We haven't done much cooking the past couple of weeks, because we have been so busy exploring! Things are finally opening up in Deutschland! Memorial Day weekend we enjoyed a fun day at Europa Park, an amusement park in Rust, Germany. Then we got treated to another 4-day weekend, and decided to check out Koblenz! We have been soaking up the amazing culture, history, and nice sunny weather. 

It's meal planning time, sitting on the screen porch this sunny morning getting inspiration from all the nature around us. We are getting daily harvest from our garden now, so that is a definite consideration for my meal plan this week. We have started our canning and preserving here at the cottage so we are more than a little bit busy and having so much fun and lots of really good garden to table meals!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and the Texas Rain! We hope you brought your umbrella today because it is still raining. I am so excited to present our features of recipes, table settings, and food related post from last weeks party, hope you will enjoy them. I am sure looking forward to seeing what you have to share at the party today, we truly have the best cooks that are a part of this community. Thanks so much for coming to the party today come on in out of the rain and find a place at the table!

I had some left over chicken from my Sheet Pan Lemon Herb Chicken and a basket of fresh greens from my garden that led to this delicious recipe. The salad has a base of delicious fresh greens and then we added some garden vegetables and the cold Lemon Herb Chicken. We topped it out with a delicious Feta Dressing that we have fell in love with. This is a great garden to table recipe and can be served for lunch or dinner.

I developed this sheet pan recipe because it rained on my grilling day. I know this chicken is great on the grill because we have grilled it before, however when it rains on your cookout try the recipe in the sheet pan, it is delicious. This recipe has a great taste of lemon and fresh herbs that came straight out of my herb garden. I love to use this chicken in a special salad filled with fresh garden vegetables making this a true garden to table recipe.

Welcome to June at the cottage, we are making great meal plans and harvesting the garden already! I really think this is the earliest we have ever harvested Green Beans from the garden, but we got enough that we canned Green Beans this week. Our meal plan continues to be contingent on the weather, we are having historical rain for this time of the year with cooler temperatures. Come August I am sure we will be wishing we had some of the rain and cooler temperature.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and our first party of June! Let the summer games begin and we will start with our annual Canning and Preserving features every week during this special season when we bring the bounty of our gardens and farmers markets to our tables, canning and preserving the goodness of summer. We had a great Memorial Day Weekend here at the cottage and our lake was full of visitors, it was really great to see everyone having so much fun and activity in our life once again. We have some great features from our party last week that we will be pinning to our special features board and hoping you will visit and enjoy! I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us at the party today, it sure is good to see you here!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend! Things are starting to open again here and we took the opportunity to check out an amusement park! Before we left for our weekend getaway we enjoyed this fun and yummy breakfast! 

The American flag fly's proudly in the wind here at the cottage. As I sit here and look at that flag I am reflecting on the year that we all have just come through. Many people all over world have lost their life to a horrible virus and we join their families in grieving their loss. Some of those were our medical personal serving in countries all over the world and here at home. Some have lost their life this year in a war zone fighting for the freedom that we all enjoy today.

I told you on our meal plan last week that I would let you know this week what we would be doing for the weekend depending on the weather. So we will be have a mix of some great sunshine and some showers, looks like we will need a back up plan. It will be a big weekend here at the lake people are so excited to be out of their homes and enjoying their life, we will all just fish in the rain! We want to remember all those who have gave their all for our country and will be taking a Quiet Time to remember and give thanks to their families.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday Top Ten Week! We will be featuring the Top Ten Views from last weeks party today as is our custom on the last Thursday of the month. We have the Memorial Day Weekend coming up this weekend and it should be a special one after being on lockdown for so long, we expect a big crowd here at the lake. It will be great seeing all of you at the party today and I can hardly wait to see all the delicious recipes, beautiful tablescapes, and food related post that you will be sharing with us today. Thanks so much for coming and you have a safe and enjoyable week ahead!

There are few summer events that we enjoy more than a summertime picnic. We love to get together with family and friends to share the delicious food and the great outdoors. There are some classic recipes that show up at our summer picnics and some are our very favorites. We look forward to our summer picnics and the gatherings of our special groups of folks making picnic memories together. I have put together a collection of summer recipes that we love and hope you will enjoy!

  This Fresh Strawberry Freezer Pie is a great pie to have in the freezer for a dessert that is always ready to go. This pie recipe is so easy to put together and it is delicious. I like to keep a couple of these pies in the freezer for unexpected guest or a family dessert on a lazy evening. The pie is very rich with a garnish of whipped cream on the fresh strawberry filling that is in a nutty crust making this a very special pie. 

