Foodie Penpals (August)

I know you all are confused by my post today.  Foodie Penpals is supposed to be at the end of the month right?  Well…this past month was a little…harried.  Without going in to all the details, the person I sent a box to for August was generous enough to send me a box back!  What a great gift.  Thanks, Sara!

Sara emailed me the standard swap email.  What kind of foods do you like, what’s your favorite combination, where do you live, etc?  I told her I liked peanut butter and chocolate.  She went a little crazy! 

The first thing I saw was the Reese’s Muffin Mix.  These looked crazy good.  And crazy dangerous!

Next was the Honeymaid Grahamfuls.  They’re only 120 calories and will be a great dessert for my lunches at work!

She also included some of my favorite breakfast bars:  Nature Valley Protein bars in (of course) peanut butter and chocolate.  I love these things!

One thing she had recently discovered was the Sparkling Ice water.  I love these too!  Kroger had them on sale for $1 a while back and I grabbed a couple.  She put the black raspberry in my box, which turns out to be my favorite flavor!

She also included Heath candy pieces, which are great in Better Than Sex cake.  I haven’t made that in a while, so this might be the perfect reason to do so!

I can’t believe how generous Sara was this month.  My penpal never sent me anything and, after I told her, she jumped at the chance to send me something.  Turns out, the girl she was supposed to send to never contacted her either!

If you want to join in the fun, head on over to Lindsay’s blog and sign up for Foodie Penpals.  Here’s a little more info about the process:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.
Last month was crazy to say the least.  I hope this month is easier!  Have a great day!

Foodie Penpals: July 2012

I have a problem.  Well, two problems actually.

“Bethany, what are your problems?”

I’m glad you asked.  Hunger and laziness.

You see, every month when my Foodie Penpals box arrives, I eagerly tear it open.  I look forward to penpal day every month.  It’s a great way to find new products I would have previously passed right by at the store.  But, in my excitement to see and try the products, I often put off photographing my goodies until I have eaten some all of the contents.  Whoops.

(So, even though the products in the above picture look full and ready to eat, it’s a ruse!)

This month was no exception.  I tore open the box and peered curiously inside at the contents.  It looked like Lauren went with a local snack theme for my box.  The first thing that caught my eye was the box of brittle.  I love brittle, so before I could snap any pictures, I had to pop a sweet candy in my mouth.  It was the perfect balance of sweet and chewy.  Yum!  The downward spiral of devouring before photographing commenced.

Next I saw the pretzels and chips.  Both made locally, they looked delicious.  I hadn’t had lunch on penpal day, so I started munching on a pretzel.  They were very crunchy!  I think they would be great crushed up over a salad.  Salty and crunchy.  What else do you want in a pretzel?

I actually didn’t try the chips until Sunday night while watching the Olympics.  (This is how much I procrastinate my picture taking.)  They were good, but not my favorite chips I’ve ever had.  That honor belongs to Charles Chips from Cleveland, OH.  My, that’s a blast from the past.

(A little side story:  I was born in Cleveland but moved to Tennessee when I was 3.  Every few years, we would travel back to Cleveland to see various family members.  While there, we always had to pick up a few Cleveland staples:  Malley’s chocolates, some kind of bread (I forget the name…Mom, do you remember?), and Charles Chips.  I don’t think we were allowed to leave until all three were in our car.)

Anyhow, after I saw the brittle and the other snacks, I came across a dip mix.  Lauren says this dip is her favorite and she serves it with homemade baked tortilla chips.  She was sweet enough to include the tortillas she uses so I could make them myself!

Of everything I got, the only thing I haven’t tried is the dip, but I plan to remedy that soon.  Perhaps I’ll add it as a side dish or appetizer for this month’s meal plan!

Are you interested in participating?  It’s really very easy and fun!  Just head on over to the Foodie Penpal page and sign up.  Lindsay is so sweet and organized.  She does a great job coordinating everyone.  Here’s some more information about the game:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.

I hope you consider joining!  It’s great fun and you get something in the mail every month!  Who doesn’t like getting mail?  I also want to give a big THANKS to Lauren for putting together such a great box of goodies!  She’s the sweetest!

Have a great day, everyone!