Welcome to the last Full Plate Thursday for 2020, I am so happy that you are able to be here to finish this year out together! What a year we had and our food patterns certainly indicate that most of us were enjoying our comfort food this past year. Many of us had very difficult challenges to overcome, loss of family and friends, loss of income, and isolation. But along the path we found a deep inter strength and determination that somehow with Gods help and the help of friends and family, just one day at a time we would overcome and we did! We became each others cheerleaders and found new bonds that will endure. I have had all of you that make up the wonderful community of Full Plate Thursday in our thoughts and prayers in the past few months, we love and appreciate you! If I could, I would be giving each of you a big victory hug today, we made it, we are all winners!

These are the top ten most popular post that you liked in 2020, and what a year it was!  2020 has been one of those years that will surely go down in history as a real struggle for our planet in so many different ways. Some have suffered great loss of family and material goods including businesses and jobs. Those of us who could, have continued trying to make life as normal as could be, but most likely will never have that kind of normal again as we have all changed in this year of 2020. I can see that most of the year we were seeking comfort with most of our food. Some of our most popular recipes this year have been comfort food and making sure that our pantries were stocked when so many super market shelves were empty. Thanks so much for being here during this year to support our Country Cottage Community, you are very important to us. As we close this year out, know that you are loved and that you are covered in prayer everyday!

  I tend to get a little restless post Christmas. The excitement of the holiday is over and you are left with wrapping paper scraps, too much candy, and anticipation for what the upcoming year has to offer. So during the weird in-between before New Years, I enjoy trying out some fun recipes that may be a bit more labor intensive than usual. These pastries are a fun thing to try, especially if you haven't worked with phyllo (filo) pastry before. You could also make these using puff pastry or pre-made phyllo cups, just adjust your baking temp and time to the directions on the package. 

Here we are at the end of another year, but this hasn't been just any year. It has been a very hard year for so many folks all over the world. It is a real challenge to make meal plans sometimes when there is so much sickness and the food products have been limited sometimes with empty shelves in the market. We feel very blessed here at the cottage, we keep a stocked pantry and freezer, we grow a lot of our own food, so we did not have the challenge's that so many had. My husband did contract the virus and was sick for the entire month of July, then recovering for the month of August. I have just kept putting our traditional meals on the table, sometimes cutting recipes in half because it has been just the two of us most of the time. We shall be forever grateful that we are finishing this year together and in good health. We are very grateful that you are here today and that you have made it to this point along with us!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday Christmas Edition, it is so exciting to see you here today to enjoy some of the Christmas season together. We have been sharing some fantastic recipes all month and today we are featuring our Top Ten Post from last weeks party. I know that you are most likely very busy today with your own Christmas plans and we sure do thank you for stopping by to share your recipe, table decor or food related post with us. It is very quiet here at the cottage this year because of the virus concerns that our entire world has been under since the beginning of the year. My husband and I are so very grateful that we are able to be healthy and together during this very spiritual season for us, and we are grateful for each one of you!

  We often times have small gatherings in our home for friends, church groups and other functions. These Crab Mini Tarts give us an appetizer that can be prepared ahead of time, baked and served at the time of the gathering, you can serve them hot out of the oven or at room temperature. The filling for the tarts can easily be served with crackers or used as a dip. The crab filling is very versatile recipe limited only by your own creativity. 

  We really enjoy a brunch menu on weekends and special holidays, this Pecan Coffee Cake With Bacon is a great recipe for our brunch. The coffee cake is so moist with great seasons, then topped with a crunchy mix of pecans and bacon, oh my goodness this is delicious! I even served it to my husband and a couple of his friends who had gathered at the cottage for coffee, they loved it!

  Christmas week is here, we always look forward to this week every year, although this year will be very different. I love making the meal plans for this week with some of our traditional foods for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This year I will be cutting the recipes in half because it will be only my husband and me, we will be visiting with friends and family via face times, and zoom's. We are so grateful that we can be together and for the good health that we have today. Thanks so much for being a part of our Country Cottage family, and sharing your family meal plans with us!

