I have a confession to make. My husband knows about the other men in my life. That's right, I said men. There is more than one other man in my life beyond my husband. They make my life easier. They even cook for me on nights when I'm not up for it. One is named Joe, Trader Joe. The other is Stew, as in Stew Leonard's. I have yet to meet either man in person. All I want to do is shake their hand and say, "thank you." I know I won't get to the chance to say thank you in person so Stew Leonard's Food Reviews and Blog Posts will have to be the next best thing....
Trader Joe's Chocolate Marbles
The pros: Â Beautiful round "marbles" of chocolate that are little works of speckled art. You are getting 16 truffles for about $4 and they are quality chocolate. There are 4 different varieties in Trader Joe's Chocolate Marbles. The varieties are mostly similar but with subtle variation.
The cons: Â It's so easy to keep eating these.
The verdict: Â ...
Trader Joe's Cheddar Cheese Sticks
The pros: Â Trader Joe's Cheddar Cheese Sticks instantly reminded me of the taste of cheez-its that were twisted around. When you bite into it there were a number of layers giving this far more texture than the familiar cracker. Sourdough flavor takes a backseat to the cheese flavor here.
The cons:  Only 12 come in a package of Trader Joe's Cheddar Cheese Sticks.
The verdict: Â ...
Trader Joe's Tart Cherry, Chia, and Pumpkin Seed Oatmeal
The pros:Â Trader Joe's Tart Cherry, Chia, and Pumpkin Seed Oatmeal is a healthy, hearty, quick meal. This has more of a nutty taste to it between the pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and the rolled oats.
The cons:Â Other than the tart cherries, there isn't much sweetness here to speak of.
The verdict: Â ...
This Betty's Crab Cake Recipe using Trader Joe's Crab
I love crab cakes. They are expensive whether you buy them at the store or order them out. This is not your traditional Maryland style crab cake recipe. This is a very savory rendition that will allow you to add much flavor to canned crab, crab in the freezer case, or in the refrigerated case. I tend to use a lot of Penzey's Spices. If you don't have a location near you they take orders online. Their stuff is high quality and their stores are awesome. You can actually go into the store and sniff each and every spice they have. It's also worth it to be on their mailing list. If you aren't using Penzey's, then by all means substitute what you can. I've included fresh and dry measurements so depending on what you have available so you can switch things out....