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Showing posts from December, 2019


Top Ten Recipes of 2019

As we come to the end of 2019 it is a pleasure to present to you our Top Ten Recipes that were the most popular with you this year. We have a variety of foods and cuisine very typical of our country cottage meal plans that we present each week. As a special end of the year bonus I am including a popular Garden post that you really loved this year. Most of our recipes are prepared from our garden herbs and vegetables then go straight to our table. Thanks so much for making this post possible, it was a joy to have you visit the cottage and enjoy the food with us! Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite was this year.


Sausage Crescent Bites

It's time to put together some great appetizer's for the party season. We love these Sausage Crescent Bites, they are very flavorful and so easy to put together. I always make a double recipe because with our group 1 recipe is never enough. I have used this recipe for a very long time and have taken it to parties and have served it many times here at the cottage, they are even amazing for brunch!


Whats For Dinner Next Week,12-29-19

It is hard to believe that we are making our last meal plan for 2019, this year has gone really fast. We have traditional foods that we like to have on this the last week of the year. My Grandmother would always remind the family to be sure and eat your Black Eyed Peas on New Years to bring you good luck in the new year. So I am reminding you to be sure and eat your Black Eyed Peas or some other food that your family has passed down as bringing you good luck for the coming year. As we end this year I want you to know how much I appreciate your sharing Whats For Dinner Next Week with me every Saturday. Many thanks to all of you faithful readers, some of whom have been coming for years, you are the greatest!


Full Plate Thursday, 464

It is time for our Top Ten Views from last weeks party that you choose with your page views. I always look forward to this Top Ten to see what you are trending on Full Plate Thursday! As we approach the end of this year my thoughts go to how much I enjoy this party each week and the wonderful post that you share with all of us. I am very grateful that you make the choice to share your amazing talent with us each and every week. I am so happy to see you at the party today I can't think of anyone I would rather share the last party of 2019 with than YOU!


Cranberry Fluff

Cranberry Fluff is one of those classic holiday favorites with many of my friends. I was visiting with my friend Sandra about an event we were planning and the Cranberry Fluff was a recipe that she brought up, she said that it was one of her Dad's favorite and she had been able to make it for him last year just before he died. I surprised her and  made it for the event in honor of her Dad. Often times a classic recipe will bring memories of loved ones passed and present and what sweet memories they are. I love this recipe and never know if it is a salad or dessert, and does it really matter, it just delicious!


Whats For Dinner Next Week, 12-22-19

It's Christmas week and the cottage is all a buzz with last minute preparations for the Christmas festivities. I have made my meal plans several weeks ago and cooked as many things as I could and have them in the freezer and all of that prep work for recipes will sure pay off in the holiday schedule. We are expecting family and friends this week and hosting some activities so we will be all ready for the joy of the season.


Retro Holiday Punch

My friends Jennifer and Sandra are enjoying a cup of my Holiday Punch. I have been making my Holiday Punch for many years. I was a newly wed the first holiday season that I made the punch. We didn't have slow cooker's then so we just kept it warm in a stock pot on the stove, then we would pour it up into a pretty tea pot to serve. It is the kind of punch that I can keep some on hand when friends drop by to say hello over the holidays and it is great to serve for large or small gatherings.  I had a small informal gathering for our Study Group and they all wanted the recipe for the Holiday Punch, and I promised to share with them and what better way than to share with all of you!


Full Plate Thursday,463

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, our last party before Christmas! We have had so many wonderful recipes, table decor and awesome food related post this month and some of them are featured today, hope you will have time to check them out. I hope that you are taking the time to really enjoy the season and fellowship with friends and family. Thanks so much for being a part of the Full Plate Thursday community, it is very special because you are very special! Christmas Note Next Week We Will All Be Busy With Our Families and Friends We Will Be Posting Full Plate Thursday On Thursday, December 26,2019 Hope You Will Be There With Lots Of Your  Wonderful Post!


Texas Praline Fudge

When the pecan harvest begins here in our part of Texas, I start getting hungry for our Texas Praline Fudge. If a recipe has the word Praline in it, then it has me right there. This fudge is a very special treat here at the cottage and I always get so excited to make it and even more excited to eat it! If there are plans to serve the fudge for a special occasion it must be guarded or guess what, there won't be enough for your special occasion, yes this has happened to me. I had to take my photo's fast, the line was forming for the fudge. I am so glad there was enough on the plate to share with all of you, enjoy!


