I am so excited to welcome you to the 5th Annual Holiday Cookie Recipe Exchange Linky Party for 2022! I have enjoyed so many of your cookie recipes from the first 4 parties and I really treasure them. As I am making your recipes it reminds me of you and the special friendship that we enjoy in this very special blogging community. At the end of the party, we will have all shared with each other a memory and a part of ourselves that truly is a lasting gift. Thanks so much for sharing your cookie recipes with us, we cherish your cookie recipes and YOU!

  We are looking forward to an easy cooking week for our meal plans this week after the big Thanksgiving feast. We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family this year, it was so good to see and spend time with them, not to mention the delicious food we had all week. We will be using some of those leftover this week in our meal plans. I may have to make a trip to the garden to get some greens for a salad or a soup. It is very cold here, so I will be waiting til it warms up a bit, for now I am sitting right here by the fire, making this meal plan for the week.

  Welcome to our special Thanksgiving Edition of Full Plate Thursday, 616! We are starting early this week to give all of you more time to spend with your families. This is the last Thursday of the month so it is time for our Top Ten Features from last weeks party, you are choosing the Top Ten with your views. It is always so much fun for me to see which recipes you choose and the new trends that are starting. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today, we are sure saving you a place at the table.  Many Thanks ! When I sit down with my family on Thanksgiving Day, I will be counting all of you among my many blessings. Thanks to each of you who are a part of this awesome blogging community. Hope you have a fantastic week and a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The guest have gone home and now it is time to make something wonderful from the left overs. Some of the best recipes that we enjoy around the holidays are the leftover recipes. I have gathered together some of our favorites to share with all of you today. There are a couple of appetizers, some great turnovers, and an amazing pasta dish. Some of these we will even freeze and bring them out later on that busy day when we need some help in the kitchen. Left overs are the greatest!

  The cottage is a buzz we have family arriving today and we are so excited to see them. When planning the meal plans for this special week, my goal is to have some old favorites, some new recipes and keep it as simple as possible. Planning ahead, cooking ahead will allow me to spend more time with my family. I am so thankful that we are able to share our meal plans with you each week. We made our first post for Whats For Dinner Next Week in August of 2010, that is 12 years of meal plans every single week and I know that some of you have been here every week with us. I count you among my many blessings on this Thanksgiving!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 615 and just one more week until Thanksgiving!  Here at the cottage we are excited preparing for family that will be coming for Thanksgiving this year. I just know that all of you are making your meal plans and cooking up some great recipes for the big day. We have some great features from last weeks party that I sure hope you enjoy! I can hardly wait to see what you will be sharing at the party today and want to thank you for coming and being a part of this very special blogging community!

  Our Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake With Maple Glaze has already become a star this season, this cake is delicious. It is so moist with a perfect balance of fall spice to blend with the pumpkin. We are topping it with a very delicate maple glaze, that is so rich. Nuts are always optional of course, but this cake really stands on its own without the garnish of nuts. It is headed for the dessert table at several holiday events!

Turkey Tetrazzini Casserole is a delicious way to use up some of the left overs from the turkey or chicken. This is a real easy casserole to put together and can be on your table in no time. A nice pasta, a wonderful cheesy sauce, plus some healthy greens and of course some flavorful Italian seasons. Just add a salad and crusty bread and it is a great meal. I have taken this to some covered dish dinners where it was a big hit!

  Hello everyone, we are all wrapped up by the fire today, certainly no sitting on the screen porch to make our meal plan. I can already tell you we have some major comfort, warm and cozy meal plans coming our way this week. I have definitely changed the season. We will be waking up to 30 degrees, and maybe that is not cold where you live, but here it is cold! This is going to be a great test for my new Veggie Pod to see how the vegetables in the pod fair in the cold weather, I will keep you posted!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 614 it is so good to see you today. I am always so excited to see what all of you are sharing with us at the party. We are starting to see some amazing holiday foods showing up at the table. We have some great features from last week that I hope you enjoy. We transitioned from Halloween decorations to Thanksgiving, doesn't take long, just change out a few special items to sit in with the fall decorations. I love decorating the cottage with the change of the season, just like I am a seasonal cook. How about you are you a seasonal cook, do you decorate your home with little things for the season. Come on in the cottage we have saved you a place at the table, the party is starting!

