Foodie Penpals - June '12

This month, I was paired up with the incredibly sweet Jaren from Kiwi Fit as a Foodie Penpal.  This was my second month participating in this foodie swap...and let me tell you, it never gets old getting goodies in the mail.  Plus, every once in a while you meet some really cool people, too.  That was definitely the case with Jaren, who lives in Texas...and has a heart just as big!

She sent me a box loaded with homemade goodies...and a little backstory on each.

First up was a giant bag of these Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, and Walnut Cookies chock-full of delicious add-ins and toppings, including those awesome sprinkles (which were lovingly applied by her nephews with hopes of impressing the ladies).  Totally worked, guys...totally worked.

The next bag I opened contained a batch of this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola (recipe can be found here).  How did she know I love granola?  A girl after my own heart.  Of course Jaren says maybe loving granola is a prerequesite of being a girl.  I'll go with that.

As I mentioned, Jaren lives in Texas, so of course her family has their very own steak rub.  That's mandatory for being a Texan, no?  I think this was what I was most excited to pull out of my box, a jar of her family's Famous Steak Rub...the recipe of which she could not disclose due to fear of being disowned.  I understand.  My guess is coffee, salt, dark brown sugar...perhaps a bit of cocoa powder?  Hmmm.  It smells awesome and tastes the same.  I'll enjoy the jar while I have it!

Tried it.  Loved it.  This was what I served the hubs for his Father's Day dinner.  Perfect!  Thanks so much to Jaren for the heartfelt box of foodie-fun.  I hope you'll take a minute to go over and visit her, if you don't know her already!

Not familiar with Foodie Penpals?  Here's a little explanation from its creator, Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean:
     -On the 5th of every 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 are 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 Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 
If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.  
You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!


*If you'd like to browse all of the other Foodie Penpal reveal posts for June, click here.  And if you want a peek at what I sent my Foodie Penpal, Amanda (aka Ms. Giggles), you can see that here!*

Foodie Penpals - May '12

This is my first month participating in Foodie Penpals...and I have SO been looking forward to reveal day!  I love receiving packages in the mail.  I especially love it when said packages contain fun foodie goodies!  My foodie penpal this month was Beth of The Fit Wife Life.  This was Beth's first month participating, as well - and I could tell she was just as excited as I was!  Just take a look at that photo to see all of the fabulous goodies that I saw when I opened my package; here they are...

     -Old Mill Kettle Corn w/ a hint of Cinnamon & Vanilla (ohemgee- addictive!)
     -Original Cheddar Cheese Straws (thick & cheesy and kissed with a bit of spice...)
     -Justin's Almond Butter, Honey Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Hazelnut (LOVE!)
     - LÄRABAR: Apple Pie and Pecan Pie (adore LÄRABARs)
     -Local Alabama Honey (honey-addict!)
     -Milo's Famous Sweet Tea (my very first time having real sweet tea)
     -Crispy Green Freeze Dried Pineapple & Apples (I will be hunting these down soon...if for nothing else than to make some of these)
     -Snackle Mouth Almond, Maple, Pecan Granola Nut Cluster (disappeared in no time flat!)
     -Natural Nectar Choco Dream Rice Sticks (oddly good...they totally grew on me)

So yeah, tell me it's not fun getting a package full of these amazing treats in the mail!  Thanks Beth for sending me such a delicious box!

Not familiar with Foodie Penpals?  Here's a little explanation from its creator, Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean:
     -On the 5th of every 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 are 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 Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 
If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.  
You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th!
*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send Lindsay an email and she'll see if she gets enough interest this month!

And because it IS DEFINITELY just as much fun to give than it is to receive, here's a little peek at what I sent to my foodie penpal, Calee who isn't a blogger...but she definitely is a foodie! It included Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express, Stevia packets, local blueberry blossom honey, golden flax seeds, chipotle moritas, and my groovy granola bars plus a couple of small goodies.

This was so much fun getting to meet new people and send and receive foodie gifts...I look forward to next month!  How much are you itching to join in?  You can check out TONS more foodie penpal posts by going over to the reveal day post at The Lean Green Bean and then sign up to play along next month, if you wish!