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.)

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.)

To celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary, we had a rare night out after recruiting the grandparents to babysit and got to check out Dirty Habit, the new bar/lounge in the Palomar Hotel. Besides an enticing heated patio, it has an awesome cocktail list and a small plates menu we plan to check out on a future visit. While the barrel-aged old-fashioned I had was great, what really impressed me was the desserts by Frances Ang. The churros were warm and crispy, but the miso caramel dipping sauce they came with stunned me into silence. Instead of the now commonplace salted caramel, miso was whisked in for a salty, umami-rich counterpoint to the sweet creamy sauce.

I kept thinking about the caramel, so with Mother's Day coming up, why not surprise my mom with soft caramel candies flavored with miso? Although this recipe requires a candy thermometer and close monitoring, the process itself is quite easy and you're left with dozens of soft, toasty, sweet chews to give away or hoard for yourself. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

Whenever we go back to Boston to visit family, I always look forward to lobster, old-school pizza, and ice cream. But there's one more thing: the Curry Chutney Apricot Cheese Spread from Wasik's Cheese Shop in my husband's hometown. This recipe is my attempt to recreate it using ingredients that are easy to find. Mix together softened cream cheese, jarred mango chutney, curry powder, and dried apricots into a sweet-savory-creamy spread to put on crackers or fancy up a turkey sandwich. While it's not quite the same as what Wasik's makes, this spread will staunch my cravings until our next trip. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)