  I love going to the garden and collecting the young Brussels Sprouts when they are so tender. I wanted to make a dish that could be a great side and this one is. The combination of the Brussels Sprouts in the cranberry glaze, some fresh herbs and spices add the orzo with a garnish of crisp bacon, it is just delicious. I have served this one to guest who ask for a go box, its a winner!

  When I was developing this recipe, it brought me back a bit to the days when my Mother would make a similar recipe for my Dad. This is a very simple recipe that is loaded with flavor. I got my cutlets on sale which gave me even greater incentive to develop this recipe, and I am so glad I did. The Thyme Gravy is just a bonus, but how could we have fried cutlets without some gravy. We so enjoyed this dish and will be making the recipe over and over in the future.

Hello everyone, I am doing my meal plan a little early this week, as we are expecting some bad storms and I want to be sure you get the meal plan on time. It is a little chilly here this morning so I am all cozy by the fire, looking through some of my  recipes that will be good next week. Sometimes it is hard to make a decision because they all look good, but the pantry check is next and that will make the final decision. Maybe I will need to go to the Farmers Market and check out some fresh fruits and vegetables. It is sounding so good and I have not made a plan yet, so lets get started!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 613 and our first party of November 2022! Here we are at the beginning of great holiday seasons, first we have Thanksgiving, Christmas and then New Years. The foods of these seasons are some of our favorites and we will all have so much fun with our food post that we can share with our friends. I am so grateful that you choose Full Plate Thursday as a place you like to share your amazing food post. We have some great features from last week that you will want to be sure and check out, they are fantastic! Thanks so much for coming today and enjoy the party!

  I love the idea of the butter board for an informal gathering. I had some friends dropping by for coffee and presented this butter board, it was a big hit and so easy to put together. Some soften butter, special spice mix, and garnish with some fruit and fresh herbs. I am serving it with my  Spice Cake Poppers , and it is a great combination!

  Our Spice Cake Poppers are a perfect treat with morning coffee, afternoon tea, or a special treat anytime. This is a real simple recipe that is quick and easy and produces a great tasting bite of goodness. Just put out a plate of poppers and watch them disappear, they really are that good! On a very busy day, just take a minute for yourself sit back in your favorite chair and enjoy a hot beverage with a delicious Spice Cake Popper!

Hello everyone, we have been busy here at the cottage making sure we are ready for all the spooks that will be visiting us here at the cottage on Monday night for some very special treats. It is fun to make the meal plan for this week, as we have some very traditional dishes. The temperature has stated to drop so we will be planning some nice hot soups, stews and comfort dishes. Be sure and set your clock back one hour next week-end on November 6, 2022. Its that time already, wow where does the time go?

Welcome to the Top Ten Post that you picked from last weeks party. We had a great party with awesome post and I am so happy to present these post that you have picked with the most page views. What beautiful Fall weather we are having. it is a perfect time to get out and take a  walk, enjoy nature just a little bit. Halloween is next Monday and we are all ready for the little spooks here at the cottage. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today, I know it will be yummy!

  We are sure enjoying this beautiful fall weather here at the cottage. We will be planning some great fall meals this week. I have some great fresh fall vegetables to add to the plan this week, some from our own garden and some have been given to us by a  friend. It sure is nice to have friends with orchards and large vegetable farms. Making meal plans this week around some peace and comfort for our family.