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and a great party! We are so excited to see you today and I have some of my  Retro Holiday Punch in the Slow Cooker, so come on in and help yourself to a cup of cheer. We have some outstanding features today that I am sure you will want to take a look at and get to know some of these talented bloggers. Don't you just love this time of the year with all the amazing recipes that we get to try. I am looking forward to seeing you at the party today and can't wait to see what you are sharing today. Thanks so much for coming to the party!

  When I got this recipe, I thought it was a very unusual pecan pie recipe. It  reminded me of some of the recipes that had come out of the depression years. I knew right away that I would have to try the recipe. A few years ago, Cece, my friend of over 30 years, moved to a lovely area named Pecan Plantation. Every year she has so many pecans that she is kind enough to share with me. This year she sent me some pecans along with a recipe she wanted me to try. She has given me permission to share it with all of you. I added to the recipe in a couple of places and dressed it up a little, this pie is so easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! 

  WARNING: This is a long one so if you are just looking for hot chocolate feel free to scroll to the bottom!  I never really looked forward to Thanksgiving very much when I was younger, but what I did look forward to were the days shortly following. My mom always made decorating for Christmas into a special day all its own. We would open all the boxes and reminisce about each treasured decoration. Christmas music would play in the background while my mom laid out some yummy things to munch on as we decorated. I have carried on this tradition with my own family, but instead of snacks we have a special hot chocolate. I am excited to share this recipe with you today, and hope you enjoyed decorating your own tree!  This year we got to attend a 'trees for heroes' event put on by the USO. We went to a local German tree farm and cut down our own tree, then enjoyed some kinderpunsch (spiced cider) and crepes. We also made some homemade ornaments this year. I have included some directi

Only 12 more days til Christmas, and so much good food to enjoy. We have been busy trying to have a normal Christmas season, but it really isn't normal. We have finished our decorating and now I am working on greeting cards. Maybe I will have those in the mail this weekend. Meal planning is so much fun right now with so many wonderful recipes to try and of course I have to have some of our favorites along the way. The weather man has just said that we may actually get a few flakes of snow this weekend, so we will be getting that hot chocolate ready that is for sure!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, it is very cold here so hurry in the cottage and get you a spot by the fire. I am serving some hot spiced tea so get a cup and that will really warm you up. We had some awesome recipe features last week and get suggestions for holiday gifts from our kitchen. I am sure excited to see you here today and can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us this week. Many thanks for sharing your links at this party which help to  make it one of the best!

I really love a sheet pan recipe for serving a crowd or just for one or two and freezing the remainder in individual freezer bags. This is a great recipe for doing all of those, not to mention it is delicious. It has some of my favorites, sweet potatoes, bacon and spinach along with some other delicious seasons. I recently made this recipe for my husband and I then bagged the remainder in freezer bags and placed them into the freezer. Now these special quiche are ready for us to grab and go. This is a flavorful recipe that we really enjoy!

  We love giving homemade gifts to our family and friends all year round, but we especially enjoy it at Christmas time. This year our giving pattern will be different, because we won't be able to see so many folks in person. Some of our gifts will be mailed and some will be left on front porches, but we will still have the joy of giving to those we love and share our life with in our family and friends in our community. We grow a large garden in the warmer months and we preserve a big part of that harvest every year, then that becomes one of the special gifts that we like to share with family and friends. I love to bake something for a special party or place a jar of jelly into a gift basket. The gifts that I give every year are made with and filled with love. When I give or receive a homemade gift I know just how much love has gone into that gift. I wish that it was possible to share a gift from this collection with each of you, but know that it is in my heart and I am passing alo

It is so cold here, we are down in the 20's and for us that is really cold. I will sure be looking for some meal plans that will be warm and cozy. We have started the Christmas decorating project here at the cottage and it is so much fun. It takes us a few days to complete the project, when the space is so small every inch becomes important. I am putting my husbands favorite pork roast on the plan this week, he will love it. I just need to make that decision about the desserts, this time of the year there are so many goodies to choose from.

