Foodie Penpal: September

This month, Foodie Penpal's changed it up a bit and we received a box from the same person that we sent too! I like this as you get to have more of a two-way street conversation about likes and dislikes on things. I hope this version continues :)

My penpal for September was from Michiana -- 3 miles south of Michigan in South Bend, Indiana :)  She sent me a great box of goodies.

 Melissa participates in NatureBox - a program where you get a box of goodies sent to you each month. I received a small bag of granola last month from my penpal and loved it. So I was excited about these products. I haven't tried this granola yet, but I did try the cheesy pub pretzels (not pictured). They were decent and had good flavor. My favorite part of NatureBox products is that you can read all the ingredients on the labels.

She sent me some chocolate treats - Michigan chocolate covered cherries that I haven't indulged in yet and I'm saving the Peanut Butter Cups for after my 5k next weekend :)

This cute puppy jar is filled with Peanut Butter Chocolate topping. My mom had stopped at Culvers and brought home Caramel Cashew custard and so we just had to top it with this. It was heavenly. It has a bit of a texture, but I didn't heat it up at all. I might sneak a spoonful or two straight from the jar - it's that good.

I also failed at taking a picture of the Allegro Queen Bee Balance Tea she sent me. I took it to work and forgot to snap a pic beforehand.


If you want to join the program - click here to sign up.
-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 & 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.

Foodie PenPal for a Year!

I have been a part of the Foodie Penpal for one year as of this month. It has been a great experience for me with only two broken items and many new favorite treats!

This month, my box was from Pennsylvania and filled with a wonderful selection.

You can't go wrong with Lindt chocolates but I have never heard of these. They came a little soft so I threw them in the fridge to help them solidify. I just tried the crunch nougat one and it is heavenly. Lindt chocolate is soooooo smooth and creamy!

And pistachios - it's like she read my mind with this box so far - chocolates and my favorite nut - mmm, mmm, mmmm!

She shared in the letter she provided that things turned a little Asian when putting my box together. That is A-OK with this girl. Rice snack crackers are amazing, dried edamame, Jasmine rice, and Basil Curry sauce. I have never heard of the sauce, but it makes me curious and I can't wait to cook with it soon.

And finally she sent me granola and it's a bit different in that it's a soft granola with dried cherries, but wow was it spectacular with a little milk on it. I want to try to find this but it seems to be a part of NatureBox.com, a company that for a nominal fee you receive a box of goodies each month. I appreciate her sharing this goodie with me. Now I just have to find soft-baked granola somewhere before I run out!

I cannot begin to tell you how many new items I have been able to try and of those items, how many new favorites I have in my life. I plan to continue being a part of this progra.

If you want to join the fun of the Foodie Penpal program, here are all the details.

-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 & 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.

Foodie PenPal: Month 11

This month, my Foodie PenPal was from Indiana.....well until now as she just got married and is moving to Richmond, VA. I wish her congratulations on the marriage, best of luck with the move and major props for still participating in the program in the month she is getting married. Talk about being organized!!!!

And here is the awesome loot she put together for me :)

 The Justin's chocolate bar I can only imagine will taste like a Snickers with all the yummy ingredients. I put it in the fridge as it was warm the day the package was delivered and felt a little soft. And apparently I forgot about it in the fridge -- which is totally unlike me and chocolate. She also sent some tea from Trader Joe's. I love that we finally got a Trader Joe's in the Waukesha area, but I never make it over there :( I love getting treats from there and then I have a better idea of what to buy when I finally get there.

 These were amazing. They tasted like a mini popcorn cake with a bit more crunch. They were higher in Vitamin C so I had to resist over eating them due to my allergy, but I'm making them last.

 

I love honey and recently started putting it on an English muffin instead of just toast or in oatmeal. The muffin has a bit more of a solid structure to hold the honey, unlike toast and orange blossom just sounds awesome. 

 

I cannot get over how adorable these are! What a fun little surprise in my already loaded box of treats. They are ceramic so I will have to be very careful but you will see them make appearances in future blog posts. 

If you want to join the fun of the Foodie Penpal program, here are all the details.

-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 & 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.

Foodie Penpal: Month 10

Another month flies by and another great month of Foodie Penpal foods. I was paired with someone in Indiana that has an insulin intolerance - thus she prefers high protein, low sugar foods. I had never heard of this before, but how many people do you know that have a low intolerance to Vitamin C like myself? I put a nice package together for her with items from Penzey's and Brennans. To read more, here is her blog.

