I'm not sure what makes these cookies something you have for breakfast. They do have dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries, raisins) and nuts in them, which is great, but there are probably healthier options for you. But hey, any breakfast that includes fruit and nuts and oats is a good start to a busy day (wow, I sound like a commercial).

These Breakfast Cookies look rather tasty, even if you have them later in the day.

Although cranberries have long been a favorite part of the holiday meal, it seems like craisins have finally come into their own. The sweet, dried cranberries are popular year round, although 80% of sales are still around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Craisins, made by Ocean Spray, are probably the single biggest brand of dried cranberries and account for most of the sales. Their sales have doubled in just the past two years, prompting Ocean Spray to plan the opening of a new factory for processing them. The berries are first dried and, unlike some other brands of dried cranberries, they have the juice removed and it is later injected back into them, creating a slightly sweeter final product that helped the catch on with fans of sweeter raisins and other dried fruits. Craisins go well in salads, baked good and with main dishes, in sauces or on their own, and company executives say that the sales are split evenly between retail consumers and manufacturers of cereals, baked goods and other products. They also attribute their continued popularity to the fact that consumers are constantly seeking out snacks that are at least as portable, but healthier than some of their less good-for-you favorites.

Most grapes are dried on paper trays in the field to make raisins, but researchers at UC Davis have found that there are distinct differences between raisins dried in the traditional way and those dried directly on the vine. Their testing looked at factors that included "fruitiness, chewiness and color" and the tasters were split on which raisins they liked more, though it was clear that there was a big difference between the two types. The vine-dried raisins were said to be softer, plumper and more complex, almost like wine, while the tray-dried raisins were stickier and more caramely. The noticeably different flavor profiles may open the door for gourmet raisins if some growers switch over to the vine-dried variety.

Vine-dried raisins are less labor intensive than tray-dried raisins, but they usually need to be harvested with a machine and take much longer to dry, needing as much as a month on the vine, as opposed to a week on the trays. As a result, they are more expensive to produce and not all of California's growers, who produce almost all of the US's raisins and about 40% of the world's supply, would be willing or able to make the switch.

Raisins are dried grapes, an obvious and simple truth. Despite the fact that getting the grapes to turn into raisins requires only one step, it's safe to say that not many people try this process at home. I decided to give it a shot, taking advantage of the blazing heat that I've been experiencing lately. I covered a wire cooling rack with a paper towel, set freshly washed grapes on top, and covered them with another paper towel. I set the tray outside in the sun and let nature go to work. You may have to weight down your towels, or cover the whole tray with a domed picnic screen to prevent flies from landing on the grapes.

These grapes, pictured, are about two days into the drying process, but they dry up more each day, getting sweeter as time passes. It took about one week to go from grapes to raisins, but this time will vary depending on sunlight and heat. They taste great, especially compared to the majority of pre-packaged raisins, and are a great summer project that only takes a little effort to do.

Apricots are a stone fruit that has been cultivated for the past 4000 years. The originated in China, near what is now the Russia border. The tree was brought to Europe by the Romans in approximately 70BC, but it gradually spread westward through Asia over the course of s few thousand years to countries like Turkey, where it became very popular. Apricots were brought to America by Spanish missionaries.

Classified as stone fruits, apricots have a large, hard seed in their center around which the flesh of the fruit grows. They appear to be very similar to peaches and nectarines, but are often a bit smaller, measuring 1 1/2-2 1/2-inches in diameter with a prominent suture running down one side. They range in color from yellow to orange, and some varieties even have a reddish cast to them.

A London auction house is offering part of a collection of war-time spy memorabilia owned by the late Doreen Mulot, who was a member of Britain's Special Operations during World War II. One of the most unusual pieces in the collection? A pair of aged prunes.  The now hardened fruits were originally intended to carry messages to prisoners of war. After being softened in water, the pit of the prune would be removed and a message - usually maps or escape plans - sealed in waxed paper would be inserted inside. The prunes would be re-dried and shipped out.

Mulot's great nephew is the one offering the prunes and assorted other memorabilia for sale. He described the plans as being "quite ingenious, [and] not the sort of thing you usually associate with fighting a war." This particular pair of prunes was not used during the war, but were simply kept as a souvenir of Mulot's service.

Whenever someone mentioned edible flowers to me, whether as part of a dish or used as a garnish, I nodded politely and did not think much of it. I considered edible flowers to be among the items that one can only find at a store with hard-to-find specialty ingredients - ingredients that I would probably never use, let alone actually need. This week, however, I spotted bags of hibiscus flowers at Trader Joe's.

Sold alongside the other dried fruits, the hibiscus flowers are dried and lightly sweetened. Apart from their beautiful dark fuchsiacolor, they taste pretty good. Slightly sweet and chewy, like fruit leather, they have a bit of a vegetal undertone that is not present in most dried fruits. I think that they'd make an attractive garnish for cakes and even a nice, unusual addition to a spring-time salad. They are not, however, something that I would eat by the handful.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Ants on a Log is a kids snack food that has been around for a long, long time. Though I never personally saw the resemblance, it gets its name from the fact that the raisins dotting the celery are supposed to look like ants. On a log, obviously.

These are very simple to make and your kids should be able to make them by themselves (with a dull knife or spoon, for safety) without supervision. Simply wash and dry several stalks of celery. Spread some with cream cheese and some with peanut butter, then dot them with raisins and dried cranberries, though any kind of dried fruits will work beautifully. The Ants on a Log can be prepared at the last minute or in advance and they're a great addition to party food. Not only are they a fairly healthy snack for the kids, but the grownups will enjoy them too.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Few things can compare with a buttery scone, warm from the oven, though these are perfectly good at room temperature, too. In honor of D-day, they are packed with three types of dried fruits: sweet cherries, golden raisins and dried apricots. These create a rich blend of flavors and lend a lot of sweetness to the scones, but feel free so pick and choose any dried fruits you like, from blueberries to currants. The scones are absolutely delicious with a cup of coffee or tea.

You might be aware that breakfast cookies are gaining popularity these days. Even Quaker is coming out with a line of the breakfast sweets, full of oats and fiber for those who just can't stomach the idea of cereal in the morning. Frankly, I don't see much difference between these and the regular oatmeal cookies that I like, which I am not about to start eating for breakfast. If breakfast cookies could somehow incorporate bacon, though, I am sure that many people would be brought around to the cookie-for-breakfast mentality. Enter Cookin' in the 'Cuse and her recipe for Bacon Breakfast Cookies. These cookies are a "sweet and savory crunchy cookie studded with bits of smoked bacon, raisins and multi grain cereal." Now if only someone would start to market these!