Food Pen Pal Reveal-October

the dying art of card & letter writing

 

This month’s Foodie parcel came from Lori in Orillia, ON  (my third Ontario exchange).  I travelled through Orillia last month and found some good Foodie spots-Mariposa Market and Era 67 to name a couple.  It seems I missed Patilero chocolates.  But no fear, because Lori sent along a selection of chocolate including fondue, caramels, a dark chocolate bar and hot chocolate.

 

 

 

Lori sent a bottle of maple syrup harvested from the family farm.  After a recent browse through the latest LCBO, I’ll be experimenting with The Fat Elvis.  Only I think mine will be Fat Elvis On A Diet.  Layers of lean English bacon, peanut butter and bananas sandwiched between two glorious slices of French toast.  We’ll top the sandwich off with Lori’s maple syrup. Stay tuned for the results.

 

The hot chocolate came from Soma, located in Toronto.  I’ve talked about Soma before.  If you want truffles, this is the real thing; likewise with the hot chocolate.  It’s the kind of drink that’s like ribs.  Once you’ve drunk it, you’ve got just about the same amount left over in the cup.  You boil the chocolate granules with water to form a rich and spicy liquor. You have the option of drinking it like an espresso or adding a portion of hot milk.  Very tasty.

 

 

Soma hot chocolate-the real thing

 

 

 



I am planning on making some after dinner mints with the chocolate bar.  (Is it really necessary to say ‘after’ dinner? We are unlikely to indulge between the soup and the entrée are we?)

 

 

Each caramel offered up a very generous square of soft, chewy goodness.  I generally go with dark chocolate but I really enjoyed the milk here.

 



 

milk caramels

 

 

 

I love noodles of all kinds; especially long noodles-Bucatini is a weakness as is spaghettini.   On top of all the chocolate, Lori included a package of Chinese noodles.  Soup it was.  Lots of chicken, shrimp and herbs; a nice treat for my persistent cold. (Note:  the label does state noodles are "cooking resistant".  HA!

 

 

 

I sent Lori apricot jam with brandy, chocolate and lemon & lime from Bisket a Basket, mung bean fettucine, a selection of loose leaf teas, caramel and chocolate covered pretzel sticks (delicious!), baking cups, napkins and a magazine from Hamilton that profiles some nice Foodie spots in the area.  Hope you enjoyed them. Let us know if you're still out there.

(Had a little technical difficulty with the formatting on this one as you're no doubt aware.)

If you are interested in participating in a Foodie Pen Pal exchange sometime, please click on the Pen Pal icon on the side bar for all the details.*

*If  you are a UK/Europe resident, please use the following link:

FOODIE PEN PALS UK  (courtesy of thisisrocksalt.com)

Enjoy!

 

 

August Pen Pal Reveal

The Saskatchewan sorting office was very efficient and this month’s parcel arrived first thing last Monday. I wasted no time opening it; a great start to the week.

Lyndsay sent a selection of treats that appealed to my love of pasta, chocolate and tea.

The box included farfalle pasta (I thought immediately of Vinyl Café’s Mr. Hartman-lover of fine food including farfalle, fresh Parmesan and aged balsamic vinegar) a True Bar granola, teas and a selection of truffles from a local chocolatier, Glad’s.  Lyndsay also included her signature recipe for Turkey Pesto Meatballs. 

I boiled up some of the bow ties and used a dab of pesto for a quick weeknight dinner (goes great with a little Shiraz). I followed that up with pesto-crusted grilled salmon with scrambled eggs; a delicious breakfast.   Perhaps I will now, finally, get around to making my own pesto!  Love the smell of fresh basil.  We will try the meatball recipe on our next theme night. 

I rationed out the truffles over the next six days; enjoyed the fruit fillings very much. 

I love the packaging on the teas. Very pleasing to the eye. The bag holds its shape while steeping and the little string is bendable so it can hook on to a larger mug.  I like the decorative leaf. There is very little drip with these bags.   Enjoyed the orange spice and capped of the tea break with the last truffle.Try teaforte .

And that leaves the granola bar which I like having in for when the 10AM munchies start.  It was chock full of fruit, nuts and seeds.  Very moist and tasty.

Thank-you, Lyndsay, for putting this together and for introducing me to some new flavours.

