Summer sweetness from the oven!

With the abundance of fresh fruits showing up in roadside stands and in our grocery stores, I decided it was time to bake! Since apples or peaches aren't ready just yet - no hurry cause summer ends way too soon! - I went ahead and used bing cherries instead. Not your usual staple in a fruit crisp, but the yummy sweetness of this year's crop is just too good to pass up.

Fresh Cherry Crisp
* 1 lb. of cherries
The longest part of this recipe is pitting the cherries. Don't need a pitter, a sharp knife will do! Just cut the cherry in half, twist slightly, one side will come off in your hand, the other will have the pit remain. Cut around the pit and pop it out. Once you have them all finished, pour and spread in a 10x10 baking dish.

* Mix together the following:
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

* Using a pastry cutter, cut in 1/4 cup butter or margarine. The pieces of butter/margarine should be the size of coarse crumbles:


* Spread mixture evenly over the cherries.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, times may vary depending on your oven.

Doesn't this look scrumptious!!


Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping! Since I'm trying to shed 20 lbs by January, I had to skip that step. =)

ENJOY!! Godspeed.......