July Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

I was writing another post, but time just snuck up on me...

So it's time once again for free food in the mail!

I had taken a few months off of the food trade. There were many other obligations and lately the local post office hasn't been too up to snuff when it comes to packages, so a few got lost or way delayed in the mail. (And I'm not the only one in the neighborhood feeling that pain). 

But I figured I'd give it another shot. 

This month I was matched with Ilona from New Jersey. On the plus side, an "almost local" make for easier to deliver packages. On the not so plus side, Ilona's wasn't going to be so impressed with NYC local delicacies she can get with a short drive across the river. So I put together a few odds and ends from the neighborhood. And even though Ilona's all about recipes, I weighed my package more on the snack side. You can check out her site for details of what I sent.

But what did Ilona send me? 

It was another caffeinated delight of a package! There was coffee beans (called Americadoodle flavor - have yet to try that), Coffee Rio caramels (lasted about 2 days), J Morgan's vanilla sea salt caramels (lasted less than two days), Haribo juicy gummis (shared with many and gone fast), a Pamela's Whenever bar, and the piece de delices, Vintage Bee creamed honey with spiced apple.

You can't see my other hand is sticky with honey already...

This stuff was AWE-some! I tried to parse it out, but it did not last more than a week. It ended up in a few desserts, but mostly it was just eaten out of the jar. I'm thinking I will have to buy some of this in bulk and use it in my honey cookie recipe for upcoming Rosh Hashana.

So thank you, Ilona, for getting me back on the FPP track.

If you're interested in joining the free food in the mail brigade, find out more details here.

Foodie Pen Pals Update and where is the Librarian stuff?

It's been a bit of a busy time. Work obligations, Rangers games, doing a Food Chemistry MOOC via McGill University, (not as time consuming as the Solid State Chemistry MOOC from MIT I did last year, but still a commitment) and some presentation prep, so I've been a bit lax on the blog front. I have been active on Twitter regarding librarianship, and I'm sure a lot of recent visitors might be a little confused.

The blog is about me, my body, food and research about those topics. And more posts are coming.

But first, more importantly.....my Foodie Pen Pal package finally arrived! Three weeks in the limbo of the US Postal Service, then sitting in my local PO Station while the notice card once again "accidentally" didn't get left.

But it arrived at last! And it was AWESOME!

And that's just the outside!

Natalia put a lot of work into the outside and the inside of the package:

And we haven't even got to the good stuff!

So what was in these hand crafted label packs?

Natalia sent me local (from California) items but also treated me to some of her favorite Puerto Rican favorites, including a package of coffee from her own private stash! Thanks, Natalia's mom!

There was also garlic salsa and hot sauce from Hot Licks, a few Rise Bars, a Chuao Maple Bacon Bar, and....a salted dulce de leche white chocolate bar from Eclipse Chocolates. All delicious. The hot sauce made it into dinner. The dulce de leche didn't stay closed much longer. And that coffee will be downed first thing at sunrise!

So, Thank you, Natalia for sending stuff that lasted all this time, but also answered my many desires.

A happy end to a busy time.

Next research-laden weight post soon...

February Foodie Pen Pals Reveal (sort of)

Welp, we have an almost winner....

This week, I was matched up with Natalia, a nanny in Southern California. She said she liked popcorn, NY Pretzels and sour candy from Dylan's Candy Bar. We exchanged addresses and then...

Well, unlike my previous non-packages during FPP exchange, this time the package WAS sent. Natalia gave me the tracking number. But it turns out the US Postal Service seems to have kept it in limbo once it left the West Coast:

Wha-wha-whaaaaa...again!

Natalia will be sending something as a replacement, so an update will happen.

In the meantime, here's what I sent Natalia:

Soy wrappers, mango salsa, Matcha flavored Pocky, tamarind candy and a bag bag of sour candy. But instead of Dylan's, I went to my one of my favorite neighborhood places, Sockerbit, the store for all your Swedish Candy needs. (It was a great excuse to stock up on my own go-to bitter, minty, salty licorice). And their sour candy is SOW-uh!

I'm glad you liked it, Natalia, and I look forward to receiving my package soon! *Shakes fist at USPO*

UPDATE:  The package arrived all these weeks later. Read about it here.

January Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

And it's that time again! Time for ...

It's been a few months' hiatus, but thankfully, the return engagement of free food in the mail went yummily well.

