Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Almond Butter Tarte is a nice combination of chocolate from the crust, to the ganache and ribbons. Almond butter is present but it does not feel like you are eating an (almond) Reese’s candy.
The cons: The crisp crust wasn’t very crisp for very long. The box says you should eat the whole in the in 24 hours.
The verdict: …
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….
The pros: Trader Joe’s Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese is tasty, mildly spice mac and cheese ready from freezer to microwave in about 5 minutes.
The cons: I found 5 minutes was too long for my microwave. I would start at 3 minutes check on it, then add more time if necessary.
The verdict: …
The pros: Super quick, tasty, well done ciabatta flat bread. Trader Joe’s Rustic Ciabatta Flatbread is a blank canvas for you to experiment with. With how large the lettering was on the package they could have given some good recipe suggestions.
The cons: It won’t result in the most amazing pizza you’ve ever had and you’ll have to buy this several times to be able to experiment.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Feta and Onion Bites are bite sized appetizers that will remind you of a smooth and creamy French Onion soup bite.
The cons: Onions were caramelized using sugar as they were very sweet. They were much sweeter than anything I’ve ever caramelized. You can only use the actual oven to heat these. You’ll also need a cookie sheet to place these on while they are in the oven.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunks is almost 60% cocoa, rich cocoa taste, great for baking.
The cons: If you need uniformity in your chocolate then reach for the chips and not the chunks. These were meant to be uneven on purpose.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Shredded Hash Browns are essentially frozen shredded potatoes on demand.
The cons: If time is an issue you are better off going with Trader Joe’s Hash browns that are pre-made and only slightly more expensive. Plus odds are you’ll get more for your money with having to do less dishes.
The verdict: …
The pros: Tasty, good flavor, very tender meat off of high heat. Be sure to cut Trader Joe’s Carne Asada across the grain for the most tender texture.
The cons: Cooking directions could be elaborated a bit and should be easier to see. There is a distinct acidic taste to the meat which not everyone will find pleasing. Also if you have someone in your household who does not like cilantro, this is not a good product to try.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Bacon Cheddar Cheese is a very tasty cheddar on its own that it flavorful, but add bacon to every single bite it is completely awesome. Melts very easily. Good balance of saltiness.
The cons: None come to mind.
The verdict: …
I recently went to Fig and Olive for dinner. The food was fantastic. There was one item that took me by surprise when we went there: Zucchini Carpaccio. I split an appetizer and it’s something I would have ever had ordered in a million years. Priced at $12 it’s not something I’m going to run there and order on regularly. It’s something tasty, simple, with a good balance between acid, texture, salt, and pepper. On top of everything else, it’s vegetarian and relatively healthy. It’s uncooked and with thinly sliced zucchini you won’t miss it being cooked….
So you’ve made a New Years Resolution. Perhaps you realize summer will be here eventually. Perhaps for health or personal reasons you realize that it’s time to drop a few pounds. There are plenty of diet programs out there. One I’m most critical of is Jenny Craig. Not that it’s a bad program, but it’s expensive. It also goes against the philosophy of “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.” You are never really taught how to cook. Plus their food is quite expensive and some can even be confused with pet food visually. Since adding time to a set 24 hour day isn’t going to happen, you may need to rely on certain things being already made for you. Maybe it will give you time back in your day or give you just a few more minutes at the gym. So I’ve pulled together of (most) of my reviews and complied a calorie count for each item if you plan on Dieting at Trader Joe’s….
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparking Cranberry Flavored Juice Blend comes in a pretty bottle. Pretty color, good taste but be aware it’s soft on the cranberry and grape is much more the dominant flavor. It’s 100% juice.
The cons: Tastes more like grape than cranberry.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough are a decent cookies ready relatively quickly.
The cons: The recipe is missing certain things.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pre-Sliced Mozzarella Tasty, already sliced, slices are a good size, enough salt to ensure tasty cheese.
The cons: This is 12 ounces not 16 so plan accordingly.
The verdict: …
So, you’ve recently acquired Trader Joe’s Blackberry Spritzer. Perhaps you too found it a bit plain. Sweeter than seltzer but not sweet enough to be soda. Why not jazz it up a bit? …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Gingerbread Molasses Cookie Dough are the quickest cookies you can get short of buying them already cooked. They were done in under 15 minutes. They had that true gingersnap texture. There is a very nice spice beyond just ginger.
The cons: The package contains 12 cookies. If you need more than that you’ll need to pick up a few of these.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparkling Apple Cider has all the vitamin C you’ll need in a day, they also sell Sparking Blueberry and Sparkling Cranberry in the same display. Resealable bottle. This is actually 100% juice. Good sparkling apple cider.
The cons: Has a very yellow hue, as if someone dumped a bottle of yellow food coloring into the juice.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Steakhouse Seasoned Filet Mignon is super tender, juicy and lean cut of meat. Lots of seasoning.
The cons: If you want gravy with this, you’ll have to bring it in. There were no juices to speak of here. Recipe is heavy-handed with the black pepper.
The verdict: …
The pros: After opening I took a good sniff at the block of chocolate that is Trader Joe’s Chocolate Fondue. It smells of rich chocolate.
The cons: The calorie count and the serving size. How is this 7 servings? I’m borderline positive I consumed a serving with the spoon I used to stir it with.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Parmesan Pastry Pups are easy, premade, and have a sprinkling of parmesan cheese which added a nice salty element.
The cons: Greasy. These are way more greasy than taking a package of crescent rolls and making pigs in a blanket yourself. I literally had a small puddle of grease at the bottom of the pan.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Greek Spirals are a delicious appetizer in the freezer aisle.. Ready in about 20 minutes, this is also a way to serve a non-fried item as well. Has a small (but contained) cheese filling that will remind of you of the flavor of green onions in a good way.
The cons: Nothing comes to mind.
The verdict: …
So I bought this at Trader Joe’s:…
The pros: Really tasty chip where the flavor will hit you at different points. Yes, Trader Joe’s Turkey Stuffing and Seasoned Kettle Chips will remind you of a really paper-thin crunchy stuffing. Which on a potato chip is very tasty. Stuffing if the most pronounced flavor here.
The cons: Visually they will remind you of sour cream and onion so if you don’t warn people it would be quite amusing to see their face react.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lobster and Shrimp Bites are mini seafood patties, but not finger food.
The cons: Follow the picture on the box if you want a sauce with this. It’s best to add a dab on top, as they won’t hold their shape for dipping. Strange almost carrot like orange hue to these.
The verdict: …