  Hello everyone and welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 611! Oh my goodness and all of a sudden some of you have snow on the ground, while others of us have been in a hurry to cover our fall and winter gardens from the 28 degree fall temperature. And today it is is a beautiful fall day to sit on the patio and enjoy the fire pit. Please join us there while we get our party started. Every week we have some awesome blogger talent that visit our party and we feature them, hope you will support them by paying them a special visit. Thanks so much for coming today hope you enjoy the party!

  This recipe for Apple Skillet Cake has been around our family for as long as I can remember. It is a very simple recipe with fresh apples and some warm spices. The fresh apples are folded into a special cake batter and then baked in an old iron skillet. It is topped with more of the delicious apple's and sauce and of course we will serve our serving with a dollop of Blue Bell Ice Cream. Morning, noon or night this recipe is a winner every time!

Hello everyone, I am sitting on the screen porch today, enjoying the nice fall weather. I actually have some vegetables coming up in the garden, it is so exciting to be able to have some fresh greens during the winter months. Our Famers Markets are running over with wonderful fall vegetables. I have inventoried our freezers and the  pantry and found just the right products to go with some great fall recipes that we are having on our meal plan this week. I sure hope you will find something that you and your family will enjoy!

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 610 and a great day in the country! It is so much fun to come to the country in the fall, the leaves are just starting to put on their beautiful colors, pumpkins everywhere and a festival on every corner. We had an amazing party last week with some delicious features for this week. Thanks so much for coming to the party today and I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today!

When the pumpkins set on in the garden and show up at the farmers markets, it is time to start making all things pumpkin. One of our favorite pumpkin treats is our Spicy Pumpkin Dump Cake, it is filled with warm, fall and winter spice combined with a delicious pumpkin puree. This is a quick and easy cake and is great for the unexpected dinner guest, morning coffee or for afternoon tea.

What a beautiful fall we are having here at the cottage. I am enjoying sitting on my screen porch with some great fall recipes and making these meal plans today. There are so many yummy recipes for this time of the year, there are not enough days to cook them all. I am trying to be budget conscious not only for my food budget, but for some of you out there who are really struggling with a 14 % increase in food cost. I have answered so many folks asking for budget recipes this month. Meal planning will help you on your food budget plus give you more time to spend with your family.

  October is here and we welcome you to Full Plate Thursday, 609! We are gearing up for the fall season and all the fun festivals and food fairs. Fall has a certain peaceful energy that I have always enjoyed. We have some great features from last weeks party that I sure hope you will enjoy, hope you will take the time to visit these talented bloggers. I am so excited to report to you that we have all of our fall and winter garden planted. I will be excited to be sharing it with all of you as we move along, We are so happy that you are here at the party today and I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us. 

  Our delicious soup recipe is a result of left over Mississippi Pot Roast. Some of the best family kitchen recipes come from the left overs or an ingredient exchange of some kind. We have put together a combination of fresh vegetables, some of the left over beef with some great broth to make this outstanding soup. I love soup in any season, but when we get to early fall and winter I love my stews and  soups. This recipe will definitely be on my favorites list.

Welcome to our weekly meal plan and welcome to October! I had so much fun with my Veggie Pod today, just planting some fall and winter greens. We are also planting some beets, turnip greens and collard in our row crop garden. So good to be in the garden again. We are all decorated for fall and now I have fall recipes laying all over my work table. It is great to be looking at the oldie but goodie fall recipes and introducing  some new recipes that we hope everyone will enjoy. 

  Hello and Welcome to Full Plate Thursday Top Ten Features from last weeks party. The last week of the month we feature our Top Ten Post from the last weeks party and it is so much fun to see who you have picked from your views. We are having great weather here  at the cottage, needing some rain but at least the temperatures are beginning to drop. We are getting ready for fall planting in our veggie pod this week and I am very excited to get the process started. I will defiantly be having more help now that my husband is fully retired now. I am so excited to see what you will be sharing at the party today, we have saved you a place at the table so come on in and join in the fun!