This month, I was paired up with Andrea, a fellow academic administrator who lives in Pennsylvania. She knows the joys of endless committee meetings AND she like ska music! It's like looking in the mirror!

I sent her some sumac rub, local NYC chocolate bars (one with quinoa and the other with chardonnay), Polish candies (chocolate prunes!) and some other local treats.(And once again, I forgot to take a photo before it was boxed. Mea culpa!)

And what did Andrea send me? A localized extravaganza:

There's a nice blend from Nicholas Coffee, Sea Salt Vanilla Caramels from Valos Chocolates, tapenade and hot pepper tomato paste from Delallo and Ciciarelli Bros. Italian dressing.

Andrea said she uses the dressing as a marinade. I'm not usually a big dressing guy, but this one was very simple with no sugars or odd gum extracts. It made a great topping for arugula and mandarin segments. With enough left for future marinades.

The coffee made it to my office coffee maker and it was quite lovely. The tapenade makes for a nice toast topping at breakfast (yeah, I'm a savory morning guy) and the spicy paste is earmarked for an upcoming sauce.

And the caramels?

Drooooollll

So thank you, Andrea for the great package! It's what Foodie Pen Pals should be all about!

If you're interested in joining the great food exchange, check out the site.

October Foodie Pen Pals Reveal - Manly Man Edition

It's that time again! Time to grab $15 worth of goodies and trade off in the mail. Yes, it's ...

This time, tireless RD and FPP diva Lindsay continued the one-on-one exchange system instead of the round robin version. And she set me up with Nick from Virginia. Yes... a man!! Out of thousands of FPP participants, it was a testosterone exchange. Bring it on!

Nick told me of his appreciation of grilling. I talked about my appreciation of hockey. (What? I eat everything!) We both said we'd send each other manly stuff.

Soon, my squishy FPP envelope arrived, and what did Nick send?

A Clif Bar, Jack Daniels Marinade in a Bag, A Chocolate-Chipotle bar, BLT dip mix, olives in a bag, Halloween peeps, and DeeDee Desserts No Bake Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake mix.

This is, without a doubt, the manliest Foodie Pen Pal Package I've ever received. I've used the olives in a sauce, but I'm still debating on what to marinade. And that no bake mix would probably make a decent custard.  Yeah, I never was a recipe follower.

And I did try the BLT Dip, which was like a sweet onion mix with bacon bits. I didn't have cream cheese or sour cream on hand, so I used ... silken tofu and yogurt. I know, I know, but it still tasted rugged.

This is definitely a departure for the usual FPP reveal. It is a lot of sugar in one place, but I've already had offers for sharing:

Black cats and pumpkin peeps...very October appropriate!

As Nick doesn't have a website, let me show what I sent him. He did say he liked grilling, so:

Assorted rubs and condiments/glazes, some jerky, some bacon mints and of course, candy for Halloween!
I hope you liked it, Nick! (Dude, you gotta acknowledge! There are some FPP rules we all must follow!)

So, it was a different package, but it adds to the diverse tapestry that is the receiving of free food n the mail.

Now it's off to watch the Rangers. And eat not so manly BLT dip.

Happy Halloween!

September Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

Another month and another adventure of free food in the mail! Yes, it's time once again for:

Hooray!

After my empty mailbox last month, I was hoping for a better result. Lindsay, the tireless RD behind FPP, mixed it up a bit this month. Instead of the "progressive round robin" sending of packages, she changed it to a pair exchange. That way, you sent a package to a person who was sending one to you. Would it work? Would more disappointment fall upon the Streamlined abode?

I was matched with Stephanie from Fort Collins, CO. She asked a lot of good questions, including what my favorite beverage was. I think she might have heard me scream "COFFEE" from across the Rockies. And even though she herself does not drink coffee (sweet, wonderful coffee), she took it upon herself to get me a nice themed package of caffeine and local foods. 

So what did she send me?

This more than makes up for getting squat last month!

It was an explosion of caffeinated Colorado wonder! A "Rocky Mountain Blend" of coffee beans, which will be soon be made into some cold brew deliciousness. And...

Black Bing Cherry Cider from the Colorado Cherry Company. I've never seen this before. Not only did I have a glass, I also mixed it with chili paste for a dipping sauce! Yum! Not too sweet but definitely cider-y!

