Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
So here is a returning classic that hits shelves before Thanksgiving, but in my store these hang around until the start of the new year. So while the turkeys might be gone, these vegan turkey-less roasts are there for the vegan or people who prefer to enjoy less meat at the dinner table.
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So the Fall brought us Trader Joe’s Apple Caramel Granola, this winter we have been graced by yet another seasonal granola variety. This is Trader Joe’s Gingerbread Spice Granola. But if you loved the sweetness of the Fall’s seasonal granola, I’m not sure you are going to like this. And yes, this granola is vastly different from the Peanut Butter variety that is on shelves year round.
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Let’s be honest for a second, whenever you get a “gift set” it would seem that there is at minimum at least one item you don’t truly care for. This might be true for anything sold as a set. Usually you get one item you really, really like and then you muddle through the other items. But here is a rare case where that did not ring true.
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For about a month, I’ve been putting together a list of the worst things I’ve had from Trader Joe’s. If this wasn’t seasonal, it would make the list. How bad was it? Well, the conversation in my household went something like this:
“How was lunch, honey?” my husband asked me.
“I’m making a new one,” I responded.
“Why?” he inquired.
“This was the biggest Trader No’s I’ve had in a while.” “Seriously?” “Seriously.”
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Behold, a two for one review. While most of this will center around the new and seasonal Black Truffle, I made it with the new seasonal pasta, Garganelli. Which by the way, looks a lot like a candy cane color. But for right now, truffle seems to be the flavor of the winter time. And there is no shortage of it.
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My husband and I are suckers for having appetizers in the place of dinner. However, this box became just my dinner. I didn’t want to share these. Now, don’t judge me to harshly when I say, I like Chinese food better cold rather than fresh out of the takeout container. And there is a connection here.
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If there was on holiday food memory other than cinnamon rolls, it was making a rum cake with my mom. It was nothing fancy nor was it a family secret. Nope, it was the classic 1980’s Bacardi Rum Cake recipe. It was moist, boozy, delicious, and had the shelf life of a fruit cake. I loved making it with my mom. She let me handle the cake, but the making the glaze was on her. In either case, I loved it and was hoping for the same awesomeness in this box.
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It’s cold as anything since Thanksgiving. We were just talking the other day at work how in New York we feel like we are down to having 2 seasons instead of the normal four. We all feel like we have summer or winter.
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The dessert aisle this year is killing me. So I’m taking a much needed break from it. So far I haven’t seen a ton of new appetizers yet. Perhaps it is too early to say, but I thought they would be out by Thanksgiving. Shelves in my local store have already been packed with Bacon Wrapped Scallops and dates and we’ve even seen the return of the Lemon Ricotta Cheese and Fondue in the cheese aisle.
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If there is one good thing about going to a Trader Joe’s before the holiday, it’s that the people in there seem just a big more kind and jolly than most grocery stores. The other grocery stores near me, the customers are miserable. Worse, the employees are even more miserable. So I hope you’ve done your shopping or are only running out for an item or two. As for me, here is a rare double review in honor of Thanksgiving.
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Trader Joe’s has a turkey products that ask a question: Do you want white meat or dark meat? Because if you like white meat turkey, this is by no means the one to reach for. In fact, you have two solid options for white meat turkey: Trader Joe’s Turkey and Stuffing en Croute or Trader Joe’s Half Turkey Breast. Both solid options.
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If I were to admit to the food pairings that I like most, it would probably be chocolate and peppermint. If I stop at a Starbucks, there is a peppermint mocha frappuccino in my future. If I go to the movies, I reach for Junior Mints. There is something about the pairing of those flavors that make my taste buds very happy.
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I’m not sure how it is almost Thanksgiving already, but it seems like the end of the year is just zooming by. On the stroke of midnight on Halloween it seemed that Trader Joe’s made the transition from pumpkin to turkey to now aisles of just holiday items. And at my store, you aren’t quite sure if it is going to be Thanksgiving or they are just diving straight into the winter holidays.
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Donuts. There is a food item that has such powerful food memories attached to them. Done right they can instantly make you smile. In fact, donuts instantly make me think of certain pop culture icons: Homer Simpson and Fred the Baker from the Dunkin Donuts commercials instantly come to mind. It’s those cultural icons to which we have to thank for phrases like “Mmmmm….Donuts” and “Time to make the donuts.”
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Every now and again, I get a chance to write a review that I’m truly excited to share. Not only is this product new, it is sadly labeled as seasonal. This is the time of year where Trader Joe’s tends to bring out its best products along with a new items I deem as Trader Nos.
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Like Cinderella, at the stroke of midnight, all things pumpkin seems to have disappeared. The shelf space is quickly being shifted into Thanksgiving and holiday items. In fact, I got to pick up some old favorites like Brandy Beans and Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Stirring Spoons as stocking stuffers. With the next Fearless Flyer landing Monday, it isn’t a shock to see so many new items.
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It’s time to revisit a Fall Seasonal item that likes to appear on store shelves in the Fall. And yes, this is one of several seasonal pastas that like to show up on store shelves. In a typical year you’ll see the appearance of the colorful Trofie Colore and the Winter Snowflake Pasta. But at the end of the day, while they may look different, but the taste is similar. …
There are a handful of foods the are absolutely polarizing to discuss: cilantro, truffle, and yes Brussels Sprouts (I know there are far more than just those). But only one of those has food memories often associated with childhood. Either you have grown to like it, or you remember sitting at the dinner table with those terrible mini cabbages which you knew by smell alone were vile.
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If one good thing is coming from the new products on the shelves, it seems like Trader Joe’s has gotten on board with spiralizing veggies. I don’t oppose this trend. I love my pasta as much as anyone else. I just don’t love how easy it is to consume so many calories in one sitting.
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As promised, I’ll alternate the sweet and the “actual food” reviews here. Yes, there is some real food that is hitting shelves. But don’t get too attached this item as it is seasonal. Or if you are into it, then this is your cue to stock up.
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Trader Joe’s has expanded my horizons with their gummy line. It seems like now they have a gummy for every season. I’ve tried all of them over the last two years. For the most part, they’ve been pretty good.
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When I first saw this jar, I immediately thought about Trader Joe’s Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce (which is back on shelves albeit temporarily). The names seem similar. The color of the contents seemed similar. So, I wondered what the difference was. And yes, that pasta sauce is something worthy of stocking up on. Seriously.
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So it seems like maple syrup might become the new pumpkin. I’ve seen so many new additions this year to this simple condiment. Just last week I tried the Ghosted Maple Syrup. And I hope to get my hands on the other new maple syrup hitting shelves: organic Vermont Bourbon Barrel aged Maple syrup. If you are looking at the title, and thinking “didn’t they have that in the past?” Yes, but it wasn’t organic and this has a very different label than the bourbon barrel aged maple syrup I tried in the past. So, I guess I’ll have to report back on to that how they compare.
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Behold, aside from the sliced veggies I picked up, this is one of the least sugar filled items. And quite possibly the strangest. Notice I said least. I didn’t say it was without sugar.
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