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Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza

If we were to go out for sushi, you would probably see me with one roll of Spicy Salmon in front of me. There are certain cuisines that you just order again and again. I took a sushi making class. The most important lesson I learned was that I wasn't going to be making sushi at home. But I now know I can get a good bit of the flavors in Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza.

Taste and taste

I have made the mistake of buying sushi at Trader Joe's. More than once. Each time I wallowed in disappointment. Sorry, I was hungry when I made those decisions.

Instead of reaching for a disappointing roll, I think if you are looking for that familiar filling and don't mind sacrificing the rice, then this might be a good new option. As an added bonus, the filling is already cooked, so no warnings about food poisoning are necessary.

Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza is new gyoza that adds to quite a long list of gyoza options. Yes, you have the more traditional pork gyoza, chicken gyoza, and the Thai shrimp gyoza.

But this stands out from the other gyoza options. For better or worse, this tastes like it has the cooked filling of a spicy salmon roll (minus the rice).

The salmon is chopped very finely and is farmed salmon. Yes, look at the ingredient list and you'll see the words, "color added" next to the salmon. If you have an aversion to added coloring, then you'll want to skip this. Farmed salmon usually has color added and Trader Joe's Fresh Atlantic Salmon in the refrigerated section is no different. If you want to avoid food coloring, you'll have to reach for wild salmon instead.

Aside from the filling being finely chopped, a good amount of edamame, cabbage, green onion, and carrots came through in texture and flavor.

As did the spice. These are medium in heat. The heat on these slowed me down and lingered a bit. But it didn't render them inedible, just something to be mindful of if you are sensitive.

But, once I read the description, it had me looking back at an older review. It wasn't too long ago that Trader Joe's offered a Seafood Sriracha Potsticker option. While the seafood included here is different, it seemed to be more of a nod to that older option that has disappeared off of shelves.

Perhaps two shrimp dumpling options were just too much for consumers, especially when both are spicy. By having salmon, this stands out more, plus the packaging is more consistent with the rest of the line of gyoza.

Now, as a point of reference, I'll always steer you away from making these in the microwave. These little noodles just don't deal with it very well. These do best in a soup, steamed, or my go-to is pan-frying them.

Overall

For $4.99 these are a good option if you are willing to embrace the fact that they are more of a hybrid of gyoza and the cooked filling of what tastes like a spicy salmon sushi roll. But don't count on this being 5 servings. I had this bag as 2 meals.

And yes, soy sauce or Trader Joe's Gyoza Dipping Sauce would make a great pairing for this too,

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza:

Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza bag unopened

The nutritional information and the ingredients:

Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza nutritional information, calories, and ingredient list

About this product and how to prepare:

About Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza and how to prepare them

After being cooked you get:

A plate full of Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza next to soy sauce and the original bag on a black surface

A close up look at the filling:

A close up look at one of Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza filling, next to a plate of dumplings

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

My Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze recipe is quick, easy, moist and uses lemon to add another dimension of flavor. This is a perfect breakfast, brunch, or dessert item to share or to freeze for fresh scones in the morning. These are delicious with both fresh blueberries and frozen blueberries. I've included lots of ways of adapting this recipe to make it even more delicious. One glazed blueberry scone with a plateful of scones in the background with blueberries scattered throughout

Popular. That's what so many of us what to be. Even after we leave school and enter adulthood, many of us still crave it. Even if someone doesn't know you or even speak to you. You can win the war of ignorance. Food wins the war. Want to bring something quick and easy before a long day of work and win the approval of your coworkers?

Give this a whirl. Best of all, if there are leftovers (highly doubtful) you will win their approval by saying "hey, feel free to take it home for a quick breakfast in the morning." Besides the flavor of blueberries and lemon pair so well together. Some powdered sugar and lemon juice also make a fantastic topping.

For the most part, there are two types of scones: buttermilk and cream scones. If you are looking to save a few calories then check out my Strawberry Scones recipe. That recipe uses buttermilk to keep the calories in check. But if you are having a brunch or want the full flavor of a scone, then my Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze is a more traditional cream scone.

Both recipes are a blank canvas that can handle most fresh, freeze-dried, or just dried fruit. And yes, scones work well with savory ingredients as well.

What kind of scones are there?