I remember making this Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken when my kids were in school. This recipe is budget friendly and takes very few ingredients. It is cooking in the slow cooker in no time and ready for the family dinner at meal time. Tender chicken breast in a creamy gravy with a Ritz crust on top, just delicious! I am serving it with some of my home canned  Green Beans From Garden To Table .

Is it just me or did this month just fly by, we are looking at the last week in September already. We are still mowing our lawn and so grateful to have a lawn left after the drought summer of 2022. I am excited to be enjoying the screen porch these days and glad you could join me today to make some very special meal plans. My husband (now retired) & I went exploring some Farmers Markets today and got some great vegetables for our meal plan next week.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 607! Come on back to the patio and join us for a fall picnic, it is such a beautiful day. I am so glad to see each one of you today and can hardly wait to see what you will  be bringing to the party. We had some great features last week that I sure hope you will enjoy. We have so many talented people that come to the party every week to inspire us with beautiful tablescapes, delicious recipes and new ideas for the season. Thanks so much for coming to the party, you are very special to us and we saved you a place at the table!

I was recently invited to speak with a group of young homemakers about food preparation on a budget. They were concerned that their food dollars were not going as far as they once were and like so many of us they were looking for some recipes that would give them a nice dish for the family without too many dollars. Our Beefy Onion Casserole is one of the recipes that I passed along to them, it is a very tasty and filling casserole that will be great for a family dinner and depending on the size of your family you could even have some left overs. I have made  this  casserole many times through the years and even taken it to pot luck dinners, it is budget friendly and always a hit!

Hello everyone, I am so excited to be on the screen porch making the meal plans with you today. The weather has been so nice and it is great  to be outdoors to enjoy it after such a long hot summer. We are busy trying to get the yard back in shape after the damage that was done during the drought. I am looking forward to the Farmers Market this week to find some new fall vegetables that will be fun to cook with. It is a little different here at the cottage with my husband being retired now. I find myself wondering when he will be going to work this week, it is really nice to have him here.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 606! It is so good to see you here today on such a beautiful fall day. I invite you to come on back to the patio today to just enjoy being outdoors together after a very long hot summer. We have some great features today from some very talented bloggers that I sure hope you will enjoy. I can't wait to see what you are bringing today so lets get the party started, I have saved you a place at the table!

Our Zucchini Coffee Cake is the perfect recipe to serve for a lovely brunch or afternoon tea. My husband thinks it is perfect for dessert after lunch. The recipe is filled with warm spices that are combined with a great batter of Zucchini and a base of buttermilk, oh my goodness, it is delicious. This is a very moist cake and the longer it sits the more moist it is. This recipe is a very special treat!

As I think of making a meal plan this week, it is a somewhat different process. As I check the weather, then take a look at our personal cottage calendar I get a better picture of when I want to  cook certain dishes. 

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 605, it is so good to see you here today! The Labor Day weekend at the lake was a great closure to summer 2022. I am excited to transition into fall, with wonderful fall recipes and décor. I have already started to transition the cottage, I replace my white slip covers with the brown ones, and now we have pumpkins, fall leaves and more. Just put on a pot of stew and it is complete. We have some great features this week from some very talented bloggers, that I hope you will enjoy! Thanks so much for coming to the party today, we have saved you a place at the table and can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us.

  We love to have a weekend brunch and sometimes friends will drop by to enjoy our latest recipes. Today I am happy to share with all of you our Bacon and Tomato Quiche. We have had great reviews from the weekend brunch group at the cottage. This is a delicious quiche with crisp bacon, cherry tomatoes and some great cheese to make a very flavorful slice of goodness!

We have to declare that the summer garden of 2022, was a fail. The drought here in our part of Texas lasted for over 60 days with not a drop of rain. No matter how much water we poured to our trees, plants and gardens they just could not withstand the 106 and 107 consistent temperatures. It has been a very sad garden harvest for this year. We even placed umbrellas around the gardens to try and save the plants, but they just didn't make it. Thank goodness we had a early spring harvest of green beans, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.

