Saturday, July 23, 2005

Blogging by Mail - Special Delivery from Australia!



I was so excited to find my Blogging by Mail package in my mailbox last night, that even the fact that the mailman had jammed the too-big package into my too-small mailbox (WHY does he do that???) didn't dampen my mood. Fortunately, I was able to pry it out without damaging it, and when I got a good look at it I realized it had come all the way from Australia. I didn't immediately recognize the name of my benefactor, but once I got into the package I found the familiar name of her wonderful blog, Grab Your Fork, and put that together with her very familiar alias: Augustus Gloop.

While I would be thrilled to receive a package like this from anywhere, I was especially thrilled to get one from outside the US. I anticipated that the treats would be new and unusual for me and looked forward to getting a taste of another country. AG's package delivered with a variety of Australian sweets and even one savory.

Her homemade Anzac Biscuits are delicious and crunchy and have a wonderful flavor that belies their simple ingredients. The biscuits were packed in a great little box and came complete with a history of their beginnings, something about their namesakes the ANZACS, and a report of this year's Anzac Day ceremonies in Gallipoli. These biscuits are truly an Australian specialty!

AG also sent along some other sweets which were new to me: a package of Tim Tams, a Cherry Ripe bar, and some Minties. I had of course heard of Tim Tams before, since they seem to pop up on food blogs from time to time (usually with everyone swooning over them), but this is my first chance to try them. AG so thoughtfully enclosed a complete guide to the Tim Tam Slam that had me laughing out loud...







I've tried it, but I'm afraid I have not yet perfected the technique. It may not have helped that I had just pulled the Tim Tams from the refrigerator. I put the Tim Tam in my mouth before the tea had actually travelled the length of the cookie, since the bottom part of the biscuit was threatening to fall off into the tea. The Tim Tams are out of the refrigerator now, warming up in preparation for another attempt later today. I am willing to keep trying until I have the Tim Tam Slam perfected!

The other sweets are also very yummy. The Cherry Ripe bar is much like a Mounds bar except that it is a little thinner and has bits of dried cherry mixed into the coconut filling - what a great idea! The Minties are chewy, minty (obviously!), and almost buttery. Very good and as AG said, habit forming!

There was one final Australian specialty enclosed - some individual packets of Vegemite. AG also included some instructions on how best to enjoy this salty condiment - spread thinly over heavily buttered toast. I plan to follow her advice closely, though I admit I am not looking forward to trying the Vegemite with quite the same enthusiasm I had for sampling all the other goodies!

Finally, AG enclosed a clip-on koala bear who is now perched on my monitor as a constant reminder of my new (and very thoughtful) friend in Australia. Thank you very much Helen!!!

10 comments:

Nic said...

Great post, Cathy! And, of course, great package! Keep trying for that Tim Tam slam.

Cathy said...

Thanks Nic, and thank YOU for setting all this up. It has been so much fun!!

Reid said...

Hi Cathy,

WOW! This looks great! The Tim Tams are so good. *sigh*

eat stuff said...

Hi Cathy
Vegemite is awesome. Just remember to toast the bread well, spread with a bit of butter and at first less vegemite is more ;)

Anonymous said...

You're so lucky you got to try Tim Tams! I've been reading about them for so long. What a great package to get in the mail.

Cerebrum said...

That koala bear is so darn cute!

Cathy said...

Hi Reid! AG's package really was wonderful - it has been so much fun to try everything! I think I've gotten the hang of the Tim Tam Slam - pretty great! Next I think I want to try one chilled or maybe frozen. I think I read somewhere that frozen Tim Tams were yummy.

Hi Clare! I think I like that less is more approach for this! Still haven't tried the Vegemite, but soon!

Hi Kelli! Aren't I? It really was a great package!

Hi Zarah! He is... and well-behaved too! I was afraid he wouldn't stay put, but he seems to have a good grip on the monitor.

Anonymous said...

Hi Cathy,
Lucky you! What a gorgeous package that was. It's so like AG - funny and generous. The Tim Tam Slam guide was hilarious; thanks for sharing. :)

Cathy said...

Hi Julia - you are so right on all counts! It has been wonderful getting a little better aquainted with AG and sampling her cooking!

Hi AG! - Thank you again for putting together such a great package! Today my youngest brother and his wife were at my house and they tried the Tim Tam Slam too. It's been so hot here lately, I've made three cups of tea (so far) just so I could do the slam and then didn't drink the tea!

How right are about food blogging!

Cathy said...

I can't imagine doing that with an Oreo!!! Although.... maybe it's worth a try... ;)

I thought what you wrote, how you wrote, and, of course, your little illustrations were just perfect - which is why I scanned it instead of quoted it!