October is a wonderful fall month with lots of fun festivals and delicious food. I will be moving forward with my meal plans taking my meals more toward warm and cozy foods that say fall. I love driving by the farmers markets this time of the year with all the fall colors of apples, winter squashes and pumpkins. I am a seasonal cook and I think that comes from the fact that all of my family came from rural america where they ate what they raised on their farms. Now is a really great time to start planning your meals as it will sure give you more time and money.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday on this beautiful fall morning. We have our Top Ten Features from last weeks party for the last party of the month, that is always a fun reveal.  I have said for years that the greatest cooks on the planet gather here on Thursday's and that is so true, I always look forward to the fabulous dishes that you share with us every week. Whats New At Full Plate Thursday We love all of your awesome recipes on our table here at the party. In addition we really enjoy reading about the latest news and trends for food related post. When we get all this wonderful food prepared we have to put it on the table. The table setting and decor can enhance any meal and make us all feel very special to sit down at a beautiful table setting.  We will adding featured categories for  Food Related Topics and Table Decor. I can hardly wait to see more of your amazing creativity!

I love this Apple Fluff Salad, it has some of my favorite flavors all mixed together. The apple gives a little crunch that makes a great contrast with the soft salad. I have often thought that a fluff salad is really a dessert, but we will eat it as dessert or a nice side for a meal. Many Thanks to my neighbor, the apples that I am using today were given to me by my neighbor. The apples came from their awesome apple trees.

When I was making this recipe the other day, I was remembering that back in the 50's and 60's we would have called this a "One Dish Dinner", and today we call it a One Pot Meal. We just added a great Green Tossed Salad with some Garlic Bread and it was awesome.  This recipe has wonderful southern flavors and goes together really fast so you can get it on the table for a hungry family.  I think it was even better the next day, it is really one of those recipes that you will want to make over and over.

Fall is officially here and we are beginning to really enjoy some of the fall days. It is hard to believe that with all the rain that we have had we are currently under a burn ban so no fires in the fire pit just now. That means no S'mores after the game on Friday night. I really enjoy planning a fall menu and looking for a way to enjoy those warm cozy spices of the season.

I am so glad to see you at the party this week. Fall is definitely here with the first official day of fall tomorrow. We had so many wonderful fall recipes at our party last week, be sure and stop by to visit these awesome blogs and pick up some new recipes to put on your table. Whats New At Full Plate Thursday We love all of your awesome recipes on our table here at the party. In addition we really enjoy reading about the latest news and trends for food related post. When we get all this wonderful food prepared we have to put it on the table. The table setting and decor can enhance any meal and make us all feel very special to sit down at a beautiful table setting. We will adding featured categories for  Food Related Topics and Table Decor. I can hardly wait to see more of your amazing creativity!

One of our favorite sides for a grilled steak is a great baked potato piled high with sour cream, cheese and chopped green onions. I decided to create a whole new potato side and this one is delicious. The potatoes are covered in a cheesy crust that has just the right seasons. They are crusty on the outside and soft and full of flavor on the inside. Then we are topping it with a kicked up Sour Cream Sauce. We love this new potato side and will be serving it many times in the future.

I like to have a very special one pot meal that we can enjoy as a family and when we have guest. This recipe for Maple Pork Loin Roast has a fabulous flavor and the apples and vegetables just complete the maple flavor. I made a gravy from the cooking liquid that is almost like a creamy dessert, just delicious. We loved the recipe and I sure hope that you and your family will enjoy it!

We are having a beautiful week here at the cottage. I have been collecting dried Zinnia's for next years flowers, we love our Zinnia's. I am working on my screen porch today, watching the birds, little squirrels and making my meal plan for the next week. I recently did the pantry and freezer inventory for fall, so I know what I have on hand. We also just recently went on our monthly shopping trip for basic staple replacement. All this preparation makes it much easier to make my meal plans and the meal plans save me time and money. We are getting into the busy fall season when our meal plans really pay off in saving time.

Come on back to the back patio, it is a beautiful Indian Summer day here and perfect to set on the patio and visit with friends. We have the food tables set up so leave your wonderful dishes on the table and we will get started soon. We really enjoy the different areas of our property this time of the year, the temperature is so pleasant. We have some great features from last weeks party so be sure and stop by these blogs to pick up their awesome recipes and ideas. I sure am glad that you are here today I always look forward to this party every week!

We love Snickerdoodles here at the cottage, it is one of the more popular cookies with our family. I have been working on this cupcake recipe and have developed it around our love for the Snickerdoodle cookies. The cupcakes have the wonderful flavor of a Snickerdoodle with little bites of apple, then topped with a rich caramel frosting. These cupcakes will be a favorite here! I had a very interesting experience getting these special cupcakes to this point. You will have to read the little story about the "Cupcake Journey".

Our family favorite Tex Mex Hash is such an easy recipe and goes together in just minutes. This is one of those dishes that you can put together for your family or a group, it is pure Tex Mex comfort. There are busy times when we need a recipe that is filled with flavor and goes together fast. Then, there are also times when our family gathers around the table and we are so grateful to be together and to enjoy a simple dish of comfort in the fellowship of family.

As I am writing this post, we are being told that one of the largest hurricane's in our history is about to hit Florida. There are horrible fires in California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Earthquakes in Mexico. So many folks in need of our thoughts and prayers. We are having a great week here at the cottage, it has been cooler and we love being outdoors and enjoying the beginning of the nice fall temperatures to come. I have spent some time this week taking inventory of my pantry, freezer and cold bins in order to make are stocking list for the fall months. Knowing exactly what I have in stock helps me when making meal plans. I hope that you are getting back into the swing of making your meal plans to save time and money.

Welcome to our first party of September, did you think it got here fast and where has all the summer gone? Last week I saw pumpkin and apples showing up in recipes so I know that fall is just around the corner. We have awesome features this week that you help me choose with you page views, I sure hope you will stop by and pick up these delicious recipes, from The Greatest Cooks On The Planet!

I can remember having this casserole at family dinners when I was in High School (long many years ago). As a young homemaker I recall writing the recipe down from one of my Aunt's recipe cards. The instructions were not very specific and left a lot of room to be creative. Though the years all of our family cooks have changed the recipe somewhat, but this is the favorite one here at the cottage. Sometimes when we are having a family dinner, someone will say, oh make the Chicken and Rice, everyone knows what it is, just pure comfort.

September in our part of Texas is very much like the last part of summer. Our gardens are coming to an end and the farmers markets are running out of certain products. Our Herb Gardens are fully matured and we begin to gather the herbs that are to be dried. Our kitchen is in full canning and preserving mode, making sure that our pantry is full of the wonderful harvest of the season. We look to our harvest and canning to get us through the winter months with canned vegetables that are a staple here at the cottage.

Welcome September What a week we had here in Texas. Many thanks to all of you for your continued thoughts and prayers as we begin recovery in our great state. We have been busy helping where we could with different recovery efforts, which makes me even more grateful for my meal plans. I have been making some comfort food for my husband as he recovers from his eye surgeries.