Not everything requires a bowl, a mixer, whisk, and measuring spoons.

Sometimes the most delicious comforts come out of milk, spice, and heat.

I’ve been keeping it pretty simple in the kitchen lately.  You know… trying to treat my body right, and such.  I’m also trying to stay far far away from the Winter cold that’s ruining the world as of late (that was totally dramatic).

Here’s the plan:

Heat about 2 cups of almond milk in a small saucepan.  If it’s unsweetened almond milk… you might want to add a touch of honey.  If it’s already sweetened… no need.

Add about 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom and a good sprinkling of fresh ground nutmeg to the heating milk.  Also add the scrapings of half a vanilla bean… heck, throw the pod in too.  If you don’t have vanilla beans on hand, no worries (!) just throw in a dash of pure vanilla extract.  If you want to add a bit of bourbon… I won’t tell a soul.

Heat until steaming hot.

Serve hot with cookies from your favorite bakery.  Enjoy while reading a cookbook studded with Polaroids of your friends as bookmarks.  (Suggestions… no biggie.)

Dear The French Laundry,

How did a humble baker girl like me end up at a fine establishment such as yours?  Seriously.  Breathtaking.  How did this happen?

Ok… truth be told, my friend Tracy extended a last minute invite, I basically ran to my car in my slippers, a dress on a hanger flying behind me, and I sped from Los Angeles to Yountville in a cool 7 hours.  I forgot my lipstick.  Thank you for not judging.

Is it The French Laundry, or can I just call you French Laundry?

We’re on a first name basis, right?  Good.  Thank you.

French Laundry.  You are Fancy.  Capital F, Fancy.

… I can tell by the generous amount of gorgeous Thomas Keller flatware, delicious amount of caviar, and generous amount of champagne.

You brought me this tiny pearled spoon scoop and I thought about accidentally putting it in my purse for 3.45 seconds.  It’s a good thing I remembered that I don’t steal things.  I love that little scooper.  Well played.

You have salts from all over the world.  One of these is from the deep ocean, one of them is a French grey salt, one of them is a 40 million year old salt from Montana.  Wait… did you say 40 million years old?  Is Montana even that old?  I believe you.. mostly because you serve your salt in a swan.

I’m humbled by your salt choices.  Truly.  So delicious.  So delicate.  Refined.  So much refinement.

French Laundry, your Cold Corn Soup almost made me cry.  You brought giant truffles out in a dehumidified box.  Whoah!  You served me Lobster Mitts…. I didn’t even know that was a thing!  Lamb with pine nut vinaigrette?  I love you.  Every bite was entirely humbling.  I mean that most sincerely.

You did a thing to me… I think it was called Caramelia Chocolate “Cremeux”.  Don’t judge me for only being able to pronounce one of those words correctly.

Chocolate mousse, caramel corn, Georgia peanuts, ridiculous banana puree, and and and and Salted Popcorn Ice Cream.  It was the best dessert to ever happen to my mouth.  I thank you.  My heart thanks you.

The thing is, French Laundry… the thing is this:  you’re fancy… to be sure…  but you and your staff have a way about you.  You somehow make ultra fine dining feel like an intimate home dining experience.  You make the most delicious, perfectly executed food taste like mind blowing home cooking.  I mean  that with the most respect possible.

Your food tastes like community.  It tastes like love and pride.  It taste like dedication, education, and attention.  It tastes like knowledge and technique… and it tastes like you love your grandmothers.  It is everything that is good, brought to its highest potential.  Inspired.  I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know… but you blew my mind.

Would now be a good time to mention that we wrote ‘booyakah’ in your guestbook?

Yea… that happened.

Oh!  We also took a picture outside in the dark.  Tracy was holding her lightsaber.  Totally normal.  Nevermind.

Thank you, French Laundry.  That sounds trite, but I mean it from deep down inside.

Love,

Joy

Ps. Please don’t show your pastry chef these cookies.  Seriously.  They’re no biggie.  Like… seriously.

Sigh.

Back to real life.

Back to my boring old cookies.

Light, crisp, and delicious meringues.

