone 8-Camellias are reliably grown indoors. The rest of the year, Camellias are a beautiful landscape shrub with dark pointed green leaves- and y’all…one of my favorite things about Camellias is soo like the South I know- Camellias produce nuts!

Posted on April 4, 2017 by camellia's cottage · 4 Comments

The Little Things…

A Sprig of Mint. A squeeze of Lemon. A Johnny Jump Up. A Change of Throw Pillows. Fresh Ground Black Pepper or Paprika. A few slices of Raisin Bread and a Cake Donut or two. A Simple Syrup. A Dozen Stuffed Eggs. A Single Bud in a Tiny Vase. Mysterious but Common Ingredients. A Relish Tray. A Flat of Bedding Plants. A Monogram on Anything! A Splash of Spirits. A Small Gift in Extravagant Wrappings. A bit of Moss or even an odd Stone. A Flavored Butter. A Handwritten Note. A Bundle of Herbs. The Zest of an Orange.

It’s the Little Things that add an unexpected flavor to life and cost next to nothing in time or money. In the South I grew up in- the Little Things were just what we did. It was a sign of hospitality to add the Little Things to a Meal, a Recipe or a Home. It was that subtle difference- Sheets hung out on a clothesline smell different than those run through a dryer. One perfect camellia floating in a crystal bowl, a monogrammed guest towel, or using the good china or silver just because you dropped by for a visit. The Small Things make a guest feel welcome and make house feel like a home.

With Spring in the air, I changed out the throw pillows in my living room, from the soft grays and creams, I enjoy so much in winter- I added the vintage shades of green linen pillows brought a bit of Springtime indoors.

I bought some Bedding Plants for the garden but since they were Begonias, I knew I could enjoy them inside for a while and plant them after Easter – with Good Friday being a day that many did their vegetable planting. For less than ten dollars and a bit of moss, I was able to fill several containers with fresh blooms, the little things made such a difference.

To keep meals interesting, Southerners have always added a little something to the table like relish trays of pickles, relishes, celery stuffed with pimento cheese, sliced tomatoes and the beloved Stuffed Eggs in a highly prized Egg Dish especially for them. And Southern ladies will monogram anything that will stay still long enough- Hand towels, pillows, linens- and aren’t these dishes pretty? I saw them when I was at Williams Sonoma recently. Monograms are a small thing but add a personal touch to almost anything.

We also perk up meals with spices and sauces- A favorite here is Parisienne Chicken which has a Paprika Sauce-

Boneless chicken breasts are sprinkled liberally with paprika, then dredged in flour, a pinch of salt and even more paprika-
Brown chicken in melted butter,
Slice potatoes over the chicken and entire bunch of green onions are chopped over the potatoes,
A rich chicken broth is poured about half way up the Dutch Oven and the whole thing is baked about an hour or so.
The chicken and potatoes are removed to a platter with steamed broccoli. Reserve half of the rich red broth in another container.
Mix together a carton of sour cream and a small softened package of cream cheese, the whisk into the hot broth.

This Paprika Sauce is so wonderful, you will want to smother everything except for the small Orange Rolls served alongside. Add a Lettuce Cup of Orange Sections, folks will think you’ve been trained at the Cordon Bleu when it is really just the Small Things which make this meal delicious.

*With the reserved rich red broth- there is another Paprika Sauce for Seafood–

Warm the broth, add a pinch of dried thyme, the juice and zest of a lemon, a tablespoon of white wine or brandy and again whisk in a carton of sour cream you may also add a tablespoon of capers. This Paprika Sauce is amazing over broiled, baked or fried fish such as Red Snapper.

You will not believe the difference in flavor a Small Thing like chopped Italian meats will make in your favorite Italian Spaghetti Sauce, it almost melts away, it is one of those Mysterious but Common Ingredients! Baked Ham is a staple in the Southern Kitchen- and while we loved our spiced honey glaze, I recently pulled a spiral sliced ham from the freezer and made a Black Pepper Ham–

I baked it according to directions (which is basically to heat a fully cooked ham all the through) covered in foil –
Then I tossed away the glaze package, remove the Ham from the oven-open up the foil and instead mixed the ham juices with more than a cup of Black Pepper-
I coated the outside of the ham and ran it back in the oven for 15 minutes

The Black Pepper Ham was so good with sliced tomatoes, potato salad, green beans and soft yeast rolls. For another meal, the sliced ham was just wonderful tucked inside homemade biscuits. Later in the week, I sautéed a whole head of cabbage in a bit of bacon drippings and added some of the chopped Black Pepper Ham- with Pinto Beans and Cornbread, it was delicious! The addition of Black Pepper was a Small Thing that made a world of difference.