Rocky Mountain Animal Crackers from the Wildlife Cookie Company and Bear Bar from Rocky Mountain Granola. Both nicely chocolaty without being too sweet (and great with a cup of coffee!)

Guacamole Bites from Nature Box. These really grew on me. Not the healthiest of things to scarf down, but the initial almost earthy avocado taste made them quick snacking!

And the piece de resistance...

Chocolate covered espresso beans and homemade cranberry mustard! This mustard was amazing!! It was immediately used on a sandwich and then was used as a dip for the avocado chips. And on eggs for breakfast. And put on toast to have with soup. And with sausages. You get the idea.

Thank you, Stephanie!!!!


So what did I send her? I forgot to take photos and she doesn't blog, so here's the lengthy text version. When I asked her if there was one NYC item she really craved, her response was bagels. I totally support this answer because, lets face it, there are no real bagels outside of NYC. I'm sorry, but it's true. However true fresh bagels don't travel exceptionally well. But I had a cunning plan...

I am so lucky to live near the best, and one of the last, truly great "appetizer" food stores in NYC: Russ & Daughters. Their pastrami lox, their buttery sable, that home-made scallion cream cheese, the baked salmon/whitefish salad....pardon me while I drool on the computer. Even in Streamlined Ska Librarian lifestyle, there's still room for some of the best smoked and cured fish and accoutrements.(Go ahead, click on the link and order something. I'll wait....)

Russ & Daughters also has what I refer to as the "bubbe section"; a counter that originally housed all the sweet treats only a jewish grandmother would serve you. They didn't have their great bagel bread pudding, but I was able to find salted caramel macaroons. I also sent a huge chunk of homemade almond nougat from the San Gennaro Festival (another great NYC event that takes place both in my home borough of Staten Island as well as in my current neighborhood in Manhattan), assorted Japanese cookies, sugared chili mangoes from my Indian deli and some other wee treats.

All in all, I think this month was a good trade all around. I'm already psyched for the next  month.

If you're interested in joining Foodie Pen Pals, you can find the rules and sign up here.

August Foodie Pen Pals "Reveal"

I took a month off from the exchange because of travel but I couldn't wait to return to Foodie Pen Pals, that time I get to share oddball things I find around town and I get....free food in the mail!

Overall, I've had great FPP packages come my way, with only one no-show. This month, I was paired a "first-timer" who seemed very eager. We exchanged info and all systems were go.

Until I didn't receive a package or any updates. No e-mails were answered. I e-mailed Lindsay, the tireless RD coordinator for this (and tireless is true...I get worn out just reading her blog), who graciously checked up on my FPP. They did write back after that saying they sent it but didn't have the tracking # and would send another. A few more e-mail follow-ups from me with no response happened.

So, here we are today....

Wahh, wahh, wahhhhhh

Well, 2 no shows out of 6 is still a good average.

Meanwhile, I sent my package to Nicole, a NJ girl who works for the M&M company! Hmmm....regionally nearby and works surrounded by candy? This would be a challenge. Nicole said she liked salsa (cool!) and peanut butter (yeah!) but hated licorice (awww!). So, she got some local salsa, some Indian salsa, assorted peanut butter candies, wasabi peanuts and just for good measure, local pickle relish and chili-gooseberries.

What did she think?

Foodie PenPals Reveal Day! Thanks @skalibrarian !! #foodiepenpals #yum pic.twitter.com/M6a2cW1ML4
— Nicole Rubin (@Nicate08) August 30, 2013

Well, thank YOU, Nicole for being a good Foodie Pen Pal! Glad you enjoyed it. And I do hope the person who was supposed to send me something did at least get a nice package from their other FPP.

I still have faith that my average actually receiving something will remain high, so I will continue.

Free food hopes spring eternal!

June Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

Once again, here we are and once again, I got a great package! I have to say I am impressed that each Foodie Pen Pal box has been so different. It's been a great way not only to share new food items, but also to interact with folks I probably would never have come across in my own sordid, urban life plan. It makes me feel better that I'm sending such weird stuff around the country.

This month, I received a package from Dawn at Bare It All Fitness:

Hey, thanks, Dawn! And that business card rocks! (I have my own logo tattooed on me, but that's harder to use in everyday polite situations).

So, what did Dawn send me?

Sorry for the glare. That summer sun does hit pretty hard in this one window.

