Foodie Penpals - August!!!

Do you LOVE getting packages at work? I do!!! I work really long days, so I usually have packages delivered to me at the office, so it's not sitting on my doorstep in the sun all day, and it really makes my day when I get a package. Of course when it's my Foodie Penpals package, it's like a little surprise party for my taste buds and I get EXTRA excited :)  The only downside is I never manage to get good pictures, coz I'm SO eager to sample the treats! I received my package this month from Amy at A Healthe Eater and it was full of deliciousness (that's a word, right?!) - some of which I am saving for our weekend road trip!

Again, sorry for the terrible picture, but it was a mere formality required before I could start sampling! Amy sent popcorn (yum!), Tazo tea, honey (her Grandpa's honey!), pretzel chips, sundried tomato spread, and two snack bars (which I have saved for our trip!). The funniest thing about Foodie Penpals is that I never provide much guidance, preferring to be surprised and so far, both penpals have completely guessed things I LOVE and sent things I have wanted to try but haven't had a chance to. The sundried tomato spread and pretzel chips made an appearance at a tapas style dinner my hubby and I shared earlier this week, and we loved them (saved a few pretzel chips for the car too...)! The rest of the item were spot on - I love a cup of tea with honey, have never tried a larabar but always wanted to, and love quick and easy popcorn for a snack :D Thank you SO much Amy for the lovely box of surprises!!! Looking forward to seeing what next month will bring!

Want to see what I sent to my penpal? Pop over to Taralyn's blog a little later, and I'm sure she'll tell you all about it!

Think that Foodie Penpals might be something for you? You don't have to have a blog to join - pop over to The Lean Green Bean and check it out!

Foodie pen pals - July

When I was twelve years old, I had a binder full of letters from penpals across the world, from New Zealand, to New Mexico, to Lithuania. So when I heard about Foodie Penpals, I thought 'That sounds like my kind of thing!'. It's open to blog readers and bloggers, and since it started last year in September, has grown to include over 1000 participants! This was my first month participating, and I had so much fun compiling a box of foodie treats for my pen pal Alana, I couldn't wait to receive my box from Kat. Lucky for me, we're both California girls, so my package arrived on the 17th (they have to be mailed by the 15th)! It was a heavy little box, which made me curious about what was inside. Here's what I found:

 

On the top of the package, there was a note card, where Kat explained that the box was compiled with a 'summer picnic' theme in mind - which couldn't be more perfect! I love summer picnics, had planned on taking one to Shakespeare by the Sea (a favorite LA summertime event) the weekend before I received this very box, but had my plans derailed by my scary tire skid on a slick road - that's where the stale baguette came from! But I digress... Anyway, I love, love, LOVE summer picnics, and my box was the perfect thing for me! It included homemade dill pickles, pickled carrots and green beans, and figs in orange syrup, salami, a package of dried mango (which I've been eyeing at Trader Joe's for a while now, and hadn't gotten around to trying yet!), a bag of tea (to go with Kat's very own sweet tea recipe - she's from the South, y'all!), and two cloth napkins... It is PERFECT for me! All I need is a baguette, and I'm all set for a summer picnic with the treats that Kat sent me. Can't wait to see what next month's foodie penpals box will bring. It's like Secret Santa in July!! :)