Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries...

Summer is in full swing and that means stone fruit!  Cherries, peaches, plums, etc. are all in season now and there is nothing like biting into a perfectly ripe peach, juice running down your chin, face lifted to the sky & sunshine warming your cheeks. 
However, taking that fruit and turning it into a cobbler or crisp isn't a bad option either...  especially since it requires little effort and that is what most of us with hectic lives and schedules need.

In honor of the Cherry Festival held in Traverse City, Michigan I thought I'd give a nod to the Wolverine state with a Cherry Crisp.

Cherries are so beautiful with their glossy, dark ruby skin and I love the snap of it breaking open when you bite into it.  Their season is short, so when they are around get them while the gettin's good!

farm-stand cherries

Cherries are also full of health benefits, they are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.  They also contain anthocyanins which act as a natural antioxidant and also an anti-inflamatory. 
So now that you know how good they are for you, grab a bag of cherries and make a crisp for the ones you love.


Cherry Crisp
  For the filling:

• 2 cups cherries, pitted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour

- First step is to pit the cherries.  A cherry/olive pitter isn't imperative, but it certainly helps.

pitted cherries & my weapon of mass destruction...

 



-Combine cherries, sugar & flour. 

-Divide evenly into 4 ramekins (or a small baking dish).

   For the crumb topping:    

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

- Combine flour, oats, brown sugar & cinnamon in a medium bowl. 

- Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (the fastest way is to use your fingers).

ready for the oven

- Sprinkle evenly over filling.

-Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

golden brown deliciousness

           

Life is just a bowl of cherries...This idiom means that life is pleasant, but one can interpret it a couple different ways. Sometimes life is sweet and sometimes it's just the (cherry) pits. Thankfully today is not the latter.