Monday, January 27, 2020

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

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Roundup

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


6 Trader Joe's products that make meal prep a breeze

16 Trader Joe's appetizers to serve at your next party

The 5 healthiest trail mixes at Trader Joe's

Healthy snacks from Trader Joe's

13 Trader Joe's lunch ideas for easy meals to take to work

16 Trader Joe's items for a Super Bowl party

Two-Buck Chuck is back to its original $1.99 price

Trader Joe's dips for under $5

Trader Joe's versus Sprouts

Top 10 stuffs Hawaii people always get from Trader Joe's

A dietitian's favorite Trader Joe's frozen food

Dinner party ideas from Trader Joe's

10 hidden gems at your local Trader Joe's

7 best Trader Joe's snacks for a Super Bowl party

Preview of Trader Joe's Valentine's Day products



Best tweets of the week:









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

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

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. 

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Roundup

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


The best cheap snacks at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's snacks nutritionists buy for themselves

The 6 best Trader Joe's salad kits

19 ways to use Trader Joe's "Everything But the Bagel" seasoning

17 Trader Joe's meal prep hacks

5 Trader Joe's recipes for cozy date nights



Best tweets of the week:






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

Friday, January 17, 2020

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.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

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.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Roundup

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


8 throw-together Trader Joe's meals when I'm busy and tired

The "Trader Joe's List" Instagram account

12 Trader Joe's breakfast hacks to try

Trader Joe's falls to 2nd in annual best-supermarket survey

16 Trader Joe's soup hacks to try when you need a last-minute recipe



Best tweets of the week:







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


Wednesday, January 8, 2020

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.

Monday, January 6, 2020

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

Saturday, January 4, 2020

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:













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