When I started this blog, I told myself that I was not allowed to say no to opportunities to get to know fellow bloggers. I tend to need a little social pushing to get myself out there. So when I was cruising blog land and discovered Lindsay’s Foodie Pen Pals program, I was over joyed. Here’s a social opportunity and it involves food-based gifts. What more could I ask for?

For all the details and how-tos, check out the above link. You can also join the program through that link. Reader or blogger, all are welcome!

Basically you are randomly assigned a foodie pen pal and you send them a gift box and you receive one in return from someone else. You also include something written – the pen pal portion – from a letter to a recipe to whatever you can imagine. I wrote a short note in my box and found it funny that I was signing a hand-written letter with a URL. Oh the digital age. (I also realized I haven’t written a letter in like a decade lol!)

To see what I sent, head over to Sylvia’s blog and check out her recap. It’s funny, I actually had such a brain fart when I went to buy her things. All of a sudden I was so conscious of what I was picking. Is she going to be unhappy if I send all sweets? Will she like what I like? Ultimately I just went with what I would want. I hope she liked everything!

And now for my goodies!

Michelle was too kind! All sorts of amazing things I had never tried before, just like I was hoping.

The loot:

– Pesto crackers
– Blackberry honey
– Chocolate mints
– Date-nut energy bar
– Seitian jerky

Of course I dug into the chocolates first. In my haste I hadn’t read the included description and was not aware they were mint. That was just an added bonus. Like Andes mints but better!

The energy bar has been a wonderful way to curb hunger with just a few bites. It’s pretty dense and a third of it can hold me over for a few hours even though it’s only about 100 calories for a piece that size. While I don’t have all the ingredients, this is something I would like to try to recreate. The ingredients list is very simple, just not my typical pantry item. I’ve still got a little bit waiting for me when I need some pre-run fuel next weekend.

I’ve been using the honey over oatmeal as a sub for jam and it’s a nice change. Agave is too…earthy? Something about it is a little off. I typically only use it in baked goods so honey is my sweetener of choice. I haven’t had it in ages though and that’s the cool thing about this program – you get things you wouldn’t normally buy for yourself.

And speaking of things I wouldn’t normally buy, the crackers have been my absolute favorite. I tried them first as actual crackers but quickly learned the pesto flavor was too strong to do this. No problem. I regrouped and thought of another use for them. Salad!

I’ve seen salad toppers but never bothered to make or buy them. Well now I see that I’ve been the fool. Not only do salad toppers transform the texture of your salad, they also bring endless flavor varieties to the table. These peso ones were amazing (the intensity wearing off once mixed with dressing) and now I can wait to try others. In fact, like the date bar, I now have another new food to work on in my own kitchen. Sometimes I just need a little push to get me started and in this case, Michelle’s generous offerings worked as just the inspiration I’ve been needing to get back to experimenting on new recipes.

A big thanks to Michelle for the goodies and Lindsay for organizing the program. I’m already excited for next month!

Back later with the Austin recap(s)!