In addition to a lovely letter, Jennifer sent me a packet of hot apple cider, three tea bags, an orchard-picked apple, and two Nature Valley chewy bars. Nature Valley bars used to be my JAM but it’s been awhile since I’ve had any. They were both perfect for a quick snack. The apple was fantastic, as fresh-from-the-orchard apples always are. I’ve only tried the green tea out of the hot beverage selection thus far, but it did an excellent job of keeping me warm on my Monday morning commute–and it tasted great! Love me some green tea.

If I had to pick a favorite half of this month’s package, this would be it 🙂 . Jennifer sent me two amazing cookies made by monks who have a bakery called The Jam Pot in Eagle River, Michigan. The chocolate bark below the cookies was also from The Jam Pot, and whoa. So good, you guys. She also generously shared some tasty cheese popcorn from Kugel Cheese Mart in Lena, Wisconsin. That package of cashews became my dinner on Saturday, because goodness knows I didn’t have room for a full dinner after having fifths of everything at book club. I’ve got to be honest: I’m not a very ambitious griller, so I haven’t tried out the steak marinade yet, but maybe someday I’ll get around to it!

Overall, I once again received a fabulous package. Thanks a bunch, Jennifer!

Interested in joining Foodie Pen Pals? Here’s all the info, courtesy of Lindsay:

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

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