Goodies From My Foodie Penpal!

I have to share some exciting news!  Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean started this amazing exchange a year ago called “Foodie Penpal” – You can sign up each month and she pairs you up with another foodie (bloggers AND readers are welcome to join).  After you exchange info, you get to exchange food!  Cool, right? My Penpal this month was Abigail over at Sweets N Beets.  She lives all the way over in Cambridge, Massachusetts – Don’t think I could get a Penpal further away!  Ever since exchanging info with her, I was so anxious to receive my package of local treats from her – and it was worth the wait! Abigail sent some great recommendations with her food as well – so of course I did some pairings!  Here’s what I got (be prepared to be jealous, folks…):

• Cappuccino Brownies:  I’ll be honest.  I didn’t pair these with anything.  Because they were that good.  Super rich, chocolately, and cappuccinoey.  Sorry.  But that’s exactly how it tasted!
• Beef/Pork Chipotle Stick: I gave most of this to my husband – not because I didn’t like it – but because I was pretty sure I would be hoarding the rest of the items in the box.  I have had lots of pepperoni and jerky sticks before – but not like this.  The chipotle flavor in the meat was amazing, with just the right amount of spice to it.  Kinda left a subtle, slow burn on your tongue.  We paired it with some local smoked mozzarella.  Perfection!

• Orange & Cinnamon Chocolate:  Abigail recommended pairing this with a porter, which I usually love.  But tonight was a wine kind of night, so that’s what I paired it with.  Whoa.  This was HANDS-DOWN my favorite item in the box.  It was like one of those chocolate oranges you get in your stocking at Christmas – on crack.  CRAZY AMAZING TASTY!  There is a subtle little crunch in there that I can’t quite figure out where it comes from.  Cinnamon heats up your mouth just a tad, and the orange taste lingers on for awhile afterwards.   I’m happy.

• Apple Fruit Tea bags:  Quite a nice light tea – it was perfect for sipping at work or early afternoon.
• Pumpkin Chai Tea (loose):  If tea could be adorable, this was it!  The chai tea was so heavenly tasting – and had the cutest little pumpkin-shaped sprinkles inside.  I usually have tea before bed – and this was perfect.  I brewed it, then stirred in some pure maple syrup and raw milk.  Cozy, sweet, spicy, and delicious!

So are you curious what I sent to Abigail??  The tasty collection of Northwest foods I sent to her included some Chai Massala popcorn from Portland, chocolate from Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls pancake/waffle mix, and a peach & pepper preserve from a local Olympia farm.

I had such a blast doing this exchange – and will definitely sign up to do it again in the future! Interested in doing a swap as well?  Head over to The Lean Green Bean and sign up!  Who knows?  You might get me!  🙂