My New Obsessions!

Hi foodies!

Here is just a mini post to tell you about my new food obsessions! If you follow me on Instagram (@gourmanda_) they you may already know about these, but if not, keep reading!

1. Dried Figs
The other day here on the east coast, we were all scared out of our minds by meteorologists and newscasters about the big "Blizzard of 2015." In preparation for said blizzard my brother and father were sent on a shopping excursion to Stew Leonards to stock up on storm goodies and non-perishables. When they came home, they had to take four trips from the car to carry in all the bags. I will guesstimate that there were around 40 bags covering our dining table and kitchen island and flooding the floor. It was insane. Why am I telling you this? Well, one of those 40 some-odd bags contained a bag of dried figs, which I discovered a day later in the nut and dried fruit drawer. I had seen plenty of pictures of fresh figs on Instagram, and heard the claims to their juiciness and yumminess. So I prepared some toast with goat cheese, sunflower seeds and figs for myself. Oh yes, figs are heavenly. And sweet. And delicious. I cannot wait until I can get my hands on some fresh ones, but for now I am perfectly content with my sun-dried version.

2. Tazo Chai Tea
As you readers may or may not know, I love to write! I am part of a wonderful writing program called Writopia in which you are mentored by a published writer and you get to write whatever you want! Sounds like heaven, right? Well it is. And as part of the program you get to go on trips, usually to Manhattan, to participate in events like reading poetry in a club (so cool!) or getting to go to a publishing house and learn about the publishing process. Well on this trip we went to go listen to Young Adult authors read and talk about their newly published books. On the way there we passed one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Max Brenner's and I insisted that we go in. I ordered a chocolate syringe (it's exactly what it sounds like) and my friend Kaley ordered Chocolate Chai tea. now I had heard about chai tea before, and since my vacation to California in 2013 in which I had a sore throat the whole time and ordered tea with honey and lemon at every restaurant, I was becoming an amateur tea drinker. Of course we tasted each others orders and hers was very yummy. Fast forward several months later and Tazo Chai Tea is a main stay in my day-to-day diet.

If you guys love dried figs and chai tea too, let me know! Or if you've never tasted either, let me know that too! What are your present food obsessions? Comment them beloooow!

More to come!
Gourmanda