I know, Ernie, this post is way too tardy! We received these very yummy gifts from our dear architect-family friend Ernie all the way from sunny tropical Hawaii. You don't know how uplifting it was to receive such brightly packaged things in the height of winter. By the time we received his email a day or two later the macadamias were demolished! The lightly salted smoked nuts were the first one to go. I tell you once you've eaten one you can't help reaching out for more.
I love love love the wonderful aroma and flavour of the teas which thankfully we're still enjoying now (it's because the kids don't drink tea that's why). I can't decide which one I liked better but they're definite favourites of me and my husband when we sit in front of the telly at night once the kids are in bed.
Thanks very very much Ernie! We owe you lots. :)
Wish we could be there ...
Look how blessed I am, receiving another parcel out of the blue just 1 month from the one from Hawaii. This time it came from Boston sent by a long-time blogging friend who was generous enough to send me uncommon Pinoy ingredients, my favourite 'quamoy' dried plums, and a great cookbook by Mario Batali. I was flicking through the pages and quickly marked out a lot of pages that I want to try out. She also sent a steam plate tongs that I've been searching for in all the Oriental groceries I happen to visit here in UK. I distinctly remember having several when I was in Hong Kong but it disappeared when we moved here. And I've been tong-less ever since. ;)
Thanks very very much, Stel, for the wonderful gifts you sent my way. It is greatly and hugely appreciated, my friend. I've been wanting to send some to you and other blogging friends but my current killer work schedule just makes it so so hard. I hope I can make it up to you soon. :)
I will not let the month of February to go by without me posting about a wonderful parcel from our close friend Ernie who lives in Hawaii. Boy was it filled with unusual food of the likes of taro pancakes and papaya seed salad dressing. I can't wait to try them out. No parcel from Hawaii would be complete without the usual wonderfully yummy macadamia. Ernie emailed us a day after we received it to warn us to go easy on the nuts because they're quite fatty. Well, it was too late! We've eaten them all! :) Thanks very much Ernie. We hope we can visit you there to enjoy the great beaches and learn the hula.
I've been tardy in blogging about the nice package I received from France maybe I'm too busy eating it all up! Thanks very much Betty for the very very nice Breton Galletes and another crepe-like biscuit which I forgot the name because they've all been eaten up by my kids. Other gems in the box are - chestnut tree honey, honey candies, walnut and currant mustard, quail pate, and wild boar pate. I was relieved that Betty wrote out the translations in her accompanying postcard I was nearly ready to grab my daughter's French-English dictionary. Betty, who's an American living in Aveyron, France, blogs at Cuisine Quotidienne.
Ahh, it's so nice to receive a parcel from a mystery sender knowing that you will find goodies in it. I had always participated in EBBP since the beginning but I was so tied up with work and moving house that I didn't make it in the last 2. I'm glad I'm back in the swing of things.
A big thanks is also sent on its way to Johanna of the Passionate Cook who tirelessly organised this edition. Her round up is here.
I received the above gifts a few days before Christmas and what a treat these were as only a fellow cooking and baking enthusiast can think of sending. Among the goodies were almond paste (which I couldn't find anywhere here), fishmaw (same thing), satay paste, shrimp paste, white tea (my first time to have this), a scarf and a nice potholder with matching tea towel. A very big thank you to Stel of Babyrambutan all of the above including a wonderful Christmas card photo of her kids. :)
Last week I had a wonderful package from Greece sent by my dear blogging friend Sha who's residing in Athens. And what a very nice package it was - a postcard, a Greek cookbook (gotta try the recipes there), and my favourite Turkish delight! It was one of the best I've ever tasted. I know my Turkish delight 'coz my husband used to take these home regularly from his work stint in Istanbul a few years back. But talking about the sweets, it was not too sticky, not too sweet - just right, no rose flavour (which some of them have in abundance), and it's got nuggets of pistacios embedded in them. Yummylicious!
I lost no time in devouring them, well actually I attempted to eat only a few and save them for another day but couldn't keep my hands off the box. *sigh* Later in the evening, finally decided to sit down and do the whole hog and eat it with a glass of Guinness plus a tub of Green & Black's Chocolate ice cream - good combination eh? ;) The G&B ice cream (which I got as a birthday gift from Sainsbury's) was a revelation, after a teaspoon each, me and my kids were fighting over the little tub. It was sooo creamy and not overly sweet with a somewhat dark-ish real chocolate flavour though not bitter at all. Hey, what can I say ... 'twas a nice sugar-high evening. Thanks ever to you Sha!
