Foodie Pen Pals - November

This month, I participated in Foodie Pen Pals. It's a fun program where you're paired up with other bloggers, one to whom you send a package and one from whom you receive a package. I love coming up with fun things to pack for people, and I get so excited when I receive packages in the mail (I think this is part of my addiction to using Amazon for basic purchases). 

This go around, I was paired with Falon, a blogger from the Midwest. Falon's blog, Pie in Pearls, not only chronicles the many delicious recipes she makes for her family, it also includes lots of pictures of her adorable children. Oh, and she's a very talented cake decorator!

Falon packed my box with an olive tapenade, mild and hot Mexican sauces, a Larabar, and home-baked chocolate chip cookies.

my goodies!

The olive tapenade is tasty, but after tasting it I set it aside to take back to Washington State with me for the holidays. My family always has a wine and cheese night, often for New Year's Eve, and this will be perfect paired with cheese and crackers!

Larabars are always a favorite of mine. The ingredient list is very short, which is always something I look for in packaged food, and they're quite filling. So glad she thought to include one since I ended up needing a quick on-the-go snack the day after the package arrived!

I don't know if Falon read my blog or if it was a happy coincidence, but I love Mexican food so receiving these was awesome. I've been using them in some of my Mexican dishes, adding some to black beans or pouring a bit onto a Mexican-flavored salad as a dressing. And the hot one is legitimately spicy!

The Jacques Torres cookies were amazing! Falon baked them and packed several into the box for me, and kindly sent me the recipe link when I asked for it. If you're looking for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, look no further.

from her blog -- look how much chocolate is inside!

This has been called the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world. The cookies were SO delicious, so considering that they were a couple of days old when they got to me, that's probably not an inaccurate description. Thank you, Falon, for a fun and tasty box of goodies!!

I also had so much fun putting together a box for Doug, the blogger with whom I was paired. If he posts a picture, I'll update this post with the items I got him. It was a fun mix of things I like and items I thought he'd enjoy. I had a lot of fun putting it together!

If you're interested in participating in Foodie Pen Pals, check out The Lean Green Bean for more details. You don't have to be a blogger to take part! Readers can join the fun, too. December will be for charity rather than a normal pairing, so participants are encouraged to donate the amount they'd spend on putting together a box ($15 maximum for items) to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Have you participated in Foodie Pen Pals?
Do you still get get excited to receive packages in the mail?