What's inside?

It's that time of the month!

 No, not that time of the month.

It's Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day! 

We receive our Foodie Pen Pal matches around the 5th of the month and have until around the 15th to send out our Foodie Pen Pal boxes. You can open and enjoy your box as soon as you get it. Then on the last day of the month, any participating blogger can post about it.

My Foodie Pen Pal this month was Elizabeth. Check out her blog -- Food Ramblings. Her food and photos look amazing! And here's what she sent me:

Wheat germ: I have been a long-time fan of wheat germ. I like to add it to smoothies, stir it into yogurt, and sneak it into pancakes and muffins. An ounce of wheat germ has 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, it's high in B and E vitamins, and rich in antioxidants.

Grill Mates marinades: I've used Grill Mates before but these flavors are new to me. Summer bbq weather will be here soon (hopefully!!).

Ghirrardelli dark chocolate: You can't go wrong with chocolate. Ever.

Cupcake papers: Aren't they cute?! I think I will make some zucchini bread muffins to send into work with my honey this week... and I think I'll probably sneak some wheat germ into those muffins.

Cocktail napkins: Fun!

Note page magnet: Just what I need to keep on the fridge to jot down reminders.

And a cute card -- Elizabeth is a fan of owls!!

Thank you so much Elizabeth, for a great Foodie Pen Pal box!! 

If you'd like to find out more about the Foodie Pen Pal program, click on the purple

  I Love Foodie Pen Pals button on the left. 

Anyone can participate - you don't have to be a blogger, you just have to like food.

  

Foodie Pen Pal box reveal!

This was my first time participating in the Foodie Pen Pal program, and thanks to my awesome pen pal, Pam, I wasn't one bit disappointed!

Pam is from Georgia and I'm pretty sure if we lived in the same town, we could be best friends. Her box was full of wonderful goodies and included this cute little Easter card.

When we were first assigned our Foodie Pen Pal, we exchanged emails to include our mailing address and any food restrictions/likes/dislikes. I told Pam I was a long time vegetarian with a recent intolerance for dairy and joked that I may as well give up eggs and become vegan. For a non-vegetarian, it can be limiting, and even intimidating, when shopping (or cooking) for a plant-based eater, so I also told her my honey was my partner in crime and assured her he'd eat almost anything. I wanted her to know we were wide open for whatever she might want to send our way. To my surprise, and delight, everything Pam sent was vegetarian (even vegan). She must have had a sixth sense about my snacking habits, as there were LOTS of crunchy munchies!!

And these two sauces: an aged soy sauce and a bbq sauce. The soy sauce will be perfect for my tofu marinade. And the bbq sauce has already been tasted - both on roasted chicken (his) and meatless meatballs (hers). It's vinegar-y with a tangy, unique flavor!

I love that Pam left me hand written notes about these sauces. I thinks it's so special that the bbq sauce, or more correctly bar-b-cue sauce, is from a restaurant with such fun and fond childhood memories for her. And though bar-b-cue sauce seems like it's just for meat, I like to dip as much as the next gal. It's great on sweet potato fries, veggie burgers, and butternut squash home fries.

And notice the messages on the little notes - so cute! All the things I really like to do are immoral, illegal, or fattening. hahaha. And Girls are just smarter!  See what I mean? Don't you want meet Pam for coffee? - you just know you'd have a good time!

Also included in my box was a bag of sprouted lentils and this huge bottle of Herbs de Province Seasoning. I'd never seen sprouted lentils before! They are kind of like quick cook lentils - done in 5 minutes!! We have made lentil soup and these also went into my meatless meatballs. And this seasoning, again one I'd never heard of -  is so good! It includes sea salt, parsley, marjoram, poppy seeds, and tarragon. I used it both times I made the lentils and again in homemade red sauce just this week. Delish!!

And Pam included a recipe for a dish served at the Chelsea Market for mushroom rice cakes with Chinese greens, Napa cabbage, shiittake mushrooms, ginger, and garlic. I haven't had a chance to make it yet but it sounds delicious. (I see a future blog post ...)

So thank you Pam in Georgia for your thoughtful generosity and a wonderful Foodie Pen Pal experience!!

If you'd like to find out more about the Foodie Pen Pal Program, click on the button on the upper left of this blog. Anyone can participate - you don't have to be a blogger, you just have to like food.   :)