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    Happy Labor Day Weekend!  Hopefully you are able to stay home and have the day off from work.  If not, maybe this recipe will still give you some comfort!  I love to make something  a little special when everyone is off for a day from school or work.  So, on Saturday I made these Oatmeal Chocolate Muffins.  Not only are they tasty, especially when hot out of the oven, but they are like eating your oatmeal with some chocolate chips sprinkled on top.  That sounds really healthy to me!  Really, they probably have less sugar in them than you sprinkle on your oatmeal in the morning anyway. 
     One batch of this recipe makes about 11 muffins.  We enjoyed them with bacon, eggs over easy and some fruit!  It was a great breakfast, and I always feel like a big breakfast makes any day special!  I wasn't hungry again until dinner time! 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here are some things you'll need!
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Other Muffin Recipes you may enjoy!

**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!

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     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: 

     My good friend, Ruth, who I've known since our sons were in the first grade together, is now a snowbird.  She lives near Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and she and her husband escape the terrible snowy weather there in the winter by coming back to AZ for a few months every year.  When she does, we have a standing breakfast/lunch date at Mimi's Cafe. Last Friday, we met there at 12:30 and left around 5:00.  I'm sure that the wait staff loved us! Ha Ha! 
      A nice thing about Mimi's is that they serve delicious food with a French flair and you can get breakfast all day long if you like.  This time I ordered their 3 Egg Smoked Salmon Omelette.  It seemed like it could stand up as lunch fare, even though it was in the breakfast section of the menu, and it did not disappoint.  Since Salmon is one of my most favorite foods ever, it was a no brainer that I would order that omelette when I saw it on the menu! 
      The next day, I couldn't get that salmon omelette off my mind, so I decided to see If I could make my own version of it for dinner that night for my husband and I.  My version also did not disappoint! The only thing I had to go to the store to pick up was the smoked salmon.  I used this brand...

...but there are many varieties out there.  I liked that it is deli sliced because I was able to lay a nice layer of salmon evenly into the omelette.  Also, the secret ingredient in this recipe is Parmesan Cheese that adds that little salty boost to the eggs.  I know that many people are against using cheese with fish, but I find that Parmesan and salmon go together very well!  Give it a try! 

     This recipe is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!  The smokey salmon flavor was so delicious yet subtle combined with the other ingredients!  At Mimi's, they served it with a muffin! I had blueberry! It was big and Ruth and I split it.  It was the perfect accompaniment.  These would also be great! Bon Appetit! 

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!
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     I have seen many recipes over the years for Monte Cristo Sandwiches.  They have intrigued me and I have wanted to give them a try, but for some reason I never have.  Well, that changed Saturday morning.  For some reason, I was thinking about the book, The Count of Monte Cristo, when I woke up in the morning.  Then, I thought about breakfast for my husband and I and BINGO, I decided that  Saturday morning would be the morning that I gave Monte Cristo Sandwiches a try! (Yup, that is how my mind works.)  
     A traditional Monte Cristo Sandwich is a breakfast sandwich made with Ham & Cheese, fried in butter and served with a side of strawberry jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The sandwich is first dipped in a egg batter, like French Toast before frying it.  Since I love French Toast, the Monte Cristo Sandwich is right up my alley.  It is believed to be based on a French sandwich called Croque Monsieur. I have seen many variations on the recipe, and today I am sharing my own, made with smoked turkey and provolone cheese.   It came out so well, I am excited to try other variations of the meat and the cheese.  
     The thing that is amazing about this breakfast sandwich is how great the strawberry jam tastes with the meat and cheese!  It is the perfect combination of sweet and savory and made a really nice breakfast on a very nice day.   My husband really liked the sandwich and preferred it to be really crispy, toasty. Of course, I used homemade strawberry jam on it.  I didn't serve it on the side, I put the jam right on the sandwich with the turkey and cheese. I used a honey-wheat bread for our Monte Crisos, but any variety of bread would be great.  The possibility of combinations are endless! Click on the gallery of photos for an overview of how to make this special breakfast sandwich.

Here are a couple of tips:

• Spread the jam on both slices of bread. 
• Let it sit in the egg batter for a couple of seconds on each side so it soaks up some of the egg batter. 
• I used a nice and hot cast iron skillet. 
• Sprinkle on the powdered sugar like you mean it! 

Here is the recipe that I made: 

Monte Cristo Sandwiches With Turkey And Provolone

     The next time you want something a little different and a little special for breakfast or brunch, give Monte Cristo Sandwiches a try! 
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