I don’t know exactly what to call it but the symptoms include: 1) Decreased ability to come up with blog-worthy new recipes and 2) Extreme increased ability to tuck under a blanket on the couch with a square of dark chocolate, watch drivel like The Bachelor, and obsess over every single kitchen remodel detail one can possibly imagine.

The good news? The kitchen is almost done! Finally. We have one more set of cabinet doors to paint, then it’s on to the backsplash plus moving back in. I’m pretty sure once the kitchen remodel is complete I’ll regain some of my blogging mojo. It’s looking bee-you-tiful so I am, in fact, planning on more mojo than ever. (Please, oh please come back, mojo!)

Today’s chocolate cherry smoothie recipe is a super simple one, but so, so delicious. It gives me hope for my mojo and low-cal desserts in equal measure, because it tastes like a decadent milkshake.

In actuality, it’s a fruit-sweetened-only smoothie with a surprising little hit of iron. It has a healthy side but still feels indulgent.

(Okay, even more indulgent if you choose to trash it up a bit with coconut whipped cream and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. I won’t judge.)

I mean, I’m always looking for great sources of iron, so I guess I’ll just HAVE to enjoy another Black Forest Smoothie, right? The sacrifices for health, you know.

Hope to be back soon. Bear with me!

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Okay, so close your eyes and imagine … oh, I suppose you can’t read with your eyes closed. Well, I’m in a pickle, aren’t I?! Stay with me … keep your eyes open and imagine a flaky, tender beast of a scone. A chocolatey scone. Uber-chocolatey. Studded with tart dried cherries. And then drizzled with dark chocolate. The beauty is in the taste, even if the beast is in its looks.

Hey, it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, right?

So make your loved one something ugly for Valentine’s Day breakfast! It just, um, makes sense?! I don’t know. But they’re delicious, I promise.

Oh, one thing that’s nice about this scone recipe is that it’s free of refined sugar – I use pure maple syrup instead! It also calls for white whole wheat flour for a little added nutritional boost (all-purpose totally works too, though, if you desire).

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I’m far too excited about rediscovering this awesome little summertime kitchen hack. Are you ready to learn the easiest way to pit a cherry (without a pitter)? You need just one teeny tiny little kitchen item to make this happen. Are you ready? Drumroll please …

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The post The Easiest Way to Pit a Cherry (Without a Pitter!) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Mojitos.

Nothing beats an icy-cold, minty mojito on a hot summer day. This version brings another summer staple – juicy ruby-red bing cherries – into the scene. The result is a gorgeous scarlet cocktail of cherry, lime, and mint … how can you go wrong?

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The post Bing Cherry Mojitos appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

In between marathon blog redesign sessions, I’ve had a teensy bit of a life. I think it’s still summer – it is, right? I think the weather is pretty nice. I think my dogs and my guy still like me well enough. I think.

As far as my guy is concerned, I’m pretty sure it helped that I took enough of a break over the past couple of weeks to head to the farm stand and load up on beautiful, bright, just-picked Pacific Northwest bing cherries, and then turn a bunch of those bad boys into fresh bing cherry ice cream for him.

I also bought him a case of Hefeweizen and some beef jerky. I aim to please. My dogs, Angel and Lizzie? Psh, they think I hung the moon no matter what, which is pretty handy. Though I did promise to take them to the ocean this weekend. Just in case.

A pound of red, ripe cherries turns this lush ice cream a pretty pale burgundy. Not pink, mind you. Pale burgundy. I feel like there should be a name for pale burgundy, but it’s escaping me. The flavor? Actually a little subtle, until you bite into a chunk of cherry and… {monster truck voice} “IT’S A FLAVOR EXPLOSION! explosion! explosion!”

(By the way, it’s even better with a drizzle of homemade chocolate syrup for a Black Forest type of situation.)

Which is to say, it’s good. Really good. And a great way to showcase those wonderful bing cherries in season. And a great way to feel better about the fact that you’re neglecting your loved ones while you obsess over your blog redesign.

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Homemade Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

This lush, pretty ice cream is the perfect thing to do with those sweet bing cherries. Recipe prep time includes freezing time.

Keyword cherry ice cream, cherry vanilla ice cream, Homemade Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

Prep Time 6 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole or 2% milk
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 pound fresh bing cherries this will amount to 2 cups cherry halves + 1 cup diced cherries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Pit 2/3 of the cherries. I just cut the cherries in half with a paring knife, then carefully pried them apart and removed the pit. You can also use a rigid straw to push against the end of the cherry and force the cherry pit through the other side.
• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice over the cherry halves and toss lightly. Pit and dice the remaining 1/3 of the cherries. Cut the cherry in half, remove the pit, and then cut each half into fourths. Or, you know, cut 'em how you like.
• And then sprinkle the other teaspoon of lemon juice over the diced cherries and toss a little.
• Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is frothy. This takes a good couple of minutes. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and whipping cream over low heat, until the mixture is very warm – when it forms bubbles around the sides, it's about ready.
• Very slowly pour the hot cream/milk mixture into the beaten eggs, whipping briskly the entire time. You’re tempering the eggs – heating them slowly and evenly so that you don’t make scrambled eggs instead of beautiful custard.
• Return the milk/cream/eggs/sugar mixture to the saucepan and, stirring constantly over medium-low heat, cook until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon – about 10 minutes (sometimes takes as long as 15, but watch carefully and remove from the heat as soon as it's thick). Remove from the heat. Stir in the cherry halves (NOT the diced cherries – those go into the ice cream at the last minute). Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes or so then stir in the vanilla.
• Puree. I use my handy dandy immersion blender. You can also use a good old fashioned blender. Be careful, though. The mixture is still hot. Let it sit for a few more minutes if you're not sure. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve. 
• Let the custard cool completely. This can happen in the fridge, or you can set the container in a bowl or sink of ice water to speed up the process.
• Once it's cooled, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer instructions. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker.
• When the mixture is just about frozen, add the diced cherries. Now you can eat it, or spread it in a container and freeze the rest of the way.
• We enjoy this plain, and I also whipped up some dark chocolate hot fudge to try over the top. Both are equally, sinfully great.

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