26 January 2006

EBBP...aka goodies time!

What a lovely surprise I had yesterday when my EBBP package from Jeanne at Cook Sister! arrived. Yipee! For those of you who don't know, our dear Cook Sister! is from the Southern Hemisphere, South Africa to be exact and given the "Comfort" theme, her treats were representative of home.

From the photo (starting from bottom left going counter clockwise) you can see that lucky 'ol me got some Koeksusters (where her blog name is derived from, clever gal!), a sort of syrup soaked fritter. I don't have a sweet tooth, plus I am trying to atone for my gluttonous ways of the past 3 weeks, but I just had to try some. And I can see why they would be so addictive, chewy, yeasty, syrupy and fatty at the same time, what's not to like? Move over Krispy Kreme...

I also had some Biltong, the air-dried beef snack. Like jerky, but so much better. I've had Biltong before, but never of this quality and this item is even, dare I say it, diet-friendly ;-)

Lunch Bars, Jeanne's favourite choccie bar from back home. I am still saving this but they are in the fridge for next week (if my willpower holds out).

Bobotie is a dish that I have heard about but never tried. Then the Hairy Bikers (a BBC Television food series) just happened to make it on their show last night, how about that for a coincidence? Now I have the spice pack to give it a go myself, I can't wait and will do so after this weekend (Chinese New Year and all that).

Rooibos tea was next on the list, a tea I already like so was thrilled to receive another package of it, plus it's the honey version. It's gotta be better right?

Finally, a not-so-South African ingredient, but one that Jeanne rates high on her comfort food list, lentils. I really like them, too, having whipped up a sausage and lentil stew for my cousin's bar staff last week. But Black Beluga lentils are one variety I have yet to try and with Jeanne's suggestion of boiling them, tossing through some sauteed onion, garlic, mushroom and topping with feta or halloumi, well, my mouth is watering as I type.

So thanks, Jeanne! I love my little bit of South Africa and hope you had as wonderful a parcel as I did. And thanks also to Johanna for organising, despite the crazy holiday season. Long live EBBP!

25 January 2006

TMI Meme

Hello all,
I have just returned from 3 weeks in the States, 3 kilos heavier, I shit you not. More on those adventures later. Obachan tagged me for the Too Much Information Meme. This is the first time I have participated in this event, possibly, because I have a sorry ass excuse for a blog, but whatever. I guess I’m supposed to post 10 random and interesting (questionable) facts about myself and tag 5 people. So here goes, read 'em and weep.

10. I have a brown belt in Shitoryu Karate, though you could say that I am an inactive practitioner (hence the expanding waistline and backside)

9. I am a fully qualified reflexologist. My husband's buddies always claim jealously, "Man, she cooks for you and rubs your feet? What is that?!"

8. I used to be the lead singer in a band. Okay, we did soppy covers, but the party goers seemed to enjoy us. Blondie was one of our faves.

7. I grew up in a Chinese restaurant family, a factor that may have contributed to my ever-growing obsession with food.

6. After escaping the Midwest of the United States, I have lived in Paris, Tokyo, Singapore and London, all of which have definitely contributed to my love for grub.

5. I quit a highly paid and highly stressful job to work in the food industry. I am much poorer, but much happier.

4. I am a web surfaholic, my husband has to pry the mouse from my fingers to get me to go to bed at times, eek. Such a geek.

3. I would rather spend 100 dollars on a rib roast then the same on shoes. Yes I have got my priorities straight.

2. I have Hobbit-like eating habits when given half a chance. In NYC recently, I started my day off with a hot dog, had some Dominican tripe soup, headed over to Chinatown for some Foo Chow stir-fried dishes then some Cantonese rice noodles with salted fish and greens. All this before 6PM, sigh.

1. Some of my favorite foods have to do with texture. I love beef tendons, sea cucumber, pigs trotters, very al dente pasta, jellyfish, etc. Good thing I'm Chinese!

So that's me in a nutshell, I am tagging:
- J. at Kuidaore
- Santos at The Scent of Green Bananas
- Johanna at The Passionate Cook
- Jeanne at Cooksister!
- A. at Chubby Hubby

Over to you guys...