June Foodie Pen Pals Reveal!

This month is the third time I've participated in the Foodie Pen Pal program started by Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean.  This month I sent my package to Krysty over at Little Runner Girl.  I put together a package of east coast things with some Boston favorites and some NY favorites (of course, there was Brooklyn Salsa in there!) Krysty - I hope you liked what I sent!

I received a package from Taryn from Central/Upstate NY. LOVED IT.  First off, she sent me the nicest email because she sent the package 1 day late.  Don't worry Taryn, I procrastinate a lot - 1 day is nothing!

So lets get the rundown...  Taryn sent me:
2 Larabars (Cherry Pie and Apple Pie flavored)
Local Pancake Mix
Dinosaur BBQ sauce
Justin's PB Cups
and Cheribundi Tart Cherry juice.

Last weekend, we had a friend come stay with us, so I made pancakes for breakfast.  The cool thing about the mix is that it it already has milk mixed in, so you don't need to have any.  That's great for us, because Cameron and I have a problem of letting milk go bad/not buying milk frequently enough because we really don't use it often.  Also, on that note, does anyone else find that Trader Joe's milk goes bad very quickly??  Back to the pancakes... they were great!!  Very yummy batter and very easy to make (which is always a plus for me!) We still have about half of the package left, so I'm looking forward to another batch soon.  Another benefit was that I was actually able to cook them decently... usually I burn a couple pancakes or undercook a couple before I figure it out.

The pancakes cooking - they look good!!!

Cameron and I split the PB cups and I drank the cherry juice when I wasn't feeling well one day.  It burned my throat initially, but I feel like that always helps and in the long run, I think it made me feel a little better.

We used the BBQ sauce earlier this week to make one of the least healthy things possible: Tater Tachos.  A couple of our friends were in New Orleans and posted a picture of tater tachos on facebook, and I fell in love at first sight.  Tater tachos are tater tots with nacho toppings on them. So Cameron and I were walking around Trader Joes the other day trying to figue out what to eat for dinner.  I'd had a really long day and wanted some comfort food, which is usually junky food.  We decided to try out tater tachos.  We made tater tots with BBQ sauce, jalapenos and shredded cheese.  They were delicious!  The BBQ sauce was a nice alternative to salsa which I don't love cooked.  It also gave it a little variety and a burst of flavor.  Great BBQ sauce.  There is a Dinosaur BBQ in NYC, but I haven't been to it... this might push me to make more of an effort!

Tater tachos!  Must be eaten in the original cooking dish

I have not eaten the Larabars yet - I have a sensitivity to certain protein bars, and Taryn sent these because she does too and can eat these.  I'm still a little nervous, but I eye them every day, so I'm going to try them soon.

This was a really great package!  Thanks so much Taryn - I really enjoyed it!

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And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-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 July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!
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