I posted my first Top Ten Recipes in 2011, and have published one every year since. The Top Ten Recipes Post is one of my favorite's at the end of the year. The post gives me a great look at what my special readers have loved the most throughout the year. We really struggled with a drought in our garden this year, but I am including one of our garden post for you to look back on with us. We did manage to can over 300 jars of food from our gardens this year. When I looked at your most favorite recipes for the year, it made me hungry and I agree with many of your choices. I want to thank each one of you for all the support that you give us though the year and many of you throughout the years.

Welcome to the last meal plans for 2023, and the first meal plans for 2024! Here it is a brand-new year about to begin. When I was making our meal plans for this week, I just glanced back at our year and really wondered where in the world did the time go? We have had a great year here at the cottage and we are sure hoping to carry that right into 2024! We are going to be serving a very traditional meal for our New Years Day meal, that our family looks forward to having every year. Of course, some of the items on the plan will directly relate to our good luck in the New Year. My Mother used to call me and remind me to be sure and eat my Black-Eyed Peas and Collards on New Years Day. I have to say that I do the same thing as she did. So don't forget to eat your Good Luck food on New Years Day!

  Welcome to our last Full Plate Thursday for 2023! I am so excited to see you today and share this party with all of you. Many thanks to each one of you for coming to our parties throughout the years and being a part of the special community of bloggers that we have here. I always look forward to Thursday and seeing you come one by one from all over the world! I am looking forward to seeing all of you in 2024 as we continue to share our journey of happy cooking with each other!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you are surrounded with friends and family near and far. We have a fun and traditional meal plan for our friends and family planned for this week. We have been able to do a lot of prep work for our meals in the past few weeks so we will have more time to spend with our friends and family. I am so excited to get our celebrations started!

Hello everyone and welcome to our Christmas Edition for Full Plate Thursday, 673! I am so excited to see you here today with Christmas just around the corner. Come on in and enjoy a cup of  Retro Holiday Punch , we are so happy to see you today. We had an amazing party last week with so many fantastic links some of which we have featured today. Thanks so much for coming to the party today and helping us to have such a awesome blogging community! 

  This classic Southern Bacon and Cheddar Dip recipe is so simple to make and delicious. Just mix a few ingredients, refrigerate and serve. This is one of my go to dips that I love to make for a afternoon game or just a movie night. When my Great Grandson says to me that this is the same one my Mom makes, then I can tell you I have been making this dip a very long time. I sure hope you enjoy it! 

  Our Retro Sausage Balls are a holiday staple at our house. I remember when I was a very young homemaker and we were all using the Bisquick Mix for lots of different recipes and this is one of the special recipes that I used it for. This is one of those appetizer recipes that goes together really fast. The recipe can be made ahead and can be frozen for up to 3 months. The sausage balls are great served by themselves or with a special dipping sauce. One of the ways I like to serve them is with a cranberry sauce warmed in the slow cooker, this is so good!

  Hello everyone, just 7 days to Christmas! I am starting to see some daylight in my meal planning for parties, potlucks and then for the Christmas weekend. It is such a special time of the year that I want to give my very best effort to make everything a memorable occasion for friends and family. I have been stocking up in the freezer and pantry items that I know we will  be using in our meal plans and baking. I am so excited to be making this meal plan with you today.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, I am so excited to see you today! Only 10 days until Christmas. Now is the time to review the recipes that you would like to have for your big feast on Christmas Day. We had some great ideas last week and we expect yet more ideas for you to share today. I sure hope you will check out the great features that we have from last weeks links. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today. Thanks so much for being a big part of this community, come on in the cottage, we have saved a place at the table for you!

  Our Cranberry Breakfast Cake is a delicious recipe for a very special occasion. I make this recipe for a special brunch, or a holiday breakfast. It is cooked and served in a iron skillet with a special sauce on the side. Just mix it and cook it in no time, then serve it hot with the sauce. Our friends and family have always come back for seconds. I am serving this one for Christmas Brunch this year and I am so happy to share the recipe with all of you!

