June Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey my fellow foodies! It’s been so quiet over here on my little corner of the internet lately as I have become the worst blogger ever! Ugh! Seriously, can you hear the crickets? Because I can. But I thought I would break my silence to tell you (if you’re still here, that is) about this awesomely delish Foodie Penpals box I got for June!

Above is a picture of just a few of the yummy treats in my box, taken immediately after I excitedly rummaged through it. And yes, that bag does say Ketchup chips lol. So I was totally spoiled this month by Raina over at The Home Plate! Raina shares her delish recipes as well as other FPP boxes she’s received, so definitely check out her blog!

Raina and I both have a love of coffee, chocolate, and all things salty and sweet… so I knew I was paired with the perfect person lol. In my opinion, the most fun Foodie Penpals boxes are always the ones that are filled to the brim with some of your favorite things as well as a few things that are new to you. Which is exactly what this box was. Here is what it was chock full of:

I seriously did not know where to start lol.

One of the first things I was curious to try were the Ketchup Chips. Raina said that they are her favorites and that even though they sound so wrong, they are oh so right. I’ll admit, I was skeptical lol. But I have to say that she is right! They really are so good! They have a tangy tomato-y flavor that I actually really liked!

The Dill Pickle Popcorn has a light tangy pickle taste and is so good! The Cheerwine Cherry Soda was one of my favorite things! I love cherry soda so this was right up my ally! It was enjoyed along with some of the chips & popcorn during the season premiere of one of my favorite shows, Switched at Birth! Made the perfect snack!

Okay, the coffee with Chicory… oh man, so delish!! How am I just barely discovering this?? Drinking this up fast!

A closer look at all the assorted chocolate treats!!! Think I’ve tried just about everything now. I have a few things left in my chocolate stash but it is quickly dwindling lol.

Some of my favorites were the Goo Goo Cluster, I think it was the first one I ever tried. The nuts, caramel, marshmallow, and chocolate… addicting! Also, the chocolate covered graham crackers & s’mores graham cracker, chocolate bar with maple, the chocolate covered espresso beans, and the chocolate digestives! Yes, this box was all about the chocolate, ha!

I thought the Chocolate Digestives (such an odd name for a cookie, right?) were especially interesting. They’re basically round cookies, that to me taste somewhat like graham crackers, with one side covered in chocolate. They’re simple but good! And from what I hear very popular in the UK.

Here’s a picture of the Cheerwine cherry soda! So refreshing! Wish I could get this in my area!

I want thank Raina for this crazy awesome box! It was such a fun one! If you want to know what I sent her click here! And also thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for organizing all this foodie fun! :)

P.S Just realized this is my 11th time participating in Foodie Penpals! lol So that should give you some idea of how much fun this program is and how much I love it! So if you want to join in, get some yummy treats sent straight to your door, and make some new friends in the process, the info is below!

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Here’s some details about FPP in case you want to join in for July:

-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.
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.
-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are 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!

March Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey fellow foodies! I’m here with another Foodie Penpals reveal today!

This month I received a lovely package from Ginger over at Mini Me Wannabe! Ginger shares her health and fitness journey with her readers and has some really great tips, so definitely check out her blog! The box of goodies she sent me all came from Trader Joes! I’ve never been to a Trader Joes before as there are none around my area but have heard so many awesome things about it. It was fun to get to sample some of their products!

Included in the box ~

Sweet Potato Bisque – I wasn’t sure about this soup as I’m not a huge sweet potato fan but it was actually really good. It’s really creamy and the warm flavors kind of remind me of fall.

Bruschetta – This looks delish! I already have this recipe in mind to use it in!

Cowboy Caviar – This is so delish!!! A salsa chock full of black beans, corn, and peppers. It’s really flavorful with a little kick and is just a little addicting.

Thai Dry Chili Paste – Haven’t tried this yet but it’s supposed to be a little on the spicy side. It says on the jar that it can be used to season veggies, meats, poultry, and also for dipping crackers when mixed with a little olive oil. Love that it’s so versatile, excited to try it!

Green Tea Infused Mints – Was also a little nervous about these mints but oh my gosh, they’re amazing! I’m usually not much for mints but these babies don’t taste like typical mints. They have a very light tea taste along with other very warm notes. Refreshing and almost soothing flavors.