A Raisin Bread Pudding is a Southern favorite, and here the addition of Small Things takes a Bread Pudding from just good to amazing. For this one, I had a half loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Bread, four large cinnamon and sugar Cake Donuts kept in the freezer instead of tossing!

When thawed, the ‘breads’ were torn or broken into chunks. In a bowl I mixed 3-4 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 cups of milk with a tablespoon of vanilla. In a larger bowl I soaked the mixture overnight. *There was no need to add cinnamon or salt to the raisin bread and donuts.
The next day I baked off the Bread Pudding in a large greased baking pan. While the Bread Pudding was hot, I poured an Orange Hard Sauce made with a stick of melted Butter, the zest of an Orange and the juice, 3-4 tablespoons of Honey and a tablespoon of Bourbon which had been whisked together. The Sauce could have just been Butter and Honey- however the Little Things like orange zest and a splash of spirits elevated a humble Bread Pudding!

Fresh Mint is always on hand in the Southern garden- add it to simple flowers for a fresh scent, coat the leaves with dark chocolate and keep them in tight container in the refrigerator and add them to a dessert, a plate of cookies or top a bowl of fresh strawberries.

Even a plain Glass of Water can be elevated by adding Little Things like a tablespoon of simple Sugar Syrup, a sweet Johnny Jump Up and a Sprig of fresh Mint- why we had these at Ice Water Teas years ago! Mother Teresa famously said- ‘Do no great things, only small things with great love.‘ I hope you will be inspired to follow her advice!

Love y’all, Camellia

*all photographs are obviously mine.

Posted on March 31, 2017May 22, 2018 by camellia's cottage · 24 Comments

Bathing Suits…

I’ve put this off for 7 years. I don’t believe in jumping in headfirst. I stuck my toe in the water yesterday- it’s almost Open Toe Season in Alabama- I went and got a pedicure, with red polish- of course. The classic summer toenail color in the South is red, I chose ‘Big Apple’ because truth be told I’d rather be headed to New York City than on a Beach trip where I’ll actually be expected to go in the water. Oh lord, those are scary words. Shopping for a Bathing Suit is painful, especially for a woman of a certain age and stature. My whole demeanor, posture and bearing change in a dressing room full of bathing suits. Let me make this clear- I live in Alabama, her coastline is one of the most beautiful in all the world- I’ve been going to the beach since I was a child and love it.

However, I stopped wearing Two Piece numbers a good many years ago- they weren’t for swimming anyway. Two Piece Suits are reserved for laying out. A traumatic experience with a Two Piece happened when I was 13 years old taught me a hard lesson. Now, I was never allowed to wear Bikinis- I carried that rule into adulthood- you know the old ‘Don’t look trashy, much less act trashy’ rule, the older I got the more I liked the rule. A Two Piece is different than a Bikini, apparently Bikinis were in the trashy category, because my mother was always looking for Bathing Suits which were:

Decent
Modest
Not Too Revealing.
Wholesome.
And leave Something to the Imagination, if you get my drift.

Now, take a look at my aunt, she has on a decent One Piece- she was just 4′ 11′ tall! Tiny. Now look at the writing on the back of one of those pictures of my Aunt Iva- she married out of the faith…and apparently started wearing bathing suits! Our Southern Mothers could be harsh when it came to Bathing Suits!

They adored each other and apparently got matching black suits one year. I loved them both!

A decent Two Piece Bathing Suit became acceptable when Annette Funicello was transformed from a cute Mouseketeer to a wholesome Beach Beauty . So, at age 13, barely out of my Mouseketeer Ears-I had a brand new Two Piece Bathing Suit that looked remarkably like Wonder Woman’s outfit- I was emboldened by it. I was going to take it out for a swim- a Dive was more like it. I went to the club early, hardly anyone was swimming… thank goodness. Mothers of toddlers were sitting sedately by the Baby Pool, a few golfers were practicing on the Putting Green nearby- this place was no Dive, it was a nice place where nice decent people went. The pool was Olympic sized for the Swim Team (which I wasn’t on). There was a Diving Well with a Low Board and a High Dive. I put everything in it’s place with my Two Piece and climbed up the steps, then walked all the way out to the end; now, don’t think I was brave enough to actually dive, I’m afraid of heights…Let me stop right here- all of this ‘face your fears mess’ is nonsense.

