Where the Wild Violets Grow

" The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life."

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Well, we are home in Arkansas now. I admit that besides an awesomely productive school planning meeting, and my friend Laura's mama shower, I have been living a bit hermit like. It seems like during the months of November and December we were constantly on the go. I have really been enjoying the peace and slow pace of the last week. I feel like I am recharging. I have been doing lots of organizing...one of my life goals.


Today Violet and I made banana muffins and sunshine smoothies for breakfast. I used a recipe out of the cookbook my mama gifted Liz and I for Christmas this year. It is such a treasure. She spent a few months compiling recipes she has collected from all of the women in our family.




The whole first section is made up of short biographies starting with my great-grandmothers. A lot of the stories I had never heard before. It was such a thoughtful and touching gift.


Mama made sure to include copies of any handwritten recipes that she had. She recalls watching Grandmother, copying recipes onto pages in the phone book, while chatting on the phone. This particular recipe came from one of these very pages. The muffins turned out really good. I think that it is my new favorite banana bread recipe. I did modify it a bit to fit the ingredients that we had on hand.

Grandmother's modified Banana Bread/ Muffins

1/4 c oil
1/4 c applesauce
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c mashed bananas
2 TBSP buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c wheat flour
1 c white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Mix oil, applesauce, and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add buttermilk, banana, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Fold dry ingredients into the wet. Pour into muffin tin or loaf pan. Bake at 350 until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

I used this

Mexican vanilla that I picked up while we were in Texas. It has such a rich flavor. I love it!!


The smoothies were also yummy. I snuck some carrot puree into them unnoticed:

Sunshine Smoothies

3 cups orange juice
2 bananas (they work great if you freeze them first, but this is optional)
1/4 c carrot puree

Blend until smooth starting with a few pulses. Pour and enjoy!


I also made a golden seal decoction to ward off any winter colds that might come our way.



I simmered whole golden seal root in water for about 15 minutes. Let it sit overnight. Then simmered again for about 3 minutes. I poured it up into a jar and stored it in the fridge. I find that if I take it when I feel symptoms of illness it nips it in the bud.

All in all it has been a very peaceful and productive few days. AHHHHH!