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.)

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.)

As much as I enjoy wine, I'm an admitted cocktail girl. I like the seemingly endless combinations of bitters, citrus, tinctures, and boozes. But most of all, I like that you can replicate a fabulous drink if you get the recipe. With wine, I always feel like it's difficult to find that same exact wine you tasted in a restaurant, received as a gift, or bought in a store months or even years ago. 

Last week I passed by Cantina, a San Francisco bar specializing in pisco and tequila where I spent many a pre-child Saturday night. I saw the familiar red sign and a part of me wanted to jump off the bus taking me home and sneak in an unplanned cocktail. The next day the memory still haunted me, so I pulled down the pisco to make a chilcano, a pisco and ginger ale drink. But not just an ordinary chilcano- a kicked-up one with spicy hits of fresh ginger and ginger beer instead of ginger ale. This refreshing cocktail is my toast to spring and a way to pretend that I'm back on the leather barstools at Cantina without a care in the world. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

I've really come to appreciate curries lately - I can cook protein, vegetables, and sauce together, serve it over rice from a rice cooker that I turn on before I leave the house in the morning, and clean only one pan after dinner. Who doesn't love that? As long as I have curry paste and coconut milk, what goes into it is flexible. For me, it's usually determined by what's in season or needs to be used up in the fridge.

This easy, healthy curry recipe has a creamy sauce made of coconut milk and Thai green curry. Note that Thai curry pastes vary greatly in salt and spice level. In my testing, Mae Ploy was dry, salty, and super-spicy (completely blowing out my palate when I used too much the first time around), whereas Thai Kitchen was mild and more paste-like. Whatever paste you have will work, just err on using less in the beginning knowing you can add more later in the cooking after you've had a chance to taste it. Seared tofu, shrimp, and baby bok choy simmer for just a few minutes in the spicy sauce, making this a dish you can cook in the same amount of time it takes to steam the rice you'll serve it over. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

An open bottle of madeira, too good to cook with, has been lingering in the door of the refrigerator for months. I've been a fan of fortified wine cocktails lately, so I started tinkering around and found that it pairs quite nicely with bourbon. In this cocktail recipe, the bourbon and a dash of Creole bitters balance out the sweetness of the madeira and maraschino liqueur, and there's a touch of brightness from an orange twist at the end. It's definitely got a punch but won't knock your socks off, and now you don't have to relegate the rest of your bottle of madeira to the saucepan. Cheers!  (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)