Cherry Almond Granola

There was a heatwave this past weekend. Temperatures neared one hundred degrees and the air was as still as the calm before a storm. It was an unexpected appearance in a typically mild June. The sun and I have always had a healthy relationship, but the heat began putting a strain on it. For the better part of three days, the sun shined directly into my apartment with nary a cloud to provide blessed temporary relief. With the blinds closed and the air conditioning unit running on full blast, I managed to cool the apartment down to a balmy 90 degrees F.

This was a small improvement over the temperature of the surface of the sun.

At first, I ignored the rising temperature, pretending that is was perfectly normal to sweat while watching television. I held strong through the unbearable heat, pretending I didn't mind the sticky, humid clouds forming in my apartment. I fought the heat as I cursed the leather couch when I laid across it, too exhausted from the temperatures to pry myself off of it. I gave into the heat, running the oven to bake cookies because I couldn't imagine the oven could do more damage than the sun had already afflicted. I managed the heat with the most style and grace that I could muster.

Then, I snapped.

Ten minutes later I found myself in the refrigerated section of the local grocery store, carrying around a red basket to give the impression I was there for any reason other than to beat the heat. I reveled in the chill of the dairy aisle, staying far past my welcome as I pretended to compare butter labels to avoid pointed questions. Though I didn't intend to buy anything (I had done my grocery shopping just that morning), with the rows of yogurt directly in my vision I could scarcely think of anything other than how much I wanted to eat it—all of it—sprinkled with granola.

Some recipes are born out of love and tender growth, while others are created out of overheated desperation in the dairy aisle of a supermarket at precisely 9:23 pm on a Saturday evening.

Honestly, I don't think you can't taste the difference.

Cherry Almond Granola has varied textures and fabulous flavors that will steal your heart. Oats, almonds, and coconut flakes are sweetened with brown sugar and maple sugar before toasting in the oven. The granola is rounded out with tart dried cherries and a pinch of nutmeg which bring all of the flavors together in a unique, but delicate manner. I've experimented with several granola recipes before, but this recipe has made a little imprint on my heart. I'm in love.

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Dark Cherry Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt

Living alone has its perks. After crashing at home for the last eighteen months, I'm reveling in the glory of unmade beds, marathon television watching, and eating dinner on the living room floor. I can sit around in my pajamas all day long with no one to judge my choice of clothing. My mother, however, will tell you I did many of these things before I was living by myself and, as we all know, mothers are usually right.

Living alone also has its downsides. It can be lonely. The endless freedom can begin to feel oppressive when you find yourself with too much time on your hands. For the last six days I haven't eaten a proper meal because I haven't been able to see the sense in cooking just for myself. I do, however, keep baking, which poses a world of new problems on its own. For instance, am I really going to have to eat a dozen cupcakes all by myself?

Truthfully, I've never had to consciously bake for one. I've always had coworkers, friends, or parents to give away any cupcakes or cookies I couldn't eat by myself. It was a successful system and everyone enjoyed playing their parts—I would bake and they would eat. Now, however, I need to work on scaling back my recipes, like making six cupcakes instead of twenty-four (but even six cupcakes can still be too many to expect one poor soul to eat). Unfortunately, there are some recipes that simply cannot be scaled back, such as loaves of bread or layered cakes.

Baking for one truly hit home for me this past weekend. I set out to make a granola toffee that ended up failing spectacularly. Though it wasn't good enough to share with you, it was fine enough to devour as a midnight snack. Half of it disappeared before I had realized exactly what I'd done (and I had to throw the rest away or risk no longer fitting into my wardrobe).

Trust me, there is little sympathy to be found when complaining about having too many baked goods lying around the house.

Fruit-on-the-Bottom yogurt is not a novel or new idea, but it's a elegant one that has stood the test of time. While I don't typically buy this kind of yogurt in the store (I find it too sweet and not particularly filling), creating my own version using thick, Greek yogurt and fresh fruit makes this quick breakfast much more appealing. Until I master baking for one, this is a sweet treat I wouldn't mind having too much of in my refrigerator.

I used dark, sweet cherries, but any fruit could take its place at a moment's notice. Simply adjust the amount of sugar or honey to the sweetness of the fruit or berry.

Dark Cherry Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt makes for a quick breakfast or snack on the go. Dark, sweet cherries are cooked down into a thick sauce and layered into jars with honey sweetened, plain non-fat Greek yogurt. Whether you like to mix the fruit into the yogurt before stealing a spoonful or save the sweet cherries for the very end, this yogurt will satisfy any hunger pains that pop up during your day.

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Chocolate Cherry Bread

I feel a bit ashamed to admit this, but I am one of those people who judge a book by its cover. This is particularly true when it comes to cookbooks. Maybe I am a bit shallow when it comes to these things, but I just can't seem to help myself. I'm a visual person. I need the pretty pictures and lovely layout. Well, maybe I don't need them, but I certainly want to have them around.

I think, secretly and deep down, you do too.

I was in my local bookstore this weekend when I spotted a gorgeous cookbook in the bargain section. A loaf of bread on the cover caught my eye, gave a little wink, and I was immediately smitten. After paging through it in its entirety (do you do this too?), I knew I had to have it, if only for this Chocolate Cherry Bread recipe.

Well, this weekend I tried out a couple recipes and I've decided that maybe being pretty isn't what it's cracked up to be after all. I loved the ideas in the book but, in reality, the recipes didn't measure up. They were poorly written, the method for baking some of the bread was off, I questioned the quantity of certain ingredients, and I didn't love the finished product. It was edible, yes, but that's not exactly my criteria for sharing recipes with you.

I ask more of my food than simply being edible.

Nevertheless, I took the idea of the Cherry Chocolate Bread and ran with it. On the second try, this beauty was born. Stuffed with cherries, chocolate chips, and a hint of delicious, the idea for this bread was worth the cost of the cookbook.

Which just so happens to be $7.10.

This Chocolate Cherry Bread is, no doubt, a dessert bread. It makes for a seriously decadent snack (or breakfast, if you can't resist a bite or two). This bread is made with yeast, which brings a light quality to the bread and great flavor. Chocolate chips and dark sweet cherries are kneaded into the dough before baking and litter the finished product with pockets of decadence. Happily, this bread uses canned cherries so you don't have to wait a year for cherries to come back in season (no one should have to wait that long in anticipation). This bread does not need anything to taste delicious—no butter spread, no jam. It is perfect just the way it is.

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