I am a Foodie Pen Pal virgin….Well, I can’t say that anymore!
😉
This is my first time to participate in FPP. I guess I had been under a rock because I just noticed that last month it seemed like everyone was posting about it! I had to jump on that band wagon!
Lindsay at Lean Green Bean is a genius. What a great idea. Lindsay pairs up over 1000 foodies (bloggers and readers alike) and then the fun begins.
I was paired with Mallory (from Ohio) who was my sender and Kelly (from Pennsylvania) who was my sendee. They were both new to the FPP world too.
I was so excited to get the gifts from Mallory. I was just heading out on a road trip and thought I would check the mail before I left town. I had low expectations that the mail had even been delivered yet. Yeah! Not only was the mail there, but so was my FPP care package from Mal. I was praying for stop lights so I could safely tear into it.
Mallory wrote a cute note:
Happy FPP Package Day 🙂 Isn’t snail mail just the best?! And when treats are involved it is even better! Here are a few of my favs. We love our treats around here, and it is so fun to share a few with you. Enjoy, Mallory.
Mallory’s favorites are now mine! 🙂
I immediately tore into a package of the Late July Dark Chocolate cookies. I am certainly going to check out their website and their other products. I had never heard of this company before but their stuff looks great! (Mal sent three cookie packages—one had already been devoured before I took the pic.)
I had actually just been looking at some Justin’s peanut butter in our local grocery store so I was super excited to get TWO packages of peanut butter. (Again, I already devoured one.)
The package also contained a package of delicious Annie’s organic bunny fruit snacks. I love these and always add them to my own care packages to the nieces and nephews and Godchildren.
Mal also packed in two Hammer energy bars, one oatmeal apple and one cranberry. I can’t wait to try them.
But, I am saving the best for last. The Newman’s Own strawberry licorice twists are out of this world. I have already eaten five while I have been typing this post. They are so much better than twizzlers!
Mallory, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am adding these things to my next shopping trip to our local health food store! (I just checked and they do carry Late July products!)
Now for my sendee. I can’t tell you how much fun I had shopping for local items to send to my pen pal, Kelly. I sent Kelly the following “Made in Oklahoma” items.
Suan’s Scotch Bonnet Relish (Oklahoma City). Suan’s has great products and great stories. Their scotch bonnet relish is delicious and we love it on locally produced bratwurst. (I wish I could have figured out how to ship Kelly some brats, too.)
Scaffetta’s Meat Tenderizer and Seasoning (Anadarko). I am anxious to hear a review of this from Kelly. Scaffetta’s produces the best jarred Alfredo sauce which truly tastes like homemade. Again, I wish I could have sent her some of the Alfredo sauce but I was worried about shipping.
Stone Stack Mill whole wheat flour (Hydro). I have been going on and on about Wheat Montana Bronze Chief Whole Wheat Flour. When I was shopping for Oklahoma products for Kelly, I found this flour. I think it is milled in a similar way so I am super excited to have found this local product!
I also included a recipe for whole wheat bread from Stone Stack Mill’s website. You can find the recipe here.
Kelly immediately sent me an email as soon as she received her Okie care package:
Thank you so much for the box of goodies! I was so excited to see the surprises and then explore the websites from where everything came from. There must have been some unconscious telepathy happening between us, because pepper relish is one of my favorite condiments to put on anything and because I have been trying to find a good bread recipe. Of course, the tenderizer seasoning was just icing on the cake!
Thank you for sharing a little bit of Oklahoma with me!
Thanks again, Lyndsay, for helping us all share our favorites! I can’t wait for my next pen pal!
If you want to join up with Foodie Penpals for next month, here is some more information:
-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 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’re from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, contact Lindsay.
Isn’t FPP so much FUN?!?!? This is my second month to take part, and I’ve loved all the fun goodies so far!! I hope we’re matched sometime…that would be so much fun, yes?!?!? Stay cool up there…we’re cloudy so it’s “only” in the mid 90s today.
Thanks, Wendy and I love FPP. I am officially hooked!
We are trying to stay cool. No clouds, no rain forecast, BUT we are not yet to 100 today so that is a good thing.
Sounds like your Foodie Pen pals was a fabulous hit my friend, nice one 😀
Your package looks delish!
Cheers
CCU
Just had those Hammer bars this morning! They are really tasty. Thanks, Uru.
I participated for the first time this month also. I think I’m hooked!
Me too.
This looks like so much fun and I had no idea that there were 1000 foodies in the mix … Wow!
Seriously, how does Lean Green Bean keep track of it all?
This sounds sooooo cool! I must sign up!! You got some super-fun stuff! 🙂
You would make a great FPP!