My cousin and aunt got in from Montana on Thursday and then my mom arrived on Friday, so all weekend we've been out and about exploring. They leave tomorrow but my mom will be here for five more days and I'm so excited to hang out with her all week--I love having friends and family visit and just doing normal stuff together like grocery shopping, walking Ender, and drinking coffee in my living room every morning.

There's a big field in the park by our house and just recently it got completely fenced in. Rob and I brought Ender there the other night to see if he would want to run around and it was so adorable--as soon as I let him off the leash he took off at a sprint and was having so much fun. He is such a fast dog and I love finding opportunities to let him go at full speed. There are a bunch of squirrels around so it's a much different experience from the regular dog park, but it wears him out just the same (in about half the time).

Sometimes I look at Rob and can't believe I get to spend my whole life with him. I feel so lucky.

I go through these phases where I love eating rice cakes with mayo and sliced tomato, but the other day I got some of that Everything But the Bagel Seasoning from Trader Joe's and sprinkled it over a rice cake with cream cheese. It wasn't exactly a bagel, but it was pretty damn good.

As long as I'm doing it ahead of time, I really enjoy picking out restaurants to try with people--even if it's just for me and Rob. But if we're trying to figure out where to go for our next meal and we're running short on time (or maybe I'm hungry), it's my least favorite thing in the world.

I'm already thinking about my next (two) tattoos.

So far, the closest thing to simplifying I've done this year is not keeping up with my balayage. (I do have big plans to clear out at least half of my closet by the end of September, though.)

I've never actually been on a roller coaster.

I finally feel like I know where to take people when they come visit us in California. We've been here 8 months. In Charlotte, this feeling took 4-5 months. But the Bay Area is so huge, I feel like having a weekend's worth of stuff to do nearby is an accomplishment (even if it's just going to breakfast and then taking a walk around Stanford's campus).

I probably shouldn't trim my own bangs but I do it anyway.

What are a few things most people don't know about you?

It's cherry season and Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, so I thought I'd spend some time in the kitchen this week coming up with a way to use all the cherries we bought at the market the other day. Every time we go grocery shopping, one of us ends up putting a big bag of cherries in the cart--they just look so good!

This recipe is grain-free and made without refined sugars (just a little bit of honey--the cherries themselves are sweet enough!). They'd be great right out of the oven with a scoop of your favorite dairy-free (or regular) ice cream, but they also keep pretty well in the fridge and make a delicious snack, dessert, or even a sweet breakfast treat!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 eggs

For the cherry filling:

• 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

For the crumb topping:

• 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1-2 tablespoons honey, to drizzle on top

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the crust ingredients until smooth and well incorporated. Spoon the crust out into a baking dish (I used an 8 x 4 inch one). Press it down well, making sure it's evenly spread out around the bottom of the dish and up the sides a bit. (I actually made my crust too thick this time, so next time I'll be sure to really pat it down so it's a bit thinner.) Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. While the crust is baking, transfer pitted cherries, honey, and vanilla extract to a small sauce pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the cherries have expelled some liquid, add the arrowroot powder and stir well to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the grass-fed butter and coconut flower together until crumbly (you should be able to handle it with your fingers). 
5. Pour the cherry filling over the crust and top with the coconut flour crumb topping. Drizzle with half of the honey and bake at 350 for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drizzle with more honey, and serve warm.