Trader Joe's Cheese Tortellini

I served these topped with the wonderful Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce, and was thinking how good they were, when it dawned on me that maybe the only thing I was tasting and/or liking was the sauce. So I ate a couple of the pasta pieces with no sauce--and nothing. They're just totally bland and lifeless. I could barely even taste any cheese inside. So my fears were confirmed. These are exactly as good or bad as what you put with them, because by themselves they're practically tasteless.


Will I buy it again? 

via GIPHY

Roundup

This is my weekly compilation of news and other links about Trader Joe's.


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Best tweets of the week:

Knew I’d never be friends w this chick when she didn’t know where her local #TraderJoes was pic.twitter.com/iaJUZF0TUc

— Jess (@mamajess18) January 18, 2020

This #traderjoes employee was #rude, threw a tantrum, then left my cart outside the store to go on her break. And she tried to steal my money & groceries!!!! #thief pic.twitter.com/0gmATVOSRC

— stacey (@Exposethenips29) January 19, 2020

For the twelve thousandth time can I sing a song of lament that the UK doesn't have a #traderjoes and that I can't just go and buy a huge bag of soft pretzels and a tub of something chocolate covered without a transatlantic flight.

— Dr Olivia Dee (@LiviDeeHistory) January 22, 2020

Trader Joe’s employee really just opened a fat box of cookies for me just to try them, I love you #traderjoes

— Edwin (@solano760) January 23, 2020

Today I learned you don't cook #traderjoes mozzarella sticks in the air fryer on 'french fry' setting. #airfryer #FAIL pic.twitter.com/mfyP4FwQtu

— 🏳️‍🌈 ❄️MrsAllnut'sBirthdayYear❄️🏳️‍🌈 (@mrsallnut) January 23, 2020

#traderjoes should make a candle that smells like the Everything But the Bagel seasoning

— Lauren Wilson (@laurennwilsonn7) January 24, 2020

The founder of #TraderJoes made a deal with the devil for good food at decent prices ...the only stipulation, to have the worst parking lot known to all

— Frank Mahoney (@thatguyfrank29) January 25, 2020

And finally, here's this week's cute cat with her Trader Joe's advent calendar for cats:

Yes, I got a #traderjoes cat advent calendar, and yes, Lovecat loves it. pic.twitter.com/FDPjOV3la0

— Carissa Ryan-Matthews (@RckJunkie) December 1, 2019

Trader Joe's Peanut And Crispy Noodle Salad Kit

See Trader Joe's own description of this new item here.

This salad kit absolutely lives up to the "crispy" part of its name. This isn't only because of the rice noodles (included in a separate bag, probably so that they don't absorb moisture from the veggies) and chopped peanuts (ditto). It's because the main components were unusually fresh and crisp. There was crunch in every bite.

Still, I wasn't thrilled. I definitely did not experience the simultaneous tastes of "sour, spicy, salty, and umami," as TJ's promises. Most of what pleasure there was from eating it was texture, not flavor. And for TJ's to claim that this is a Thai salad is an affront to Thai cuisine. 

I did like the included peanut-lime dressing, even if the lime was way too subdued (practically absent). I would buy that if they sold it separately. Nina, predictably, found it too sweet. 


Will I buy it again? 

No. 

Roundup

This is my weekly compilation of news and other links about Trader Joe's.


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Best tweets of the week:

#TraderJoes New Orleans reopened after the refrigeration system went down for 3 days and it’s like the apocolypse up in here. The checkout lady told me to be safe in the parking lot.

