March Is Here! And We Have A Winter Wonderland Come on in the cottage and warm up by the fire we are still having winter here. We just made some hot chocolate and scones, so make yourself comfortable. I am planning the menu for next week and can't resist having some of my favorite early spring recipes on the plan. What are some of your favorite recipes for early spring, just leave me a comment and let me know.

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather I am so happy to see all of you today, my goodness it is still so cold outside, hope you wore your ice skates you will need them to get down our road. We have had great food this month and I can't wait to see how we will close out the month of February 2015. We have been having lots of soups and real comfort food here at the cottage, cold weather just begs for nice warm food. I am sharing one of our favorites, Chicken Taco Stew, sure hope you enjoy it. Lets get your food on the table so we can get this party started!

We love cobbler here at the cottage so why not combine some awesome chicken and veggies to make this wonderful cobbler. The fresh veggies and chicken are covered with a rich sauce and baked with a southern buttermilk biscuit with bacon. This is a hardy and comforting dish for a family meal or take it to a covered dish event. Left over, it tasted better the next day and freezes well for up to 1 month. Our family and friends have just loved this dish and sure hope you enjoy it!

Tex Mex and Southwest flavors are a staple here at the cottage and this Chicken Taco Stew diffidently  has a blend of these flavors.  This is a great stew that is easy to make and can be on the table in a short time, or left to simmer it just gets better.  I keep packages of chopped chicken in the freezer just for a recipe like this.  I package the freezer bags with 3 cups of chopped chicken which most, soups, stews, and casseroles call for.  It is also excellent for topping a salad.  We love this stew and hope you will enjoy it. Chicken Taco Stew

It is very cold here going into the last week in February, but right by my front door I have a Daffodil blooming gives us a little hope of spring. I know that we are all having a horrible winter that seems to just go on and on so we have some nice comfort food on the menu this week to help keep us warm and cozy. Whats For Dinner Next Week at your house, what are you doing with your family to plan meals in the winter that never seems to stop?

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather We are having a fun week of holidays we kicked the weekend off with Valentines Day, then Presidents Day, Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year, wow what a week of celebration. We will have a really great party today with all of these holidays. I am sharing my Cherry Cake with Cherry Frosting today I made it for Presidents Day, sure hope you enjoy it. Lets get all of your food on the table, I can't wait to see what you have been cooking. Cherry Cake with Cherry Frosting

This is a great casserole to carry to a covered dish event or a nice family meal. This Chili Mac Casserole is filled with flavor and comfort. If you are rushed for time serve it right out of the pot or to dress it up bake it in the oven for a few minutes to give it even more flavor. One more reason I love this casserole is that it freezes for up to 3 months, it is a great meal to have on hand for those busy days. We have been enjoying this casserole for years and sure hope you will enjoy it to. Chili Mac Casserole

This Cherry Cake has been showing up at ladies luncheons, covered dish events, special dinners and sometimes just a fun cake to make for a special holiday. I was recently asked to prepare this cake for a wedding shower and have even made it for a couple of baby showers. This cake is light and fluffy with a very delicate taste of cherry and almond, the fabulous frosting is a dessert all by it's self. I like to prepare surprise treats on special days for my family and this is a cake that they really enjoy.

Whats For Dinner Next Week is always posted early Saturday morning so that you can have the plan to do your weekend marketing. I have always looked at the market ad's, checked out the pantry and my freezer then make the menu for the upcoming week. As I am sharing this with you today I see that it will be posted on Valentine Day. This is a link to our last week's menu just in case you may need it for a very special evening, check it out right here: Valentine Dinner Menu . This week we get to plan for a great Mardi Gras celebration, Presidents Day and Chinese New Year, wow what a fun food week, sure hope you enjoy our selections, I can't wait. Wishing You A Valentine Day Filled With Love!

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather Valentine week is always a fun time that I look forward to and sure am glad that we get to share some of that time with you today. Its a fun time to plan special dinners and treats for our loved ones. I am sharing a great Red Velvet Pie with you today and sure hope you enjoy it. I am excited to see what you are bringing to our Valentine table today. Lets get this party started, I can't wait! Wishing Each Of You A Valentine Day Filled With Love

There is nothing like a great bowl of homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup, it is one of those soup's that is good anytime of the year. This is a very versatile recipe that you can make your own to suit the taste of your own family. Our family has made this soup for years and now our grandchildren are eating the same recipe, we sure hope that your family will enjoy this recipe for as long as we have. Chicken Vegetable Soup

When I first looked at this recipe for Chunky Haystacks with Shoestring Potato Chips it took me down memory lane. I made these haystacks so many times for my children for after school treats, class room treats and just fun little snacks for the family. In those days there was a standard way to make the chow mien noodle treat. I am so excited to have a grown up haystack for you today, these are loaded with great flavor for the adults as well as the kids. Chunky Haystacks with Shoestring Potato Chip

Valentine weekend is coming up and I want to do something real special for my sweetheart, so I have been going through some of his favorite recipes. I also have a very special dessert planned for him this year. We recently enjoyed a Sweetheart Dinner Party with some friends it was so special to spend the evening with wonderful friends. Hope you are planning something special for your family, sweetheart or just yourself. Fill your menu with great food, your home and your heart with love! Lets get busy and plan this menu.

We have great gardening weather this winter allowing us to enjoy our winter vegetables just that much longer. It gets exciting this time of the year in the garden, getting the soil ready for spring planting and looking through all the seed catalogs that just show up at the right time. Curling up with a nice cup of tea and all the seed catalogs, a great way to spend a cold afternoon. There Seems To Be An Endless Supply of Seed Catalogs

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather Happy February! It's February and love is in the air, sweetheart banquet's sweetheart dinners and sweetheart date night. Food is a really big part of this sweetheart month, I see pretty cakes, pies, cookies, special dinners for two to twenty. We recently had a little sweetheart dinner and I served this Stuffed Apple with Balsamic Glaze for dessert and I am sharing it with you today. People tell me all the time when they want to find quality food they always check out Full Plate Thursday, because all of you truly are the greatest cooks on the planet and I can't wait to see what you are sharing today!

I wanted to make a very special pie for a dinner party that I was hosting and this is the pie that I finally decided to make. I used to make this pie for a friend many years ago and it is a wonderful pie that is so full of chocolate goodness. It reminds me of a cheese cake but has the comfort of a pie, a very versatile recipe that can be served for a formal dinner party or an informal family dinner. We really enjoy this Red Velvet Pie and sure hope you will too! Red Velvet Pie

The Apples have been so good this season and I love to try different recipes for the apples. We have had stuffed  apples many times, but the glaze certainly sets this recipe apart from the others and is a perfect winter time treat.  I loved serving the dessert on my Winter Holly China, giving the Apples a very special touch, for our recent sweetheart dinner party.