Here we are planning the meal plan for the last week in May and looking at the memorial day week-end. Memorial Day weekend is always a big week-end here at the lake, it is our opening weekend for all the summer activities. Last year because of the quarantines it was very quiet and not very much activity, however this year everything here is opened up and it will be all a buzz with activity. We will be planning for our usual picnic, that is if we don't get rained out. We have had so much rain here and now it looks like it may very well be rainy all weekend. This is the good thing about making a meal plan, we can always go to rain plan, which means putting it in the oven. I will let you know which one we end up with, next week.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday! I sure hope that all of you wore your rain boots today because we have been getting lots of rain and it is still coming down. The garden of course will love it. Come on in and find a place at the table, we always look forward to what you will be sharing with us. We have some wonderful features from last week's party that I hope you will enjoy. Here at the cottage, our little Max came through his surgery and is recovering, soon to be back to his old self. He is a pretty special little guy to us!

Our Jicama, Carrot and Apple Salad is a very crunchy salad with a great combination of vegetables and a delicate lemon and honey dressing. This salad can be made well in advance of serving, as a matter of fact the longer it is able to sit the better it gets. The ice cold crunchy salad is a perfect side for any meal but especially for a grill-out. We just love this recipe for a little different salad that the crowd will always enjoy!

Things are finally warming up here and the sunshine always makes me crave lemon! You can use this lemon curd recipe to make lemon bars, use as a spread, or use in other baking recipes. I added lavender for a little razzle dazzle, but the recipe is still great without. 

  I am happy to be able to make my meal plans today when it is sunny outside. We are expecting about 5 inches of rain in the next few days which means no sunshine. The weather is always a big part of my meal planning, certainly we don't want to plan grilling out when it is pouring down rain. I am taking a look at the pantry, freezer and garden to see what is available and get busy planning this meal plan. We have been busy this week with our little dog Max, he had extensive oral surgery, but he is on his way to recovery, for which we are so grateful. 

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday! We have had a great week here at the cottage, my goodness our garden has really taken off and is growing and we are even able to harvest some of the early vegetables. I just love the fresh vegetables for the wonderful recipes that we have this time of the year. We have some great features from very talented bloggers from last weeks party that I am sure you will want to visit. I am looking forward to see what you will be sharing with us today, I know it will be a great post!

These fresh strawberry cookies are just delicious, made from a very simple recipe with a great bite of fresh strawberries. We have had a great harvest of strawberries this year and what a special recipe to use for those berries. I usually make a double batch of these cookies because one batch just does not last that long. These cookies freeze really well for about 3 months and taste just like they just came out of the oven.

Bar-B-Que Kick'en Chicken recipe started with a food discussion with my friend Michelle. She is a great cook and sometimes we exchange cooking ideas and this one was sure a hit at our cottage. Michelle's secret ingredient for the chicken proved to very special to make this grilled Bar-B-Que Chicken a recipe that we loved and will be serving over and over during our grilling season. Thanks so much Michelle for a great cooking tip that we will all enjoy for a long time to come!

  What a fun time to make some very special meal plans. I just helped with a special brunch for some young Mothers who didn't have family near by, it was great! We used some of the brunch recipes from my  Mothers Day Brunch Recipe Collection . I am able to sit on the screen porch today and enjoy the outdoors while I make the meal plan for next week. I am hungry today, so everything is going to look good to me, yikes I  better watch out for the desserts. North & East Texas had 5 tornados last week. Although we were in a watch area we did not have any direct damage. Thanks to all of you who sent me a message, I really appreciate your concern & your sweet messages. Thanks be to God we are all ok and so is the cottage.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday! I am so happy to see all of you here on this beautiful Mothers Day Weekend. We have some delicious recipes that will be great for your Mothers Day meal plans. Every week we have features from some very talented bloggers that we know you enjoy! I can't wait to see what you will be bringing to the cottage for the party today. We always look forward to your visits and thank you so much for stopping by to join us!

So many of our family and others that we know live so far away it is impossible to honor our older and younger Moms like we would like to. I am a part of a group of older Mothers co-hosting a week-end Mothers Day Brunch for a group of younger Mothers. We have had so much fun planning the event, young and old alike will be looking forward to some of the fellowship and fantastic brunch recipes that will be served. 

  We are enjoying the warmer weather and seeing all the flowers blooming in our village. We have been having a lot of lazy Sunday mornings and this is a family favorite. This is a fun treat for a weekend brunch, or even a weekday breakfast if you prep beforehand. I used leftover ham, but you could also use bacon or sausage. 

