Who needs stickers?

Both Murphy and I had doctor appointments yesterday, so as a reward for putting on our brave faces, instead of getting "We were stars at the doctor today" stickers, we decided to take a drive into the historical town of Lexington, MA.

The sun was out and the air was crisp, so I decided to put down the windows in the car.  As Murphy gets older, he is getting more and more comfortable with putting his sniffing snout out the window and taking in all of the smells that are flying by him.  Also, as he gets older and older, I'm getting somewhat better at not being such a clingy parent and can now actually allow him to reach the end of his nose out the window.

 

 

Our first stop was to pick up a special treat for me and Mr. C to enjoy for dessert later in the day.  When he and I were in Napa Valley this past summer, we found a great bakery that is known for their macarons (stay tuned for a future post all about Napa!).  Macarons, with one "o" are delicate pastries made with almond flour, not to be confused with macaroons that are made with flakes of coconut. 

Needless to say, we really enjoyed these special treats in Napa, but with the exception of small bakeries that are nestled in large cities, it can be pretty hard to find these tasty, crispy, melty macarons.  About 6 months ago, I found Macron Sweeterie, located on Mass Ave in Lexington. 

This small boutique cafe features macrons, gelato, and coffee.  Before you even taste these little treasures, you eyes are dazzled by the colorful hues of both the cookies and their fillings.  I thought the fig and honey lavender macarons looked the most beautiful in the case, but my taste buds were drawn to the Nutella, salted caramel, almond, and dark chocolate macarons.

Next up on our list of fun places to visit was Wilson Farm.  I love stopping here, especially in the fall months.  Here, you can purchase every kind of fresh fruit, veggie, cheese and bread that you can want in addition to flowers, plants, and pumpkins.  The best reason to visit Wilson's Farm though?  On the weekends, they make fresh apple cider donuts outside and you can smell the deliciousness all the way from the parking lot. 

For just 50 cents, you can watch dough be dropped into hot, sizzling oil which puffs up the batter into a perfect ring.  Soon, it travels on a conveyor belt that slowly inches the golden dough closer and closer and closer to the brink of being tossed into a giant bowl of cinnamon sugar.  Before you know it, that freshly-made apple cider donut is picked up in a small sheet of parchment paper and is in your hot little hands (no, seriously, the donuts are still really, really hot!).  Talk about heaven.

So, the macrons are already gone and the donuts will be following suit really soon.  Do you have special treats that you have found at shops around town?

Until next time, travel on...
Maggie