We made it to Friday, and I, for one, can’t wait to get the weekend started. My family should be pulling in around 8:00 tonight, and tomorrow birthday festivities will commence!  The birthday person always gets to choose the activity of choice, and I bet you guys will never guess what I wanted to do this weekend.  That’s right-we’re all going hiking tomorrow!  The weather is supposed to be beautiful, and so, of course, I have to take advantage of every opportunity to get out on the trail before winter sets in with a vengeance.  Don’t worry-my family enjoys hiking as well so I’m not pulling anyone’s teeth.  Ok, maybe my sister isn’t so thrilled about it .  I should probably throw in some activities that she’ll enjoy since she was nice enough to let me go to two of my favorite places on her birthday!  I’ll have a full re-cap of all of our adventures on Sunday!

Today is Foodie Pen Pal reveal day!  This was my second month participating, and I enjoyed it immensely.  Lindsey over at The Lean Green Bean is our host, and she’s decided to do something a little bit different for the month of December.  Instead of being matched with other people, she’s encouraging all of us to take the money we would’ve spent and donate it to victims of Hurricane Sandy.  She’s going to have all the information up on her blog Monday so please make sure to check it out.  It’s such a worthy cause, and a great way to pass along the spirit of Christmas!

Now, though, it’s time for the big reveal!  This month I was paired with Elyse, and she was a joy to talk with.  She asked a lot of questions so she could make sure she sent me a box full of things I would enjoy, and she succeeded!

It’s so much fun to get things in the mail, and when those things are food I am one happy camper.  Many of the things in my box this month were new to me items, and now I only have one problem.  Some of the things are already gone and I have no way to restock!  Elyse, can I be paired with you again?

The crumpets were completely foreign to me.  I shared these with you during my WIAW post this week, and I’m glad to know I wasn’t the only one who had never tried them!  They were definitely interesting.  The spongy texture was unlike anything I’d eaten, and, although it took me awhile to get passed it, I can confidently say I liked it!  Perhaps it’s my Anglo-Saxon roots coming out?

My box also had a little holiday spirit in it in the form of these marshmallows.  They’re peppermint flavored, and will be perfect to top off a steaming cup of hot chocolate.  The opportunity to test them out hasn’t come yet, but I’m eagerly anticipating it.

I also received this pancake mix.  You know I’m a huge fan of pancakes, and, when you throw apple cinnamon into the mix, I’m sold.  I’ve been saving this to make for my family this weekend so I’ll let you know how it turns out.

This stuff is ridiculous.  It’s a fancy hazelnut spread, and it’s so good I have to stop myself from just going after it with a spoon.  I think I’m the only one on the planet who has never tried Nutella so the hazelnut spread craze was foreign to me.  I now know what all the fuss was about.

I save the best for last.  This is hands down the best thing that came in the box.  Kettle corn with dark chocolate and sea salt.  This bag was gone embarrassingly fast mostly because I made the mistake of letting John try it.  We literally got it out of the pantry about 10:00 one night and ate it by the fistful until it was gone.  I have since learned that they sale this at Whole Foods so you better believe we’ll be making a stop when we go through Oklahoma City in a few weeks.  Multiple bags will be bought.

This was a great month for the program, and I can’t wait to get involved again in January.  In the meantime, please consider giving to the victims of Hurricane Sandy through Lindsay’s blog.  Have a great weekend!

Did you participate in Foodie Pen Pals this month?  Get anything good?