  I am excited to Welcome May and of course all of you to the cottage today. I am having a special May Gathering Luncheon for some of my friends on May Day. It will be a fun event that I have been planning for sometime. We will also be celebrating Cinco de Mayo this week with a delicious Meal Plan. I am so happy that I am able to plan events and my weekly meals, this allows me to enjoy an organized life. I have been working one on one with a lady on her meal planning for her family and I can't begin to tell you what a difference it has made in their whole family, not to mention my friend is not wondering around the super market trying to figure out what to make for dinner when dinner should be going on the table. I love planning spring meals, and am looking forward to some special recipes this week.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday where you will meet some of the greatest bloggers on this planet! Only 2 more days of April left, time sure goes fast when we are enjoying life. We have some really wonderful features this week from some awesome bloggers at last weeks party, hope you will stop by to say hi to them. I am very excited to see what you will be bringing today to the party, we always look forward to your visit!

  Taco Tuesday Salad has been a been lunch time hit here at the cottage in the past year. My husband and I always enjoyed getting together for lunch and enjoying taco's or a great taco salad from our local Tex- Mex restaurant. About a year ago all of that stopped when we went into a shut down due to the pandemic. We really missed our Taco Tuesday's so we started having our Taco Tuesday lunch date in Miz Helen's Kitchen. The Taco Dressing for this salad is so easy and delicious we use the dressing on many other recipes and keep some ready to go in the refrigerator. This is the Taco Tuesday Salad With Taco Dressing that we love and still continue to enjoy today!

  I am treating my husband to Fresh Strawberry Scones today. There is a really great little coffee shop in the village that often times has fresh scones and we love stopping in sometime for a special treat. This scone recipe is so easy to make and with the fresh strawberries it is just delicious. We love this recipe so much we have even served it as dessert, it really does melt in your mouth.

  Here we are at the end of April already and the spring recipes abound for our weekly meal plan. We are really busy here at the cottage these days with all the spring projects to be done. The Humming Birds arrived this week, it is always so good to see them return to the feeders each year. They are a little late this year because it has been so cool. The garden is growing and we are getting some great spring onions and asparagus that will be in some of our recipes this week. I sure hope that spring is in full swing at your home and what kind of wonderful spring meals will you be planning this week, be sure and leave me a comment!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and our Top Ten Features from last weeks party! Oh my goodness, winter has returned, we were out in the garden covering young plants trying to save them from the frost. It is like winter returned so I have made us a big pot of vegetable soup and some cornbread. Come on in and enjoy the your time at the cottage. Thanks so much for coming to the party today, it is always special to see you here!

  I am often times asked to make large portions of my Mustard Potato Salad for different functions. This is a great Mustard Potato Salad recipe to make for picnics, family or civic gatherings. The flavor of this salad is the same flavor that a regular family size recipe has. It is a very simple recipe and really doesn't take that long to put it together. When you price (awful tasting take out) potato salad, you will find this recipe is much more economical and taste 100 percent better!

  My family. and I feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to live in Europe for a few years. However, it has been sad not being able to get out and travel yet. It has given us the chance to see all the things Germany has to offer in the great outdoors, and it does not disappoint! The picture above is from a trip to the tulip fields that we just took today. It was an easy pit stop on the way back from visiting a friend. It is one of many amazing natural beauties here. 

I was just asking my husband this morning what special dishes he would like to have next week so I could put them on the meal plan. Of course he had several ideas so I will definitely be putting them on the plan this week. We have had a true spring this year with cooler temperatures than usual and it is really nice to have some  real change of season.  We are continuing to add new plantings to our garden, but we are almost finished for the spring and summer garden. Now we can begin to look forward to the harvest and the wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables that will be coming to the table.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 532 it so good to see you here today. We are sure enjoying this spring weather and all the wonderful fresh spring recipes that you are sharing with us. We have some great features from last week that you will want to be sure and check out. We have so much talent that comes to this party, I would love to live next door to any of you great cooks! We are sitting out here on the screen porch today sipping some sweet tea so come on out and join us!

Potato Gnocchi Salad recipe is a different take on a potato salad, and it is delicious! I love gnocchi, but I haven't made it in years and when I was shopping I noticed that I could get it in a box. Of course I had to try it, and I am so glad I did. What a great product that I am sure I will use again and again. Let me say right here I am NOT PAID for the promotion of this product, I just like it and am happy to pass it on to my friends. I developed this recipe especially for my new found product and it will be going to a lot of picnic's and covered dish dinners very soon!