My Foodie Penpal (her blog) was from Alabama and told me to expect my package on a Monday. I came home from work and found a package on my front porch after a torrential downpour. Unfortunately, the box had seen better days and was soggy. I couldn't figure out if it was just rain, but I feared something inside must have broke.

I took it right into the bathtub to open (probably not the smartest spot thinking back on it, but luckily it turned out ok).

Turns out that a jar of pickles broke open in the box. I told her about this and she said that when the USPS worker was helping her wrap it all up, she noticed the deflating air packs and pointed it out the the worker. The worker said it would be fine and she would just stamp the box Fragile. (Typical response from USPS!!! Do they really not know how packages are received??? I never get them in nice shape!)

Anyways, besides not getting the pickles (and I love pickles), everything else made it in once piece. The letter was a little hard to read with the vinegar saturation, but I got the gist of it and I thank her for it.

Here are the goods -- all from Alabama! I love that she truly got me local goods. I try to do that too as much as I can and being as I have never been to 'Bama, I will experience it with my belly!

Whistle Stop Fried Green Tomato mix. I am not a huge tomato fan, but for the fact that the word "fried" is involved, this will have to happen soon!

Bama Strawberry Jam (at least I think its Strawberry. When I washed the pickles from the jar, the label disintegrated. I have seen this brand before but have never had it - I love me some jam on an english muffin. I'll finish up what I have in the fridge and then I have a date with this jar. 

Big Sky Granola = heaven. Although the clumps are larger, this is amazing granola. I take two pieces out for a morning snack and am good to go. The honey and almond taste so fresh and are real flavors - no fake products here!

Golden Rule Original BBQ Sauce - From what I can see online, this is a restaurant as well in Birmingham. BBQ is something that I put on a lot of things. I dip fries in BBQ, chicken, pork, beef - it all goes great with BBQ. I can't wait to open this bottle and try it. 

Pitas - I love making flatbreads with pitas and it said for ultimate freshness, store in the freezer until ready to use. They are safely in my freezer at the moment and hopefully I can make a pita soon. 

If you want to join the fun of the Foodie Penpal program (and maybe have as fun of an experience as I did this month), here are all the details.

-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 & 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.

Foodie Penpal Month 9

I had a really fun and unique opportunity with my Foodie Penpal this month.

First, I will share that I sent my package off to New York with some of my favorite local treats from Allo! Chocolat and Poppin' On Broadway. I received a nice email from her about my package:

I adored the package you sent and have slowly been making my way through it. My favorite was deff that amazing popcorn with the cheese being a close second! Thank you so much for everything :)

Now the really fun part!!!

I had the good fortune of being paired with a Penpal from Wisconsin, and in fact she was so close to me that she suggested we go out to eat together and actually meet up. Yep a Foodie Penpal Meetup!!

Christina is also a local food blogger. We decided to meet up at Cafe Corazon that is known for using many local items in its dishes. I hadn't had the fortune of dining there yet, but heard so many wonderful things about the place.

It's a small restaurant in Riverwest, but just walking in the door, I was overcome with the scent of wonderful mexican spices. Christina had grabbed us a table for two by the bar, which is also near the kitchen and just about everything else because it is so small. But the place was perfectly busy and the outdoor patio was hopping as well. Looks like a patio expansion is on the way for later this summer!

We reviewed the menu and I asked Christina what they were known for. She told me everything was great and she had eaten a lot of the dishes and had no complaints. I settled on the special of the night; tequila orange shrimp and Christina got the tofu fajitas.

I ordered myself a drink called El Diablo that also came recommended from Christina and it was named properly as it was devilishly delicious!!! A perfect combo of tequila, orange liqueur, pomegranate and grapefruit juice.

While we waited for our food, we talked about a few other restaurants in the area that we liked or told the other to try and talked about our blogging. Christina loves to bake versus me that loves to cook. :) I told her about a few of the foodie things that I do around the city, like the MKEFoodies events and she told me about a few blogger groups as well. We hope to meet up at some future events!

Our food came out a short time later and I knew just from the look of the plate, I was in for quite a treat. The shrimp was strong (not overly) with citrus flavor and just a small bite from the tequila. The black beans had a sort of sweet taste to them that was surprisingly different but really, really good. The rice was good as well. I did get corn tortillas with it, but decided to not fill up on those and just eat up all the shrimp.

