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I have fallen in love with the French cookie/cake called a Madeleine. They are small shell shaped cookies, but instead of the hard crunch of a cookie, or biscuit, they are made with light fluffy cake. I understand that you can get them in many flavors, but the only ones I’ve found have a hint of vanilla, or lemon flavor which is barely discernible on your pallet. I came across the DonSueMor Brand one day at Starbucks and they go so well with coffee that I can’t seem to keep from buying them whenever I’m there. At $2.00 for a bag of three, I thought it might be best if I learned how to make them to have around the house. Of course, this wasn’t a conscious thought that lead immediately to action mind you. This was one of those “wouldn’t it be great” thoughts that you tuck away and recall from time-to-time.

It wasn’t until I was watching the DVD of The Transporter that my little nurturing thought was moved into action. I was watching the movie when Lai bakes some Madeleines for our hero Frank Martin. As the two action stars sat there eating them and discussing their next move, I thought, “Man, wouldn’t that be great to enjoy a Madeline with my coffee?” I could just picture myself sitting at the kitchen table, overlooking the pasture that rests behind our home. Dotting the landscape are grazing cattle, some nursing their young, while I type away on my Alphasmart Dana. Every so often, I pause for a sip of coffee and a nibble of this French cake delicacy and look down at Gracie sleeping at my feet. Even now, this idea makes me close my eyes so I can savor the thought in my mind as if it were suckling a rich piece of chocolate, letting it melt and soothe my body.

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I stumbled upon the stroopwafel some 10 years ago back in Baton Rouge. Coffee shops where just beginning to blossom around the United States and people weren’t quite sure what to make of them. In fact, I remember the first time I walked into Perks Coffee and Tea Shop and was shocked that I couldn’t order bacon and eggs. :O Like I said, people (including myself) were just learning what a coffee shop was all about. The idea of going someplace just for coffee seemed a bit strange.

Needless to say, I quickly got the hang of it and began visiting Perks on a frequent basis. What I discovered is that there was food to eat, just not the kind that comes off the griddle. 🙂 Bagels, muffins and other pastries were quite plentiful and good and made for a nice start on the day. There was also something new that I had never tried before – the Stroopwafel.

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A couple of weeks ago I dropped my thermal carafe from my much beloved coffee maker. As a result, it began a small leak. Faced with having to buy a new carafe, or even I whole new coffee maker, I remembered that I was given a french press coffee makerm as a gift from my Mom.

After my late afternoon coffee siesta on Friday a few weeks back, Holly showed up to hook up for dinner. Originally we were thinking about going to a little Greek cafe that was nearby, but as we sat there in dimming sun, relaxed and content, we noticed that there was a new restaurant right across the way. It was a Wolfgang Puck Express.

I had eaten at one a month or so ago in the Chicago O’ Hare airport and found it to be quite good, so with that recommendation Holly and I decided to at least go look at the menu. A few glances at the menu and it was clear that we were going to eat dinner there. There were simply too many good dishes to pass up.

The part of town that Wolfgang Puck Express is located is fairly trendy and we expected the look and feel of the restaurant to be in that same vein. It was, but as soon as we stepped into the restaurant it was like stepping into a funky little wrinkle in time. I instantly felt off center and I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t until we were sitting down, waiting for our food, that I started to piece it together. Wolfgang Puck has combined a wide array of dining “experiences” into one experience and then cranked up the speed.

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