Confessions of a City Eater Foodie Pen Pal #4

I am  a little late with Foodie Pen Pal reveal day.  This is my 4th month participating.  I was matched with  Stephanie.  Her blog is  Confessions of a City Eater. 



I was very excited to be matched with Stephane I looked at some of the boxes she had sent in previous months and got to thinking I was  going to get some great new  foods to try.  Stephanie's note included a menu of ideas of each thing. Cuban flavors are not something that I have tried much.  So I was excited to spice up my chicken dishes this month with these seasonings. 

 

I remembered one of the chefs on Food Network Star a couple years ago using Sofrito in everything.  This little pouch was used on all kinds of things this month.  The Mojo marinade was great on  chicken breast that I grilled and had in salads.   Stephanie also included PicNik potatoes and  Crackermeal.  The  crackermeal I used with a little salt and pepper to bread a cubed steak.  It was really crispy and tasty.  

 

So from the right the innocent white bottle was filled with the YUMMIEST Granola.  I am not  kidding this stuff was so good.  The recipe is great it is just a few ingredients .  Stephanie has it exactly right "If you like those Nature Valley's Honey n' Oat granola bars then you will definitely like this simple granola recipe because the taste is spot on. "  I am not a big fan of  globs of stuff or  dried fruits and nuts in granola just give me the  great  flavors of oats and a little sweetness.  This bottle was meter out over yogurt for  a few breakfasts. I am made my own  batch and took it with me on a recent trip for  breakfasts  the recipe is perfection.  

The bag of plantain chips were a great,  yep all 3 servings were gone quickly.

 

The  Conchita Maria Cookie and Luker chocolate were a hit with the family.

 

I was sure that the hit item for me was going to be the six little tubs of Dulce de Leche.......They even came with a cute little shovel (I mean spoon)  that let you get every little bit out of the cup. 

 

 

About a week after I got my box Stephanie replied to my email thanking her for the goodies with the  simple question.

"IS ALL THE DULCE DE LECHE GONE??" 

 I had to reply YES I had just put down the shovel on the last little tub.  She said the  she had hidden it from her daughter so it would make it in the box and believe me, they were hidden in this house to make them last a whole week. 

 

I am so glad that I am getting to meet different people from across the country and taste the things that are in there kitchens.

 

It is so fun to see how different all the boxes are.  So if you want to join the fun just hop over to LeanGreenBean  and read through the rules and sign up.

Friend Making' Monday: Groceries

I found this link up an thought it was an interesting way to share things.

 If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts.

Now it’s time for this week’s topic! In the Kitchen  
 1. How often do you cook at home? I really cook about 95% of my meals it is so much easier to control portions. I know that eating out has been one of my reasons for not doing as well as I had been on loosing weight.
 2. Do you eat more fresh produce, frozen or canned produce? FRESH or frozen I go for both I can not do canned other than mushrooms for pizza and spaghetti. 
3. What are a few unusual staples that can always be found in your kitchen?  Green olives, and cinnamon I never run out of these I usually have more than one bottle of each. 
4. Look in your fridge, then tell us about the healthiest thing in there. Tons of veggies--- I love veggies I have relish trays loaded with them cut and ready it eat. Omelet, salad, steamed veg that is my basic daily eats. 
5. Now share the most unhealthy thing in it.  Miracle whip I am trying to do tuna sandwhiches with yogurt but not there yet. 
6. Do you eat leftovers? Yes all the time usually a freeze stuff too. 
7. Do you use coupons at the supermarket?  I never use them. 
8. How often do you try new recipes? I try new recipes every couple of weeks. 
 9. Do you make grocery lists?  Do you stick to them? I do lists but lately I have been getting the same thing every week. I need to get better at menu planning and adding in variety. 
 10. If you could buy one food item that would magically be calorie-free, which item would you choose? Ice cream