Welcome To Full Plate Thursday and the wonderful month December! I love the festive foods, festivals tablescapes, and timeless traditions of December. My husband and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the cottage just the two of us. We have some great features from the party last week, sure hope that you will stop by and say  hello to them. Thanks so much for coming to the party today, I can't wait to see what you will be sharing!

Welcome To The 3nd Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange  We have had a very unusual year and what better way to lift our spirits than to share Christmas and Hanukkah  cookies with our friends.   At the end of the party I hope we have some fabulous cookie recipes to take home that we can enjoy for years to come! Thanks so much for bringing your cookie recipes to share with us, we will cherish the love that has gone into everyone of your recipes!

 I am very excited to be sharing my first recipe here at Miz Helen's Cottage! My name is Lauren, and I am Miz Helen's granddaughter. I am a mother to an 8 year-old girl, Air Force spouse, and special education teacher. I enjoy cooking and baking, but am still learning! I like my recipes to be easy and fun with minimal ingredients and minimal dirty dishes. I am looking forward to sharing with you all. 

I am so excited for you to meet a new contributor to Miz Helen's Country Cottage. Please let me introduce you to our Granddaughter Lauren. Lauren is a military wife, Mom to our Ella June, special education teacher, Girl Scout Leader, loving daughter, sister, and friend to many. Lauren currently lives in Germany and is enjoying the different cultures of that country. She loves to cook, and explore different cultures. Lauren will be giving us some fun post from her home and life in Germany. She is a hiker and takes the most beautiful photos. I hope you will join me in welcoming Lauren to the cottage, we will all look forward to your first post Lauren!

We had a great Thanksgiving here at the cottage for just the two of us. We had a lot of fun cooking together and then enjoyed a lazy day, watched something called a football game but really didn't look to much like one that we had seen before, watched some great Hallmark movies. Although we missed having our family and friends here with us, it was a special day with just the two of us. Now we are looking at a few left overs for our meal plan, not alot, but a few. What are you doing with your left overs this week. I will have to have one special meal of Mexican food which I always want after Thanksgiving. 

Welcome to our Thanksgiving Edition of Full Plate Thursday! I know that all of you will be very busy with your Thanksgiving preparation on Wednesday, and Thursday I hope you are able to enjoy Thanksgiving day, with just the 2 of you or a small group of family and friends. We are featuring our Top Ten Post with the most page views from last weeks party, they are great post that you will sure want to visit. I am looking forward to see what you are sharing for the party today as we will soon be looking at Christmas and New Years post,  Many Thanks To Each Of You For Coming Here Each Week To Share Our Journey  On Full Plate Thursday! Wishing You A Bountiful Thanksgiving You Are Loved! Miz Helen

  Pears and Pecans are in season here and the farmers market had some really nice pears, and the pecans were on sale. I made this awesome Pear-Pecan Skillet Cake and it was delicious! This is an easy recipe to make, with a very flavorful crumb with special seasons and the pears and pecans nestled in the cake, oh my goodness it is so good. I love this recipe and have served it as brunch dish and a dessert with or without whipped cream. One thing for sure no matter how or when we served the cake, we rarely had much left.

  Here we are going into the week of Thanksgiving and it is so different this year. We will not be having any friends or family here this year. It will just be my husband and me so we are making a plan for two. We usually have company by now, but the cottage is very quiet this year. I am having fun making this plan for a traditional Thanksgiving just for two. We have so many things to be thankful for this year, we will be writing down our blessings for the blessings jar and the list will be long. All of you will be counted among my many blessings, many thanks to all of you for being a part of our journey here at the cottage.