There was Old Dominion Chipotle Peanut Squares, Cinnabon Almonds, Some whey protein and energy mixes from Optimum Performance, a Clif Bar, Justin's Maple Almond Butter, agave syrup packs, A Stretch Island Fruit Strip, and a Celsius Sparkling Orange Drink Mix.

And yes, much of this was new to me.


And what did I eat first?

Was there any doubt? I was a little hesitant about a Cinnabon product, as one of those babies can wreak havoc on my Streamlined lifestyle, but the ingredients for these were only almonds, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Fine in any moderate way, and they tasted exactly like the incredibly unhealthy packs of roasted, coated peanuts you find on the streets of NYC, that i used to scarf down every cold day:

Via 9to5travel

These were obviously healthier! The Chipotle peanut squares were also great. It's a true testament to self-control that I can bring myself to share any nut gifts I receive through these food exchanges. But my co-workers did get some of these snacks. This time.

Protein mixes and workout drinks are not something I've dabbled in much. So I tried a few of these before my 5 AM weight training sessions and they certainly do give you a boost! I'm saving the rest for my vacation running in the Alps. (More on that next month).

In fact, this package was perfectly timed to try out some more portable items for my travels. I think most of these would work well as I hike and jog along Les Hautes Alpes:

We shall soon see! (Or "Nous verrons bientôt!")

So thanks and merci beaucoup once again, Dawn! This was a much appreciated Foodie Pen Pal delivery!

I sent my FPP box to Amy in Austin. Check out her site to see what she thought!

And if you're interested in joining the hundreds of folks involved in Foodie Pen Pals, click on the image below. I've been seeing it's hit or miss, but so far I've had a lot more hits than misses. And hey, free food in the mail!

May Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

Here we are again. Last month was a little sad with no box appearing, but this month more than made up for it. 

I was matched up with Kristen from Pudgie Pies and she sent a doozy!

Can I even pack this nicely? Never!

 The box was chock full of amazing things, all locally from the York, PA area.

There was Wolfgang Candy's Farmer Fair chocolate covered pretzels, salted cashews from Mike's Nuts, Kaufman's apple butter, Kessler's honey mustard, an assortment of soft drinks from the Appalachian Brewing Company, a couple of meat snacks from Shaffer Venison Farms and a home-made mix of m&ms, cookies, nuts and pretzels! Mmmmm..

Even more so, Kristen added a note for each item giving some background on it:

The way to any librarian's heart is through provenance description!

The nuts and apple butter went within a day. Too, too good. I especially liked how the apple butter had no added sugar or sweeteners. Just apples and spices. Perfect for Streamlined Ska Librarian lifestyle (although eating it all in a day may not be!)

The pretzels and home-made mix managed to survive enough for me to share them at work. 

Since my time in Japan, I tend to shy away from sodas, but I had to give these a try. So far, I've drank the Birch Beer (reminiscent of a good cream soda) and the root beer (gassily good!)


As for the venison, you can see from that note that Kristen said it was all right if I didn't eat them. But what was the first thing I opened?

Mmmmm....Venison!

And I wasn't the only house member who got excited once the package was opened: 

Flying leap kitty. I barely escaped with all my fingers.

So, thank you SOOO much, Kristen! It was not only an excellent FPP package, its inspiring me to step it up on my own boxes!

Speaking of which, my box this month was sent to Sara at Nubcakes. As she was also a NYC-based person, it made my package more of a challenge. You can check out her sight to see what I sent.

Interested in Joining Foodie Pen Pals? Check out the website to join!

April Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

 

It's that time again, although this time I feel a little bereft. 

This month I was matched up with Tamara. After some e-mail exchanges, she let me know she was sending me homemade hot sauce made from her own ghost chilis. Wahoolazooma! 

Sadly, the box did not make it.  My mouth was waiting to be blistered. Sigh.

But you know, it's the chance we take with this. I'm still glad to be part of the exchange. 

I sent my package to Sara in Indianapolis.  She's quite the foodie and gave me some excellent eating tips for the area when headed out there for a conference. I actually spaced out through most of it, as she pointed out the hotel in which I was staying served marinated bacon on a stick. Oh, I'm there!

You can see what I sent her by checking out her site, Solid Gold Eats.(Bacon is indeed mentioned).

And if you're interested in joining Foodie Pen Pals, check out Lindsay's site for more details.

March Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

It's that time again, time to reveal the great food I got in the mail.

First, though, I think amazing shout and props must be given to Lindsay, who oversees this whole endeavor. There are over 1,000 participants each month and she corrals everyone into getting this done. Needless to say, there are some glitches and missed connections, but she really closes those gaps and makes sure it's done. She doesn't have to, but she does, which must be hella time consuming. 

So, thank you Lindsay and congratulations on finishing up your Dietietic Internship! I hope when you get that RD accreditation, you do not forget to work with whichever libarians are around. We all need each other.

So, yes, this month had a few more bumps than last time. The person who was supposed to send me a box never contacted me. After a week or so, Lindsay closed the gap on that one and connected me with Tiffany from Greeley CO, who immediately contacted me. After a few e-mail exchanges, I was once again excited to wait for my mail.

(Interesting small world factoid: My parents briefly lived in Greeley back in the early 60's.)

Fast forward to the end of the month and no sign of the package. Tiffany sent me the tracking number, but the post office couldn't find it. They claimed it was delivered. I pictured a few of my wacky neighbors feasting on whatever she sent me. But then I went back to the post office. And while they claimed it was nowhere, I saw the package SITTING ABOVE THEIR HEADS ON A SHELF. Lucky I'm so tall, I guess.

So, a bit of a mini-crisis, but all ends well. Now, what did Tiffany send me?

Carob almonds, red wine vinegar and assorted hot sauces! (I did say I liked spicy and sweet!)

Tiffany's note said that I shouldn't feel too guilty about the carob almonds. Now, I did have a brief 70s flashback to carob powder used as a substitute in health food, so I was a little nervous. But these were EXCELLENT! I suppose they would have been healthy if I hadn't eaten so many at once.

I would be lying if I said I didn't just try these sauces right out of the bottle. The chipolte was smoky with a nice creamy bite. The habanero had a great kick and the cayenne was perfectly hot!

I immediately had to use all three in dinner:

Some of the leftover chicken and matzoh "stuffing" sauteed up with collard greens and healthy doses of habanero and cayenne sauces. Next to that is a avocado/tomato/queso "salsa" with some big splashes of the chipolte sauce (along with some extra gefilte fish).

(Small world factoid #2: I was actually out of red wine vinegar, so that bottle was a nice coincidence, too!)

So thank you to Tiffany, who stepped up to avert foodie pen pal dissppointment!

I sent my package to Laura, who lives in Nevada and is dating a chef (lucky!) You can visit her site, Foodie Meets Chef, to see what I sent her.

And on a great sitcom end note...the post office sent me a final notice about this package AFTER I came and picked it up!

February Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

Yes, it's time show what I received on my virgin excursion into Foodie Pen Pals.

My name was given to Jes from Florida, a self-described "baker, inebriation pixie aka bartender, eater of almost everything and a bit of a beer geek." She sent me a VERY detailed questionnaire asking about my likes, dislikes, foodservice experience, hopes, dreams, fears, wishes, musical knowledge, you name it. But, as you know I'm a stickler for research, so I appreciated the effort. And it paid off because look what she sent me:

Truly a nerd pixie package! And reminiscent of the Florida tropics. There was guava paste, cuban coffee, orange blossom honey, Maria cookies and mango jam.

Of course, the first thing I saw sticking up from the box was of that big chunk of Cafe Bustelo, my favorite of coffees. I like it better than all the Sumatran-Hawaiian-Free Trade-Artisinal mixes out there. I admit I squealed a bit.

The jar of homemade mango jam is from her friend, Allison. I opened that up first and it barely made it through the day. Delish!

It's also good on actual bread!

The Goya Maria Cookies and the Conchita Guava Paste were both perfect snack items, in forms that were new to me. Jes wrote in her note that the cookies w/ cream cheese and guava paste side by side with a shot of espresso is "quite the happy!"

At the time I only had quark, which is sort of like cream cheese, so I did assemble a few to try:

I started eating before I remembered to take a picture....

They were perfect with my cup of Bustelo:

What? That's still a cup!

So thank you, Jes, for making my initial foodie pen pal endeavor such a tasty and sweet treat.

I was assigned to send my foodie box to a lovely young women in Ohio named Diane. You can see what she got from me at her website, LifeofDi. (and stay for the rest of her site, too!)

I am definitely signing up for this again! Hit the image at the top of the post to do so as well!