Scones are generally speaking a kind of shortbread. It's leavened with baking powder, not yeast. There are two basic kinds of scone dough: cream scones and buttermilk scones. Cream scones rely far more on heavy cream and butter than this recipe for buttermilk scones. Buttermilk scones are lighter in calories overall. Perfect for those keeping an eye on calories.

These scones are cream scones and are meant to be more decadent. The fat content here is higher, but that also means they will keep just a bit longer than regular scones.

Scones can also be sweet or savory. So while this recipe is more of a sweet scone with the addition of fruit, it does not have a lot of extra sugar added in. If you crave something sweet to put on top of this there is no shortage of flavor possibilities you can come up with.

Tips for making this

These freeze very well so wrap them in plastic and place them in a freezer bag if you want freshly baked scones.
You can use frozen blueberries or fresh ones.
Don't overwork the dough as you'll make it tough, you want it to appear layered like a biscuit when you cut into these.
While I made this is a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter as well to achieve the same results.

Topping ideas

I love a glaze. This flavor lends itself to a chocolate drizzle (yes dark, milk, or white chocolate would work here as well). I'll leave this as an option. Nuts would also make for an interesting topping. Honey or honey butter would make for a great compliment as well. And come to think of it, I do want to give you some ideas as to how you can add your own twist to this recipe.

Modifying this

As a home cook and blogger, a recipe should be a starting point. I believe that your taste buds are different from mine. So here is my completely incomplete list of pairings that should work if you wish to modify the original recipe.

Here at Become Betty, one of my main objectives was always to inspire you, the reader, to be more creative in the kitchen. Consider these my Betty Twist, an easy and inspiring list to help you get more daring and creative. These flavor suggestions all pair well with blueberries. Scone dough by nature is a blank canvas.

If you wish to add spice to this recipe then consider the following as they pair well with blueberries: allspice, cinnamon, cloves, mace, and vanilla.

If you wish to add a fruit glaze then juice or mash fruit with 10x sugar. Fruit that pairs well with blueberries are blackberries, lemons, mangoes, orange, nectarines, peaches, pineapple, raspberry, and strawberry.

If you wish to add something more adult, judgment-free zone here, then consider cognac, Kirsch, limoncello, berry or orange liqueurs, port, rum, or triple sec. Perhaps soak the fruit the night before or add some to the glaze.

If you are thinking about adding nuts as a topping then consider almonds, pecans, pine nuts, or walnuts. If you are going to add this to the dough, then mix it in at the same time as the blueberries. If you are going to use them as a topping, then make sure they are slivered or chopped, and press them into the dough. Be sure to add an egg wash to the uncooked scones before putting them in the oven, otherwise, the nuts might burn.

If you think I forgot chocolate would work here as well.

Now, I wouldn't suggest adding all of these in at the same time. Experiment with one or two and see where it goes for you. For example, cinnamon blueberry scones with limoncello glaze sounds pretty awesome.

Watch me make this (1 Minute)

Directions

Step 1: Get your ingredients out and preheat the oven to 425F.

Step 2: Using a food processor (or pastry blender if you don't have one), add the dry ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, baking powder.

Dry Ingredients for Blueberry Scones including flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder

Step 3: Add in the butter. Pulse until the butter is cut into pea sized pieces into the flour.

Adding the butter to the food processor followed by a picture showing what the correct pea sized texture should look like

Step 4: Add in wet items and pulse until just combined.

Adding the liquid ingredients and the texture it comes out of the food processor

Step 5: Remove dough from food processor. On a lightly floured surface add blueberries, mix and shape into a disk. Cut into 8 pieces and place on a baking sheet with parchment.

Four images showing the shaggy dough, the blueberries placed on top, the dough shaped into a disk and then the disk is cut

Step 6: Place scones on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Brush the top of the scones with cream.

Unbaked Scones on a cookie sheet and brushed with cream

Step 7: Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove them from the prepared baking sheet and place on a cooling rack. You could enjoy them at this stage or wait until they reach room temperature to add a glaze.

Step 8: Make a glaze by mixing confectioners sugar with lemon juice (or see my suggestions for other options)

Step 9: Glaze and enjoy!

A fully glazed blueberry scone with a plate full of scones and blueberries scattered throughout

I hope you find these Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze delicious! I also hope that I've left you with suggestions to inspire some kitchen creativity.

If you try this, would you mind hitting the "Rate" button? I'd love to know what you thought of it. If you tried one of my modifications, please let me know how it turned out. I love comments!

