October Foodie Penpals

While I primarily write about travel, one of the joys of traveling for me is trying new food.  When I heard about Foodie Penpals, I thought it sounded like a fun way to try new foods from all over the United States.  October was my first month to participate and here is what I received:

My box was from Erin @ Creative Soul in Motion who lives in the Boston area.  She sent me a wonderful "I ♥ New England" themed package!

 

Item #1:  Maple Syrup - So far I have only used the syrup for Saturday morning pancakes, but I plan to use it for a few more recipes including a Maple-Simmered Chicken recipe from my Clean Eating magazine (Oct '11). It tastes much better than the artificially sweetened types.  

Item #2:  Apple Butter - This apple butter was delicious and perfect for fall!  I have been using it on my toast in the morning for breakfast.

Item #3: Apples - Fresh apples picked by Erin from Honey-Pot Hill Orchard...Yum!

Item #4: Homemade Muffins - I had these for breakfast.  My husband really liked these, too.  

Item #5: Honey - Sadly, the honey jar broke during shipping so I did not get to try it.  Since it smelled nice, I'm sure it would have tasted delicious... 

 Along with all my goodies, Erin included some information about her recommendations for restaurants and activities in Boston:

"...Start at the Flour Bakery in Fort Point for breakfast, meander over to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum for the morning, stop by a farmers' market on the way to lunch at Cafe L'Aroma.  Then stroll through the gardens and explore Beacon Hill before going up to Cambridge for a fabulous dinner at Upstairs on the Square.  Then I would explore Harvard Square while the sun slowly sets."

This sounds like such a fun day in Boston!  She also included menus for:

-The Cottage  They have a delicious looking brunch menu - think Stuffed French Toast, Tuscan Omelette, and Maine Lobster BLT+A...yummy! (I love breakfast foods!)

-Cuchi Cuchi  A place meant to capture "old world beauty and early hollywood" which has international small pair&share dishes including mushroom risotto, thai mussels, and duck a l'orange crepes.  They even have vintage cocktails!  (Sounds like a fun place for a girls' evening out!)

- Dali  This restaurant and tapas bar is a sister restaurant of Cuchi Cuchi with many items to pick from including queso de cambra montañas (baked goat cheese w/ tomato & basil), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), and conejo escabechado (braised rabbit w/ red wine, juniper, & garlic). 

 

For more information on the foodie penpals, check out the details on The Lean Green Bean.

If you’re interested in participating in November's foodie penpals, please send Lindsay an email at theleangreenbean@gmail.com by November 4th and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)