  Hello everyone, get a nice hot cup of chocolate and sit with me, we will put a great meal plan together for the week. I have my recipes spread out all over the table. It is hard to choose this time of the year because all the recipes look so good, (do you think I am hungry)? We have completed all of our decorating and are now starting to prep out food for the parties that we will be having. I like to put as much in the freezer as I can so I am so rushed the day of the party. I sure hope that you are doing lots of planning for your events and your weekly meal plans to save you time and money.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 671 our first party for December! Our holiday season is well underway here at the cottage. We are attending annual ornament exchanges, cookie exchanges and luncheons. We sure had a great party here last week and we are featuring some great bloggers this week, be sure and  check them out. I can't wait to see what you are sharing at the party this week. I always look forward to seeing you here on Thursday's and thanks so much for coming!

Welcome to my 10th publication of Gifts From Miz Helen's Kitchen. There is no more meaningful gift to me than one that is homemade. We are organic gardeners and we like to preserve most of our harvest every year and share it with others' along the way. We love sharing our homegrown goodness with others' at christmas along with some home baked goods. Homemade gifts are truly a labor of love. It is with great joy that I present our the gifts from our kitchen for this year!

Happy December everyone, I am so excited to sit with you today to make our meal plan for the first week in December. It is very cold and rainy today, so I am depending on my freezer and cold bin inventory from the barn, so I don't have to go out in the weather. Just one of the many advantages of keeping a running inventory of the freezer, cold bins and pantry. I have several pot luck parties to attend this week, so I will be doing some extra baking. I love this season and glad you are here to share it with me.

  Welcome to our last party of November and our Top Ten Features from last weeks party! I sure hope all of you had a great thanksgiving. We are all getting ready to move on into December with all the amazing festivities of the season. I get so excited about Christmas from the decorating to the traditional foods of the season. I am so excited to see you today at the party. Thanks so much for sharing with us, it is all of you amazing bloggers that make this party so special! Come on in and enjoy, we have saved a place at the table for you!

  I am so excited to welcome you to the 6th Annual Holiday Cookie Recipe Exchange Linky Party for 2023! I have enjoyed so many of your cookie recipes from the first 5 parties and I really treasure them. As I am making your recipes it reminds me of you and the special friendship that we enjoy in this very special blogging community. At the end of the party, we will have all shared with each other a memory and a part of ourselves that truly is a lasting gift. Thanks so much for sharing your cookie recipes with us, we cherish your cookie recipes and YOU!  I Can't Wait To Try Your Cookie Recipes, Lets Get Started!

  When the holidays come our family and friends will be gathering and sharing meals together. One of the favorite meal times we share is Brunch and I love to make a brunch casserole that can serve a lot of people and allow me to enjoy spending less time in the kitchen. This is a collection of  Brunch Casseroles that our family and friends really enjoy and I hope that you will enjoy them to.

We had an amazing Thanksgiving with so much good food. Making a meal plan after a big feast is somewhat a challenge, but we will all get hungry again. We are really having some cold weather as we are outdoors trying to finish up the outdoor Christmas decorations here at the cottage. I will be working on all the inside decorations this week, so I will try and keep the meal plans simple and filled with comfort and some of that left over turkey!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 669 Thanksgiving Edition! I am so happy to see you today especially if you are hosting Thanksgiving in your home, I know that you are busy. We are having our special edition early so that all of you will have a chance to participate either before or after the big feast. I am so grateful to each and everyone of you who come here to our wonderful blogging community every week, you are very special to me. When I sit down at the Thanksgiving table I will be counting all of you among my many blessings. Wishing you and your family a bountiful Thanksgiving!

Slow Cooker Cranberry BBQ Pulled Chicken is a perfect slow cooker recipe for holiday's, big game day's and family gatherings. This recipe is so easy and it is packed with flavor. We like to make sandwiches or if you want to pair it down, sliders are great. We like to serve it with our  Old Fashioned Coleslaw  and some extra cranberry sauce. A plus to the recipe it freezes well for up to 3 months.

