Foodie Pen Pals #3

For November’s Foodie Pen Pal Swap, I was so lucky to be paired up with Lindsey from Running With Whisks. She is an avid runner and healthy foodie from Ohio. She sent me a bunch of Midwestern treats and a RECIPE! I love new recipes and I must say this one is amazing. First off, here’s what she sent me:

Coffee from La Crema Coffee Company
Skyline Cincinnati-style Chili
Reese Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Larabar Pumpkin Pie Bar
Lipton Green Tea
Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce
Crystal Light Green Tea
Roasted Almonds

Here are my thoughts:

The coffee was great. She sent two seasonal flavors from her favorite local coffee shop. How sweet!

I loved the Roasted Almonds! So good! She made them herself, they were just a little sweet and very cinnamony. Really prefect.

My absolute favorite thing was this recipe though. I made it for Thanksgiving and it did not disappoint!

Thanks again Lindsey!  And thanks to the Lean Green Bean for setting up the swap every month! If you want to join in for January, just jump over to her page and sign up!

PS Don’t forget to sign up for my stocking stuffer giveaway! It ends on Sunday!

Foodie Pen Pals #2

For this month’s Foodie Pen Pal swap, I was paired with Meg a sweet girl from Kansas who is a self-described lover of the outdoors, bikes, and her husband of course. Meg sent me a great box and did a great job of introducing me to some things I had never tried before, which is what it’s all about. I can’t thank her enough!

Here are the goodies she sent me:

Sweet Chili and Red Pepper potato chips
Bison Jerky
Rawxies Lemon Poppy Seed cookies
Cajan Sesame sticks
Equal Exchange Spicy Cocoa
Dark Chocolate Dreams blended peanut butter

Here’s what I thought:

The Sweet Chili chips were amazing, I think I found a new favorite I hope I can find them around here.

I tried Bison for the first time when I was at Yellowstone a few years ago and it was great. So I was really excited to see the Bison jerky, and it did not disappoint.

Rawxies Lemon Poppy Seed cookies were delicious! They are made by a company based in Kansas (local to Meg), but according to their website they do sell them at a few places here in LA so I may have to track some more down.

The Equal Exchange Spicy Cocoa was a little too bitter for me but my boyfriend loved it.

Thanks again Meg! And thanks to the Lean Green Bean for setting up the swap every month! If you want to join in, just jump over to her page and sign up!

Foodie Pen Pals #1

This month for the first time I participated in the Foodie Pen Pals swap through The Lean Green Bean! It pairs you with another eater for a one-time swap of favorite foods, local foods, and specialty foods. It’s a great way to try some new foods and make new connections!

My partner was Colleen from Secrets from the Cookie Princess jump over to her blog to see what I sent her and check out some of her recipes. She’s an avid baker who’s been blogging for 3 years. I feel so lucky to have found her blog; it’s an absolute treasure trove of recipes with over 150 different cookies and bars! She has really put me in a baking mood, just in time for cool weather!

Here’s what she sent me:

Popped potato chips
Homemade caramel pretzel chocolate chip cookies! YUM
Raspberry  yogurt pretzels
Peanut butter cups
Penzey’s Spices BBQ 3001
Apple Strawberry fruit leather
Trappist cranberry pepper jelly
Pumpkin spice chai latte mix
And two bonuses a raspberry ice cube tray and a mini recipe book!

Everything was great but I’m just going to highlight my favorites:

I tried the Penzey’s Spices BBQ 3001 on some chicken and it was great! It has a nice smoky flavor.

The Trappist Cranberry Pepper Jelly was good on a bagel with a smear of cream cheese, but I feel like it has more potential than that. I’m thinking of trying to make a glaze with it for a pork loin. Any other ideas?

The Pumpkin Chai Latte Mix from Trader Joe’s has been a long time favorite of mine! This stuff is so good, I always feel the need to stock up when it’s in season. It makes a yummy drink, but I’ve tried it in a couple recipes too. It adds such a great fall flavor to things.

I saved the best part for last, the cookies, they were unbelievable! Just the right combo of sweet and salty, my favorite! Caramel, pretzel, AND chocolate chip what could be better! She has clearly earned her title as the Cookie Princess, at least in my eyes. If you don’t believe me go try them for yourself, here’s the recipe.

I loved everything and I can’t thank Colleen enough. She really put together some yummy treats for my first swap, I know I’ll be looking forward to this every month from now on.