A favorite place...

Just east of Carthage, Missouri on

Old Route 66, 

you will find the

Circle E

Country Store.

It is worth the drive east from our house in the country just to smell their freshly baked bread, get freshly sliced cheese and German deli meats.

I can't tell you much about the store as it only opened a couple of years ago and I discovered it completely by accident. They don't advertise.

 The store is owned and operated by the Mennonites. As you walk into the front door you can see Mr. behind the cash register, the younger generation behind the meat and cheese counters, and the younger women in the back baking those wonderful fresh loaves of baked bread, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, pies, cakes, cookies, candies and more.

They have a truly unique selection of goods that you will not find anywhere else in our area including outdoor furniture, and pickled vegetables from Pennsylvania. They also carry

NO preservatives added baking goods, candy, and cooking supplies. 

And my favorite, their spices. They have several aisles of dehydrated spices with no preservatives added. They have a large assortment of dehydrated foods as well. I just can't make the drive and leave without my favorite, the pineapple chunks.

I can always find fresh garden produce on the table in the front of the store, usually 9 months of the year, for the midwest, that is unusual. They are picked fresh daily from their garden and I must say that their thumbs are much greener than mine. They do quite a business, so everything in the store is fresh and rotated often.

Just another of my favorite places...