Foodie Penpals Reveal: September 2013

This month's Foodie Penpals parcel has been sitting around since late last week, just waiting to be opened. I've been so busy settling in to my new job that I have been lax about staying on top of other activities, such as blogging or peeking into packages related to blogs.

However, my curiosity finally overcame my feeling of being harried, and I set aside a few minutes to see what this month's penpal, Amanda Mercer, had sent my way. Amanda was kind enough to step into the breach after my first penpal failed to get in touch at the beginning of the month; with only a few days to spare before the shipment deadline, she put together this very decadent parcel so that I wouldn't be left in the unenviable position of sending, but not receiving, a penpal package.

As I have discovered from subsequent e-mails with Amanda, she is someone who appreciates the value of a good snack stash at work. I am not surprised about that, because many of her choices are exactly what you need to eat at 3 PM so that you have the energy and willpower to make it through the rest of the afternoon. As evidence, I offer Exhibit A:

The sweeter components of the parcel, shown above, included some biscuits, two different types of chocolate bar (for when I am feeling particularly indulgent), and some homemade flapjacks. Flapjacks are a thing I had never heard of until I moved to Britain; I quickly became a huge fan, because they are chewy and tasty and filling, all at the same time.

Also included were savory items and cooking ingredients: toasted edamame (which I've never yet tried but which I assume I will enjoy since I like corn, peas, and garbanzo beans prepared in the same way), a bag of assorted teas, and two packets of Thai-themed flavors (aromatic Thai seasoning mix, and coconut milk in powder form--something that I didn't even know existed until today). There were also some piping bags, which are shown in the next photo:

Obviously, I will need to have a hearty snack at work, cook up a Thai dinner, and then finish it all off with a cup of tea and a dessert that features some piped icing. Sounds good to me!