I am so happy to welcome you to Full Plate Thursday today, reminding us how important a community is. Just knowing that your community is there for you in the good and bad times. In times of great need we often times turn to our faith and food for comfort. As I write this post so many folks on our Gulf Coast have lost everything they have in Hurricane Harvey and others have lost it all in the flood waters in and around the Houston area. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our fellow Texans struggling with this horrible tragedy today and for a very long journey to recovery in the future.

Oatmeal, toffee and something crispy all rolled into one great cookie. This cookie recipe is one of my favorites because I love the toffee with the oatmeal and of course I like the crispy crunch of the bits in the cookie. These cookies will be a very special treat for Tea Time On Tuesday or for a special after school treat.

We have had an abundant tomato harvest this year. We had really good rains and the temperatures never got that hot for long periods this year and thus we had a flavorful tomato with good production. When canning season begins, I start look for different recipes to use in preserving the flavors of summer. One of the new recipes that I used this year is Tomato Basil Jam and it is delicious. I have tested this one on family and friends and it has a big stamp of approval.

As I begin to write this post we are preparing for Hurricane Harvey which is coming to our gulf coast in less than 24 hours. We are far enough inland that we will only be getting lots of rain and maybe some high winds or tornado's. Right now the weather service says that it will be a category 4 hurricane, with a possible 35 inches of rain. Keeping the weather in mind, I will be making some  meal plans this week that will be very comforting during the storm. I always take the weather into consideration when planning meals, I sure don't want to plan a cookout if it will be pouring down rain. If you are along the coast this weekend, may God be with you, and stay safe.

I hope that all of you had a chance to enjoy the Solar Eclipse on Monday, it was awesome from where we were here at the cottage. We are wrapping up summer here, although the temperatures would never let you think that. I can see that you are beginning to share more of your end of summer canning products, back to school menu ideas, and great fall dishes that will be going on our tables. I always look forward to your outstanding recipes that truly are the best on the internet! Lets see what you have brought to share with us today and get this party started and be sure and check out a bonus week of THE TOP TEN!

Labor Day Weekend is a big weekend in our lakeside community. The last official weekend of the summer season for water sports. For a number of years we have enjoyed co-hosting a Labor Day Picnic for friends and family. We are looking forward to our annual gathering and we are giving you a little peak of the menu for the day. All the recipes are from Miz Helen's Kitchen and are proven picnic winners!

We love meatloaf but don't always have the time to prepare the recipe right at dinner time. This recipe allows us to have that awesome meatloaf on a very busy day and when you walk in the door you can smell the wonderful flavors of the meatloaf that await you. Just take it out of the slow cooker, place it on the platter with a little garnish and it is ready to serve.This is a great recipe that has the old fashioned flavor of being baked in the oven.

School has started here in our area, and there is always a certain energy that comes with the starting of school. The little communities are filled with back to school signs and there is talk of the first football game. When we make our meal plans we will be looking at some of the school activities that we attend along with community events that happen this time of the year. Meal planning allows us to have more time and money to enjoy other things in life. We can do our marketing and know exactly what we need for that week and not spend money unnecessarily on food that we didn't plan on, plus we don't have to go to the market everyday wondering up and down the isle trying to make a decision about what to make for dinner. Now is a great time to get organized for the upcoming year by planning your meals.

Oh my goodness, what a busy week for some of you, school starting and getting back into that routine. It was pouring down rain here today on the first day of school and I felt for all the Mom's and Teachers with no outdoor time today. We have some awesome features from last week so be sure and stop by these great blogs to take a look at these delicious recipes. We are sure looking forward to seeing what you are sharing with us today.

We are 120 mile round trip to the nearest restaurant where we can get great lettuce wraps and I love lettuce wraps. The next best thing for me to take care of my desire for lettuce wraps is to make my own. There are so many inspirations on the web, and they are all very similar. My recipe is really not that different, I am just happy that we finally have a great recipe that our family loves. So now when we get that craving for those awesome lettuce wraps, I head to the kitchen and get busy.

Sometimes I just have to have a gooey chocolate something and today this Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake is just the thing. This is a real easy cake recipe and is packed full of flavor with a frosting that puts the delicious topping on this cake. This is one of those cakes that even when the last slice is gone, (and it goes fast here at the cottage) you still wish there was just one on slice. This has been very popular at the covered dish dinners that I have brought it to and our family loves this one.

We have actually had some really nice rains this past week and for August that is very unusual here in our part of Texas. Some of our schools are starting this coming week so fall is right around the corner. In making my meal plan this week, we will be looking in the freezer, and the pantry to make sure that we are using the products on hand before we start making plans for the fall. Along about the middle of August we begin to make that slow transition to fall. If you are thinking about meal planning as a part of organizing your school year, this is a great time to start.

It is August and it's actually raining here, what a nice surprise. Some of the old timers say it will be an early fall, I love all the signs of nature that let us know change is coming. We have some great features from last weeks party that you will sure want to check out. It is "Back To School" time so we have a special Kids Corner Feature. Every week we try some of the awesome recipes that you bring to share with us. You can always find the recipes that we try on our post "Whats For Dinner Next Week" that post every Saturday Morning. I am excited to start the party and see what you will be sharing this week!

Grilled corn is good the year round and can be grilled indoors or out, but it is especially good in the summer. There is something very special about bringing the corn from the field or garden to the grill, it is so sweet and delicious. We enjoy different seasons on our corn but one of our favorites is dill butter. Today we are grilling some corn that will be finished out with delicious dill butter and the dill comes right out of our herb garden, it doesn't get any fresher than this.

There is nothing like a nice basket of ripe tomatoes to inspire a new recipe. We sometimes use our green tomatoes to make a green tomato pie, but these ripe tomatoes have inspired me to make this Mexican Tomato Pie. I was torn between Italian or Mexican, but I remembered that I just made  Italian Scalloped Tomatoes  , so today we are having a Mexican dish. We love the way this recipe turned out, we will be making it again and again!

We have had a great harvest in our garden this season and we are busy canning and preserving the wonderful vegetables. I always say the best part of the canning and preserving process is opening that delicious jar of vegetables when the snow is on the ground. Making a meal plan will help me save time when my kitchen is so busy and saves time at the market knowing just exactly what I need to complete my meals for the week.  I encourage you to make a meal plan, to save you time and your family money.

It is time to bring your awesome recipes to the screen porch, get a nice glass of ice cold tea and sit under the fan with us, it's August in Texas! We are rounding out our garden for the season and starting some of the end of season canning projects, be sure and look for our Preserving and Canning Features. Some folks are already getting ready for back to school days and others are on their vacations right before this summer comes to an end. We have a special Kids Corner Features, that gives lots of great ideas for back to school. I sure am looking forward to seeing what you will be sharing with us today, lets get this party started!

What's In Season and How Do I Use It? August in Texas is hot and sometimes dry. Often times our gardens really suffer from the heat, but there are some vegetables that continue to produce during this time. This year we have been blessed with more rain so our gardens are doing very well and the farmers markets are packed out with wonderful selections of fruits and vegetables. We are still getting some of the all time summer producers, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons. We do have some great vegetables that are in season for the month of August.