Christina's fajitas came out sizzling and she was only able to eat about half of the huge portion. It was one of her favorite dishes and she took the rest home in leftovers.

After our plates were cleared, she gave me my Foodie Penpal package and I couldn't wait to look inside.

So many great treats!

I love rice crackers, but didn't know they came in this larger size - JACKPOT!

 Tea! You can't go wrong with tea!!!

I had a strawberry patch when I was a kid and can't wait to grow this!

 

This smooth dark chocolate bar helps restore the Amazon - www.alterecofoods.com. I ate this while writing this post :)

Pepitas are shelled pumpkin seeds and these just happen to be Mexican spiced from a local store . Can't wait to try them.

These cookies reminded me of Ritz crackers with Rolos mushed in the middle that my family used to have at holiday parties. But these are on a gourmet level. The wafers are so light and flaky with a hint of salt and the chocolate creme is almost like mousse in the middle. I will have to ration these like I do my Girl Scout cookies until I find more!

 While watching Mad Men on Sunday, I polished off about half of this bag of popcorn the other night.

I thanked her for the lovely treats and after we paid the bill, we went outside and took a picture. It was a beautiful night out and a great way to end the evening.

If you want to join the fun of the Foodie Penpal program (and maybe have as fun of an experience as I did this month), here are all the details.

-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 & 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.

Foodie Penpal Month 8

I cannot believe how fast eight months have flown by and that I have been a part of this great program for that long already. But yep - I received my 8th Foodie Penpal package this month and it came from Serina at Serinarina's Plate from Atlanta.

Ok - here are the goods:

I love tea and just opening the box, I could smell the wonderful aroma. This online company has a Tea Room in Atlanta. 

I received this mix from Foodie Penpal Month 2 as well - it must be a staple that I wasn't aware of until this program! :) My mom shared some of the mix with her coworker that she knew would love this as I now have a ton. This is great to add to soups and chili to help thicken it up and add nutritional value as well!

And finally, the heavenly no-bake, homemade granola bars. My mom and I pretty much could not stop eating these. Serina sent along the recipe and just this past weekend, my mom made more. Ours ended up a bit gooey-er but they are soooo good. I think the rice krispies add the little extra that makes these so unique. I don't see that Serina has blogged about these granola bars yet, so I will share the recipe on a future post that she sent me. 

If you are interested in the program, here is how it works: 

-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 & 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.

    

Foodie Penpal Month 7

Month 7 has rolled around of the Foodie Penpal program by Lean Green Bean blog and I couldn't be happier to be apart of this program.

This month I sent a package of goodies from Wisconsin to Delaware. I packaged up some of my favorites including popcorn from Poppin' on Broadway and some dip mixes. '

Her response: I just got your package, and wanted to say THANK YOU, it is all Amazing!!!! I cant wait to taste all the goodies!!!!

I received a package from Minnesota and was so anxious to try it that I didn't even get a picture of everything she sent. 

I enjoyed the yummy Nut Goodie peanut nougat cluster right away and missed the picture on that - whoops! It was heavenly!

Also in the package was a Nut Roll that brought back Easter memories as my grandma gave me and my brother one every year in our baskets. I let my dad enjoy this treat!

Some Emerald cocoa almonds were in the package and they are 100 calories. Coach Ken at Energize Zone talks highly about almonds and says these are a great snack option compared to some others I have chosen. 

I also received a Lunds & Byerly's milk chocolate salted caramel pretzel bar. This bar took a bit to grow on me as at first I thought it was too sweet. But upon second taste, I really liked the sweet/salt/fat combo. I moderated myself on this one and ate only one bit every few days as it was rich, but delicious. 

I sent popcorn and I received popcorn! I took the small package of chocolate drizzled caramel corn to work and ate it for an afternoon snack - indulgent but necessary on a stressful afternoon! :)  I still have the hot caramel corn to enjoy, but I'm not sure about the spice. I'll share that with my friends that love spice!

Finally, there was a bottle of Lotus Restaurant Spicy Stir Fry Sauce. I love Asian cuisine, especially stir fry and can't wait to saute up some veggies and try out this sauce!

Another exceptional package and I can't wait to see what next month brings. 

If you are interested in the program, here is how it works: 

-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 & 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.

