Sour cherry streusel coffee cake

Whew!  It feels good to be back.  I've been running -- literally -- all over the place for the past two weeks.

Matt's family visited for his  "graduation" from Pitt two weeks ago.  I say "graduation" because Matt's not totally done his program, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter every day.  Commencement was lovely, and we had a fun weekend despite the damp weather.  The highlight had to be dinner at The Melting Pot.  I recommend it for the ultimate playing-with-your-food dining experience!

The following week was filled with delicious dinners with longtime friends (Dish = fabulous, fellow Pittsburghers!), running, no-longer-neglected errands, and serious amounts of pasta.  I take training for and running in races very seriously :)

So, once I finally took a minute to stop and smell the roses turn my computer back on, I realized that I had just the recipe to lure you back in and convince you that hey, I haven't forgotten about you.

And I certainly haven't stopped baking.  In fact, I've gone back to my sugar and butter-coated roots.

Sour cherry breakfast strudels

Happy Friday, friends!  I really should take Friday off from work more often.  Maybe it's because I'm still in the workday mentality that I have so much energy and feel like I'm going to accomplish lots today.  Kinda like a kid playing hooky from school.  "Bueller?  Bueller?"  Come to think of it, a former coworker would put in four 10-hour days and have a three day weekend to enjoy every single week.  That lady was one smart cookie :)

So, after sleeping in until the late hour of 7:15 [gasp!], I got up to start a birthday breakfast for Matt.  Not a cake, you're wondering?  Since he's admittedly not really a dessert guy (I know!) and breakfast is his favorite meal, I told him to stop by for a real treat before his exam this morning.   His hands-down favorite thing that I make is sour cherry pie.  So much so that when I've mentioned making it for a group of friends, his response is something along the lines of, "I don't want to share!"  Well-spoken for a guy one day away from his 27th birthday, no?

Sour cherry pie

Maybe I've seen too many movies, but I firmly believe that every family has at least one great food story.  Be it a terrific disaster involving one very blackened Thanksgiving turkey or a quest to discover the key to a top secret cookie recipe from six generations ago.  This story has neither of those elements :)  But, at least to me and mine, it is a pretty fantastic history of the Kemp family and its love of a rare but delicious summer fruit -- the sour cherry.  If you'll permit me, a trip down memory lane...

Fruit, nut & oat breakfast bars

My love of homemade snacks is no secret.  So, when I saw a recipe for breakfast granola bars in Nigella Express, I knew I had to try it.  They are easy to make (I know I say many things are easy, but this is one bowl, one spatula, and one measuring cup easy) but remember that they need an hour to bake and another hour or so to cool and set.  I made a batch on Sunday to have for the whole week.  You know, just in case I have one of those days when I don't want to get out of my warm bed and the thought of walking to work in 20 degree air makes me want to cry, so I stay in bed much longer than I should. Then panic hits when I do the math of how long each part of my morning routine takes and realize that the time I have left isn't enough... yeah.    These bars are perfect for those exact panic moments.  Also suitable for the common 2:30 "I'm so hungry I couldn't have possibly eaten lunch" hunger pangs.

Breakfast (or any other time of the day when you need a satisfying snack) Bars
(adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe in here)

1 14-ounce can condensed milk
2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not instant... they don't have enough substance)
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit of your choice)
1 cup sunflower seeds (or pumpkin, sesame, etc.)
1 cup natural unsalted peanuts

Preheat oven to 250F.  Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Mix together all ingredients except the milk in a large bowl.

Warm the condensed milk in the microwave or in a saucepan over the stove.  Do NOT boil, merely warm.  Pour over the mixture into the large bowl and fold and distribute using a rubber spatula.

Spread the mixture into the pan and spread evenly, patting down where need be to make the surface even.

Bake 1 hour, remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.  While still in pan, cut into 16 equal bars.  Let cool completely (I let mine sit out for another two hours while I was doing other things around the apartment).  Store in a sealed bag or container for up to two weeks.

Enjoy with a cup of tea... mmmm.