Egg whites are whipped with granulated sugar, salt, and lemon juice until they’re stiff and glossy.

Then we fold in ground, toasted almonds, and cornstarch.

Humble… but I like where this is going!

It’s like nutty marshmallow fluff!

I’m into it.

These cookies can either be piped or spooned onto the cookie sheet.

Keep them close on the baking sheet because they don’t spread.  Easy!

Top with powdered sugar and sliced almonds.  Generous.  We like generosity.

These cookies were a gift to Tracy, to say thanks for French Laundry invite.

Packaging is key when you’re dealing with Tracy, so I tried to keep it cute.

Oh!  And I had to write a note… even if it got awkward. Note paper from Anthropologie.

I’ve been workin my way back to you, babe.

With a burning love inside.

Hey I’m workin my way back to you, babe.

And the happiness that died.

I have that song in my head.

Maybe that means I’ll want brownies and cookies again sometime soon.

Maybe I’m working my way back to my sweet tooth.

Until then… I toasted you some almonds and oats… and I took exactly three pictures of it.

You’ve made granola, right?

It’s super easy.  If you haven’t… I think it’s something you should do this weekend.

Also… you might be glad to know that this is a boyfriend friendly food.  Sure, they’ll act all hard and disinterested, but the empty granola bag tells a different story.  Just pretend like you didn’t notice.  Boys like a little privacy when it comes to how much they enjoy granola.

I tried on about thirty different pairs of skinny jeans last week.  It wasn’t cute.  This trend is not ok with me.

I have thighs.  They rub together a little.

These candies might be why.

If you feel compelled to make some sort of joke about the word ‘joy’ in the title of this recipe and my name… which is also Joy.

Well… go on.  Get it out of your system.

Just don’t make any Joy to the World jokes.  I’m so over those.

I really like what’s going on with these little gems.  I combined unsweetened coconut with sweetened condensed milk and toasted almonds… and I covered the whole thing in dark chocolate.  Seriously good.

But aren’t Almond Joys kind of a Grandpa candy bar?  No… that’s Baby Ruth… totally an old dude candy bar.

Please allow me this bright and promising Monday morning to keep it one hundred percent real with you.  While this gluten free cake was buttery, nutty, bright with the flavor of lemon and perfectly sweet, the truth is, it ended up all over my floor.  Well… ok, bits on the floor, chunks on the counter, and pieces in my dirty sink.  Basically, this cake landed everywhere except the cake plate where I wanted it.

I salvaged a few if the larger pieces to mock up a pretty picture for you.  For a few moments I thought I might not even tell you about my cake accident.  But… see, my cake didn’t just land on the floor because I’m clumsy, but because I was taking baking liberties that I shouldn’t have.  Fact.

This cake taught me a small lesson about baking pan choices and cooking times.  It also helped me get my cake dropping out of the way for the next several months.  I only drop a cake every three months or so.  I feels good to be free and clear for a few months to come.

Here’s what you should know about this cake.  The crumb is held together with butter, almond flour and eggs.  While the cake is full of great flavor, it’s a bit crumbly.  To best work with the crumb of this cake, I think it would be best baked in mini loaf pans, or mini bundt pans, or those long and skinny loaf pans (6×2 1/2-inches) if you have them.  Cupcakes also worked out well, baking for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges were nice and brown.  Regular sized, larger loaf pans will most likely create a cake that is sunken in the middle.  Bundt pans.. well that’s how I dropped my cake on the floor… no good.

When it comes to baking this beauty, you might be surprised when I say: longer is better.  We’re not looking for a lightly colored American style cake here.  We’re looking for a French brown:  a baked good left to bake until the sides are beautifully dark brown.  I think the longer cooking time will help the crumb stay together better.

I’m thinking my mistakes will help you create a better cake.  Go on… bake away!

What do you do when you’re down to your last egg?  Either cry about it or make Chocolate Pudding with Almond Whipped Cream.  In my case, I did both.

I know this is only a food blog, but I’m sure you all won’t mind if I get something off my chest.  I’m sad.  I’m puffy eyed, in my pajamas all day, looking out the window at the beautiful weekend passing me by- sad.

