Tag Archives: foodie

july foodie pen-pals reveal

Posted on by

1

Today is reveal day for July Foodie Pen-Pals! {If you’re interested in participating in Foodie Pen-Pals yourself, you can learn more and sign up at The Lean Green Bean. It’s a super fun way to “meet” other bloggers and try fun new foods.}

{Because of the Foodie Pen Pal Reveal date, my next “Mt. Whitney Wednesday” post will be up a day late — check back for it tomorrow!}

foodie pp july

Caitie J. put together such a great package for me! Here’s a description of the items, clockwise from bottom left:

  •  Caribou Coffee Mint Verbana tea: caffeine-free — so perfect for before bed!
  • Caribou Coffee Cinnamon Spice tea: Caitie calls this the “BEST. TEA. EVER!” and I have to agree, it is pretty darn good! I liked steeping it in milk for an extra rich breakfast treat.
  • Merci fancy chocolates: these were AMAZING! Caitie wrote in her note, “I came across these at a store in London & was excited to find them at my European foods store near my house. I just love them!” Not only is there a variety of delicious chocolate combinations, I also thought the little wrappers were adorable. 🙂
  • Biscoff cookie butter: the perfect creamy topping for toast, apples, crackers, pretzels … this stuff is addicting!
  • Twinings Classics Black Tea Variety Blend: I have been sampling these black teas for breakfast every morning and I think the Lady Grey and Irish Breakfast teas are my favorites!

Thank you so much, Caitie, for being such a wonderful foodie pen-pal! You can read my previous Foodie Pen-Pal posts below:
– June Foodie Pen-Pal reveal
– April Foodie Pen-Pal reveal
– March Foodie Pen-Pal reveal

Happy day, friends! What foods are you loving lately?

april foodie pen pals reveal

Posted on by

2

FPP-post

This was my second month participating in Foodie Pen Pals through The Lean Green Bean, one of my favorite blogs! Here’s how it works: you visit The Lean Green Bean and enter your contact info to sign up for the next month of Foodie Pen Pals. Then the amazing Lindsay matches you up with two other bloggers or food lovers: one person to send a foodie package to, and one person who will send a package to you! Then you spend $15 putting together a box of fun, yummy treats for your pen pal, pop it in the mail, and eagerly await the arrival of your own foodie package!

Natalie from In Natalie’s Shoes sent me a package this month. She sent me a box filled with delectable goodies:

foodie pen pals april

  • homemade brownies with Reese’s peanut butter eggs inside
  • dark-chocolate-covered  pretzel slims from Trader Joes {these are addicting!}
  • a jar of cookie butter, also from TJ’s {amazing spread on apples!}
  • honey glazed almonds
  • Special K chocolatey pretzel cereal bars
  • Nature Valley Almond Crunch granola bars

Thanks, Natalie!! This package really brightened my week! I would encourage all of you to check out Natalie’s food/travel/craftiness blog: http://innataliesshoes.wordpress.com/

If this kind of thing sounds fun to you, go sign up for May Foodie Pen Pals at The Lean Green Bean. It only takes two minutes and it is a blast!

happy friday!

Posted on by

3

I have finished teaching my afternoon class, which means it is offically SPRING BREAK here at Purdue! Woo hoo! There may still be snow on the ground, but it is beginning to feel a little more like spring. Today’s temperature was a balmy 40 degrees, and it is staying light out later and later, which is so nice after a long winter of 5 pm sunsets.

A few fun things of late:

  • Yesterday I saw Warm Bodies, a zombie love story. It was witty and hilarious and surprisingly moving. I loved it! If it’s still playing where you are, I’d highly recommend it.
  • Today I had lunch with good friends at Panera {shout-out to Sarah The Pajama Chef: fuji apple chicken salad is the best!} My friend Matt and his wife Casey recently got the most adorable basset hound puppy named Merriwether, and I could not stop petting her soft ears and wrinkly face. I miss our family dog Murray a TON — I even dreamed about him last night! — and I can’t wait to see him this summer! He would have been jealous at all the attention I was giving Merriwether.

murray jealous

  • I just finished reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, a suspenseful, twists-and-turns mystery that was recommended to me by mulitple people and I have to say, I really could not put it down. The book is over 400 pages but I flew through it in a matter of days, even staying up late to read it a few nights! I was over-all satisfied by the book and very impressed with the author’s plotting and characterization talents, but for me the ending was disappointing. It felt like a roller-coaster that is building and building, and then just stops before the final descent. There is a final twist, but my main feeling when closing the book was frustration. Has anyone else read Gone Girl? What did you think of it?
  • The next book I’m planning to read is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green as part of the March PBF Book Club. I have read other books by John Green in the past and LOVED them, so I have high hopes for this one!
  • Maybe I am feeling book-crazy because I stopped by the local library this afternoon and spent some time browsing — one of my favorite things to do! I go to the library pretty much once a week and stock up on not just books, but also DVDs and CDs. Before I moved to Lafayette, I often used to overlook the library as a wonderful treasure trove of free entertainment.
  • I’m super excited to be participating in The Lean Green Bean’s Foodie Pen Pals group for March! It’s free to sign up, and you’re paired with another blogger or reader to send a box of treats and food goodies to that month. I’m having a blast picking out things to send to my pen-pal. You can learn more about the group and sign up for next month at The Lean Green Bean.
The Lean Green Bean

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Anyone else getting spring fever?

marvelous monday: the cherimoya

Posted on by

1

I’m back in Lafayette for the summer, and I celebrated by scoring a new find in the exotic fruits aisle: the cherimoya! {if you missed my post back in April about our adventure eating the horned melon, here it is}

I’ve actually been on the lookout for a cherimoya for quite a while, after I found a quote by Mark Twain describing the cherimoya as “the most delicious fruit known to man.” Wow! Its taste is described as a mixture of banana and pineapple. I just had to try it for myself!

Even if I hadn’t read testaments of the cherimoya’s deliciousness, I would have been intrigued enough to put it in our cart based on its appearance alone!

Here you can see what it looks like on the outside and inside. The big black seeds are supposedly poisonous, but they are easy to avoid, so do not fear!

After researching on the internet, I found out that you can tell a cherimoya is ripe when it has a little give, like a ripe mango or avocado. Some people recommended shaking it; if you hear a rattling sound, there is a good chance it is ripe. The cherimoya is a good source of Vitamin C and antioxidants.

YUM! Healthy and delicious!

To eat, slice it open and use a spoon to scoop out the soft, custard-like insides.

I was surprised by the texture most of all. The taste is hard to describe … definitely reminiscent of a banana to me. Next time I try one, I want to let it ripen even more!

Anyone else tried the cherimoya? What did you think?

Happy summer!
– Dallas