If you've tried this Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze recipe or any other recipe on the blog, I'd love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

A Blueberry Scones Finished with a lemon glaze

Print Recipe

4.50 from 8 votes

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

My blueberry scones recipe is quick, easy, moist and uses lemon to add another dimension of flavor. This is a perfect breakfast, brunch, or dessert item to share or to freeze for fresh scones in the morning.

Prep Time10

Cook Time14

Cooling5

Total Time29

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberry scones, cream scones, scones

Servings:

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Brenda

Ingredients

2.5 cups All purpose flour plus more for work space
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon butter
1 cup heavy cream plus more for brushing on top
1 egg lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 lemon zest split between the dough and the glaze, juice set aside
¾ cup blueberries fresh or frozen
½ cup 10x sugar optional: for glaze

Baking equipment

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F
In a food processor or large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined.
Add butter to food processor and pulse into butter is broken into pea sized pieces.
Combine the wet ingredients: butter, heavy cream, egg, vanilla extra, and ½ the lemon zest. Pour into food processor.
Pulse until just combined. Remove dough from food processor.
Place dough on floured work surface. Add blueberries. Work blueberries in until about evenly distributed.
Shape into a disk about 1" high. Cut into 8 slices
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes.
Optional- while scones are baking combine juice of 1 lemon with ½ cup 10x sugar and other half of lemon zest. Wait until scones are cooled to glaze.
Allow to cool on rack. When cool enjoy or drizzle glaze.

Video

Notes

These freeze very well so wrap them in plastic and place them in a freezer bag if you want freshly baked scones
You can use frozen blueberries or fresh.
Don't overwork the dough as you'll make it tough, you want it to appear layered like a biscuit when you cut into these
While I made this is a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter as well to achieve the same results.

Nutrition

Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Herbal Tea

Basil. A common ingredient in my household. So is tea. But if you are thinking that this is just basil in tea form, you might be a bit mistaken depending on what ends up in your cart regularly. The basil I keep is the one that pairs really well with tomatoes and cheese. In reality, the one variety I use is among the 40 varieties of basil available. Tulsi or Holy Basil is a totally different variety than what you might be picking up in the fresh herb section. Now Trader Joe's introduces those of us who might otherwise be unfamiliar to Holy Basil Tea.

Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Holy Basil Tea Review image for Pinterest

About this

Holy Basil or Tulsi in India is an entirely different cultivar of basil altogether.

Rather than the smell of the herby sweet basil, this Tulsi tea is way more spice just on smell alone. The aroma here is spicy and far more clove and anise-like.

In addition, Holy Basil is commonly used in Thai cuisine as it is in Indian cuisine. The box references India the most and where is it used for culinary, medicinal, and for religious purposes.

Now, if you are new to this type of tea, then each bag in this package will brew a rich brown cup of tea. I usually don't drink small glasses of tea.

Taste and review

The one tea bag I used had no problem brewing 20 ounces. So while your nose might lead you to believe that you are getting a deeply spiced cup of tea, your taste buds will tell you otherwise. It becomes a more soft and subtly flavored brew.

The taste here does have hints of basil, and mint, but also notes of citrus. So despite what your nose might tell you that this is going to taste like, it tastes far softer. Plus, it's caffeine-free.

I personally enjoyed this chilled more than hot. But try it anyway you prefer.

Overall

For $2.99 you get 20 individually wrapped tea bags. Perfect for sharing.

Would I buy this again? It was fun to try, but Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Herbal Tea wasn't my personal favorite. That doesn't mean it was bad in any way. Just other teas I would reach for first.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The box of Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Herbal Tea:

An unopened box of Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Herbal Tea

The ingredients and how to prepare:

Ingredients and how to prepare Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Herbal Tea

How Trader Joe's describes this product:

Description of Trader Joe's Organic Tulsi Herbal Tea on the box

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal

Two gluten-free kinds of cereal. Both are priced just 20 cents apart. You would think that they would be pretty similar. Except my taste buds were telling me that there was one clear winner.

Taste

Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal wasn't it. As excited as I was about eating Trader Joe's Neapolitan Puffs, I felt the same way. I was just hoping that this particular box would be the all cocoa answer.

But it wasn't.

Yes, they are both gluten free and released about the same time, but they taste different.

The texture here seemed off. Now, I'm not gluten-free. But I like to see products that don't make me feel like that portion of the population is missing out on anything.