Onion Dip Mix – Loved this dip! You just mix it with some light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and let it sit in the fridge for a while and you have a creamy, tangy dip! Though I will say those Green Tea mints sure do come in handy after eating this dip, ha!

Oh and last but not least, seriously how pretty is that peacock card?! Love it!

I want to say thank you to Ginger for all these yummy snacks, I’m really enjoying them! And also thanks to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for putting all this foodie fun together! :)

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Here’s some details about FPP in case you want to join in for April:

-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.
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.
-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for March, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!

February Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Yes, it’s Foodie Penpals time again! I’m so excited to share my February box with you guys! Let me tell you, I seriously scored!

I received this box of goodies from Rachel over at the Renegade Foodie at Large. Rachel totally spoiled me with some of my favorite foodie items! In fact, this may be my favorite Foodie Penpals box yet!

This lovely package included:

Java Iced Mocha Mix, Venice Chocolate Biscotti, 4 homemade finishing salts (including the recipes), and The Sweet Treats Collection cookbooks!

Of course the first thing I dove into was the coffee and biscotti! I made me a tall glass of Java Iced Mocha, which is smooth and creamy. It has that perfect mix of rich chocolate flavor with a jolt of coffee. And oh the biscotti – chocolate with hazelnuts and orange zest, with a rich layer of chocolate on the top. I love the way the orange flavor comes out in the chocolate. So delish!

Rachel’s homemade finishing salts! How awesome are these?! And yes, that says Bacon Salt! Bacon. Salt. … ‘nuff said. There’s also Herbs De Provence, Vanilla Cinnamon Nutmeg, and Orange Infused Sea Salt. I haven’t tried them yet but I’m already thinking of different recipes to use them in. She even included the yummy recipes in box!!

If you want to know more about Rachel’s finishing salts she just posted a blog about them here!

So this one was a Foodie Penpals first for me and I totally freaked out when I saw it! A cookbook collection!!! The Sweet Treats Collection is full of 3 books with 300 recipes in all!

The three books are: Chocolate Treats, Cupcakes & Mini Treats, and Delicious Cakes! As a baker and a chocoholic these are right up my ally! It was so fun to flip through these books! All the recipes sound and look so delish and I cannot wait to give ‘em a try! Plus, how adorable are the books and the packaging?

I want to thank Rachel for sending me such a fun box! I’m so enjoying it! And a shout out to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for organizing all this foodie fun! If you would like to join in, the info is below! :)

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Here’s some details about FPP in case you want to join in for March:

-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.
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.
-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for March, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

November Foodie Penpals Reveal

So I’m a couple days late in posting this but better late than never, right? I’ve missed Foodie Penpals!! I haven’t participated since June so I thought it was high time I jumped back in for November!

I received this lovely box from Nicole in NY! Everything she sent me was so different than what I’m used to that it made it even more fun to sample.

Pocky Chocolate – Staying true to form, I of course, went for the chocolate first. These things are so cool! Thin little chocolate sticks! They taste great and would make the perfect on the go snack or even a great movie snack!

Snow Pear drink – This drink has a very light pear taste and was very refreshing after chilling in the fridge for a while.

Chin Chin – Honestly, I didn’t think these had much flavor. They remind me of cereal though.

Lychee Candy – I’m usually not a fan of hard candy but these have a pretty good sweet slightly sour flavor.

Snapea Crisps – Was a little nervous about these lol, but they’re not bad! They have kind of a tangy flavor. Nicole recommended crushing them up in a salad which I think would taste great!

Shrimp Crackers – Okay, so here’s the thing… one of the reasons I love Foodie Penpals is because you get to try a lot of new foods/snacks that you’ve never tried before. It can be culinary adventure! And I always make sure I give everything a try once. But I have to admit with these shrimp crackers … I just couldn’t bring myself to do it lol. You see, I’m a staunch seafood hater, I’m not proud of this fact, but it’s just the truth. So this was the one thing I just couldn’t try. :/

Other than the shrimp crackers this box was a winner! Thank you Nicole for such a thoughtful box! And also thank you to Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean for organizing all this foodie fun! :)

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Foodie Penpals is taking a break for the month of December, but you’re welcome to CLICK HERE to sign up for January. If you were planning to participate in December, I encourage you to donate the money you would have spent on a box to your favorite charity this holiday season.

June Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey foodies, it’s time for yet another Foodie Penpals reveal! My June FPP, Leigh-Ann, sent me a box that was totally chock full of goodies! I didn’t know where to start!

The box included everything from a Lindt Sea Salt Chocolate bar, gluten free pasta,  Healthy Choice soup, Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter, Justin’s Almond Butter, Lara Bars, Clif Bars, Power Bars, Fig Bars, almonds, yummy drink mixes, a fruit strip, and … Roasted Seaweed Snacks. Yes, a box filled to the brim with healthy (& delish) snacks!

It basically goes without saying that my favorite thing was the Lindt Sea Salt Chocolate bar, so delish! I love anything with chocolate & sea salt.  Peanut butter and pasta are like two of my main food groups, ya just can’t go wrong with that. Loved the almonds and as well as some of the bars. Haven’t tried the soup yet but it looks great! The only thing that made me somewhat skeptical was, yes, you guessed it… the sea weed snacks. I never even knew they existed lol. They are were paper thin and of course, green… and just not my cup of tea lol. But I’m sure they are really good for you! ;)

I want to thank Leigh-Ann for sending me this awesome box! Also a thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for putting all this foodie fun together! :)

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And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-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 Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We've determined 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 from the US or Canada and are in participating for July, please CLICK HERE (www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/) 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're from Europe, please CLICK HERE (www.thisisrocksalt.com/foodie-penpals/) to signup.

May Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey fellow foodies! I know, I’m 2 days late with this reveal… but in my defense I was visiting my cousin & her new beautiful baby boy for a couple days. So that’s a pretty good excuse in my book. ;)

My May Foodie Penpal, Anna, hails all the way over from the island of Guam! Which is definitely the farthest a FPP box has ever traveled to me! I honestly didn’t know much about Guam but it was so fun to get learn about it from Anna and to get to sample some of the local goods in the lovely box she sent me!

Is that not the prettiest postcard ever?!

Anna made sure to send little notes attached to each treat!

This was one of the most fun boxes I’ve received as it included some new foods I’d never even heard of but was really excited to taste!

The box included:

Coconut Oil – I was so happy to see this in the box! I started using coconut oil about a month or so ago and I’m just about out. I’ve been using it for cooking, baking, and for my skin. You can use it for so many different purposes and it’s so healthy for you! Love this stuff!

Boonie Bee Honey made with local Mangos – So delish! Love the flavor of the mango in this honey!

Asparagus Biscuits – Okay, I can’t lie, I was so skeptical about these lol! I had never heard of Asparagus Biscuits before… I didn’t even know there was such a thing. But I decided to be brave and give it a taste…and it wasn’t bad. I honestly didn’t think they had much of a taste… I can’t describe the taste but they were just a little bland to me. I dipped one into the honey and it was actually pretty good like that. I don’t know if I would actually eat them on their own but they’re perfect for dipping!

Tita’s Guguria – This reminded me of cereal; a little sweet, crunchy. Makes a really good snack!

Spicy Momso Jam – This is so delish… and spicy! Like I needed water after just one bite lol. Love the kick this jam has!

Lindt Chili Dark Chocolate - You just cannot go wrong with Lindt! I had actually never tasted the Chili Dark Chocolate bar before but needless to say, I loved it! This was gone so fast!

I want to thank Anna for this awesome box! It was so fun to sample a taste of the island! And also a thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for organizing all of the foodie fun! :)

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And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals. In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-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 Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We've determined 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 from the US or Canada and are in participating for June, please CLICK HERE (www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/) 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 Europe, please CLICK HERE (www.thisisrocksalt.com/foodie-penpals/) to signup.
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March Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey fellow foodies! It’s March Foodie Penpals reveal day! Well technically it was yesterday and I’m a day late but still lol. I took a few months away from FPP and really missed it so I was so glad to be back participating again last month!

I was paired with Julie who sent me a lovely package full of delish treats!

*Lavender Vanilla Sugar – Knowing how much I love to bake, Julie sent me a bottle of Lavender Vanilla Sugar! This may be one of my most favorite things I’ve received in a FPP package so far! It smells like heaven! I haven’t used it yet but I’m in search of the perfect recipe to try it in. A recipe for homemade Lavender Vanilla Marshmallows I saw on Pinterest has been calling my name though! :)

*Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans – As a coffee lover, these could become addicting! So delish! Love them on their own but I’m kinda dying to put them in or on cupcakes!

