Trader Joe's Tomato Sauce

An ordinary, humble item, to be sure, but important to keep around for recipes. I've been buying it lately to use with TJ's Taco Seasoning Mix, and it's perfect. Plus, organic, in case you care about that sort of thing.


Will I buy it again? 

Yep. Because I like the taco mix so much, this has become a permanent pantry item for me.

Trader Joe's French Crepe Wafer Cookies

These are like triangular pieces of waffle cones. They're crisp and tasty. Nina liked that they're not too sweet.

Negatives: (1) They're kind of one-note. (2) It takes a lot of packaging to keep them protected from breakage, and it feels sinful to create so much trash for a few thin cookies. (3) Imperfect resealing of leftovers in humid weather will quickly cause them to absorb moisture and become leathery instead of crispy.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Roundup

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


Top ten items from Trader Joe's

All about the Trader Joe's sign artists

Insider view of produce at Trader Joe's

Woman spirals into vortex of self-doubt after Trader Joe's cashier does not compliment her on selected items

Trader Joe's produce section will be getting greener

Are Trader Joe's cashiers required to comment on your purchase?

12 low-carb snacks from Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's announces packaging improvements

Trader Joe's new items for July

Trader Joe's YouTube channel is amazing and weird

The 10 best cheeses at Trader Joe's



Best tweets of the week:

BTW walked into #TraderJoes after church for *only* a spatchcocked rosemary chicken. That’s it.

Walked out without the chicken $163 later.

I’m still not quite sure how this happened. pic.twitter.com/hZUkC5uqtb

— Apryl 💕 (@lovely_apryl) July 22, 2019

I just had a Buttered Croissant from #TraderJoes and I think this is what love feels like. #aroace #asexual #aromantic

— Madeline (@sevenstevearmy) July 21, 2019

It’s official. I can’t be trusted with Trader Joe’s dark chocolate caramels in the house. #SundayThoughts #TraderJoes

— Ninya (@NINYAauthor) July 21, 2019

My sister introduced my mom to #TraderJoes and I’ve never seen her more excited in my life. A guju lady hesitant to drop a dollar for necessities is now dropping hella for products that she has no idea what they are

— Hiteshree Patel (@shreeshree525) July 22, 2019

I’ll never get a Purple Heart but one time a @TJoes_Official employee gave me free stickers and I feel like that’s the civilian equivalent to prove I’m a good person #traderjoes

— Katharine Cocherl (@KCocherl) July 23, 2019

i have been slain by cookie butter ice cream from #TraderJoes

— connor miller (@connorthemiller) July 26, 2019

And finally, here's this week's cute cat in a Trader Joe's grocery bag cute dog with its Trader Joe's yogurt.

Cokes enjoying some #Icelandic #skyr #TraderJoes definitely has the best brand in the US. pic.twitter.com/JgAAw07PNX

— Cokes Doxie & Bridget (@Bridget_NewGirl) June 18, 2019

Trader Joe's Ube Purple Yam Flavored Ice Cream

I had never heard of ube until pictures of this new flavor of TJ's ice cream started showing up on Twitter. Apparently ube is a big thing in the Philippines.

The ice cream is very pretty. From its color, you'd expect it to be a dark-cherry flavor, or maybe blackberry. Nope. It weirdly tastes familiar, but not close enough to anything that I can name a specific flavor relative for comparison. Trader Joe's introduction to the product mentions similarity to coconut, vanilla, and pistachio. I don't think any of those is quite right--but neither is anything else. Comparisons fail me. I guess you'll just have to try it for yourself.

I liked it. So did Nina, though she was as stymied as I was in coming up with a specific point of reference.


Will I buy it again? 

Well, TJ's describes it as a "limited-edition" item, and I hear that it's already gone, so there's not really a decision to make here. If they bring it back in a year or so, yes, I'd buy another pint for the novelty value, even though it's not among my favorites.

Trader Joe's Ruby Cacao Wafers

I bought these back in February; they seemed to be part of the pink-food rush of Valentine's Day. I assume they're long gone from the TJ's shelves by now, though I haven't checked, but maybe they'll be brought back next year.

I ate some right away, but didn't write about them because I couldn't figure out what to say. I still don't know. They're tiny discs of pink chocolate--apparently their natural color, as no natural or artificial coloring agents are listed among the ingredients. (See here and here.)

They don't taste much like either dark or milk chocolate. They remind me of white chocolate, but with an added fruitiness.


Will I buy it again? 

No. I have no idea what to do with them other than just eat them straight from the bag, and they're not very appealing that way. ,

Trader Joe's Raspberry Mousse Cakes

These are basically the same as the Chocolate Mousse Pumpkins, except in raspberry instead of chocolate. They're not as good. Not terrible, by any stretch of the imagination--just not as good. And my recollection is that the chocolate had a higher ratio of mousse to cake, though I might be remembering incorrectly.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Roundup

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


Trader Joe's announces recall of Pita Pal hummus products due to possible Listeria contamination

5 new Trader Joe's products

17 Trader Joe's summer snacks

9 of the best frozen foods you can get at Trader Joe's



Best tweets of the week:

Today's #starkeysfavoritethings #TraderJoes Pepita Salsa. This will eventually take the place of my blood. pic.twitter.com/0I6cBbZ6pw

— Stark Naked (@gmattpro) July 13, 2019

That'd be sick if #traderjoes opened a nightclub.

— Brian Lu (@djbluz) July 13, 2019

WARNING: If a Trader Joe’s employee offers you a sample of pancake bread w/Coffee Bean Blast ice cream, do NOT accept it!

If you do, then you will be consuming an entire loaf of pancake bread & a full quart of Coffee Bean Blast ice cream for dinner!#TraderJoes @TraderJoesList

— Emmett Lee Dickinson (@The_Dickinson) July 14, 2019

#simplesunday, #john34, #traderjoes pic.twitter.com/03eiu5kC7M

— No Man's Land Productions (@NoMansLandProds) July 15, 2019

when you’re at #traderjoes having a hard time picking what to cook for #dinner @theandymok pic.twitter.com/WwOIkSKaOQ

— thai-la (@tmhthaila) July 16, 2019

#werqing the line at #traderjoes #gurl! I wish I had this much #Style #Shopping #GroceryShopping #Vegan #VeganShopping #VeganGroceries (@ Trader Joe's in New York, NY) https://t.co/q7k8EYX8Ci pic.twitter.com/DnOuWPRRX9

— Pat Dwyer (@patdwyer4) July 16, 2019

Currently sitting in my office eating #TraderJoes Cookie Butter by the spoonful. I don't know if that is a new low or a new high.

— Miranda Maciel (@MirandaMaciel12) July 16, 2019

Living next to a Trader Joe's is the best thing to ever happen to my life.#traderjoes

— Jimmy Garcia (@SergeantQuack) July 18, 2019

And finally, here's this week's cute cat in a Trader Joe's grocery bag:

View this post on Instagram

When I tell her there’s SFuels cat treats in the bag 😜😂🤣🙈😉. @traderjoes @sfuels.sf #golonger #sfuels #lchf #ditchsugarfuels #fragile #package #traderjoes #bestgrocerystoreever #bengals #bengal #bengal_cat #bengalcatsofinstagram #bengalcatsworld #bengal_cat #bengalsofig #bengalcatlovers #bengallife #bengaladdicted #sillycat #catsofinstagram #lovecats #bengalcatworld #cats #cats_of_instagram #love #annabelle

A post shared by Run The Smokies (@runthesmokies) on Jun 9, 2019 at 1:14pm PDT