When my Mother would buy a big batch of banana's at the store, I knew that she was about to make her banana pudding. Banana Pudding was one of my Dad's favorite desserts and I have to say my Mothers recipe is one that we have found to be our favorite through the years. This is a from scratch pudding and is thick and rich then we put a mile high meringue on top. This Old Fashioned Banana Pudding recipe is a very special treat for any occasion. 

  I am hoping to get this meal plan posted before the rain storms begins. I have been busy covering some of our plantings in the garden in case we have hail. I love the spring and all its beauty but the storms I could do without. The little farm stand at the end of our road has opened again so I am looking forward to a visit there and will be including some of the fresh fruits and vegetables on our meal plan this week. I am sitting on the screen porch today while I do our work on the meal plan and can actually smell the rain coming. I better hurry to finish the plan so you can have the meal plan to share with your family this week. My hope each week is that you will find at least one suggestion that will help you with your meal plan!

I am very excited to see you here today, so come on back to the patio with me and find a place at the table it is a beautiful day. When the weather is so beautiful I love to eat outdoors and enjoy such good food with all of my friends. We have had some wonderful post from last week that are featured and I know you will enjoy them. Thanks so much for coming to the party today,  I can hardly wait to see what you will be sharing with us at the party today. You are very special to us and it is always a joy to welcome you here!

  Slow Cooker Smothered Steak recipe has been in my recipe box for a very long time. The recipe was originally baked in the oven and I just used my handy conversion chart (included in this post) and put it in the Slow Cooker. Some days are just busy and the Slow Cooker is a real help. The recipe will just melt in your mouth and you can cut the meat with a fork. The gravy and the onions top off the dish to make it a favorite. I am serving it today over rice.

  We are enjoying our long weekend after a busy Spring break. We were lucky to get plenty of sunshine and go on some beautiful hikes. We even enjoyed a trip to the zoo! We wrapped up the week with some Saturday night burritos, and this cilantro lime rice really makes them special. You can use this rice as a side, in burritos, or mix with black beans. It also goes well with asian food.

We are so excited to Welcome April and all of you to share our meal plan for this very special week. Of course we will be starting our meal plan this week with a big traditional Easter Dinner with some of our very favorite Easter recipes. Then often times the challenge is to find something to do with the leftovers, but we will be using several of our favorite left-over recipes on the meal plan for this week. I am already hungry just thinking about it. We will be making a trip to the farmers market later in the week to make sure we have all the wonderful fresh vegetables that we will be needing. I already have my meat products in the freezer and I will be baking along the way, so I think we will be all set for a great feast for the week!

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, and here we are at the end of March and only a few days away from Easter! We are having so much fun at the cottage this week, getting ready for a really nice Easter week and weekend. We are excited to present our Top Ten Features from last weeks party, some very talented bloggers sharing some great post for all of us to enjoy. I just know that you will be bringing some fantastic recipes, tablescapes and food related post to the party today and I can't wait to see what they are. Thanks so much for coming today and have fun at the party!

Our Hash-Brown Broccoli Brunch Casserole will be delicious for a special brunch, a nice luncheon or even a casual family dinner. This recipe is one of those that will go to any meal or any function. Carry it to the covered dish at your favorite social or serve it to your morning Bible class. This is a very hearty casserole with an amazing flavor that just works together. When I serve this there has never been any left to freeze although you can freeze it up to 3 months. We love this recipe!

  It is a beautiful spring day and a perfect time to make some delicious spring recipes for our meal plan this week. When I sit down to make the meal plan each week, I always think what sounds good, what will be some great idea's for meals? Then I can check recipes, check pantry and freezer stock to see what I will need for the recipes. It takes a little time up front but then when we are in the frenzy of the week, it is a smooth flow, because we know just what we are having and we know the ingredients will be available. Meal planning saves me so much time and money, and who doesn't like both extra time and money.

Hello everyone and welcome to Full Plate Thursday,529! Wow sometimes when I write the number of the post for the party it seems impossible that we have been publishing this party every single week for 11-1/2 years, where indeed does the time go? I am so excited that spring is here, are all of you excited about spring? I want you to be sure and take a look at the wonderful features that we have from very talented bloggers from last weeks party. I can't wait to see what all of you will be bringing to share with us today and thanks so much for coming to the party today!

  My husband and daughter were both begging for cinnamon rolls this weekend. Since these only take about an hour I didn't mind making a special Sunday breakfast! You could also use cream cheese icing if you want to make them even better! 

Happy Spring! I can't remember when we have been so excited to welcome spring! We are really looking forward to our spring meal plans and all the fresh fruits and vegetables that we are able to put into our meal plans this time of the year. It's March Madness already and lots of fun game food. We have been very busy here at the cottage with our gardens, and you can read all about our garden adventures in our  latest garden post.