You can find some of Lindsay's thoughts on this month's exchange at her blog, Hudson & Olivia .

If you are interested in participating in a Foodie Pen Pal exchange sometime, please click on the Pen Pal icon on the side bar for all the details.*

*If  you are a UK/Europe resident, please use the following link:

FOODIE PEN PALS UK  (courtesy of thisisrocksalt.com)

Enjoy!

June Pen Pal Reveal

Just received my parcel 5 minutes ago! And a very fragrant parcel thanks to the sweet peppercorn rub .  Had just enough time to "stage" and take a picture.  Ali in Toronto sent something for the candy dish-peppermint/ginger chews (interesting flavor combination), tea samples, a corn cob for popping, granola bars, a muffin mix, and the rub.   Looking forward to trying everything in the coming weeks.  Thank-you, Ali.

 

 



 

 

I had the opportunity to put something together for Erin in Ottawa.  Here is what I sent...

 

 

 

 
Erin has provided some very positive feedback; here’s what she had to say...

Lisa sent a  fabulous package!

I really appreciate the effort that she put it to find a product that didn't contain fish extract. It continues to amaze me the stuff that is in some products sometimes!

 

The recipes are fabulous!!! I love it.

I can't wait to use the curry sauce. I LOVE Indian food.

I also can't wait to bake the welsh cake and use the jam on it.  I love baking.

I love the teas and can't wait to try them. I love all kinds of tea!

The chocolate bar looks so yummy.

I love sprinkling flax seeds and chia seeds on my yogurt.

The place cards, labels and napkins just complete the fabulous package.

 

All the effort was much appreciated. It's a great food package.

I love Food Pen Pals!

If you are interested in participating in a Foodie Pen Pal exchange sometime, please click on the Pen Pal icon on the side bar for all the details.*

 

*If  you are a UK/Europe resident, please use the following link:

 

FOODIE PEN PALS UK  (courtesy of thisisrocksalt.com)

 

Enjoy!

Foodie Pen Pal-April

It was a dark and stormy day...

...until my favourite postman came by bearing a skillfully decorated box of goodies. Full marks for presentation.  Emily sent me my first ever food parcel and I knew I would enjoy it. Emily is clearly a woman of many talents. 

  

 

 

I had just brewed a pot of tea to ward off the cold. I carefully opened the box so as not to disturb anything. The flap included a hand written recipe for Zucchini Sauce. 

 

 

the trove

 

What a treat! Tamari almonds, fragrant spices, ginger & pumpkin rice noodles, a Chakra Bar and a sampling of macaron from Toronto's Ruelo. I allowed myself one macaron; it was tea time after all. Tried the caramel & sea salt. Delicious. Haven’t had a macaron in years.They always seem to require such care and attention.

Fired up the espresso after dinner and indulged in the two remaining macaron.  I sent my compliments to the patisserie.  The rose/lychee/raspberry is rather nice.  I must say they travelled well.  I think next time I'm in Toronto, I will have to pay pilgrimage in order to try the other flavours-all of them!
 

the blueberry/lemon macaron

Took some almonds with Friday's cocktail hour.  Crisp and flavourful.

 

The granola bar is chock full of healthy ingredients.  A nice chewy bar; good mid-morning snack which was quite filling so it served me two days.  Yes, the ginger is potent!

 

I wrote that I love noodles and I enjoyed the Pumpkin & Ginger.  I had one portion for breakfast with eggs and the flavours do come through. (Not very pleased with my photo so it didn't make it here.) I will try the recipe Emily provided when the veggies are in-season. Looking forward to it.

I will incorporate the spices into my next chicken or shrimp dish.  The almonds would come in handy here, too.

Thank-you very much, Emily, for putting this package together and for your beverage pairing suggestions, too. 

Hope you enjoyed your treats as much as I did mine.

I had the opportunity to put together a parcel for CeeCee in BC.  You can find some of the details at WithinTheKitchen



If you are interested in participating in a Foodie Pen Pal exchange sometime, please click on the Pen Pal icon on the side bar for all the details.*

 

*If  you are a UK/Europe resident, please use the following link:

 

FOODIE PEN PALS UK  (courtesy of thisisrocksalt.com)

 

Enjoy!