Our early summer orchards and gardens are in production and the wonderful food basket's are full of delicious products. This month we have some great foods in season that go from garden to table in the very best of fresh food. We get to spend a lot of time in the garden but if we are not growing the fresh fruit or vegetable that is in season, then we are off to the nearest farmers market. Some farmers markets are open year round now, but most are open by the end of March. I love to carry all these fresh foods into my kitchen to create wonderful recipes for my family and friends.

Hello everyone, here we are at the Memorial Day Weekend already, I was telling my husband the time fly's anymore.  We are having some beautiful weather for the week so we should really enjoy all the activities. It is the opening of the boating season and we will be having parades and see lots of friends who will be in their lake homes for the summer. Our garden is doing very well this year, it is just a bit late because of the excess rain we had, but it will have a great harvest. We will be making meal plans for some very traditional foods and some new recipes as well. It is a great season to plan meals.  We want to remember all those who have gave their all for our country and will be taking a Quiet Time to remember and give thanks to their families.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 642 and our Top Ten Feature week! The last party of the month we always feature your Top Ten Top Views from last weeks party. You have some great picks this week from some very talented bloggers. Our community is all a buzz this week with the end of school activities and graduations, and memorial day activities. Our garden is really taking off and won't be long until we are gathering some green beans, it is always exciting when the beans start to bloom. I am so excited to see all of you today and thanks so much for coming to the party. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us today, so lets get the party started.  I hope that you will take a moment to join me in remembering all those who gave the ultimate price for our freedom. God bless them and their families!

  I wanted the blueberries to be the star of this cake recipe and now I believe the whole cake is the star. When I  started to develop this recipe, it was going to be a different cake. I ended up taking it in an entirely different direction with the fresh blueberries that my neighbor gave me. The butter pecan crumb of the cake and the cream cheese frosting are such a delicious blend. I have garnished it with pecans, fresh blueberries and a mint chiffonade. This cake will be a hit for any occasion and is delicious!

  Hello from my screen porch today, it is good to be making the meal plan outdoors. Everything is so pretty green and lush because we have had some great rain this spring. It is hard to believe that we are coming into the last of May already, the end of school, graduations, many celebrations. This week I promised my husband that I would make one of his favorite meal's, can you guess which one it is? 

  Hello everyone and welcome to Full Plate Thursday, 641. I sure hope you all had a great Mothers Day with great food and lots of love! We had a a great day here at the cottage with lots of love and family. I can't wait to see what you will be sharing with us this week, we always have so many outstanding post for our party. Thanks so much for coming today, we have saved you a place at the table. Just come on in and enjoy yourself!

  I love a great vegetable and fruit salad with chicken added and our Chicken Broccoli-Fruit Salad is just that. This salad is just loaded with vegetables, fruit, and nuts, then topped with a flavorful dressing. We have enjoyed this salad recipe as a family lunch or dinner and I recently took it to a ladies luncheon where the ladies just loved it. This will be a great salad for any occasion.

Good Morning everyone! Are you getting ready for a big Mothers Day? If you are one of our great Mom's out there, I am wishing the very best of everything tomorrow on Mothers Day and everyday, you have the most important job on our planet. We have had a lot of rain this week, but we were able to get in the garden a couple of days. which I loved of course. A couple of my kids will be here for Mothers day and they are actually taking me out, I will really enjoy it. I will give you a couple of suggestions if you are cooking for your Mom's! Have a wonderful day and God Bless You!

  Hello everyone, it is so good to see you here today. I sure hope you didn't get to wet on your way in today as it is pouring rain. We had a great party last week with some fantastic post. Some of the awesome post are featured today and I sure hope you stop by to say hi to the talented bloggers.  Are all of you ready for a special Mothers Day? I am wishing each of you hard working Mom's out there a very special day of celebration! Thanks so much for coming to the party today and God Bless You!

Croissant Egg Brunch Bake is a very special recipe. This is a recipe that has very simple ingredients and can be made ahead of the event making it a very easy dish.  This egg bake has some delicious flavor combination and I like to top it with seasonal fruits. I love serving this brunch dish for special occasions, it is always a winner and absolutely delicious!

Good morning everyone, I sure hope you are enjoying your spring day. We are finally able to be outside and enjoy the sunshine. I will inventory the pantry and freezer  this week before starting my plan. I do have some fresh lettuce in the garden for some nice salad. The Farmers Market has some beautiful fruit this week, so lets get started on creating a delicious meal plan.

Welcome to Full Plate Thursday,639 and a big welcome to May! We are so excited to see you today and hoping that you enjoy the party. We had some really great post last week and we are featuring some of them today, please take some time and visit these very talented bloggers! We are so busy here at the cottage this week as I am putting the final touches on our annual retreat for some very special ladies. Some 30 years ago I founded a spiritual retreat for ladies who wanted to change their life. Every year we have 75 to 80 ladies attend the retreat plus we have a waiting list. It is my great joy to be able to be involved in such an amazing outreach for women. It is great to have you here at the party today and I can hardly wait to see what you will be bringing to share with us today.

The seasonal foods that we will be talking about this month are being harvested in farms and gardens in our area, and will be available in most markets everywhere.  May is such busy month with spring in full swing, wild flowers blooming, garden vegetables being harvested and planted. We have a special basket full of fun celebrations where we will find some really great fresh food.