Welcome To Full Plate Thursday and just one week to Thanksgiving! We will be featuring some special suggestions for Thanksgiving from some really great bloggers at the party today. We are going to enjoy our party by the fire pit today, it is one of those beautiful fall days where the air is crisp and the trees are letting go of there leaves. We are so excited to see all of you today and can't wait to see your special holiday goodies that you will be bringing to the party! We Are Bringing Back  The Holiday Cookie Exchange Hope You Will Join Us!

  Retro Turkey Cranberry Salad is a traditional left over turkey recipe that has been passed down in our family. This is a delicious salad that has changed a little through the years, but it is still the same original flavors that our family came to love. The salad has wonderful bite size pieces of roasted turkey, crunchy vegetables along with dried fruit and a spicy blend of spice. The salad is then mixed with a creamy dressing that sets this salad apart from others. It is easy for me to see why this recipe has been a favorite for the left- over turkey!

Cream of Turkey Vegetable Soup was developed one year on the day after Thanksgiving some years back. The recipe turned out to be such a hit with our family it is served here at the cottage year round. This soup recipe is loaded with vegetables and some left over roasted turkey in a delicate creamy soup. There are never any left overs of this soup, it is delicious!

 Only 11 more days to thanksgiving 2020, time to start checking the pantry and freezer to make sure we have everything on hand that we will need. I always try to buy ahead of time whenever possible. I am off to a new orchard today to get some pears, apples and pecans, if they have any left, we will see what I can put on the meal plan this week with fresh fruits of the season. I got a really nice basket of collards from the garden today, they are going to be so delicious and will be putting those on the meal plan for this week. 

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday,510 we are so happy to see you here today! Fall is in full swing here with the most beautiful colors this year and the weather has allowed us to get out and really enjoy country paths and roads. Many times when we are exploring we will find a new farmers market or fruit orchard that just calls our name to create a new recipe. We have some awesome features that you helped to pick out last week and I hope that you will stop by these talented bloggers and say hello! I really can't wait to see what you will be bringing today to the party, I always look forward to seeing you and many thanks for coming! Reminder Only 15 Days To Thanksgiving! I Have Been A Military Mom For 44 Years  and now A Military Grandma (Nana) To All Of Our Veterans and Their Families Thank You For All Of Your Sacrifices To Help Us Keep Our Freedom! A Special Thank You To Our Veteran Children  and  Active Duty Grandchildren For All Of Your Over 40 Years Of Service!

My Mother was a fruit cake lover as I think many in that generation were and every time I make this Fruity Pumpkin Bread recipe, I think of her. Isn't it nice to be making a recipe and have a lovely memory of family and that smile comes on your face and into your heart. This is a delicious bread with wonderful dried fruit and nuts, very moist and perfect for dessert or afternoon tea.

  It is a great time in the country right now, the trees are showing off their beautiful colors. There is a certain peace that comes with fall, it is great to take a walk along a country path and just enjoy what God has created for us. I am excited to use some of the recipes that I have picked for this weeks meal plan, the flavors of fall are sure calling my name.

I am excited that November has arrived and welcome to Full Plate Thursday,509! It is really good to see all of you here today and get November started. November is full of delicious food as we prepare for our thanksgiving meal plans. Preparing our festive tablescapes, and special recipes, it is all about the traditions and memories. We may all be celebrating in a different way this year by downsizing our numbers around the table, but we can still have some really amazing food, which I can't wait to see you share at the party today!

Our Retro Ambrosia Salad is a fall back on a southern salad that was very popular during the 1950's. I remember my Mother her sisters and friends always serving Ambrosia Salad at just about every special dinner, pot luck or event. I always wondered why they called it a salad, because to me it was a dessert. It is still like dessert to me and I just love it! This recipe has lots of wonderful fruit with a delicious dressing that puts it over the top for me. If you want to come home with an empty bowl from the pot luck, carry this salad, everyone always loves it!

