The best chocolate chip cookies come from Rhode Island (March Foodie Penpal Reveal)

In 5th grade, we picked a state and did research on our states. I remember sending out for a visitor's guide to Rhode Island. I marveled at this teeny state's beauty and for years, I considered moving there for college. It didn't quite happen, but I've had a soft spot for a long time.

*In the days of my basketball fanaticism, I loved the Clippers and then-Clipper Lamar Odom was a URI alum.

(source)

So I was completely excited to learn that my Foodie Penpal/blog reader Kristin is from Rhode Island.

I asked Kristin for something local. She sent Del's lemonade mix and Gerb's pumpkin seeds. I haven't tried the lemonade mix yet - saving it for hotter days but I keep the pumpkin seeds in my car for a snack. I should try them on salads though.

The rest of the package was awesome. Kristin, you had some total hits!

*I was so excited for my package, I forgot my camera but wanted to eat the cookies so I took a quick picture with my computer before I went to get it.

When my package arrived, I delved into the bag of chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, they all crumbled in the mailing process but that didn't stop me and my cousin from devouring each bite. They were soft and chewy and each piece had tons of chocolate chips.

And I can't stop eating Almond Nut Thins. I went out and bought myself a bag of their sour cream and chive chips, but they just weren't as good as the country ranch crackers.

The Svelte was a delicious breakfast the next day.

The bars were perfect. I ate the thinkThin bar of course and one of my kids ate the Larabar - I always share.

Thank you Kristin and as always, thanks Lindsay for organizing!

-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. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!
If you’re interested in participating for April, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You will also find contact information on that page for the UK branch of Foodie Penpals if you’re a blogger across the pond!
You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!