It’s relationship trouble.  My Mom called it “matters of the heart” which kinda put a smile on my face because she made relationship drama sound so old fashioned.  Moms are good for that.

So, while I understand that this is totally out of place for my humble food blog, I hope you won’t mind me over sharing and asking for advice.  Maybe you can help.

How do you do it?  How do you keep a relationship alive and well?  Tell me your love story because I think I need to hear it.  Is it hard?  Is it perfect?  Is it completely neurotic?

I’m here asking for dime store advice.  How do you make it work?  In return, I have pudding to offer.  It’s a lovely recipe.  Now tell me what you think about love.

And on top of all the love woes, I was down to my last egg.  I could have gone to the grocery store, of course… but some things just seem impossible when you’ve got the blues.

So here’s what to do when you’re down to your last egg, and you need some chocolate comfort in a cup.  It’s perfect.

Kids between the ages of 3 and 7 are pretty amazing.  They’re little screaming, snotting, jumping, and crashing balls of honesty.  If they don’t like you, you know it.  If they recognize you for the poopoo head that you are, they’re not afraid to tell you- to your face, in ear piercing tones.  They haven’t yet developed the ability to filter their opinion of you.  It’s simultaneously refreshing and completely unsettling.

That’s why, whenever I meet new kids, I come with cupcakes.  Not just cupcakes, but cupcakes with sprinkles.  It works every time.  It’s irresistible.  It’s my dirty little trick.  Walk into their house with cupcakes and a smile on your face, and you’ve got an instant friend.  And when they come and thank you for the cupcake with chocolate all over their face- well, there’s nothing better.

These cupcakes are dinner party perfect.  They’re light and delicate with the flavors of almond and fresh raspberry.  Great for adults and not too overpowering and strange for kids.  The chocolate ganache is not too sweet or heavy and spreads on the cupcake with a beautiful sheen.  Kids absolutely love them, but they’re sophisticated enough to enjoy with coffee long after the kiddies have gone to bed.  Thank you Courtney, Bill and cutie Macallan for a beautiful dinner.

I’ll admit, I think olive oil is sexy.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil especially, sends me over the moon.  The rich, full and nutty smell, the beautiful translucent green color, and the way the taste coats my mouth.  It’s just gorgeous.  I’ve been known to buy a fresh baguette on the way home from work and simply eat warm bread with plates full of olive oil.  I think I’ve also put the stuff in my hair as a conditioner, and on my hands as a lotion.  But that’s sounding like a whole other blog, so let’s not get into that.

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies with Almond Glaze.   Sounds like there’s a lot going on in one humble cookie, right?   It’s amazing how the flavors and sweetness meld together to create a unique, yet strangely familiar taste treat.  These essentially taste like a darling lemon sugar cookie, but with a slight (sexy) hint of olive oil.  I tested these on unsuspecting, but die hard cookie fans, and they couldn’t put their finger on the olive oil without me pointing it out.  The verdict-  two thumbs up.

Not only does olive oil smell gorgeous and taste great, it’s also good for you!  There’s a reason why the Italians are so beautiful, and I think it’s something in the olive oil.  Olive oil has less fat than butter, and has mono-saturated fats which are good for you heart.  It’s a great substitute for butter in these cookies.

I found that the batter for these cookies comes out a little wet, almost like cake batter.  I spooned the batter onto a greased and floured cookie sheet by the tablespoonful, and baked them up.  They turned out just lovely!  Try them, I’d love to hear what you think!

I’m a huge breakfast fanatic.  I usually go for something hearty, healthy and full of surprise goodies.  That’s not to say that I don’t sometimes reach for a donut and some coffee, but this go around I opted for old-fashioned oatmeal with the gorgeous flavors of cranberry, orange and almond.  I threw in a bit of brown sugar for good measure, and surrounded my oatmeal with cold milk.  It was a delightful breakfast- satisfying but not too heavy.  It’s the kind of breakfast that convinces you you’re ready to take on the world.  Brilliant

Thank you Dawn!  It was so sweet of you to send me these darling cards and pens!  I’ll put them to good use!  They’re absolutely beautiful!  Thank You!!