And then she went back, for a little bit more

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I have vegged to the max for the past two hours, and suddenly, I knew what I had to do. I had to make the homemade Almond Joys I saw a few days ago on Food52. Almond Joys have long been one of my favorite treats. I'm not much of a candy eater (hard-candies? jelly beans? Skittles for crying out loud? fuh-gedd-about-it!), but chocolate plus almonds plus coconut? That is right up my alley. Always has been. Almond  Joys and Mounds were some of my prized Halloween scores. I'd make trades with my sister for Starbursts and SweeTarts, pretending I did so out of love for her but selfishly knowing the truth: this was a win-win situation. You might recall my Almond Joy-Cardamom Ice Cream a few months back. Awesome, and a definite homage to my longtime love.

Now, it is extremely rare that I buy a candy bar these days; maybe once every 18 months or two years. I don't even pine for my kids' Halloween goodies. Something about age and the sweet factor and recognizing that little in these "treats" is real. But a from-scratch Almond Joy? Hells Bells, folks. I'm on it. I saw this recipe a mere 4 days ago, and despite the ludicrous hamster-wheel of a day I had, making these sweets just for me seemed a fitting tribute to it.

And so, I did. Delicioso!

unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and almonds

NIK_3151

I'm not fantastic at tempering or dipping in chocolate, but decided to heed the advice of a friend, CLJ, and just go for it, no judgement. My hands were slathered in chocolate and these aren't as pretty as in the pic, but you know what? They taste damn good!

Almond Joys, from scratch

Spaghetti alle vongole, ice cream

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At the market earlier today, I was seized with a desire for spaghetti alle vongole, one of my favorite pastas ever. I recall once, when Jack was still a baby and I was nursing like a fiend, eating a portion that should have served 4. I was in Lake Charles visiting my family there, and I seem to remember that everyone at the table was both wide-eyed and impressed by my voracious consumption of the vat o' pasta. Nice! My sister, l'italiana, passed this recipe onto me, and it's great. I'll post it for you soon. Each time I make it, I have to get over the death sentence to which I subject the poor, innocent clams, but once it's done, it's done, and I then enjoy with glee. For dessert, we have a bit left of each of my recent ice cream creations. They are superb, especially the almond joy-cardamom one. Whoa! It's awesome. Make some this Labor Day!