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.)

I love making deviled eggs because you end up with fancy-looking bites without a lot of effort. Plus, they're a blank canvas for whatever flavors you're in the mood for, and no one ever seems to turn them down. This spring-inspired recipe mixes feta, lemon, mayo, and parsley into the yolks, with the salty cheese balancing out tangy lemon juice and zest. Keep these deviled eggs in mind when you're faced with a surplus of Easter eggs in a few weeks!  (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

Even though we frequently ate at Chinese restaurants, my family only ordered scallion pancakes at Shanghainese or Taiwanese ones. You know, the restaurants that serve bowls of fresh soy milk and those addictive steamed, then pan-fried, pork and ginger buns. It was a rare treat when my mom made those flaky, salty pancakes at home, usually for a party or when family came over, and I remember being fascinated with the process. It's not a difficult recipe, just a quick hot water dough and some elbow grease to roll it out, and Serious Eats has a great version. Then I came across a recipe using pizza dough from the Flour, Too cookbook by Joanne Chang, who owns one of my favorite bakery chains in Boston.

After playing around with her recipe, I came up with my own easy version. The hardest part of it is the patience to wait for the dough to rest for 2 hours before the second and final roll. This comes from the fact that you're using pizza dough, where the gluten has already been developed a lot. When I didn't let it rest, the pancakes were hard to roll out and fried up tough and chewy, so just make sure you plan accordingly for that resting period. These pancakes are a great way to use store-bought pizza dough, and now you don't have to trek out to a restaurant when the craving hits. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

I'm not much of a March Madness fan - in fact, sports are usually an excuse to eat junk food while ignoring the action going on in front of me. This week I channeled my non-athletic energies into making a warm, cheesy dip that probably contains so many calories your eyes would cross. Does it help that it includes spinach? This recipe is a spicy, baked rendition of the classic spinach dip sans the package of dried soup mix.  After crisping up some smoky bacon, cook onions and chipotles in adobo in the fat, and finish by mixing in spinach, cheese, sour cream, and mayo. Bake until bubbly, then try to wait just a few minutes before diving in so that you don't burn the roof of your mouth with molten dip. Serve with ice-cold beer or my personal favorite, a perfect margarita.  (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)