*Trail Mix – A sweet and spicy blend she bought from a local grocery store. So flavorful and just the perfect amount of spiciness. This was gone way too fast, let me tell you! Was so sad when it was gone lol.

*Justin’s Maple Almond Butter & Chocolate Hazelnut Butter – You just can’t go wrong with these. Always love to have some on hand!

*Homemade Date Balls – Julie made these delish and healthy date balls and gave me the recipe for them! Always a fan of homemade goodies in my FPP packages!

I want to thank Julie for all these yummy goodies! I loved everything! Also a thanks to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for putting all this together! Oh and if you want to see the treats I sent to my FPP, Lisa, check out her blog: 3 girls and 1 boy.

If you would like to join in all the foodie fun check out the info below! :)

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-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 Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We've determined 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 from the US or Canada and are in participating, please CLICK HERE (www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/) to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!
*If you're from Europe, please CLICK HERE (www.thisisrocksalt.com/foodie-penpals/) to signup.
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September Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey foodies! Time to reveal the box full of goodies I received in September’s Foodie Penpals! This time around I received a lovely package from Bailey who lives in CA. She did such an awesome job of filling it with lots of yummy treats! Totally made up for not getting a box in August…yes, that kinda sucked… but I’m not bitter ;). Anyway, as soon as I snapped a couple photos I dove right in!

• Peanut Brittle from Bravo Farms Cheese Factory – So let’s start out with what is probably my favorite item. This peanut brittle is so delish! Seriously, it’s just about gone as I’ve been munching on it all week.
• French Burnt Peanuts from Bravo Farms Cheese Factory – This was the first time I ever tried french burnt peanuts and while they aren’t my favorite, they do have a pretty good smoky flavor to them. I’m actually trying to think of a way I can incorporate them into my baking somehow. We shall see!
• A dozen cookies from Smith’s Bakery – These soft, chewy, and buttery cookies were the very first thing I went for upon opening the box. Delish!
• Multi Sunburst Popcorn Kernels – I love this kind of popcorn…so much better than microwave, in my opinion. I’ve yet to open this bottle but I’m looking forward to it!
• A sampler pack of 4 popcorn seasonings – Along with the popcorn, Bailey sent me this sampler pack of seasonings! These seasonings sound so delish, they include: Creamy Ranch, Buttery Jalapeno, Zesty Cheddar Cheese, and Movie Theater Style. The popcorn with these yummy seasonings has movie night written all over it! Movie recommendations, anyone? ;)
• Two different types of gum – And last but certainly not least…possibly the two cutest packs of gum I’ve ever seen! One says “Follow Your Dreams” and has a picture of a cat off in the sunset on the front!! Seriously, how cute is that? It has a fruity flavor that reminds me of Juicy Fruit. And I got such a kick out of the other one, “Supermodel Meal in a Box” gum…which boasts “8 complete meals” ;). The back of the box cracked me up, “Now the waif like 5-9, 97 pound frame that once seemed impossible can be yours! Pan seared duck alongside grilled sweet onion topped with a blackberry confit and rich brandy demi-glaze, all packed into a cinnamon flavored gum.” Ha! Love it! And love the spicy cinnamon flavor of this gum. Only one piece left…sad :(.

I just want to say thank you to Bailey for all these delish goodies; I’m so enjoying them! Also, thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for making all this possible! And if you want to see the goodies I sent to my Foodie Penpal, April, click on over to her lovely blog!

Sadly, I’m going to have to skip Foodie Penpals for October since this is going to be a particularly busy month for me (first time skipping since I started participating in May). But will definitely be picking it back up in November! And if this appeals to the Foodie in you, think about joining in the fun! More info below! :)

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-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 Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined 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 October, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by October 4th as pairings will be emailed on October 5th!

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July Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Yes, it’s that time of the month again, Foodie Penpals reveal day!! This month I was paired with Jordyn who blogs over at A Jew Broad Cooks. I had been away for a few days visiting family and arrived home to find these yummy goodies waiting for me! Jordyn sent me a very thoughtful package that I wasted no time diving into.