Whats For Dinner Next Week,12-15-19

When we have only 10 days before Christmas, then every hour of every day begins to be more important than the last. We will be meal planning forsure to help us move through this season with a little more ease and way less stress. When I think about some special recipe for a special meal I jot it down so I can include it with the next meal plan. It truly is a wonderful time of the year and I love the joy of every minute!


Full Plate Thursday,462

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, come on in by the fire and get comfortable. I sure am glad to see you today and hope you are enjoying the season. It doesn't seem possible that it is only 14 days til Christmas. So many wonderful parties, great recipes and fun to be had, lets get started! We have some fantastic holiday recipes, creative decor and food related post to enjoy today from some very talented blogger's. Thanks so much for spending some time with us and we hope to see you at the party with your awesome post!


Christmas Eve Tamales

Our family has a long tradition of serving Tamales on Christmas Eve with other Tex Mex sides. For many years we would serve the standard pork tamales, then we got creative and now have different combination's of Tamales, we even have dessert tamales. Making homemade Tamales is quiet a process, but if you have a family gathering it can be a lot of fun. I am including a Tamale Tutorial for you today along with some of our favorite Christmas Eve Tamales. Be sure and let us know what your favorite will be.


Gifts From Miz Helen's Kitchen 2019

We love giving homemade gifts to our family and friends all year round, but we especially enjoy it at Christmas time. We grow a large garden in the warmer months and we preserve a big part of that harvest every year, then that becomes one of the special gifts that we like to share with family and friends. I love to bake something for a special party or place a jar of jelly into a gift basket. The gifts that I give every year are made with and filled with love. When I give or receive a homemade gift I know just how much love has gone into that gift. I wish that it was possible to share a gift from this collection with each of you, but know that it is in my heart and I am passing along all that love to each of you!


Whats For Dinner Next Week,12-8-19

Meal planning is a must during this time of the year,when we are so busy with friends and family enjoying the beauty and love of the season. There are so many fun activities in our area that we get to attend only a few of them as time doesn't allow us to go to everyone. I want things to be simple so I don't have to spend time wondering up and down the market trying to make a meal from whatever appears in the basket. The money I save by meal planning sure helps with the food budget allowing me to have more to spend in other areas.


Full Plate Thursday,461

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and December, the month with all the special recipes for parties, family gatherings and so much more. Today we are featuring the Top Ten from Thanksgiving Week, that you have picked with your page views. Be sure and stop by to check out these talented bloggers. We sure are looking forward to the recipes, table decor and food related post that you will be sharing with us today. We are so busy here at the cottage, decorating, planning menus, and putting the final touches on party planning. We are hoping on getting some awesome ideas from you! Thanks for coming today and hope to see you at the party!


Retro Green Bean Casserole

I remember when my Mother would proudly set this classic retro recipe for Green Bean Casserole on the table for a Sunday meal or some other special occasion. It was the very latest recipe for green beans and everyone just loved it. The Green Bean Casserole would show up at Church covered dish dinners and at family functions and I still see this recipe at some of the same functions. Today I am making this retro dish from my Mothers recipe. To the best of my knowledge it has not been altered through the years that our family has made the recipe. We don't make the recipe so much anymore, but every now and then we make it and the memories come flooding back. As I record so many family recipes here to share with my family and all of you, I knew we had to have this special old Retro Green Bean Casserole, so that all of our Granddaughters can enjoy it one day.


Slow Cooker Spiral Ham With Pineapple

Slow Cooker Ham is a recipe for any occasion, this ham can go to a cover dish event, a holiday meal, or a special family gathering. The recipe has a special sauce plus part of the ham is put aside for your next pot of ham and beans. Our Slow Cooker Ham recipe is very easy to put together and is ready to eat in a few short hours. If you have limited oven space for holiday cooking, then the slow cooker is the way to go freeing up precious oven space. The flavors in this recipe make this ham very special and one that you will want to make over and over.


Holiday Cookie Exchange Link Party

Welcome To The 2nd Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange Link Party Cookies and Christmas just go together and what more fun at Christmas and Hanukkah than a great Cookie Exchange Party with your friends.  I am looking forward to the awesome collection of cookies that we will have here. At the end of the party I hope we have some fabulous cookie recipes to take home that we can enjoy for years to come! Thanks so much for bringing your cookie recipes to share with us, we will cherish the love that has gone into everyone of your recipes!