Cooking
I don't really like surprises.
Never have.
No, I'm not one of those people who goes looking for their Christmas presents, carefully re-wrapping them, and pretending not to know what's inside the morning of the 25th.
I just don't like not knowing what's happening to me, in life.
(probably has something to do with devious and plotting school classmates...makes a gal wary)
But surprise packages from the mail man? That's a surprise I'm quite happy to receive.
Last month, well after I'd gotten my BBM package, I found yet another box on my porch.
I couldn't imagine who it could be from...I certainly wasn't expecting anything.
Nothing on the outside of the box clued me in.
It wasn't until I looked inside that I found out...
Gigha, you sweet, sweet, woman!, decided to send some goodies my way.
What a treat!
The box was, as the saying goes, jam-packed.
Here's a view of all the wonderful goodies she sent.
First I have to say this: I have now tasted the World's best chocolate. No lie.
These two bars were...heaven? Little chocolate pieces of heaven.
The Freezing...probably the most perfect blend of chocolate and mint either of us have ever tasted...was really, really, good.
And the Bikini? Normally, I'd turn my nose up at a fruit-in-chocolate bar. But the mint had me hooked, so I tried it. It was...wow. So good. The chocolate is of such high quality, frankly, it doesn't need add-in's, but the apricot was phenomenal.
Gigha sent along some home-made chutney, which Matt's pretty excited about. The guy likes his condiments!
But it was this...the Tranquility...that sold me on this brand of chocolate.
I am, by nature, a very tense person. It's as if I'm always on guard. I don't do 'relaxation'. Just doesn't happen.
Then I tried this chocolate and lavender bar.
And the strangest thing happened.
I began to feel...calm. Mellow. Dare I say it? Tranquil.
I think I got a full half hour of 'wow, this feels kind of funny, but I like it' before the effects wore off.
I'm in love with a chocolate company!
Unfortunately, while a few flavors are available in the US, the ones we most wanted (and a few we wanted to try), aren't. But I can say with certainty this is now my favorite chocolate!
Gigha knew I was a bit of a tea addict, so she very kindly fed my habit!
These sweet and buttery cookies didn't last long.
A sort of lace cookie, made with ground hazelnuts, I first told myself I'd only eat the broken bits. Then, just a few more.
This was the first to go! As the now-famous Alka-Seltzer commercial put it, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!".
More tea. Yum.
Gigha included these because she'd read that I prefer salty snacks to sweet, and also that I like Swedish fish.
She also said that these little bites evoked very strong reactions: you either loved them, or hated them.
I won't go so far as to say I loved them, but there's definitely nothing like them around here!
Bitingly salty, and a hard licorice body; once you survive the salt, the residual flavor works well with the candy. Good call, Gigha!
I haven't gotten to this yet, but she also included a mix for a traditional bread (and recipes for a couple other things); it's waiting for me to find the time,!
Thinking of Alex, Gigha also packed up these cute little candies...love the Madagascar tie-in. Unfortunately, 'gelatin' is readable in just about any language, so neither he nor I could try them. But they sure were cute!
This is a very crisp wafer cracker; Gigha suggested it would go well with smoked salmon. Matt just happens to love smoked salmon...
And possibly my favorite of the teas. I have a cup of this in the evenings. I have a hard enough time sleeping, no sense adding caffeine to the mix.
This is the most vanilla-y tea I may have tasted, seriously. Just taking the lid of the can is a pleasure!
Gigha, you not only made my day with this package, but my month! I'm still enjoying several of the goodies from the package.
But most of all , you put a smile on my face. Thank you so very much!
Blogging by Mail, the Holiday Edition, is going on now! Sign-ups will be open until 16 November.
Blog Party#16 is coming, and this month, we're turning our favorite take-out foods into cocktail party fare! Browse those take-out menus, and get your entries to me by Thursday, 16 November...early is always good...by leaving a link here in the comments, or firing off an email to thehappysorceress at gmail dot com. Tell a friend, and hope to see you there!
Tagged with: Food & Drink + BBM + Gifts + Tea + Chocolate + Bloggers
- Bbm...package From Switzerland!
My Blogging by Mail package actually arrived a few weeks ago, but with three weeks of holidays (prep, celebration, and recovery), as well as an equal amount devoting my time to Alex...well, this post just had to wait. The amazing contents you see above...
- Pain Au Chocolat
It would seem I'm not supposed to get any sleep on Sunday nights. Something I've been wanting to do for ages now; make my own croissants and/or pain au chocolat. Since Matt's about ready to celebrate a birthday, and because he's quite...
- Fall Pancakes For The Fruit-impaired
Although there have been some bizarre spikes in temperature (and I'd appreciate it if Mother Nature would make up her mind already...hot or cold? Pick one, already!), it is officially Autumn. I very much want to incorporate fall flavors into my cooking...
- Blogging By Mail: Holiday Edition!
Some of you are still waiting for your packages from August's Blogging by Mail; we're not at 100% yet, but we're close. 73 of the 89 boxes have arrived, with some taking (quite literally) the slow boat to their destinations. But because we...
- Blogging By Mail Is Back!!
The prodigal event returns!!! After an absence of many months, and much cajoling (and begging and pestering) on my part, Nic of Bakingsheet has agreed to resuscitate Blogging by Mail! Better yet, she's putting me in charge...oh, goody! If you've...