Thanksgiving week is so exciting here at the cottage. I love planning the wonderful food that we will have for the feast. I have been stocking up the pantry and freezer for a few weeks now, just to make sure that we will have everything we need for the big day. I will start cooking early in the week and get as much prepared before the big day, so that I have more time to spend with friends and family.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 668 we are so happy to see you here today. Come on in and find your place at the table, we are so excited to see what you will be sharing at the party today. We had a great party last week with so many wonderful post and some of those are featured today, I sure hope you enjoy them! We have a couple of very important announcements today that you do not want to miss!

  Thanksgiving is a very special time to gather friends and family around the table and enjoy good food and fellowship. Through the years the readers of this blog have some favorite sides and salads that are the most popular for Thanksgiving. Most of these recipes are classic recipes that can be found on many a family table in this season. Some of the recipes may be new to you but have become favorites of our readers. It is my pleasure to present these to you today and I know that more than one of these recipes will sure be on my table this year.

We planted our fall and winter garden in late September. We had a very dry summer, but we did start to get some rain in mid September and decided to go ahead and plant. We had plants growing so it was a matter of getting them in the ground. We had already worked and fertilized our ground so it was all ready to go. We  are looking at a great winter garden now so we are very happy we went ahead and planted.

  A perfect day to write a meal plan for a cold rainy fall week ahead. I am all cozy next to the fire with my recipes all over the table, they all look so good. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, next week we will be publishing our Thanksgiving Feast. I am hoping to go to a winter farmers market this weekend to pick up some root vegetables that we will be using this fall and winter. I just put another log on the fire, so lets get busy with this meal plan while I have some inspiration.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 667 and all the wonderful food at the party! We sure had a great party last week and we have some great features that I sure hope you enjoy! We are having beautiful fall weather here in our part of the world. I was out taking some photo's of our fall and winter garden this afternoon. The fall colors are just beautiful right now. Just like our fall food, with the wonderful warm colors of fall. Thanks so much for joining us for the party today, you are very special to us and we have saved you a seat at the table!

Our Apple Nut Chicken Salad is a great fall and winter chicken salad recipe. This is a great chicken salad for any season, and perfect  for the fall and winter season. I have served this chicken salad for luncheons, and taken it to many a covered dish event. Several folks have asked for the recipe, so I decided to share it with all of you. The chicken salad is delicious and has a perfect balance of fall and winter seasons. It can be served on a lettuce leaf, or a tea sandwich. It is a winner every time.

  Our scalloped corn casserole recipe has been in our family for a very long time. When we would have a family gathering for a holiday meal or a very special celebration meal, someone would always bring the scalloped corn casserole. This is a very easy recipe to make and has just the right amount of season to make it a casserole for all the folks. It is always a hit for our gatherings and one of the all time favorites.

Hello everyone and welcome to November. This is a great time of the year for meal plans, with the big feast coming up on Thanksgiving Day. We have officially had our first freeze for the season this week. We were working hard for a couple of days, getting outdoor plumbing and fragile plants protected. I recently did a current inventory of my food bins in the barn and my freezer. This really helps me to know what I have on hand so that I don't over-buy at the super market. Products are so expensive at the market, we have to be budget conscious. Join me in a cup of hot cider while we make this meal plan for next week.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 665 and November! The month for friendsgiving, delicious food, and fellowship with friends and family. We had a fantastic party last week which gives us the opportunity to enjoy some amazing features this week, that I sure hope you enjoy. Here at the cottage we had our first freeze this week, so we were very busy winterizing our plants and outdoor water functions. I can't wait to see what you will be bringing to the party today, I always look forward to your visits and we are saving a seat for you at our table!

