I am excited to be making the meal plan for the first week in June. We have actually seen the sun after a very long rainy season, although we still have rain in the forecast we are having more sunshine. We brought our BBQ inside on Memorial Day so it is going to be good to be outdoors and enjoying some grill time.

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather So happy to see all of you today! Our hearts and prayers go out to our neighbors in South Texas and Oklahoma who have lost their homes in the floods and others who lost their homes in tornado's. Thanks to all of you for asking about us to make sure we were ok, that touches my heart to know that so many of you care so much, you'al are precious to me! We are doing really well and although we have had high water, none has come into our house and it recedes into the lake really fast. I know that you have brought some really good food for this table today so lets get this party started, I am hungry!

We have had several weather related disasters in our area lately that have left people in need of assistance to move on with their life. I was recently ask to provide a casserole for a work team that were helping some folks clear an area of debris from a homeowners site. I didn't have a lot of notice to prepare a dish and I wanted to make something that would be hot and filling on a cool rainy day. This Cheese Burger and Fries Casserole was a perfect dish to take for the team and I brought the dish home empty. It is a delicious casserole that we will be enjoying for a long time to come and I was so happy to be able to help in some small way. I promised several on the team that I would share the recipe, so I am sharing it with all of you as well, enjoy!

We recently attended the High School graduation for our Granddaughter Stephanie.  In the opening ceremonies the Superintendent of Schools recognized all the  military families both past and present that had a  graduate. Stephanie's Dad, our son and his wife both active duty military members and many others in our group stood up. As I looked around the arena, I noticed that at least a good 50 percent of the people were standing.  There were some that were standing that evening whose loved one did not return from their duty assignment, they gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.  It is their loved one's sacrifice that had made it possible for us to be standing there together celebrating a graduation in a free country, where a young girl can receive an education without fear. From Psalms 91: 1-4 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress My God in whom I trust For

Coming to you today from Rain Soaked Texas with not a dry day in sight, yes folks it is still raining. We are having the 10th wettest season in the last 117 years, since they started recording the weather.  We are making our picnic plans for the weekend and hoping to be under the canopy and if it gets to wet we will bring it inside. This is usually a big weekend here at the lake with the opening of the pools and the fishing docks. We are expecting house guest this weekend and looking forward to planning the food for all the events. Most of our Meal Plan for this week can be an outdoor or indoor meal.

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather Bringing you greetings from rain soaked Texas today, and yes it is still raining. I am sure glad to see all of you and hope that you are having a wonderful week with awesome food to share with us today. Lots of picnic planning for the upcoming weekend and looking forward to spending time with friends and family.  I am sharing a great Picnic Collection of 15 Recipes today and sure hope you will enjoy it. Stay Safe This Weekend!

Picnic season is here and we can't wait to get outdoors and enjoy the wonderful late spring and summer. We have a several picnic events throughout the season and each one usually has the most wonderful food, and after all the food is the star of the day. Sometimes the picnics are potluck and sometimes we furnish all the food, but whatever the event we always love the picnic's. This is a collection of some of the picnic that we enjoy throughout the season.

This is one of my Grandson's favorite cakes. He always ask for this cake when he is coming to visit. This is a great cake to serve for any event and is perfect for cover dish dinners or luncheons. Strawberry Cream Cake is just that, a creamy whipped cream topping with a layer of pudding followed by a strawberry soaked cake, it is so good, no wonder it is a favorite with this family. Strawberry Cream Cake

Menu planning in the spring requires a lot of weather watching especially in Texas. I am planning a cookout for the weekend but that totally depends on the weather, the rain check will take it in the house. Grilling season is here and May is National Burger Month, we are more than ready to get started on the season. We are having a community fish fry this week and the guys are starting to bring in the fish, can't wait for this one. It's going to be a yummy week at the cottage.

The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather At Full Plate Thursday We are having a very exciting week here at the cottage this week and I am so excited that you could stop by and help us celebrate. This is graduation time for many families and there is always lots of great food at the parties and receptions that precede or follow these special events. We are so excited to congratulate of Granddaughter Stephanie who will be graduating this week. There will be a lovely reception for her family and friends following her graduation with lots of wonderful food. I can't wait to see what you are bringing to share with us today, and congratulations to all of your graduates!

We have been looking for special Ice Cream treats since we can't have the Blue Bell anymore. Peanut Butter cookies are one of our favorites and why not just make a little Ice Cream Sandwich combining our favorite cookie with Ice Cream. I have been making something special for my Tuesday Night Study Group so I am surprising them with these Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Bites. Of course I tried a couple and they are great, sure hope you enjoy them!

May is National Burger Month and I have found a fantastic Burger to enjoy. Grilling season is here at last!  This Pineapple Burger has great flavor with melted cheese,  a grilled pineapple ring and avocado slices on a toasted bun with a spicy Sriracha Sauce.  I found this recipe about a month ago and could hardly wait to try the burger and it was sure worth the wait.

Happy Mothers Day To All The Wonderful Mothers We have the nicest luncheon in our community for Mothers that I always look forward to. There are always the most delicious salads every year at the luncheon. We also have a very special Granddaughter graduating from High School this coming weekend. It is always fun to make a meal plan for such a busy week. Our Asparagus has been beautiful this season with all the rain we have had so I really want to plan a special dish for the Asparagus.

Full Plate Thursday Where The Greatest Cooks On The Planet Gather Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and Welcome May! We have a great start to May with two holidays this week, we just celebrated Cinco de Mayo and we have Mothers Day coming up on this coming Sunday.We have so many wonderful features from last week to share today and I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us this week. I am sharing my Mothers Day Salad Luncheon Collection and wishing each of you a very Happy Mothers Day!

Sometimes I look for a different side dish that will complement the meal. We have this awesome side dish that will be a great addition to any meal. The Mexican Potato Casserole is easy to put together and can be served for a family dinner or a covered dish event. This casserole has a great Mexican flavor and the next day it is even better, that is if you ever have any left overs.

When I was a young woman, we would honor our Mothers by wearing a lovely corsage to church on Mothers Day. If your Mother was living you wore a red corsage and if she had passed you would wear a white corsage. One of the ladies in the community would have a Mothers Day Salad Luncheon and our church always hosted a Mother Daughter Luncheon with lots of wonderful salads. Those are some of the wonderful memories of amazing ladies who influenced my life, and I am so grateful that God put them in my life. If we were having a Mothers Day Salad Luncheon today, these might be some of the salads that we would find on the serving table.

Welcome May! What a great week to kick off the month of May with Cinco de Mayo. We always celebrate Cinco de Mayo here at the cottage with friends and family and it is an event that we all look forward to every year.In addition to the holiday we are enjoying lots of spring fruits and vegetables. It is so much fun to do a menu plan with food that is so full of flavor. Lets get started on this plan.