Foodie PenPals #3 – August 2012

Foodie Penpals #3 – August 2012

It’s that time of the month again. It’s foodie penpal reveal time, baby! I was matched with Kristen Stone who is also a foodie blogger who features a mixture of cooked and baked goodies, you can find Kristen’s food blog here.

When Kristen first contacted me asking what I’d like, my answer was the obvious choice of anything to do with baking and sweet desserts. I waited in anticipation until my beautiful box arrived from the postie.

I could already tell that I’d been a lucky puppy again. I’m like a child when it comes to foodie penpals and this was no exception. I carefully opened my box and without trying to look at the goodies, I found a note card from Kristen. I always like to read this before copping an eye at my goodies. It’s more of a surprise (again, child like).

Kristen had decided not to send a baking related box. My box was dedicated to ‘different’ styled products and items that I may not buy or use very often…

I received the following:

• Galangal
• Kristen’s homemade lemon and ginger cordial (lookit that zesty love just floating around!)
• A recipe card for the above cordial 🙂
• Quince syrup
• Lime mint tea bags
• Oolong rose teabags
• Manuka honey fudge.

Kristen was so right. I’ve never heard or seen some, if not most, of the items in my parcel. I emailed Kristen for some advice feeling rather dumb. Of course, Kristen got back to me quickly and explained that the galangal is kinda like ginger. It’s often used in thai and vietnamese cooking (which is something I love as long as it’s doesn’t have too much spicy heat) and goes well with chicken, fish, soups and curries. The quince syrup makes a paste that pairs well with cheeses, even cheese cakes, and/or salad dressings.

The lime mint tea bags are refreshing and energising which is always a Brucey bonus as my medication and illness cause 24/7 fatigue. I dislike coffee and refuse to drink energy drinks so need to find my energy elsewhere. I’m also getting ideas that I could use the lime mint tea to add to some cupcakes. How cool would it be to have refreshing cupcakes that boost your energy. You can have your cake and eat it! 😉

I’m also having the same thoughts and ideas with the rose tea too. But I’m also loving Kristen’s suggestion of an ice tea with fresh strawberries and/or other fruits. I bet both the tea combined would be an amazing combo too.

Overall, I’m very happy with my items. I’m not very much of a cook, I prefer baking (obviously), but I do cook nice meals. I wouldn’t class myself as a gourmet cook or anything, just a regular Mum cook! 🙂 The strange thing is, recently I’ve been feeling the need to cook a more wider variety of things, to expand my palate. All the items in my package help me on my way to creating and using different spices and flavours. And that makes me happy!

Thanks so much Kristen.

Links:

UK and European Foodie PenPals can sign up here,
US and Canada Foodie PenPals can sign up here.