The Goodies:

*Homemade Zucchini Bread! I was so excited to see this because this is the first time I’ve received something homemade from a Foodie Penpal. And Jordyn’s bread did not disappoint! She even made it with a Zucchini from her own garden. Healthy and delish!

*Wasabi Rice Chips. These were amazing! So full of flavor with the perfect spicy kick.

*Zeke’s Coffee, from a local roaster in Baltimore. I haven’t tried this yet but I cannot wait. Smells like heaven!

*And last but not least, a couple seasoning blends; Everyday Cajun and African Curry. Really excited to give these a shot soon!

I want to say thank you to Jordyn for this delish box, I so enjoyed it! And thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for making all this happen! Also, if this appeals to the Foodie in you, think about joining in the fun! More info below! :)

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-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. We've determined 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 August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!
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Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I recently have become obsessed with this recipe for the most delish spin of the ever classic banana bread that I have ever tasted. It involves a very generous swirl of the chocolaty goodness that almost everyone is obsessed with, Nutella! For some reason it always seems like just the mention of Nutella in a room full of women will elicit raves … which makes me think this is mostly a woman’s obsession. But we’re not discriminating here guys, as everyone should share in this amazing treat. ;)

My sister and I used to eat this stuff by the spoon full… we wouldn’t even bother putting it on toast or crackers. No, that would’ve just slowed us down and chocolate cravings cannot wait. After a while of eating it right out of the jar, I started to get very sick of this stuff, but I’m here to tell you that my love for it has been recently renewed.

My love for Nutella was rekindled last month when I received a jar of it in my Foodie Penpals package (see Foodie Penpals recap below).

This time around instead of just eating it straight out of the jar, I decided to get creative with the Nutella and bake with it. Why I never baked with it before I don’t know. I stumbled onto this recipe after searching Pinterest for ideas and knew I had to make this. I seriously never want to make banana bread the old fashioned way again. After tasting this, normal banana bread just seems like a bore. This is banana bread for the new generation. I suggest you get with the program and give it a shot! ;)

Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Banana Bread -

(Recipe found @ http://sallysbakingaddiction.com)

I learned a very important lesson about banana bread in the process of making this recipe. The secret to perfectly moist banana bread is very very ripe, almost rotten bananas… maybe it’s common knowledge but it was new to me! So don’t throw those rotten bananas away, folks, put them to good use.

This banana bread is so moist and chock full of peanut butter, chocolate chips, and mini Reese’s Cups. And on the very top is a lovely swirl of Nutella. It’s a beautiful thing. The Nutella makes it so decadent and rich, and it tastes great with the banana and peanut butter flavors. I mean, does it get any better than bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate?

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (I just used all purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Reese’s mini cups (NOT the bite-sized Reese’s, the smaller MINI ones. Or use 3/4 cup chopped regular sized Reese’s Cups)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 heaping tablespoons Nutella

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.
Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be very thick. DO NOT OVERMIX.

Fold in Reese’s Mini cups and chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan. Drop 3 tablespoons of Nutella on top of bread in a row. Swirl with a knife. Bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Baking times may vary.

Let cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.

June Foodie Penpals Reveal!

It’s June Foodie Penpals reveal day!! This is my second time participating in this awesome and delish program, and definitely not my last. I think I’m getting used to this… you know, getting a box full of goodies in the mail every month is kinda fun. A genius concept, if you ask me. :)

Um, this month I sorta lucked out as I happened to be paired with a foodie kindred spirit who shares my love of chocolate, coffee, and spicy foods. This jam packed box of goodies is from Karen Van Zant who blogs over at Class to Kitchen; she really hit it out of the park on this one! This was such an awesome box… I’m glad I took photos right away because most of this stuff is already gone lol.

I almost didn’t know where to start … almost. But my philosophy is, always start with chocolate! And this chocolate did not disappoint!

A bar of Belgian chocolate and Harry London Buckeyes!! Neither of which lasted very long, let me tell ya… so delish! I was particularly excited to see the Buckeyes; my family used to order boxes of Harry London chocolates for the holidays and I remember loving these! The only downside was that there were only four in a package and I chose to not be selfish and share them with family. Oh how I questioned that decision when they were gone. It was tempting to be stingy. ;)

Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Biscotti Granola… yum! Isn’t that the best sounding granola ever? This was so good in yogurt!