With the Neapolitan Puffs, they totally passed. If I hadn't read through the box, then I would say that was hard to tell.

This on the other hand, I felt like the difference was glaring.

There was the textural issue, but there was also an underlying taste difference here that I just wasn't loving. Perhaps it was the sorghum.

Overall

In either case, I was deeply hoping that this would just be an entire bowl of the cocoa variety found in the puffs cereal. On some level, they look like they should, but sadly, they just didn't measure up.

I brought some as snacks to work, but that bag became the snack of last resort. The one where you actually asked yourself, "Am I really hungry?"

My husband demolished the box of Neapolitan Puffs with me, but this box has been sitting on my counters for a bit.

Bummer too.

For $3.49 this is a one-time buy in my household. I'd rather spend the extra 20 cents and get something I like.

Would I buy this again? These were a no from me.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The box of Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal:

An unopened box of Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal

The nutritional information:

Nutritional facts and calories in Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal

The ingredients:

Ingredients in Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal

How to prepare this cereal differently:

A recipe using Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies

Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies are back. But this year they are different The last time I reviewed these it was 2017. There has been a subtle change to the bag. And while I wasn't actually going to revisit this review, a quick glance at this bag made me realize that I probably should because this is a different product on a quite a few levels.

Taste

If you are a fan of this product, you know the formula here. These are Trader Joe's gummies made with a sweetened liquid center, much like a Gusher but with more gummy to it. These aren't too different from the Penguin Gummy Tummies available year-round.

I picked up a bag a couple of days ago thinking that this was pretty much the same product. In some respects it is. But when I compared it to an older review certain things became obvious: this product has changed since the last time I tried it.

First off, I noticed the "Fat-Free" label has disappeared. It still seems to be fat-free. But when I turned it over, this has 40 fewer calories per serving, but that is actually a touch misleading. The serving size has dropped from 7 pieces down to 5. And gone are the references to the orange, lemon, strawberry, and blackberry flavors.

Even the product description has since been altered to account for such. All we are left with the ingredients are "natural flavors."

Each of the gummies pretty much tastes the same as one another despite what the packaging says. They are no longer as sweet as they once were. These are far more tart and acidic. So if you are expecting a sweet taste like in previous years, you might be in for a shock. You might even pucker a bit.

Overall

This is still a pretty good product even if the packaging looks nearly identical. If you are looking for a snack, this isn't a bad one to reach for. It's still empty calories but a fun item to eat.

One thing hasn't changed, this is still priced at $1.99.

You can pick this up at Trader Joe's or through third-party sellers on Amazon.

Product photos

The package of Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies:

An unopened bag of Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies on a white background

Calories and ingredients

The description of Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies:

Description of the Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies product

What Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies look like out of the package:

An open package of Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies showing the four different gummies

Below refers to the product before 2019

For $1.99 you are getting a confection that is a hybrid between two better-known products. This will remind you of a gummy bear (or other animals) and a Fruit Gushers. If you are unfamiliar with the Gushers candies, it's got a candy gel in the middle around a fruit-flavored outside. Thus, when you bite into them, they gush the gel.

Like the Gummy Tummy Penguins, you might have a hard time figuring out what the shape is supposed to be. After you bite into one it won't matter. Color-wise, these are more opaque in their appearance and their "tummy" is harder to see. Nonetheless, you still have a tasty variety of candies in front of you that are well made. These seem to be more gummy than tummy though.

In other words, there isn't as much of the filling that you might be used to. The shapes here are all different and some don't allow for much of that "tummy." The gummies however, taste like the flavor in the middle which more than makes up for the "tummy." If you tried the Gummy Tummy Penguins, those gummies were all uniform in their gummy flavor, but not the tummies.

Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies are lovely shades of pastel for the spring season and I'm sure these would make a great snack or Easter basket treat. I enjoyed them and I'd repurchase. If you enjoyed the original flavors, you'll probably enjoy these. Just won't wait to try these as they are likely seasonal.

The package of Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies:

The nutritional information:

The ingredients:

How Trader Joe's describes these:

Out of the package you get:

Would I buy this again? Yes. I'm sure these are seasonal and that's a shame. I enjoy Trader Joe's Gummy Tummies Penguins so this was a nice change in flavors. I hope to pick up a few more bags before they disappear for the season.

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.