Cooking
The Good Kind
I don't really like surprises.
Never have.
No, I'm not one of those people who goes looking for their Christmas presents, carefully re-wrapping them, and pretending not to know what's inside the morning of the 25th.
I just don't like not knowing what's happening to me, in life.
(probably has something to do with devious and plotting school classmates...makes a gal wary)
But surprise packages from the mail man? That's a surprise I'm quite happy to receive.
Last month, well after I'd gotten my BBM package, I found yet another box on my porch.
I couldn't imagine who it could be from...I certainly wasn't expecting anything.
Nothing on the outside of the box clued me in.
It wasn't until I looked inside that I found out...
Gigha, you sweet, sweet, woman!, decided to send some goodies my way.
What a treat!
The box was, as the saying goes, jam-packed.
Here's a view of all the wonderful goodies she sent.
First I have to say this: I have now tasted the World's best chocolate. No lie.
These two bars were...heaven? Little chocolate pieces of heaven.
The Freezing...probably the most perfect blend of chocolate and mint either of us have ever tasted...was really, really, good.
And the Bikini? Normally, I'd turn my nose up at a fruit-in-chocolate bar. But the mint had me hooked, so I tried it. It was...wow. So good. The chocolate is of such high quality, frankly, it doesn't need add-in's, but the apricot was phenomenal.
Gigha sent along some home-made chutney, which Matt's pretty excited about. The guy likes his condiments!
But it was this...the Tranquility...that sold me on this brand of chocolate.
I am, by nature, a very tense person. It's as if I'm always on guard. I don't do 'relaxation'. Just doesn't happen.
Then I tried this chocolate and lavender bar.
And the strangest thing happened.
I began to feel...calm. Mellow. Dare I say it? Tranquil.
I think I got a full half hour of 'wow, this feels kind of funny, but I like it' before the effects wore off.
I'm in love with a chocolate company!
Unfortunately, while a few flavors are available in the US, the ones we most wanted (and a few we wanted to try), aren't. But I can say with certainty this is now my favorite chocolate!
Gigha knew I was a bit of a tea addict, so she very kindly fed my habit!
These sweet and buttery cookies didn't last long.
A sort of lace cookie, made with ground hazelnuts, I first told myself I'd only eat the broken bits. Then, just a few more.
This was the first to go! As the now-famous Alka-Seltzer commercial put it, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!".
More tea. Yum.
Gigha included these because she'd read that I prefer salty snacks to sweet, and also that I like Swedish fish.
She also said that these little bites evoked very strong reactions: you either loved them, or hated them.
I won't go so far as to say I loved them, but there's definitely nothing like them around here!
Bitingly salty, and a hard licorice body; once you survive the salt, the residual flavor works well with the candy. Good call, Gigha!
I haven't gotten to this yet, but she also included a mix for a traditional bread (and recipes for a couple other things); it's waiting for me to find the time,!
Thinking of Alex, Gigha also packed up these cute little candies...love the Madagascar tie-in. Unfortunately, 'gelatin' is readable in just about any language, so neither he nor I could try them. But they sure were cute!
This is a very crisp wafer cracker; Gigha suggested it would go well with smoked salmon. Matt just happens to love smoked salmon...
And possibly my favorite of the teas. I have a cup of this in the evenings. I have a hard enough time sleeping, no sense adding caffeine to the mix.
This is the most vanilla-y tea I may have tasted, seriously. Just taking the lid of the can is a pleasure!
Gigha, you not only made my day with this package, but my month! I'm still enjoying several of the goodies from the package.
But most of all , you put a smile on my face. Thank you so very much!
Blogging by Mail, the Holiday Edition, is going on now! Sign-ups will be open until 16 November.
Blog Party#16 is coming, and this month, we're turning our favorite take-out foods into cocktail party fare! Browse those take-out menus, and get your entries to me by Thursday, 16 November...early is always good...by leaving a link here in the comments, or firing off an email to thehappysorceress at gmail dot com. Tell a friend, and hope to see you there!
Tagged with: Food & Drink + BBM + Gifts + Tea + Chocolate + Bloggers
- Bbm...package From Switzerland!
My Blogging by Mail package actually arrived a few weeks ago, but with three weeks of holidays (prep, celebration, and recovery), as well as an equal amount devoting my time to Alex...well, this post just had to wait. The amazing contents you see above...
- Pain Au Chocolat
It would seem I'm not supposed to get any sleep on Sunday nights. Something I've been wanting to do for ages now; make my own croissants and/or pain au chocolat. Since Matt's about ready to celebrate a birthday, and because he's quite...
- Fall Pancakes For The Fruit-impaired
Although there have been some bizarre spikes in temperature (and I'd appreciate it if Mother Nature would make up her mind already...hot or cold? Pick one, already!), it is officially Autumn. I very much want to incorporate fall flavors into my cooking...
- Blogging By Mail: Holiday Edition!
Some of you are still waiting for your packages from August's Blogging by Mail; we're not at 100% yet, but we're close. 73 of the 89 boxes have arrived, with some taking (quite literally) the slow boat to their destinations. But because we...
- Blogging By Mail Is Back!!
The prodigal event returns!!! After an absence of many months, and much cajoling (and begging and pestering) on my part, Nic of Bakingsheet has agreed to resuscitate Blogging by Mail! Better yet, she's putting me in charge...oh, goody! If you've...