Foodie Pen Pals: January

Oy, things have been busy. The holidays have come and gone, and I have even more of a backlog of recipes to be blogged. But, today is not the day for that... it's time for another round of Foodie Pen Pals!

This month's package came from the wonderful Ashley of My Cats and I (Cooking) in Chi. I was hoping for some healthy-ish snacks (though I'm never opposed to the other kind!), plus some local goodies (because to me, that's half the fun of getting a package from someone living in a different part of the country). She COMPLETELY nailed it... plus there was a little something extra from her kitties to mine!

Clockwise from left: 

• A recipe for pea pesto crostini
• GoPicnic ready-to-eat meal
• Milk & Honey cherry almond oatmeal
• Rosemary and black pepper almonds
• White cheddar Pirate's Booty
• 2 caramels from Truffle Truffle - Mexican hot chocolate and pomegranate blood orange
• Vosges Naga bar (chocolate with sweet Indian curry and coconut)
• And for the kitties... a little ziploc with Buddy Biscuits cat treats!

If I wasn't going to be in Dallas for Super Bowl, I would have made the pea crostini for a party - it sounds so fresh and spring-y and yummy. It'll have to wait for another party, though. I haven't had the GoPicnic meal yet, but it's at work, destined for a deskbound lunch. The almonds are also at work and have been great for my mid-afternoon salty crunchy urges. I hadn't had Pirate's Booty in awhile, so I didn't realize how much I'd missed it - so good! 

The local (Chicago-area) goodies were the oatmeal, the caramels, and the Vosges bar. I took the oatmeal to work with me and ate it one morning... then immediately went on the Milk & Honey website to confirm that I could get it shipped to me. SO GOOD! The caramels were also excellent; I really liked the Mexican hot chocolate one (I'm a total sucker for cinnamon, chocolate and a little heat all mixed together). And the Vosges bar... I didn't realize they were based out of Chicago! I've been a huge fan of their chocolates for 5 or 6 years, and the very first one I'd ever had was the truffle version of this particular bar... so that was a fabulous surprise! 

And the Buddy Biscuits? Well, I'll let the photos do the talking. :) 

Oliver-approved!

Amber and Orville approve, too!

January's FPP was a smashing success - thanks again, Ashley! The cats thank you, too. :) 

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Curious about Foodie Pen Pals? In a nutshell, there are monthly sign ups (so you're not locked in if life gets in the way in any particular month). On the 5th of every month, you're assigned a FPP, and you have until the 15th of that month to contact them, get their mailing address and food preferences, fill up a package, and send it their way! The spending limit is $15 before shipping, and the package must include something hand-written (a card, a recipe, etc.). If you're a blogger - on the last day of the month, you'll post a "reveal" (which you can add to the reveal round up on The Lean Green Bean). If you're interested in learning more, visit the Foodie Pen Pals page for all of the details!

Foodie Pen Pals: November

This month, I started participating in a fun exchange program called Foodie Pen Pals (run by Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean)! My friend Kristina told me about it awhile back, and I finally got around to signing up. Receiving fun foodie surprises in the mail once a month? How did it take me this long to get in on this???

I came home a couple of weeks ago to a package on the front steps from a lovely lady named Kelli! I brought it in and opened it up...

... looked under the hood... 

Oooh! Look at all the fun and tasty treats!!!

Kelli follows a Paleo lifestyle, so she shared some of her favorite treats with me. I had also told her that I enjoy trying regional specialties, so she sent a few Michigan-specific treats along as well!

The complete list: 

• Homemade Paleo pumpkin spice muffins
• Snack mix: walnuts, almonds, pecans and raisins 
• Dark chocolate covered cherries
• Vernors ginger soda
• Kzoo Crunch: buttery caramel and cheddar cheese popcorn
• Bodycology cherry blossom lotion

The Vernors ginger soda was opened immediately after the package was unpacked - both my husband and I had mildly upset stomachs, so it seemed like the thing to do! It didn't taste anything like typical ginger ales. The bottle said "barrel-aged" and I believe it - it had that same kind of vanilla-y, smooth undertone that a good barrel-aged bourbon has. It was tasty - very glad we had the opportunity to try it! 

I've never had a completely Paleo sweet treat before, and the pumpkin spice muffins were pretty darn good! Quite impressive, given the ingredient limitations. 

The nut and rasin mix has been great for grabbing little handfuls as a pick-me-up whenever I need a little snack. I *heart* nuts!

The dark chocolate cherries were DANGEROUSLY good - I had to put them out of the way to pace myself, otherwise I would have consumed all of them the first day. 

I haven't opened up the popcorn yet, but I love sweet and salty combos, so I'm really looking forward to it!

The lotion arrived at just the right time - my skin has been so parched, with the dropping temperatures and increased winds. And it smells great too!

I would call my first month of Foodie Pen Pals a complete success - thank you Kelli! :) 

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Curious about Foodie Pen Pals? In a nutshell, there are monthly sign ups (so you're not locked in if life gets in the way in any particular month). On the 5th of every month, you're assigned a FPP, and you have until the 15th of that month to contact them, get their mailing address and food preferences, fill up a package, and send it their way! The spending limit is $15 before shipping, and the package must include something hand-written (a card, a recipe, etc.). If you're a blogger - on the last day of the month, you'll post a "reveal" (which you can add to the reveal round up on The Lean Green Bean - here's this month's!).

Due to Hurricane Sandy, next month's FPP is a little different than usual. Instead of getting matched up with someone to send a package to, Lindsay is encouraging everyone who signs up for FPP in December to donate the money you would have spend on filling and mailing a box of goodies ($15 - $25) to New York Cares. Go to her Foodie Pen Pals for Charity page for more details, and to sign up for your virtual commitment to donate between December 3rd and 7th!

The normal Foodie Pen Pals exchange will resume for January, with sign ups beginning December 18th. If you're interested in learning more, visit the Foodie Pen Pals page for all of the details!