A "curious" adventure

This weekend we made the trek to Cool Springs Galleria. I sold the idea to Hubz and Jack Henry by reminding them of the fun indoor playground and the carousel. And so we went. But secretly I was hoping to make a visit to the Curious Gourmet cupcake kiosk that I discovered on our last visit.

We played in the play area, had snacks in the food court, walked around for a while and rode the carousel before I urged Hubz to steer the lad toward a certain cupcake cart I'd been dreaming of. When we arrived, sadly, it sat curiously empty. When I inquired of a nearby kiosk vendor, she explained that the cupcake stand had not gone out of business. It simply was a "seasonal," a.k.a "Holiday" venture and that the Curious Gourmet Cupcake Cafe was alive and well on the square in downtown Franklin.

It's only a few miles to downtown Franklin, I told Hubz, and so he promised to do a drive-by so I could get a glimpse. By this time, the boy's naptime was long since passed and he was getting a might testy. A good reason to dash on home and settle in for sleepy time. But no. When I saw the adorable store front I begged Hubz to let me out (there were no parking spots), and he agreed only to slow down as I made a hasty exit. I'm not stopping, there's cars behind me, he explained. Just jump. I did, stumbling as I went, with the kindly gentlemen out front getting a good chuckle out of it.

Inside, it was heaven. I chose the Dulce De Leche, and chatted with the girl up front, who explained the store was new, just opened in August, and that they were doing extremely well. The owners also have a high-end cookware store right next door. Hubz grudgingly circled several times, though I had promised to just dash in and out. But his wrath was worth the visit as I got back in the car cradling my lovely dulce de leche. The secret to the icing, I was told, is that it's not American butter cream, it's Italian butter cream. That means egg yolks are incorporated in to make a light, fresh icing that's more akin to whipped cream than the lard-ridden stuff you get on the grocery store cupcakes. And it's less rich than the all-butter butter cream I often make.

Any hoo, the boy was aching for some outdoor play time so we stopped at Pinkerton Park and let him run around like mad. We were so far past nap time it just didn't matter anymore. Of course, we suffered the consequences later, but it was a lovely day none the less.