Pineapple Express, Sarcococca and Apple Crisp

We are having an amazing day here in the Seattle area.  Although our temperatures were in the 20’s last week, at this moment it is 65F at my house!  We are being affected by what’s called the "Pineapple Express", a weather system that originates in Hawaii and then moves our way bringing warm temperatures and lots of rain to the NW.  The bad news is that with all the rain and the warm temps which melt the snow, several rivers are flooding.  But I don’t live near a river and today it’s not raining at all so I am really enjoying this little burst of spring!

I’ve opened my doors and windows to air out the house.  Near my front door I have a plant called Sarcococca, which has little, tiny white blooms in December and January that pack a powerful punch fragrance-wise.  I think it smells a lot like vanilla.  So right now the house is full of this fragrance – except in the kitchen where it smells like the apple crisp that I just pulled out of the oven! :-)

Which brings me (finally!) to the point of this post!  I always keep a bagful of crisp topping in my freezer so that I can easily throw together a little, personal fruit crisp whenever the mood strikes me.  For this apple crisp, I just sliced an apple into a small casserole, covered it with some of the topping right out of the freezer and then popped it into the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. This topping works equally well with berries, peaches, pears – let your imagination run wild!   Now I’m going to whip up a little cream and go outside and enjoy both the weather and the crisp. :-)

Crisp Topping

• ⅔– ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup oats
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ¾ tsp. cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. nutmeg
• ⅓ cup soft butter

Mix all ingredients until crumbly, either with your hands or by pulsing in food processor.

This amount will cover an 8” pan of fruit or can be frozen and used in smaller amounts, as needed.