— facewithavue (@facewithavue) January 12, 2020

When am I going to start being honest when people ask who cooks in my household?#TraderJoes

— eddie zeiter (@eddiezeiter) January 13, 2020

@WholeFoods You're so ridiculous #wholepaycheck #wholefoods #traderjoes pic.twitter.com/MWXhyVyXYU

— serah davis (@serah67) January 17, 2020

Gotta get up early and go to #traderjoes for my chips before the bad weather comes in🤣 pic.twitter.com/XsRdBV6PN5

— Linda Runge (@Magooe) January 18, 2020

And finally, here's this week's cute cat with its Trader Joe's advent calendar:

It's time for me to start my advent calendar! I'm so excited: https://t.co/fQAvqo7Tjb #adventcalendar #cats #traderjoes pic.twitter.com/oM77LSpTBC

— Summer (@sparklecat) December 1, 2019

Trader Joe's Black Bean Dip With Jalapeno, Serrano & Habanero Peppers

This is not the late, lamented Fat Free Spicy Black Bean Dip. It's not even vaguely similar. The beans here are whole, not pureed. And though peppers are right there in the product name, there's a good reason TJ's did not call this "Spicy Black Bean Dip"--because it's not spicy. The peppers are added in sparingly, maybe even stingily.

I liked it, but didn't love it. I would be content eating it if it were set before me, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it. I prefer the Chipotle Black Bean Dip, which is a staple at my house.

Nina initially said she wasn't impressed, but then gobbled up most of it while I was making dinner. She admitted that she found it strangely consumable, without being able to articulate exactly why.

I don't like the high ratio of plastic to product in how they've packaged this.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Kale Gnocchi

As I sat down to write this, I discovered that I had failed to take a picture of the package when I brought it home. I could fish the empty bag out of the garbage, but I decided it was better to steal the above photo from Trader Joe's web page introducing the product, here.

The good news: Simple sauteeing, as the package recommends, makes these things turn out fine, which was not the case with the cauliflower gnocchi (see the addendum at the end of that review).

The bad news: They taste like gnocchi rolled with lawn clippings. However, that becomes ignorable with a little dressing up. I served them with sliced, browned Sausage-less Sausage and Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce. That combination made the grassiness fade far into the background.


Will I buy it again? 

No. I'll finish the leftovers for my lunch today, but I think that will be plenty of that.

Roundup

This is my weekly compilation of news and other links about Trader Joe's.


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Best tweets of the week:

Open this box to find there’s no chicken inside 😢

I now truly know what real disappointment feels like. #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/KI1D9A5E2u

— Jack Durkin (@DurkinWeather) January 5, 2020

🎶 “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. /
But the very last box /
Means they’re all out of stock. /
This year, to save me from tears, /
I’ll buy up the whole damn section (section).” 🎶 #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/oQo5CFykMq

— Kenley Young (@kenleyyoung) January 5, 2020

Tween girl shopping with mom, very earnestly:

"I really hope I live near a Trader Joe's when I grow up."#OverheardAtTraderJoes #TraderJoes

— Overheard at Trader Joe's (@OverheardAtTJs) January 7, 2020

Good morning, target demographic.

I'm having a Trader Joe's sour cream donut with my coffee, and it's so soft, fluffy, and delicious, I swear it's like eating a baby angel.#Heaven #Angels #TraderJoes #Donuts #HashtagsForNoReason

— ~ DW Rhodes ~ (@_dwrhodes_) January 7, 2020

Update: I ate all the #TraderJoes cookies that @amymaxmen sent me in Canada (where TJs doesn't exist).

If I'm late responding to your email it's because of all the crumbs in my keyboard. pic.twitter.com/pshmvCJIBg

— Roxanne Khamsi (@rkhamsi) January 9, 2020

And finally, here's this week's cat with its Trader Joe's advent calendar:

December 1st means Mommy gives me an advent calendar!!! Yay for more yummy treats. I hope Santa thinks I’ve been a good boy this year #goodkitty #AdventCalendar2019 #traderjoes pic.twitter.com/Il2tS4uYdy

— Tito the Pirate 🐱☠️😈 (@pirate_tito) December 1, 2019

Trader Joe's Mashed Potatoes

This product has apparently been around for years, but I somehow never noticed it until just before Thanksgiving.

Preparation is simple. You count out nuggets from the bag according to how much you want, heat them in a saucepan with a little added liquid. I used some leftover TJ's vegetable broth, which worked well and added a nice bit of complementary flavor. It's easier than the already-easy mixing up of mashed potatoes from dry flakes in a box. Not to mention, y'know, mashing actual potatoes (which--confession--I've never done in my life).