Hello everyone, hope you are having a great Labor Day Weekend! It is a busy weekend here at the lake as it is the last big weekend of the summer 2022! We had a really hot dry summer, but fall has started out with cooler temperatures and rain which we are so grateful for. Football season is upon us and the fall season will begin, although I yearn for just a bit more summer. I am happy to make my meal plans for the week with you today and hope we can come up with some meal plans that will inspire us all with some amazing recipes!

  Welcome To Full Plate Thursday and the 1st day of September! Come on in the cottage, we are actually getting some rain, which is a really good thing here. We have some special features this week from some very talented bloggers, I sure hope you will enjoy these features. We are looking forward to the weekend coming up which is really the last big weekend at the lake for the summer of 2022, wow what a summer and yet it is gone already. Hope all of you have a very special Labor Day Weekend, please stay safe and enjoy the holiday! I can't wait to see what you will be sharing at the party today so lets get the party started!

  I am combining some of my favorite recipes to bring this delicious casserole to the table. I always have some frozen chicken bags in my freezer or some left over chicken from the weekend. I have made quiet a bit of fresh basil pesto lately, so I will be using some of that. Putting it all together to make this fantastic casserole, it is already one of our favorites. My friend happened to stop by the cottage and got to be my taster for the recipe, she gave it a big thumbs up and 5 stars!

Hello everyone, it is so nice to sit on my screen porch once again and plan this weeks meal plan with you. We had over 8 inches of rain this past week and we are expecting more rain next week, it has been wonderful! The garden harvest for this summer is over, but we did decide to go ahead and plant a few products for a winter garden, we are so excited. We have a couple of weeks left in our summer so I am looking forward to having some yummy summer foods on the meal plan for this week.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, I am so happy you came to the party today! We are celebrating here at the cottage, it rained and not only did it rain we got almost 8 inches in just 2 days. Our drought has official ended, thank God! We have our Top Ten features with the most views this week from last weeks party, sure hope you enjoy them! I am excited to see what you will be sharing with us today at the party, come on in we have saved a seat at the table for you!

It is that time of the year when we have an abundant harvest of Zucchini and I love using it in different recipes. Zucchini is such a moist vegetable and really adds a lot of moisture to breads. This is a delicious recipe with Zucchini, pineapple and a hint of coconut, a very flavorful blend. This recipe will make 2 loaves and can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Hello everyone, big news today, it finally rained!!We are so grateful to get some rain, and looks like we will be getting more next week. Meal plans this week  are going to send me to the recipe box to pull out some of our old favorites for late summer rainy days. Now that we have some rain we will be on going with our winter garden and we are excited to continue on with the garden plans. I am off to the super market to get some of my meat for next week, a buy one and get another for a penny. I am always excited to find a great price for a food product to use in my meal plan for the week.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, I am delighted to see you here today. Our schools started here so things have really slowed down here at the lake. The weather is changing just a bit with the hope of rain next week. Our vegetable garden is finished for the summer, but we are planning on a small winter garden. We have some great features from last weeks party and I sure hope you enjoy them. Thanks so much for coming to the party today, we have saved YOU a place at the table!

  Our Zucchini Lasagna with Bread is a different lasagna as it has no pasta. This is a very rustic lasagna that the Italians use sometimes as a main dish or a side dish. The sauce and cheese really bring in the Italian flavors in the layers of the lasagna. This is a great family dish that we all enjoy here at the cottage. The use of bread makes a really different lasagna recipes and one that has become one of our favorites.

Hello everyone, so glad to be sitting on my screen porch again, making this meal plan with you. The temperatures have finally started coming down enough that we can get back on our porch early in the morning and late in the evening. It even looks like we may get some rain today or tomorrow. So many of you have children that will be starting school this week or the next as we move a little closer to the fall, our meal planning for the family becomes more important.