I walked to the end of the diving board afraid to even make it spring, then I jumped off- Mid-air? The top of my Two Piece popped, slid down to my elbows, then slipped off as I entered the water! The cups were floating on top of the water!! Horrifying! I might have been able to escape notice except over by the ladder was TR – the boy who cut our grass!! He was trying out his new underwater mask, bubbling- he had gotten a full view of…oh I can’t bear to say it! Indecent, trashy, nothing left to the imagination. I surfaced at Wonder Woman speed, grabbed that Top and… I believe I still hold the Underwater Record at that club for swimming out of the diving well, around and down the full length of that Olympic size Pool and managed to get my bathing suit top back on while doing it! I didn’t look back, I struggled out of the water, walked to the dressing room, changed into decent street clothes and abandoned my swim career … forever. My decent Two Piece had turned into indecent exposure– Traumatic. I didn’t get another decent Two Piece until I was a freshman in college- I never went in the pool or ocean when I wore it – ‘My hair, I can’t get my hair wet’ was my constant refrain. I used the Two Piece to lay out in the sun. We don’t say sunbathe in the South. We work on a Tan. We lay out in the sun. There are two types of ‘laying out’ in the South…

there is the acceptable- ‘laying out in the sun’
and the unacceptable ‘laying out all night.’

I love the sun- I love the ocean, I love the beach, I still love laying out by the pool. And let me just say here- ‘Ah ad-mire’ women who rebel against their mommas and wear Bikinis- I never cultivated that kind of confidence! I wore bathing suits, even Two Piece bathing suits over the years when I was young but I didn’t swim, I laid out. When my children were young, I became a Southern Martyr- I was a Pack Animal while they were on the water slides or whatever thrill it was. Several years ago- I swore off Bathing Suits altogether. I decided that the Crime of wearing a Bathing Suit was worse than the Cover Up. I have walked our beloved Alabama Beaches in Cover Ups for years now- getting older has it’s perks. I told myself-

‘Ah’m not going to in-flict mah-self on the general public anymore’…

This year is different, I have to buy a Bathing Suit. Our summer vacation is an Island Vacation like 7 years ago when we went to Atlantis® in the Caribbean. That time, I tried to be a good sport, I wore a Bathing Suit, put my things in a locker so we could ride the Inner Tubes- I did not consider this to be fun, the water was freezing…but what topped it off was the sitting in a wet bathing suit eating lunch by one of their million pools- I didn’t realize I would be sharing a seat with two yellow jackets! Zzzz ! They were not amused. The yellow jackets took offense when I sat down on them. The stings were bad, I am allergic to bee stings- the Health Hut recommended Benedryl®- I’m not saying I looked like a beached whale, maybe a dolphin- but when that stuff took effect, I wasn’t just layin’ out– I was laid out, down for the count.

This year, this vacation -my family isn’t going along with the old- ‘I’ll be the pack animal, I might get stung, My hair, my hair’ excuses. So I’m easing into the idea…I’m taking it slow, I am perusing catalogs that have Bathing Suits which cater to all figure types, I wish they would label the suits for what they are –

‘When you’ve put on a little weight, Darlin’
Things have gone South, precious’ -or-
‘Bless your heart, holds you in, but you’re going to have trouble breathing’ style. Better yet-
Decent. Not Too Revealing. Modest.

I dread dressing room mirrors- where you can see all sides. Now really, who wants to see blinding white legs, sagging knees – it’s demoralizing. So, I’m taking this slow. It’s Open Toe Season in the South- I got my toes wet yesterday when I got a pedicure, I’m looking at catalogs with fear and trembling- I’m thinking of getting a Spray Tan before I hit the dressing room, I’m definitely going with a One Piece and I’ve ordered a full length Black Caftan- a brilliant Cover Up, don’t you think?

Oh lord, unlike most Southern tales, this one is not Part Outright Lies, Part Myth and Part Truth- this one is the Truth and nothing but… Stay tuned.

Love y’all, Camellia

*All photographs are from our family album with the exception of the opening photograph which was taken from the front of a card years ago- no known source; and the ‘diver’ which is from a vintage set of encyclopedias here at Camellia’s Cottage.

Posted on March 29, 2017 by camellia's cottage · 2 Comments

Pit Barbeque…

Camellia’s Cottage is on the cutting edge, y’all! Last year when we wrote about Pit Barbeque we told you about Butts to Go! Southern Living Magazine has just come out with their special edition The South’s Best 2017, including the Best Barbeque- congratulations go to our own Wade Reich’s Butts to Go for making the South’s Best 2017!

Camellia's Cottage

Three Barbeques, Two Fish Fries, One Pancake Breakfast, a Wedding and a Funeral- all in one day. No time to change in between…if this was a fashion blog I could tell you what to wear- a black dress. Fill a bag with accessories, several pairs of shoes, make up, a damp rag and deodorant. It got me through and we had the time of our lives! I don’t hold a world record on attending events- my husband probably deserves a medal. We’ve gone to so many Barbeques, we might claim expert status on tasting barbeque. Mastering a pit is an entirely different skill. Real Pit Barbeque is cooked 10-12 hours…this isn’t backyard grilling. There’s no doubt in my mind that American Pit Barbeque originated in the South- poor rural folks, fattened a few pigs- so fresh pork was cheap and available. Raw Peanuts