I’m excited that today is my designated “half day” at my job, something I’ve negotiated as a weekly occurrence – not only because it serves as a nice mini break in the middle of the week, which has been quite busy and snowy thus far – but because my boyfriend is flying in this afternoon to visit for a couple of weeks and in just a few hours, I’ll be heading over to the airport to scoop him up for some long-awaited affection and adventures. I haven’t seen him since the beginning of the year, so I’m so excited to share some stories and photos along the way!
I’ve been picking up different ingredients in-between working and errands in recent days, not only because I had been running low on supplies well before the recent blizzard even happened, but because I love cooking for him while he’s here, especially during the more quiet weeknights when we’re not hitting the town or traveling.
And given that sometimes it’s just easier to grab something to thaw or heat up when pressed for time, I turned to two of my favorite local general stores/country stores earlier this week to grab some of my favorite freshly made sandwiches and subs, as well as locally sourced snacks and beverages. I’d love to do a deep dive here on ‘Coffee & Chiffon‘ about the best of the best general stores here in Western Massachusetts, since we have so many to choose from – but I think that may be a post I reserve for the Fall when we have the influx of leap peepers and tourists visiting the area to take in the overall Autumnal splendor of the Pioneer Valley. I love putting together a good to-do list or cheat sheet for travelers!
The two I stopped by over this past weekend, however, were the Country Store in Petersham, which has such a great kitchen that serves breakfast and lunch, and the New Salem General Store, which has one of my absolute top choice delis and bakeries to visit when I’m on the road in that area. They actually just put out some super cute and tasty looking Saint Patrick’s Day-themed desserts.
Speaking of Saint Patrick’s Day – a little later on this week, I’m going to be sharing a festive dessert recipe of my own that I recently whipped up while snowed in. It’s kind of funny, considering it’s a dessert that’s served very cold – but it’s still delicious any time of year – even when it’s freezing outside!
See you all on Friday!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 