**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

       Salmon is probably my very favorite food and when it is prepared with this recipe, I could eat the entire fish.  I know that you may hear from famous TV chefs that you should never mix fish with cheese.  But, I am here to tell you that salmon with Parmesan is delicious.  My son had friends that would ask if I was making salmon for dinner to see if they could come over and have some.  That is how good this fish is.  I am fairly surprised that I haven't shared this with you before because I prepare it and eat it as often as I can and never tire of this salmon.
      I am not giving you a recipe to print out because it doesn't have exact measurements.  I will just tell you what I do.  It is super easy, quick and I never like any preparation of salmon better that this one. 

• Line a baking sheet that fits in your broiler with aluminum foil.  Pour some olive oil on it in a large squiggle, maybe about 4 Tablespoons.  Heat your broiler to medium heat.
• Wash your salmon off and lay it skin side up on your baking sheet. I don't like to deal with the scales or the skin, so I have found this easy way to remove the skin. 
• Place the pan with the salmon under the broiler for a few minutes until the skin begins to brown or blacken slightly.  (I have a gas oven/broiler, so you need to watch how your fish cooks in your broiler.)

• Carefully, because it will be hot, pull off the skin.  I use a fork or knife to help me get under the skin, but it will peel off really well.  Discard the skin. 
• That side of the salmon will be cooked nicely.  Flip the fillet over to the other side. 
• On the uncooked side, sprinkle on seasoned salt, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese to taste.  I have used both the fresh, good kind of Parmesan and the green box kind, both are delicious.
• Put the fish back under the broiler and cook until lightly browned and the fish is cooked through.  Again, this will depend on your broiler.  You can cut the fillet in the middle and check it if necessary.  Don't over cook it!  You want the fish to be moist and flaky.
• Slice the fillet into serving portions to serve.  It is delicious with a green veggie and rice or just about any side that you want.  

    Let me know if you give it a try! I am pretty sure you will love it! 

Something to serve the fish on and something to get the fish smell off of your hands! 

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

    Hi everyone! Welcome to Fun Friday!  Today we are thinking about an upcoming weekend, Memorial Day!  Do you have house guests coming for the long weekend? Or, is this a just a great weekend to spend enjoying your kids and family?  Whatever your situation, this Pancake Sundae Station will be a big hit with everyone. 

        We have about a billion pancake recipes on the blog here.  Just peruse through our breakfast section and you will find them! Today we chose to make Root Beer Pancakes for you.   I posted this recipe in the early days of the blog.  (When you go to it for the recipe, you will be able to tell that it was the early days of the blog.)  I did update the recipe for you because I don't know if Root Beer is just less strong than it used to be or what, but I find that my pancakes don't have the strong root beer flavor that I want from these pancakes.  So, I added a tsp of root beer extract to kick them up a bit. 
        Not only did I add the extract, today I was making this for Maddy who is vegan.  So, instead of egg, I used chia seed instead. Did you know that you can use chia seed as a replacement for eggs?  Even if you aren't vegan, that is a handy thing to know!  Just mix 1 T. of chia seed with 1 T. of water and let it sit for about 10 min and then use it like you would an egg.  This proportion equals one egg. So, if you are ever out of eggs, just pull out your chia seeds!  Chia seeds are very healthy, too.  Maybe that can counteract the effects of the root beer? 
       Another good alternative for your Pancake Sunday Station would be Chunky Apple Pancakes with Red Hot Syrup!  The red syrup would look so patriotic! You can choose to make whatever pancake recipe you love and make it as healthy or not as you want.  I think that in this instance, dollar sized pancakes are best. 

Setting up Your Pancake Sundae Station

    Many of the things we used in our station came from Dollar Tree.  They have an entire patriotic section on their website. 

• Mini plastic Uncle Sam Hats come 3 in a package. 
• I love this eye catching patriotic plastic tablecloth!
• Of course, the red plates are always at Dollar Tree.
• I even picked up the chocolate sauce at our Dollar Tree!

​

     Many of the things we already had on hand, like the mini crate and the red pedestal tray.  Just look at what you have hanging around your house. 

Suggested Pancake Sundae Bar Toppings:

    Oh my goodness!  The sky is the limit! 

• Chocolate syrup (you can purchase it or make it.  Here is our recipe.
• Maple syrup
• Caramel sauce
• Jam
• Fresh fruit (We had strawberries and blueberries. But don't forget peaches, bananas, apples...)
• Nutella
• Peanut butter
• Butter (of course)
• Whipped cream
• Maraschino Cherries
• Sprinkles

​You get the idea! 

     Finally, let everyone build their own sundae!  They can be as healthy or as unhealthy as they like, and they will have a lot of FUN doing it! 

For more patriotic party plans, check out this post: 

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuing support!

     You may have read on Tuesday my article about Tomato-Basil Tea Sandwiches using San Marzano tomatoes.  Later that very day, Anita brought me a bag full of those glorious tomatoes straight from her garden.  This time, I had to use them for what they are famous for and that is a wonderful Italian marinara sauce!  I looked at many recipes all over the internet and YouTube.   This is the one that I finally settled on, it is a combination of a few that looked simple and delicious.  I especially like the way Gianni North Beach used the fresh basil, because I am growing it in my garden. So, my recipe is really a variation of his. 

     You must start by peeling your tomatoes.  The best way to do this is to cut an "x" through the skin at the bottom of the tomato and then putting them in boiling water for about 15 or so seconds. Then you drain and cool them a bit.  The skin will peel right off. 

      Use a deep skillet because at the end of the recipe the pasta and sauce will be all mixed together. 
      Begin by getting your tomatoes ready by chopping them into quarters and discarding the seeds.  San Marzano tomatoes have very few seeds and a lot of flesh, so this part is easy.  The seeds don't really bother me in this dish, so I just got rid of the big chunks of them.  Also, cut away the hard stem ends.
    Now, heat up your skillet with about 3 T. of olive oil in it and put in your chopped garlic to begin flavoring the oil.  The taste of the olive oil really comes through in this dish and it is so good! 
      Now, add the tomatoes to the pan and start stirring them around.  You will be surprised at how fast they start to break down.  Put in your salt and pepper and mix it in well.  

     Next, I let the sauce simmer on a medium low heat while I prepared the fettuccine.  
     When you prepare the fettuccine, be sure to salt the water and cook it until it is al dente, not too soft.  When it is ready, drain it.  Remove the wilted basil and add the fettuccine to the pan of sauce. 

       You can add the Parmesan cheese right now or let people put on their own in individual servings.  I let each person add their own since Maddy is vegan. 
            I have a guilty confession to make.  I was sure that I had some Parmisano-Reggiano ready to use for this dish when I started cooking it.  But, alas it was all gone, so I had to use the green box! Argh! Don't hate me Anita!  I can't wait to make it again and try it with the good stuff!  But, despite the cheese fiasco, this dish was out of this world good!  I was not prepared for how good it tastes.  I had to stop myself from eating the entire pan of it. 

​Fresh San Marzano Mariana With Fettuccine

     Of course, you can make this recipe with other types of tomatoes, but if you can get San Marzanos, you will love them.  Enjoy!