Guest Post: August Foodie Pen Pals

I have a special treat for you all - a post written by someone other than me! So without further ado, let me introduce to you Rebecca Doyle...

I’m definitely a ‘foodie’ but I’m not a blogger, so please excuse my lack of writing skills. August was my second month of foodie pen pals, it also happened to be a surprisingly busy and discombobulating month, but I’ll spare you the details.

Georgie’s parcel couldn’t have arrived at a better time – I was struggling with two OU deadlines and in a fair bit of pain from a spinal condition. So I was in a somewhat delirious state when I opened the box… Georgie’s handwritten letter (with photo included!) talked me through the carefully chosen contents of the parcel. She’d gone with a Spanish/Mexican theme after I’d told her that I was brought up with Spanish and Middle Eastern culinary influences.

I dived in… to discover not only some chilli crostini, but also some homemade chilli jam – things were looking up. I had to try these two together straight away. A yummy, sticky chilli jam with a really feisty kick on the crunchy crostini – oh yes, a winning combo already! 

Like a demented, deadlining nutcase, I munched through way too many of these in one sitting, the chilli firing a new enthusiasm and clarity for the assignments I was tackling. Thanks Georgie! Also in the parcel were some homemade custard tarts. Not those horrible bland, anemic, eggy ones that our post-war relatives seem to enjoy so much, but those of the Portuguese variety. Oh dear, how did you know, Georgie? Delicious. They were also great the next day heated briefly in the oven.

Next up ... a chorizo, one of Georgie’s favourites, and something I’m also a little partial to! She had kindly included a Thomasina Miers recipe for Chorizo and Potato Quesedillas – which looks delicious. However, I’m afraid this chorizo didn’t get as far as those lovely looking quesadillas, but I will try that recipe soon.

After sampling a couple of little slices with the crostini and chilli jam (very nice too), I used the rest of it that evening in a very simple potaje (stew) with ingredients I had to hand – butter beans, potatoes, red peppers, lots of garlic, some oregano and thyme from the garden, smoked paprika and some tomatoes. Real comfort food inspired by the recipes of my Spanish abuela.

Lastly, there was some homemade Mexican hot chocolate mix. I love a bit of cinnamon in my hot chocolate – perfect for late-night study. Thank you so much for creating such a fun parcel, that helped fuel me through those essay deadlines that I’m so rubbish at hitting. Thanks also for introducing me to your blog and all your
great recipes. Stuffed peppers this week!

Thanks to Rebecca for a lovely and horrendously ego-boosting post. You can follow Rebecca on Twitter - @beccasbonbons.