Passover Granola

Happy Passover!

This recipe is nothing short of delicious.  I was given this recipe from a new friend that I met recently playing Mah Jongg.   It's made with Matzoh Farfel and lots of yummy dried fruit and nuts.  My friend Caryn, who already made some for her family was so sweet to drop off a whole bag of mixed dried fruit so I can test this recipe.  Thank you Caryn!  I hope you try it too because it really is amazing.  If you don't have Matzoh Farfel, you can just take sheets of Matzah and place in a large Ziplock bag and crush the using a rolling pin.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Matzoh Farfel
1 Cup Almonds, Coarsely chopped
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) Butter
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Mixed Dried Fruit ( I used Apricots, Prunes, Figs and Apples)

Preparation:

Preheat Oven to 325 F.  Spread Farfel on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-20 minutes, tossing several times until it's very lightly toasted (watch carefully)

Meanwhile in a 2-quart saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, honey and salt.  Bring to a simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Place the Farfel, Nuts and Dried Fruit in a large bowl and drizzle the Brown Sugar/Honey mixture over  top.  Toss until Farfel, Nuts and Dried fruit is coasted well.

Spread mixture back on to cookie sheet and bake in a 350 F oven for another 10-20 minutes stirring frequently to prevent burning, until Granola is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool.  Once Granola is cool you can store in an air tight container to store or just take a handful and Enjoy!

Raspberry- Blackberry Crisp

 My son Jack loves when I make apple or berry anything. This past weekend he requested a raspberry-blackberry crisp. He even went to the grocery store to pick out the fresh berries himself. $20 later (he's not much of a bargain hunter) I was making him dessert. I'm not a fan of using oats in my crisps, so this recipe is a simple flour, butter, sugar topping. The filling is the perfect amount of sweet and tangy and the fresh berries are so much more flavorful than using the frozen kind. 

Ingredients:

Filling: 
3 C. Raspberries
2 C. Blackberries
1/3 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Flour
1 T. Cornstarch
1 T. Lemon Juice

Crisp Topping: 
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 T. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Stick of Butter, softened

Preparation: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss berries with sugar, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice. Place mixture in a greased 9x9 baking dish. Make the crisp topping next by cutting softened butter into the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. I like to use my hands to combine the crumb topping ingredients. Combine until mixture is moist and crumbly. Place crumb topping on top of fruit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Salmon Pasta

Susan came to visit me in my new home in Southern California in October and we made this pasta dish together one night for dinner.  It's her son, Aaron's favorite and now is a favorite of my kids too.  I love this recipe because it's the best use of left over grilled salmon from the night before and it's an awesome one pan meal!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Pasta any type, cooked aldente

2 filets (1/2 lb) of cooked salmon, grilled, baked or poached

1 Small Onion chopped

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup cream cheese

Fresh Parsley, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes

1/3 cup frozen peas (optional)

Preparation:

Saute onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 1-2 minutes until soft.  Add 1 jar of pasta sauce to pan to warm through.  Melt cream cheese into sauce.  Add red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.  Once cream cheese is fully combined you can flake the salmon into the sauce and stir to incorporate.  If you would like to add green peas this is the time to add those in.  Heat sauce over med heat for about 3-5 minutes until hot.  

Pour cooked pasta into a large bowl or platter and pour sauce over top.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.