I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure the quarantine 15 is going to be a thing. I’ve done more baking in the last 2 weeks than I did over the entire holiday season. The whole being at home thing and staying close to the refrigerator most of the time has been very real. I’m positive pajama pants have given me a false sense of security as well. So, I figured I would revisit an older product review.
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Party
Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Tacos
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Tacos are a tasty and quick appetizer that are ready in under 10 minutes.
The cons: Like Trader Joe’s Mini Beef Tacos, Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Tacos look nothing like the picture. Unless, you have tiny hands, you won’t be able to get much in these tiny tacos.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Guacamole
The pros: Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Guacamole is a tasty guacamole that might surprise you (as it did me). A nice amount of heat. Nice chunks of fresh veggies.
The cons: You might eat half the container without realizing it.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Golden Round Crackers
The pros: If you like Ritz Crackers, then Trader Joe’s Golden Round Crackers are pretty close to the same product. They are a good size so if you are looking to serve them as an appetizer they will work unlike Trader Joe’s 3 Cheese Wafers which were tasty but not practical as an appetizer.
The cons: None come to mind.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Chicken Shu Mai
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chicken Shu Mai is pretty good. The quality of the shu mai reminded me of the bags of the shu mai I used to buy from the Asian market. Simple preparation. Came out fine in the microwave. Super tasty sauce.
The cons: I found the microwave directions to be off. Mine needed 3 minutes instead of the 1-2 suggested on the box. Also, I recommend that you put the bag of sauce in a bowl of hot water to at least bring it up to room temperature. Sodium seems high, but that is likely due to the sauce being figured into the nutritional value. Sauce should also be sold in a bottle. Sadly, it isn’t.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Oven Baked Cheese Bites
The pros: Trader Joe’s Oven Baked Cheese Bites are crisp, tasty, cheese crisps that go well with soup, salad or just to snack on. Gluten free if you are concerned about that. Half a days worth of calcium.
The cons: Should come in a resealable bag to prevent you from eating the whole thing.
The verdict: …
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….
Trader Joe’s Mini Quiche Duo
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Quiche Duo has a light, flaky pastry with a very tasty filling that is best at just above room temperature.
The cons: Some people might not appreciate the truffle flavor in the mushroom.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Birds Nests
The pros: Trader Joe’s Vegetable Birds Nests is a quick appetizer ready in about 10 minutes. If you enjoy fritters, you’ll probably like this. Sauce was a very tasty tempura sauce. You probably won’t even need the second packet. Nests are good on their own, but the sauce is what really makes them.
The cons: While this looks like it would be a healthy choice in the appetizer section, it is tempura fried. While you might be expecting veggies here, it’s mostly onion. It felt very greasy on my hands and may benefit from sitting on a paper towel for a minute or two.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Carne Asada
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: …
Trader Joe’s Bacon Cheddar Cheese
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: …
Trader Joe’s La Fondue
The pros: Trader Joe’s La Fondue is a solid choice in fondue and an even better value than going out to have fondue. Fondue in most restaurants is a very expensive experience. For the amount of product you get here this is an excellent value. Decent shelf life for a cheese product. Container is re
The cons: Put something under this in the microwave as mine overflowed in the first 2 minutes. How are there 18 servings? I think they meant you can dip things in there about 18 times. In other words, this is a calorie bomb, but then again anything melted cheese usually is. Sigh.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumpets
The pros: If you like pancakes and English muffins, then this is likely for you as Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumpets taste like a hybrid of both. Pleasant but not overwhelming taste of cinnamon. Went well with butter and jam. Low in calories so you can have 2 of these without much guilt.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumpets are a bit plain on its own.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Whole Milk Low Moisture Cheese
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Whole Milk Low Moisture Cheese is sold as a full pound of cheese.
The cons: Difficult to cut even slices, not nearly as flavorful as Trader Joe’s Pre-Sliced Mozzarella. This is less like fresh Mozzarella and more like a harder Polly-O.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Pizza Bambino Formaggio
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pizza Bambino Formaggio is baby pizzas ready in about 10 minutes
The cons: The taste reminded me of the $1 pizzas the grocery store sells.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Sparkling Blueberry Flavored Juice Blend
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparkling Blueberry Flavored Juice Blend comes in a lovely glass bottle that can be resealed, 100% juice, could possibly make an awesome mixer with alcohol.
The cons: All juice is from concentrate
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Sparking Cranberry Flavored Juice Blend
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: …
Trader Joe’s Italian Style Meatballs
The pros: Trader Joe’s Italian Style Meatballs are quick, easy and fast from freezer to microwave and finished in 5 minutes. Two or three meatballs are filling.
The cons: Greasy and not the most flavorful meatballs you’ll ever have.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
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: …
Trader Joe’s Pre-Sliced Mozzarella
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: …
Trader Joe’s Gingerbread Molasses Cookie Dough
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: …
Trader Joe’s Sparkling Apple Cider
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: …
Trader Joe’s Steakhouse Seasoned Filet Mignon
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: …
Trader Joe’s Fondue Au Chocolate or Chocolate Fondue
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: …
