Almond Joy Crescent Rolls

{Pssst...it's still Almond Joy Week round these parts. You excited??}

I love to travel. In fact, if we ever won the lottery (which means I would actually have to play) I think I'd get Jordan a tutor and travel all the time. I love seeing new places, revisiting old ones, staying in hotels and eating out in new places (let's not confuse that with trying new things; we all know I don't do that).

In fact, the whole eating thing on trips is one of my favorite parts. So much so that I have a "TV Food Maps" app on my phone with which I can search eateries nearby that were featured on my favorite food TV shows, like Cupcake Wars.

And then there is what I call "nostalgic eating" on trips. When you visit a place you once lived and eat to your hearts content. (Like when I go home to my parents' and overindulge on Village Host and Preston's.)

This summer we have some free flights and not a lot of money, so we're going to Arizona. (Hot summers in Arizona = super cheap hotels.) We lived in Chandler (outside Phoenix) for about five years after we got married. Jordan was born there and I haven't been back in a few years.

As soon as I heard where we were going to go my mind started working (as did my stomach, in anticipation). Most of what I want to do there is eat, no app needed.

We're going to Dilly's Deli, for sure. It was the first place we ever ate in Tempe (our realtor took us there on our first trip down to find a house back in 2002) and it boasted grilled sandwiches before paninis were all the rage.

Paradise Bakery. For cookies. EVERY DAY.

Chompie's. Oh, Chompie's. There is actually one across the street from our hotel. I'd eat there for every meal if I could. Bagels, diner food. Sandwiches bigger than your head. A New York style deli in the heart of the sweltering dessert. Because there is nothing I'd rather do besides eat five pounds of food when it's 116 degrees.

The Hangar Cafe at the Chandler Airport. It's a greasy spoon, and honestly, the food isn't the best in the world. It's the atmosphere (and the memories) that count. You park outside the airport and walk across the tarmac to get to the entrance, as airplanes drive by you. It was one of Jordan's favorite places to go as a toddler.

Oh, and we're going to see some sights too. The Zoo is the best one I've ever been too. And we're going to hit Sedona. Where they have great ice cream and a really good Mexican restaurant.

Our hotel gives free "breakfast" and by that I mean stale pastry. I can assure you, there won't be any of these babies in site. Too bad, too.

Although, since we have a kitchenette, I could go to the store and make some.

Since this is the easiest breakfast pastry ever. And, um, it's candy for breakfast.

I'll never say no to that!

Do you live in the Scottsdale/Phoenix/Chandler area? Any other haunts I should hit while we're there? Most of our time will be in Scottsdale, but we will be going down to Chandler to show Jordan her old house and the hospital she was born in (she's been asking to see it). Oh, and to hit The Hangar. And the Super Target at Germann & Gilbert, where Jordan spend 90% of her infanthood. Of course.




Almond Joy Crescent Rolls

by Crazy for Crust

(Wrapping stuff in crescent rolls ain't new...these were most-likely inspired by Something Swanky or Pint Sized Baker.)

Ingredients

• 1 tube crescent rolls (8)
• 4 mini Almond Joy candy bars, cut in half to make 8 pieces
• ¼ cup milk chocolate chips
• ¼ cup toasted coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. Unroll the crescent rolls. Place one half of each candy bar in the wide part of the crescent triangle. Roll up and place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining rolls.
3. Bake according to package directions. Once cool, melt your chocolate chips and drizzle over the crescent rolls. Sprinkle immediately with toasted coconut.

Notes:

• You can bake these in a toaster oven if your kitchen is too hot to turn on the oven, but it’ll take closer to 20 minutes to bake them.
• I prefer toasting coconut in a small frying pan on the stove. It gets me to remember it’s there, thus reducing the inevitability I will forget it in the oven making my house smell like burned coconut for three days.

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Some more blogland Almond Joy fabulousness:

Almond Joy Popcorn Munch by Inside BruCrew Life.
Almond Joy Oatmeal by Cookin' Cowgirl.
Joyful Almond Cookies by Yammie's Noshery.
Almond Joy Bars by The Ranch Wife Chronicles.
Almond Joy Cocktail by That's What We Said.
Coconut Cream Pie with a Chocolate Crumb Crust by Barbara Bakes.

I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!