August foodie penpal

Not only did Ann send me some fun food, she also included a description of each item in the box. Because our states are neighbors, it was fun to have new insight into a state I’ve visited many times.

My August package included Minnesota Wild Ride for Wild Rice Soup (she included a recipe, too); Anna’s Ginger Thins from the Gammelgarden Museum; hot cider and hot cocoa (a must for those Minnesota winters); and Naranjo orange drink mix from El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul.

Ann also included foods with a personal connection for her and her family — Hello Panda Biscuits with Milk Cream and Botan Rice Candy. Her daughters are adopted from China, so this was included to honor their heritage. (My youngest sister is adopted from Vietnam, so I understand incorporating parts of another culture into your family.)

My favorite item, though, had to be the box of Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownie Mix. This made me laugh, given that I had returned from the Iowa State Fair — and the Ghirardelli Chocolate contest – a few days earlier. Ann included it because she used to live in San Francisco, where Ghirardelli chocolate was founded. You’d think I’d be tired of Ghirardelli Chocolate by now, but no!

Oh, I can’t forget the super cute cupcake liners! Ann wrote “There’s really no reason that I’m including them other than I thought they were cute and they were near the brownie mixes.” That totally sounds like something I’d do!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Ann! I love everything you sent me and hope I get the chance to be your foodie penpal sometime and send you fun foods from Iowa!

The package I made for my foodie pen pal in Georgia was a bit of a challenge. Haley is gluten-free, so I wanted to find items that said “Iowa” that she could enjoy. I didn’t take a picture, but I included:

• Apple butter from Kalona
• Tiny But Mighty Popcorn (heirloom popcorn from Shellsburg)
• A yummy marinade from a local restaurant
• A box of gluten-free Rice Chex

OK, the cereal isn’t from Iowa, but I saw the new Rice Check gluten-free commercial before I went to the grocery store, so I had to buy some. I hope Haley liked her package!

Want to know more about Foodie Penpals? Here’s a link to my story published in The Gazette earlier this month: http://thegazette.com/2012/08/21/pen-pal-program-connects-food-lovers/