Of donuts and cookies

I don't eat donuts very often, and I don't buy cookies very often, but Ed's Bakery in Conway makes me wish I did both a whole lot more often. Benjamin wanted to take donuts to his class today, since it was the last day for the semester. Because I have the car all day, the best solution was for me to go get them this morning, before I left for work. We called last night to find out what time they opened, and got an actual human being on the line, long after they were closed. That was pleasant surprise number 1. Pleasant surprise number 2 was the friendly, cheerful, helpful woman who packed up my 2 dozen donuts, dozen pecan sandies and apple fritter. It was 5:30 in the morning, for pete's sake, and she was more cheerful than many people are at noon. She suggested I try the apple fritter sliced, like a loaf of bread. When I said I had never had one that way, she said "Where have you been, girl? Once you have it sliced you will never go back!" And she is right. Somehow, the fritter was more delicious because it was in thin slices.

Oh yeah, the cookies. I got a dozen cookies while I was there to take into work. We have had a busy/difficult week at work - two vacancies in the circulation deparment, one reference librarian out sick, a supervisor out one day, and constant threats of thunderstorms - and needed some reward. I haven't tasted them (that apple fritter for breakfast...) yet, but everyone who has says they are amazing.

And the best part? It is a local bakery, staffed by local college students and the owners (the lady was one of them) who know their patrons. My favorite kind of place. Now, if only I had the metabolism to eat donuts every week...

Humdrum Tuesday

I wish I had pictures to show you today, or a recipe or something. But I don't the pictures from this weekend are still on the camera, and I haven't done any interesting baking lately. It is rainy and warm and humid here in Arkansas, and that's about it. Benjamin is almost finished with the semester - this is the last week of classes and then a week of finals... So soon, and not soon enough! As soon as he is truly finished, we are going to get serious about looking for a house. I still need to find us a real estate agent so we can get the inside scoop on the houses we are looking at, and we need to do more than just look at them online. If all goes well, we should be in a new house some time in June or July. I can't wait - the first thing we will be getting after we move is a dog. It is a promise, and if it doesn't happen, well, I can't be held responsible for the consequences!

Breakfast at Ashley's

I had to get up at 4 AM this morning to take Benjamin to the airport. Urgh. We got him there at 5, and presumably he is on his way by now. On a normal day, I would have had to keep myself busy until 7:30 or so, and then head to work. Today, however, I am attending a seminar at the downtown public library, and it doesn't start until 9. So, yes, that is 4 hours to kill between drop-off and start time. I didn't want to drive home, because that is just a waste of time and gasoline. Since it was so early that nothing else was open, I decided to take advantage of the free wi-fi at the airport for an hour or so, and play on my Facebook page. I just started one yesterday, so I am still exploring. And that was fine, but I also needed breakfast.

Now, I like eating breakfast out, but I prefer it to be a good breakfast. Except when heading out on a camping trip, I don't want just a sausage biscuit from McDs. And I don't want waffles - we make those all the time at home. I need a nice sitdown breakfast. What to do? Where to go? The answer: Ashley's at the Capitol Hotel. We ate dinner there with my parents at Christmas and were suitably impressed. Benjamin was even convinced to give up his prejudice against fancy restaurants on account of Ashley's. And they serve breakfast. Lovely, lovely breakfast. I had sourdough buckwheat pancakes, with syrup imported from Vermont. Topped with baked Arkansas Black apples and a tangerine-cinnamon whipped cream. With locally farmed bacon. So, so good! The pancakes weren't big fluffy tasteless things. No, they were light, but substantial, crispy but tender. And the apples and cream...I could eat a big bowl of them just on their own.

I can't wait for another opportunity to have breakfast there again. With Benjamin.