This delicious Roasted Turkey Breast with Fruit Sauce is a perfect choice for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. We won't be having the large family gatherings that we usually have so we are definitely downsizing the meal plan for this traditional dinner. This turkey breast is so moist and filled with bold flavors and a delightful fruit sauce. I am serving it with these  Roasted Spicy Sweet Potatoes  and our family favorite  Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing . I can't wait to enjoy this on Thanksgiving day or any occasion throughout the year!

Here we are in November, my goodness the time has gone somewhere really fast. I love planning meal plans this time of the year when we have so many traditional foods and meals that we look forward to. We will miss the fall festivals this year and the excitement of the season. We will remember that this is the month of gratitude and to be thankful for all we have been given and we are. My husband and I are so grateful that he recovered from the Covid 19 Virus without complications and that we have been given the wonderful life we have today. I am grateful for each of you that come to the cottage each week to share meal plans with us.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and our Top Ten Features week! We have our fall decorations out everywhere inside and out, but we are not expecting little ghost and goblins this year because of the virus. Most of our churches are not even doing the usual trunk or treat. We have lots of treats for all of you today and can't wait to see what special treats all of you will be bringing to share with us today. Thanks so much for coming to the party today, you 'al are the greatest!

  Our family loves to get in the kitchen on weekends and make pancakes or waffles. My husband is a great pancake and waffles master chef and is in the kitchen having fun with me today. Our Pumpkin Waffles recipe is just delicious and we love to top them off with blueberries and syrup. Sometimes we will add some bacon or sausage on the side and what a meal, it is amazing! Our recipe is filled with just the right amount of spice with a wonderful pumpkin flavor.

Our Crumble Top Sweet Potato Bread is one of our favorite ways to use the sweet potatoes that come out of our garden. We are having a big sweet potato harvest this year so I have been making this awesome recipe and even freezing extra loaves to have on hand. This bread has a combination of great spices that compliment the sweet potatoes, then we topped the bread with nutty crumble topping. This is a great bread for brunch, dessert or a special treat, and we make a great gift!

  We are going to enjoy some great fall meals this coming week, makes me hungry to think about all the recipes.  We are so excited here at the cottage, the construction on the floors were finished today, my kitchen will soon be back to normal again and I love the new floors. We are starting to see pumpkins and sweet potatoes on every corner with the farmers bringing their harvest into the village to sale. Fall is wonderful here with the most delicious food and beautiful colors.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, we are so excited to see all of you at the party today. Last week we had so many wonderful post, we truly do have some of the best cooks on the planet that come to this party. We are having a true Texas fall, last week we enjoyed a little fire in the patio fireplace to keep us cozy and this week we are looking for a fan because summer has returned. I can't wait to see what you will be bringing to share with us today, it's going to be a great party!

We love sweet potatoes here at the cottage and our Roasted Spicy Sweet Potatoes are a favorite. We live in a rural area that produces a lot of sweet potatoes and during harvest time they are plentiful, fresh and delicious. We grow sweet potatoes here in our vegetable garden and these potatoes came right out of the garden. They are seasoned with a delicious spice mix and then roasted, until tender on the inside and just roasted on the outside. These sweet potatoes will be a great side dish for any meal and I have even used these potatoes in a soup and a casserole. I like to make a pan of this recipe and freeze them for stews, soups, and casseroles, this is a very versatile recipe. 

Slow Cooker Spicy Orange Pork Loin has the best flavor and is so moist and melts in your mouth. This is the best recipe for pork loin that I have had in a very long time. The seasons for this recipe is a spicy combination of sweet heat and one that we just love here at the cottage. As the pork loin slowly cooks it produces a wonderful sauce that is used to cover the pork loin right before serving. This will be a very special pork loin to serve for any special occasion or a casual get together for friends and family. 

Good Morning everyone, I was going to sit on the screen porch to make this meal plan, but I am staying in this morning it is a little more than sweater weather. Fall has truly arrived and I am excited about a fun week here at the cottage.