Flavor and texture were both good. I tried them with vegan gravy once, and with just plain butter once, and liked them both ways.

The bag says that it contains seven servings. I think it's closer to four. The recommended 20 nuggets for two people was not enough. I would use about 50% more than the directions suggest.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes.

Trader Joe's Ginger Snowball Cookies

Don't those look scrumptious? I'll tell you, they look just as good when you open the box.

But taste? Not so much. The powdered sugar coating is too thick. I liked the bits of candied ginger, but sugar and ginger was all I tasted, with the rest of the cookie virtually tasteless.

Nina, conversely, disliked them for different reasons. She thought the ginger was so weak as to not be worth having, and didn't like how it sticks to the teeth.

I ate two, Nina ate one, and the rest are going back to the store for a refund.


Will I buy it again? 




via GIPHY

Roundup

This is my weekly compilation of news and other links about Trader Joe's.


The best Latino foods at Trader Joe's


Best tweets of the week:

I’m about to enter the #TraderJoes zone, where I cannot get ANY DAMN THING done because everyone is either blocking the aisles trying samples or sharing their life philosophies with the checkout guy. I JUST WANT TO SHOP AND GO HOME, people! Pray for me.

— Ann Snyder (@lifeinthePNW) December 28, 2019

#TraderJoes — where adults who liked to play bumper cars as kids go to relive the experience with shopping carts.

— Ann Snyder (@lifeinthePNW) December 28, 2019

Why is every employee at #traderjoes so pleasant and happy all the time? I kind of want to apply because I suspect they put something in the water and it might cure my mental illness

— Jess Adams (@THEJessAdams) December 28, 2019

You had one job #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/itzFrnOwWv

— PaleBlueDot in TX (@jasonckendrick) December 29, 2019

I think Vermont’s version of the Hunger Games is the #TraderJoes parking lot on a Sunday.

— Avery Powell WCAX (@averynpowell) December 29, 2019

The ONLY reason there are any of these left at #TraderJoes is bc my husband was with me and wouldn't let me buy the whole lot. Seriously. I would have bought them all. #truffle #cheese pic.twitter.com/0Iz1bcS2KN

— Laura Tortella (@LauraTortella) December 30, 2019

When you get a $20 gift card to #TraderJoes and spend $120 pic.twitter.com/YDWkD6q4xk

— Melody Robinette (@MelodyRobinette) December 31, 2019

#traderjoes #roseparade2020 float ready for trek this afternoon from Irwindale float barn to Pasadena. pic.twitter.com/EppNOa09B4

— Ryan Carter (@ryinie) December 31, 2019

It’s that thing when you find out the #traderjoes gingerbread house comes with with frosting MIX instead of actual frosting #2020fail pic.twitter.com/Src5GKbxWr

— Krispe22 (@krispekitty) January 1, 2020

Trader Joe's notes that “It Takes A Flight of Fancy” to get an idea off the ground, an imaginitive approach put into action by their crew members that make their stores better places every day #traderjoes @traderjoes #RoseParade #PowerofHope pic.twitter.com/TBkgDOnXzM

— Rose Parade (@RoseParade) January 1, 2020

Trader Joe’s always has fun float💖#roseparade2020 #TraderJoes #Pasadena pic.twitter.com/SujLFiJDt3

— Huan Gu (@HuanFP) January 1, 2020

Me: *packing my #TraderJoes bag to throw the cashier a bone*

Cashier: Wow, your bag-packing is incredible. Engineer or architect?

Me: Horrifyingly OCD and anal-retentive

— Danielle Zuberbuhler (@daniellezubie) January 4, 2020

Sometimes, I just want #alberta to leave Canada and become the #51state just so we can get a #TraderJoes and @Target 🥳🤩

— Friday Jones 🇨🇦🇩🇪 (@FridayJones8) January 3, 2020

And finally, here's this week's cute cat with her Trader Joe's advent calendar:

Shadow 🐈 is guarding her Cat Advent Calendar! Tomorrow is the day she can see what is behind door #1! #CatAdventCalendar #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/IWF7OexjEL

— Linda Karber (@petitelinda) December 1, 2019