At the moment, I am sitting in an incredibly charming little
coffee shop in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, writing my blog in Microsoft
Word. Though this little shop is
adorable - with classic oak and marble counters, a patterned white tin ceiling,
and tiffany-style lamps – it does not have internet access.
When Paul has business in certain areas of the country, I
try to tag along so we can visit friends and family we wouldn’t otherwise get
to see. Luckily today we are not that far from home, just a couple of hours. While he is out on meetings, making friends
and charming people with his delightful English accent, I chose to hunker down
in this cute shop, with its lovely view of the town center and its slightly
dilapidated but historic buildings, Christmas wreaths and garlands draped on
the wrought iron fences, and American flags flying proudly on every corner.
The longer I’m here the more I can tell how odd it is that I
am here, a stranger, quietly sitting
at her computer staring at pictures of food.
Every time the door opens, a little bell rings and the new customer is
greeted cheerily by name, either by the employees or the other customers. The barista behind the counter seems to know
what most people want before they order it.
I’ve heard of places like this, but have never gotten to sit and
experience one. I have made the mistake in
the past of referring to this area as “the country” to one of its residents,
but there is a decidedly slower pace and familiarity that you don’t easily find
in the city or its suburbs. The people
are cheery, happy to run into one another, and I can feel their positive energy
reaching me even though I sit away from them, quietly at my table, typing away.
This wasn’t the recipe I had in mind for today, but the
slower pace of life around me is telling me that madeleines are what I should
share with you. Madeleines are a
delightful cookie-cake hybrid, fluffy and sweet with a touch of lemon, but they
require patience and a slower pace. You
can’t rush a good madeleine.
Like so many things lately, I found this in one of the
dozens of Cooking Light magazines my friend Eleanor gave me. I promise not all of my recipes will be from
CL, but they’re a great resource, especially at a time of year when people are
more conscious of what they’re eating while trying to make their food festive
and sweeter than usual.
