I've been in a "fruit plus herb" rut lately. I love that combination (grapefruit and thyme, cherry and sage, etc), and you'll likely be seeing much more of it on the blog, but it was starting to feel like those were the only flavor pairings I could think of. When I was given the chance to come up with a cocktail recipe using Hangar 1 Straight Vodka, I promised myself I'd do something other than my go-to fruit and herb combo.

Woohoo! It's Friday! That means it's a great day to eat cake for breakfast. Don't worry, though - it's coffee cake, which falls in the "desserts that have somehow become completely acceptable for breakfast" category.

Like any good coffee cake, this one boasts a thick layer of crumb topping. Messy? Yes...but so worth it. There's cocoa added to the topping for extra chocolatey goodness. If that's not enough for you, there's also a layer of Nutella running through the middle of the cake.

I watched a TED talk a while ago from Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, called, "The Danger of a Single Story." If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading and watch it. It's way more thought-provoking than a blog post about popsicles.

OK, now that you've watched that...

I am a total cookbook junkie. I'll flip through a cookbook as if it was a magazine, reference one like an encyclopedia and sometimes even read another like a novel. I'm obsessed.

I firmly believe that a good cookbook is meant to be cooked from - not to just sit on the shelf. The best ones have worn pages, oil splatters, smears of batter and markings in the margins. Sure, many are designed beautifully and chock-full of incredible photography (which I love), but even these cookbooks are only as good as their recipes.

I think it'll be a while before I make this recipe again - not because I didn't like it, but because I made it and ate the entire batch. I started with two pounds of cherries. TWO POUNDS! Gone. Just like that - and that doesn't even take into account the bread and cheese I ate. Oy.

My husband says that wine cocktails make him think of episodes of Real Housewives. When I told him about this recipe, I think he pictured me lounging on the back deck, throwing back a few glasses, getting a foot massage and enjoying a gourmet lunch prepared by a personal chef. (Where the kids were in this imaginary scenario, I have no idea.)

When I was a kid, my mom used to take my brother and me to a farm near my grandmother’s house to go blueberry picking. Being the wise woman that she was, we went first thing in the morning so we could avoid the hot sun – but the two hour drive meant getting dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn to start our adventure.

These Garlic + Thyme Roasted Tomatoes take only a few minutes to prep, but the flavor you get is incredible. The tomatoes get sweeter as they cook and the garlic and thyme add the perfect savory touch. Spread on a fresh baguette for a perfect snack or appetizer!

I grew up along the East Coast and I’ll admit, I really miss the ocean. Trips to the beach were a regular part of the summer routine while I was growing up. Sometimes, it was a quick weekend excursion down the shore, but other years it was a vacation in Florida or a road-trip north to the coast of Maine. And of course wherever we were, fresh seafood was a must.

"Every night before I get my one hour of sleep, I have the same thought: 'Well, that's a wrap on another day of acting like I know what I'm doing.' I wish I were exaggerating, but I'm not. Most of the time, I feel entirely unqualified to be a parent. I call these times being awake."

– Jim Gaffigan

OK, let me start off by admitting that I'm not a huge fan of cherry-flavored things. Whether it's Cherry Coke, Cherry Jolly Ranchers or cherry liqueur, I can't help but think about the cherry-flavored cough syrup I had to take when I was sick as a kid. That fake cherry flavoring simply isn't my thing.

I realize it's probably not the best to begin a blog post by explaining why I don't like the flavors I'm using, but this drink is nothing like that childhood medicine. There are no artificial flavorings happening here and it makes all the difference! Real cherries. Real vanilla. Really good.