Blackberry Cranberry Granola Bars

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda 1/8 (generous) tsp salt
1/2 cup of almond granola
1/2 cup butter, softened and cut into small squares
3/4 cup Blackberry Jam 1/3 cup dried cranberries

 Preheat oven to 350º. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray and set aside. Combine the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and almond granola, stirring to combine. Drop the butter into the flour mixture and rub with your fingers to form a crumble. Press about 2 cups of the mixture into the prepared pan and spread the jam over the top. Sprinkle the dried cranberries over the jam and then sprinkle with the remaining crumble mixture, gently pressing the crumble into the top of the jam. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the bars are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Allow the bars to cool before cutting into squares.

Peach and Pear Turnover

Peach and Pear Turnover

What do you do when you get up on a Saturday with nothing in the house but some plums and peaches and some phyllo dough? I create...and holy toledo did it turn out good!!

 I started by cutting up the peach and the plum, adding them to a pan over medium heat. Once the juices started to form, I added in just a little sugar. Stirring, adding sugar to taste until the fruit just begins to caramelize. In the meantime- I got out 4 sheets of phyllo dough. Buttering each piece with a very thin layer of butter, folding in half and adding to a glass baking dish which has been covered in a thin layer of butter. When the fruit is done caramelizing set in the center of the dough. Folding into a burrito like package Top with a little more butter spread across the top and sprinkle with sugar!

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then put on a little more melted butter and sugar, bake another 5 minutes- turning the heat up to 400 degrees until golden brown.

 Enjoy- it is truly delicious!

The eggs that started it all!

It all started with an amazingly simple recipe! I tend to go toward the simple, delicious type of recipe. A single mom of two great kids, I had to learn to cook fast and easy. Now that they are both in older ( I have one in college and the other just graduated and is home while looking for gainful employment as a teacher- which many of you may know is a difficult feat in this economy) I continue to have to be thrifty- two kids in college = broke! A little restaurant in St. Paul MN called Day by day Cafe'. A sweet little joint on West 7th which I highly recommend. This is not only the recipe that started it all but also one of our family favorites. We first discovered this little bit of heaven at our favorite I hope you enjoy!

You start with mushrooms and spinach which are just slightly sauteed in a bit of oil ( add a little bacon if you like).

Add 2 eggs and scramble 'em up together!

Add in some small pieces of cream cheese and stir just until they get warm and creamy and top with a dollop of  cream cheese and pepper.

Simple yes- but likely the best eggs you have ever had!