A jar of the chocolaty goodness that is Nutella! Which I actually got a bit creative with and decided to try baking with it. I honestly don’t know why I never baked with it before. Now, Nutella is awesome on its own but baked into banana bread…AMAZING! I made this recipe for Nutella Swirled Peanut Butter Banana Bread. You have to give this recipe a shot, it’s my new favorite way to make banana bread.

Ruby Red Blend Popcorn! I loved this popcorn; especially since the only popcorn I ever make is the one you just stick in the microwave. Made on the stove it just tastes better to me. Plus, it looks so pretty in the jar, doesn’t it?

Tony Chachere’s, always a great seasoning to have on hand as it tastes good on just about everything.

Okay, can I just tell you how much I love this stuff?! This was the first time I’d ever tried this Chili Garlic Sauce but I kinda want to put it in everything! I mixed it into some fajita meat that I made and it gave it the perfect spicy kick. I love spicy foods so this was right up my ally. Can’t wait to try it in more recipes!

And last, but certainly not least, some fair trade coffee! I’ve been on a cold brewed coffee kick lately as iced coffee is the only thing I want to drink in the summer; so I’m planning on using this coffee to make another batch this week!

I just want to say thank you to Karen for all of these yummy goodies! I enjoyed them so much! She rocks! :) Also, I have to again give props to Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean for organizing all this delicious chaos!  It’s a foodie’s dream! Can’t wait for the goodies to come in July! :)

If this program appeals to you, sign up for July! Seriously, Foodie Penpals is such a blast! Can’t tell you how much I am enjoying it. So if you want to meet awesome fellow foodies, send a box of goodies to someone and receive one yourself; sign up and join in the foodie fun! More info below! :)

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- 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 Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined 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!
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May Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey lovelies! Can’t tell you how excited I am to share my very first Foodie Penpals reveal with y’all today! When I read about this program on The Lean Green Bean last month I signed up almost immediately! I thought it sounded like the coolest concept. Every month you’re paired up with other bloggers to send each other fun foodie packages. I mean, yummy goodies delivered right to your doorstep once a month, yes, please! Right up my ally! :)

This month I received this lovely package from Carrie over at Bakeaholic Mama. Carrie makes the most delish looking food and desserts, and I instantly loved her blog. So I was definitely jazzed about the pairing!

I was beyond excited when the goodies finally arrived! Who doesn’t love getting things in the mail, right? But somehow it’s so much more fun when it’s food! I took some photos and then dove right in! And of course, being the chocoholic that I am, I went straight for the chocolate! :)

 

I was so happy to see a big bar of Lindt Chocolate upon opening the package. I have an eye for chocolate so it’s the first thing I spotted lol. I love Lindt and had never tried this kind before. This Black Currant Dark Chocolate Bar with Almonds was so good! I’ve never actually tried currants so I didn’t know what it would be like, but I loved the way the berry flavor tasted with the dark chocolate!

Okay, this was my favorite thing from the whole package! Seriously, this maple candy was to die for! I had never tasted anything like it! I think this candy could be potentially addicting. It had the best sweet maple taste and just melted in your mouth. And it smelt so amazing! But since I shared some of it with my family, it went so fast! But I did look it up on the internet, it’s from Ben’s Sugar Shack in New Hampshire…and they sell boxes of them. Oh yeah! I see some candy ordering in my future! ;)

This maple syrup, also from Ben’s Sugar Shack (these goodies make me want to live in New Hampshire ;)), was so delish on pancakes! It made for a very happy breakfast! And maybe it’s totally girly for me to say this, but I thought the little carton was really cute! lol

 

And last but not least, Laurel Hill Vin Rose Wine Jelly! I was so intrigued by the name, I had never tried Rose Wine Jelly before. It sounds so sophisticated. :) To me, it kind of had a honey flavor to it. It was so delish! My family and I finished most of it within a couple days.

I just want to say thank you to Carrie for all these yummy treats! It was so fun devouring them! I hope you all check out her blog and drool over her recipes. :)

I had such a blast with Foodie Penpals and am so excited to do it again in June! I want to say thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for putting this awesome program together! I know it can’t be easy organizing it all but I’m so glad she does! And if this appeals to the foodie in you, consider signing up for June! The info is below! Hope you join in the foodie fun! :)

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- 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 Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined 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!
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