    

Foodie Penpal: Month 6

Another month has come and gone and I was paired with another awesome Foodie Penpal! I am still so glad that I joined this program. Not only do I receive really awesome foodie treats each month, but I get to share my favorites with my penpal. Major props to Lindsey to keeping this going!

I sent my package to April from AZ and here is her response about it:
I absolutely LOVED the package!! It was exactly what I needed(:
And chocolate cherries are my very favorite!!
Thank you, thank you(:

Scroll to the bottom of this post if you want to find out more on what the program all is and how to get involved.

I got back from Salt Lake City at the Build Your Blog Conference late last Monday, so I used a vacation day on Tuesday to recoup. And while watching TV, our mail lady came marching up our snowy driveway with my Penpal box. Here's what it contained from snowy New Hampshire:

I have read a lot about different types of chocolate covered nuts and am sooooo excited to try these. I'm really limiting my chocolate lately and I know once I open the bag, they will be gone!

My penpal read my blog and saw that I was a runner and gave me something she likes to munch on during long runs. I have a run on March 16, so I'll bring it along for that!

 Chocolate and caramel are a deadly combo for my waistline and this has coconut too - super excited!

 My penpal is Polish and another resident Z last-namer (which makes her even more awesome than she already is) and sent me a polish traditional chocolate.

 These nuts are soooooo good. I am going to have to find them soon as the container is almost gone. It's that whole, once you pop, you just can't stop situation!

 I have never had a ginger chew but I'm always up for anything and I hear they curb your hunger cravings so I'm in.

My mom and I tried these peas and they definitely have a tomato and garlic taste to them. Something different and a very healthy snack.

And she even added some cute Valentine's hearts to the box. So fun!

 How the program works and click here to sign up

-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 & 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.

Foodie PenPal: Month 5

It's time to share my Foodie Penpal for January. I really enjoy this program and if you haven't joined yet, and are a foodie like me, you should really consider it. Here are the details from Lindsey at the Lean Green Bean Blog

 

-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 & 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.

This month I was paired with Janelle from Sturgis, MI. She is a mother of 3 grown children and a grandma for 2 with another on the way. She works at a camp and retreat center in the food service - how awesome is that job? She has been in the penpal program for three months and told me to just surprise her. 

I put together a box of some of my most favorite things I have come across in the last few months. I love the Sonoma Jack cheeses I found a my local grocer as well as the individual hummus packets a former Foodie Penpal got me addicted too! I then headed over to Penzey's Spices, one of my fave cooking stores in the area and grabbed some great spices for her. Penzey's also gave me a catalog and a postcard to include in the box. I snagged a few recipes to include in the box while I was there. Here is what Janelle had to say about her box. 

Hi Sarah - My husband and I finished off the parmesan peppercorn cheese wedges in 2 days and I loved the hummus! I mixed some of the Turkish spice in some plain greek yogurt and dipped pita chips in it! it was delicious! The fig bar was great with my coffee for breakfast this morning!

I plan to use the Fox Point seasoning and the maple BBQ sauce on Super Bowl Sunday when we're hosting a party!

Thanks again for such a great foodie package!!

I received a box from Kendra in Lake Tahoe. She didn't even know it but I collect postcards from all over and now I have another to add to my collection. I haven't had a chance to try everything in the box yet, but here is what I got.

The pistachio crackers are almost like cookies and super addicting. I'm glad they are individually wrapped snack portions in the box or I would have devoured it all by now. I will have to find these soon as my stock is running low. 

  

I haven't had the candy cane cocoa yet but, perfect for the cold days ahead.   

Love spiced ciders and with the cold Wisconsin weather we are having lately (except for 60 degrees on Tuesday), I think this will be lovely to have when it's -25 wind chill tomorrow!

 I have kept the candy bar in tact for now because I know once I open it, it will be gone! I love the sea salt chocolate combo and almonds have grown on me so much lately! Maybe I'll break it up and share it at my friend's Super Bowl party on Sunday. Then we can all get chubby together :) Sharing is caring right?

Speaking of Super Bowl, I plan to make a new dip from my aunt for the party - watch for that party recap and recipe coming soon. If you are looking for other treats to make for the Superbowl, here is an older post with lots of easy recipes. I plan to bring my Packers mug from another former Foodie Penpal and drink from it in honor of Driver's announced retirement from football this weekend. 

So that was my Month 5 box. I'm already signed up for February's and if you want to join, sign up here before Feb. 4.