Foodie Pen Pals

Last month, my friend Erin wrote a post about a pen pal program that she had joined. It involved the exchange of food items, so I was instantly intrigued. And I instantly signed up. Foodie Pen Pals is the brainchild of Lindsay, who writes The Lean Green Bean, and Allie, who writes Healthy Balance, Healthy Life. By the 5th of every month, they pair up bloggers and readers alike so that they can exchange $15 worth of goods—but it's not just about filling a box and sending it out by the 15th of the month. It's about connecting bloggers and readers, giving them a chance to learn a little bit about each other through food which (in my opinion) is awesome.

This month, I sent a package to Caitlin of Cait Plus Ate.
I got a package from Dawn, a blog reader:

Dawn is from Wisconsin, so everything she sent me is from there as well. Save for a few items that are Chicago-based. She "pretty much lives in both" per her handwritten note. You can also see that she made a few things herself. Let's take a closer look at some of the goods:

Pumpkin cookies—and yeah, they're as good as they look. She sent two kinds, one made with white flour (left) and the other with spelt. I am now completely intrigued by spelt.

LeRoy's Gourmet Flavored Beer & Onions Ketchup. It sounds a little sketch, especially for someone who is particular about the type of beer she drinks, but it turned out to be quite lovely on my sweet potato tots.

Homemade pumpkin spice almond butter. Geeze, it's so good. Up next, a bev:

Sprecher's Ginger Ale. It's made with real Wisconsin honey, which totally shines through in the flavor department. I'm not a big pop drinker, but I do like the occasional cup of ginger ale. Kinda refreshing, dontcha think? One last thing I wanted to highlight:

Homemade peppermint patties. Now, I don't typically like the York version. But I do like mint and chocolate together, so I kept an open mind as I bit into it...and was not disappointed. Once again, Dawn—you struck gold with your homemade goodies skills.

Actually, the entire package was great. Thanks again, Dawn!

If you'd like to participate in the Foodie Pen Pals program, you certainly can (even if you don't have a blog). Check out Lindsay's blog for the official rules and regulations. If you're down, send a note to theleangreenbean (at) gmail (dot) com with your name and blog link (if applicable).

It's truly so much fun! I can't wait to see who I'm paired with in December!

Question: Have you ever had a real pen pal? Someone you exchanged hand-written letters with? I never did, but I always thought it would be glamorous!

REMINDER! Don't forget to enter my giveaway! You just might win two bags of Yumnuts! (Contest ends at midnight EST on Friday, December 2, 2011).