Foodie Pen Pal Link Up

Love getting packages in the mail, don’t you? This month I received an AWESOME package as part of The Lean Green Bean’s foodie pen pal link up. I first heard about it via Janae at the Hungry Runner Girl and  I just had to sign up.

Alison Shell of Salty Meets Sweet sent me a box of goodies from her corner of the United States – Washington DC. After browsing her blog and loving her fall salads and mini apple pie posts, I knew that I was in for a treat.

Here is what I received in my box:

1. Mason jar full of homemade cranberry and ginger granola
The homemade granola was by far my family’s favorite food item from the box. It did not even last a week! Everyone in my family – from my hubby to the littles (ages 5 & 3) enjoyed snacking on it. I also had it over greek yogurt and just had to use it to top my ice cream. Definitely begging Alison for this recipe – she said it was her first ever homemade granola. It is a keeper! The granola was made up of crystallized ginger, oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cranberries, olive oil, maple syrup, honey, and cinnamon.

2. A delicious local chocolate bar that matched the name of her blog perfectly – sweet and salty. It was my first salty chocolate and I quite enjoyed it. Again, the littles loved the chocolate, too. Such a good package for our family.

3. McCutheon’s Apple Butter – I feel like I am ready for back to school and fall with this yummy apple butter. I’ve been meaning to make my own for quite some time now so I was happy to get a jar. I’ve had it on toast almost every day this week. She recommended trying it on grilled cheese which I may just do tomorrow.

4. A jar of Old Bay Seasoning. It’s a classic fish seasoning, but we tried it on potatoes and loved the flavor. Can’t wait to try it on some meat!

Are you sold on being a Foodie Penpal yet? I had a blast putting together a box for my penpal and sure loved what I received from Alison! Can’t wait to do it again in August! Here are the details if you want to do it, too:

-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!

Did you have pen-pals when you were little?

What yummy foods are from your neck of the woods?