It's been years since I made scones, but I honestly can't tell you why. They were one of the first baked goods I'd ever made, mainly because they were easy and didn't require any special equipment. But I adore scones, so much so that they're usually my pastry of choice in a coffee shop, so it was time to revisit my beloved baked good.

This scone recipe came out of the fact that a bag of toffee chips has been lurking in my baking pantry, quietly urging me to make something delicious with them. Toffee reminds me of brittle, which makes me think of nuts, so click! Toffee Almond Scones was born. These scones are a welcome change from the cream or fruit laden ones, but they're not so sweet that you can't have one for breakfast. The secret to the light texture here? Grating frozen butter on a box grater. Trust me people, you'll never cube up cold butter for recipes again once you've tried this method. So make a batch of these and savor with a café au lait on a lazy Saturday morning.  (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2/3 cup toffee chips
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), frozen solid
1 tablespoon granulated sugar or coarse sugar, such as turbinado, for sprinkling

While most people may be feasting on heirloom tomatoes this time of year, I'm most excited when these little jewels show up: Sun Gold tomatoes. The orange-colored jewels have the perfect blend of sweetness and intense tomato flavor, making them one of the my favorite summer snacks.

I apologize for not attaching a recipe today, but how about a few ideas on using Sun Gold tomatoes instead?

1. Top toasted bread with herbed ricotta cheese, halved Sun Gold tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Fold quartered Sun Golds into your next grain salad for a colorful hit of orange-y goodness.
3. Toss a pint or two of cut Sun Golds with a minced garlic clove and olive oil and let it sit for an hour. Add some hot pasta, fresh mozzarella cubes, and enough pasta water for an easy summer pasta.
4. Mix with fresh uncooked corn and avocado and serve as a relish or salsa.
5. Cube up some zucchini, toss with whole Sun Golds and olive oil, and bake with Parmesan and some fresh crumbs on top for an easy gratin side dish.

Sometimes new recipes are born out necessity. In this case, the need to use up a large bag of gigantic sweet Bing cherries and some almond flour that's been sitting in the freezer forever. I'm not one to waste food, so I actually enjoy the challenges of Iron Chef-ing it sometimes to see what I can come up with. It's usually a win-win: food gets used up, and since I've repurposed it into something new, it doesn't feel like stale leftovers.

So that's how these beauties came to life. These easy (seriously, just mix with a spatula) muffins are filled with tons of cherries, and I've replaced some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour to make them more justifiable to eat for breakfast. While I like almond extract here since it pairs well with cherries, you can use vanilla instead, and you can also sub in cream for the milk if you want to make these super-tender and rich. To quote one of Sophie's favorite children's books: "Yum, yum, extra yum." (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

Chocolate has a back seat position in my life. I totally understand its appeal and get the occasional craving for a piece of dark, dark, chocolate, but it's never been an obsession for me. There are two exceptions to the chocolate ambivalence though: serving it with peanut butter, or swirling it into something. And by swirl, I mean melted chocolate swirl, not lumpy chocolate chips action (can you tell I'm not a big fan of chips?).

This cookie recipe is my ideal combination: the dough is a basic chocolate chip cookie dough flavored with dark brown sugar and vanilla, but the fun part comes in the swirl. Melt those pesky chocolate chips until glossy and warm, mix in an equal amount of peanut butter (I used regular commercial peanut butter since that's what I've always eaten since childhood, but let me know in the comments if you use natural peanut butter), and carefully swirl into the dough before baking. I know that swirling is probably the most fun part of this recipe, but the key is not to overswirl so that you get nice gooey pockets of chocolate-y peanut butter. My method of creating a well in the dough might seem strange, but trust me, it's worked well to make those hypnotic patterns in these addictive, chewy cookies.  (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

While regular couscous is one of our household staples since it cooks so quickly, I love the chewy texture of Israeli couscous just as much. It's great warm and cooked like a pilaf, but it works just as well in a salad. Dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, and shallot, the salad is rounded out with white beans, crunchy cucumber, and lots of fresh dill. I like to mix in smoked salmon since it plays so nicely with dill, but tuna would be a tasty, inexpensive substitute. This salad comes together in less than 30 minutes and keeps well, making it a perfect thing to pack for a picnic, barbecue, or satisfying lunch. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Israeli couscous1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
Freshly ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans white or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked beans)
2 cups small-dice English cucumber
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into small dice, or 3 ounces flaked cooked tuna (optional)