  November is such a great time to use wonderful garden vegetables that are in season. Of course one of the first is Pumpkin then one of my favorites Sweet Potatoes. Thanksgiving is our big holiday this month and a food lovers holiday!  We see pumpkins just about everywhere we go, they are in the markets, pumpkin patches, and front porches. I use them for decoration, but mostly love them in a delicious recipe on my table. Sweet Potatoes are one of the farmers crops here in our area and we see Sweet Potatoes in the farm stands, back of pick trucks, and in our very own gardens. November is a great food month to enjoy!

  This recipe for Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Casserole is so easy to make and will be on the table in no time. This is one of those casseroles that can serve the family on a weeknight or go to the next pot luck supper with friends. Expect calls for seconds, it is delicious!

We are getting ready for the little ones to pick up treat bags Tuesday evening. It is such a fun time to see all the kids dressed up and the Mom's and Dad's standing back from the door, beaming from ear to ear. Sure brings back some great memories.  Meal planning is going to be easy this week, it is cold and rainy so I will be looking for some cozy comfort foods, maybe a good week for some slow cooker recipes. 

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday and our Top Ten Views from last weeks party! Once a month on the last party of the month, the readers pick the features with page views and you picked some really good ones this month! We are getting ready for the little visitors that we will be having at our door next Tuesday night, they are always the cutest ever! We have been having so much fun going to the local festivals and eating so much (to much) good food! I am so happy that you could come to the party today, thanks so much for sharing your talent with us!

  Our Nutty Oat and Raisin Bars are just the perfect little snack. They are good with a cup of coffee in the morning, a lunch time dessert, how about with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I have to confess that I walk by the serving platter and can't resist anytime of the day. This is a very easy recipe with just a few ingredients that we just love to have on hand for snack time.

  Our meal plans this week will take into consideration our very busy schedule for the week. It is a great time of the year to be in the country. We are able to enjoy working in our fall and winter garden which is doing so good and taking care of a few outdoor repairs before the winter comes. We are also taking care of some fall cleaning projects and simple maintenance on the inside, we are just busy beavers here. I have checked what I have on hand in my canning pantry and freezer plus the recipes are some of my fall favorites.

Hello everyone, it is so good to see you here today. We are having so many fun fall festivals in our area with great fall foods. I attended one this past weekend and had a couple of great recipes that I want to try. We have some great recipes here that we are featuring from last weeks party, I sure hope you enjoy them! Isn't it fun to come to the country in the fall when every week that goes by the landscape colors change. Our fall foods are so warm and cozy, I can't wait to see what you will be bringing to the party today. Thanks so much for coming today and sharing your awesome talent with us!

  We really enjoy a nice relaxed brunch especially  on the weekend. We love a good quiche to serve for our breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is one of my basic go-to quiche recipes. It is so versatile that I can add different herbs and meats as the seasons change. Our Ham and Cheese Quiche is just a great recipe to have on hand. It is easy, limited ingredients, and no waiting, just bake in the oven and it is ready to serve. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!

  Hello everyone I hope you are having a beautiful fall day. It's hard to believe that it is the middle of October already. Some of our trees are just beginning to show off some of their color. I am actually starting to get some lettuce and  herbs from my fall garden especially the products that I planted in the Veggie Pod. Oh my goodness, if I cooked all the recipes that I have out today, we would be having 5 meals a day. Sometimes I can look and look and nothing is right then there are times like today where it all looks good. I will be anxious to see what we end up with for our meal plan for the week.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 662, we are so excited to be here today. We are having some beautiful fall weather and are able to be outside and enjoy the joy of the fall. We have some great fall features from last weeks party and I sure hope you will enjoy them. I am looking forward to the amazing post that all of you will be sharing with us today. Many thanks to each one of you for your continuing support and participation in this weekly party, I appreciate you!

