Cherry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Alisa

I’m sitting here after putting my “baby” down for a nap a few minutes ago (praying she’ll go longer than her usual 45 minutes) and Peg and Cat are singing loudly in the background as my very grown up four-year old gets out of taking a nap because I want her to be exhausted enough to go to sleep at nine instead of ten tonight.

I’m winging it this week – Matt is away on a company trip for three days and I’m a few hours in and feeling so, so tired. I have lots of coffee and a good sense of humor, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. But having help from 5:30-9 every night is vital to my sanity. There’s something about getting a fresh set of not-exhausted-yet hands to hold the babies or take them outside and swing them so I can cook dinner in peace. And he is kind of the best there is and the most helpful person on the planet, so it’s extra hard to be without him. So I’m going backwards with my usual routine – I’m cooking lunches this week and keeping dinners simple. Because the last thing I want to do after finally getting both girls in bed is to clean my dirty dishes. I plan on reading a book or doing half of a yoga routine. And while I don’t ever recommend eating your feelings because that’s a silly thing to say and they would probably taste like sauerkraut, anyway – just eat these cookies instead. All eating is emotional eating, after all.

It’s good to be back, friends 🙂

Cherry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Servings: about 24 cookies
Print

1.5 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup softened, unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste
1 egg
2 cups rolled oats
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped, dried cherriesHeat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and cherries.
Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Homemade Pizza with Duck, Sage and Dried Cherries

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Alisa

It’s Use Up the Leftovers Before the Christmas Road Trip Day! This can be a fun little game and can even force you into being more creative than usual. I love leaving an empty fridge before a big trip. Helps to not have Ghosts of Dinners Past to greet you when you get back. When the holidays are over, I want to move forward. I don’t want to stare at a pan of bread pudding in the fridge. I want to start fresh!

I had a bit of leftover duck terrine from Sunday (another wonderful recipe from Homemade Winter), a few sage leaves and dried cherries and thought that would be a great pizza combination. It was, indeed! We also made a pizza with leftover ground beef, goat cheese and sauteed leeks, and one with Matt’s favorite combo: Parmesan, pistachios and rosemary. I made my trusty tomato soup and we dunked our pizza crusts in it, and had a wonderful “Pre-Christmas” lunch together before heading off tomorrow to spend a week going here and there and everywhere!

I’d recommend instead of the duck terrine, which I am 99.9% sure you don’t have in your fridge, that you just use any good quality ground sausage. The combo of sausage and sage and cherries is classic and works no matter what. For the sauce, just use a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle Parmesan cheese all over the crust before topping it. I put the sage leaves on during the last few minutes of cooking so they wouldn’t burn, and I positioned some plain mozzarella over the cherries so they wouldn’t burn, and it worked out great.

For the recipe, I’ll include a link to Matt’s perfected pizza crust, which makes 3 medium sized pizzas, and I’ll let YOU raid your own fridge for the toppings you so desire! Here are some fun combinations:

Corn, chorizo and potato
Ham, cheddar and scallion
Canned tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and sliced garlic
Leek, goat cheese and bacon
Broccoli, alfredo sauce, bacon and parmesan
Asparagus, red onion and manchego

The fun is in the leftovers you find. Don’t limit yourself to “normal” toppings – you never know what great combinations you could create!

Cherry Almond Scones

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Alisa

Dear goodness, I love a good scone. Some people think they are too dry or would prefer a muffin, instead. Cake is cake so there’s really no comparing it with a muffin. Scones are meant to be enjoyed warm, with a sliver of cold butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea. How very English. Their merit of being on the verge of dry is that they pair well with butter and a warm drink. And like their fluffy muffin-cousins, the varieties are endless. I love a savory scone with cheddar and onion just as much as a sweet variety. These particular scones have a magical pairing – almond and cherries! I bought some hippie soap this weekend with that combination and I didn’t intend to buy soap if I hadn’t smelled it, but there it was, cherry almond soap, screaming, “I’M SO COMFORTING! INHALE ME WHILE YOU DRIVE HOME!” And so I did. And it was a really great car ride.

When I received my copy of King Arthur Flour magazine, one of the first scone mixes inside was cherry almond. I knew I had to make these on my own, instead of waiting on a mix to arrive on my doorstep. So, I looked up the nearest recipe online and adapted it to be more almondy (there really is never enough almond-flavored things in the world) and got to baking! They turned out soft on the inside and crispy on the outside – perfect! I want to make them again, soon, and figure out a way to make them a little more cherry, too. Perhaps a swirl of homemade cherry preserves in the dough! They’re really great as is, though – just don’t forget the (real) butter!

Happy Beginning of the Week!

Cherry Almond Scones*
makes 8-10 scones, depending on the cut

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pea size pieces
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup milk with a tsp of vanilla and a tsp of almond extract mixed in!

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add in the butter and rub with your fingers into the dry ingredients until a coarse meal forms. Add in the cherries and almonds. Add the milk and extracts and combine it into the butter flour mixture.

Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk and cut it into 8 rounds with a biscuit cutter (You can really cut them however you like.) Transfer the scones to a greased cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 17 to 18 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.

*Adapted from Anne Burrell

The Family Meal

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