I love a great slow cooker meal that can be put in the cooker in the morning and you can smell it slowly cooking all day. I love it when the family comes home and says it smells amazing in here what's for dinner? Our slow cooker cider pork chops with cabbage, onion and apples is filled with flavor from the mix of the cider, chops, cabbage, onions, and apples with some special herbs, We have had great reviews on this recipe and when we have served it folks always want seconds. It is a real winner here at the cottage, enjoy!

  Welcome October, I am so excited to enjoy the fall weather and activities. I love meal planning for the fall as we transition into more warm cozy and comfort foods. We have some awesome fall fruits and vegetables showing up at the farmers markets along the road side. The leaves here are just now beginning to turn to let us know to get ready. I have picked some great fall recipes for this weeks meal plan, so now I'm off to make it happen and I am so happy that you are here to enjoy it with me.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 661 and welcome October! October is such a fun month with fall festivals, pumpkins, ghost and treats everywhere. We sure had fun at last weeks party enjoying all the awesome fall links that all of you have shared. There are some special features from very talented bloggers here this week that I sure hope you enjoy. Thank you so much for coming to the party and sharing with us today, I sure do appreciate you and hope you enjoy the party!

  What's In Season and How Can I Use It? That is the question that we address in our Food and Recipe Basket. Fall garden production is hardy here because we still have temperatures that allow production to continue. Although we still have some of our summer production available, some of the all time favorite fall products are ready to harvest in the month of October. Some of these crops have been growing for several months. We planted some our winter crops earlier this month. I am excited for the fall fruits and vegetables with their wonderful warm and cozy flavors.

Welcome October and welcome to you! I am grateful to be able to make this post today. My husband and I have been sick with an upper respiratory virus. I really have always been so blessed  to be able to make the post every week on time, but yesterday I was in bed and just couldn't make it. Thank the Lord, I am feeling much better and am able to be here today. Lets see what we can come up with to kick us off into the fall season! I am so excited that fall is here so we can make some warm comfy, cozy meal plans.

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 660 and our Top Ten Features Party from last weeks party! I always love the last week of the month when you get to choose the top ten post with the most views. Looks like you picked some very talented bloggers with great post for the Top Ten this week, I sure hope you enjoy them. It is a beautiful fall day here at the cottage and a perfect time to be outdoors and enjoy our party. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today and thanks so much for sharing with us, I really appreciate each one of you!

  We are soup lovers here at the cottage, and this recipe is one of my favorites. This recipe has a rich beef base with all the seasons of the beef. Fresh vegetables are then sauteed' and simmered in a wonderful soup broth complete with fresh herbs. This soup freezes really well and can be ready to serve in a short time. Perfect for a busy day. 

  Hello everyone, it is so good to be with you today to make a great meal plan for next week. It is a beautiful fall day and I am loving being on the screen porch. We had a really busy week here, we have been planting fall and winter vegetables in the garden. We are so excited to be able to plant, we finally got enough rain that has made that possible. I will sure keep you posted as we move along. Today, I have got recipes all over the table and have to make decisions for the meal plan. Before we started I walked the barn to see what was available in the bins and the freezer. We are really well stocked in the pantry with home-canned goods from the summer. I usually like to go into the winter months with 200 to 300 jars of home-canned goods to make until the spring vegetables are producing. Now for the meal plan for this week!

  Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 659 ! Fall has officially arrived and we are having some beautiful fall weather. I am so excited to present our features to you today from last weeks awesome party, I sure hope you enjoy them. We are so honored each week with the talented bloggers that come to our party. We have been so busy here at the cottage, having made a decision to plant a fall and winter garden. The garden preparation and planting is underway, we will be sharing our garden post along the way. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today, and want you to  know how much we appreciate you coming to the party!

  Our Apple Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze is a very special welcome to the fall and winter season. This cake recipe is so easy to make and delicious to eat. We are using a wonderful spice batter for the cake and adding fresh apple with chopped pecans. We are topping it with a creamy caramel glaze and more chopped pecans. I recently got this recipe from an old friend and I am so happy to share it with all of you! Thanks so much for the recipe Mary, we all loved it!