“A mild cow’s milk cheese seasoned with garlic powder and baked golden brown”
What is Trader Joe’s “bread cheese”. Well, there’s no bread in it, its just a cheese that you can grill and it’s really good ! Perhaps, too good. Dangerous 😉
Inspired by a popular grilling cheese from Finland, Trader Joe’s “Bread Cheese” is made to be grilled. It’s a firm cheese with a high melting point which has been pre-baked until golden brown, then packaged up. We now grill this cheese up in a pan until it it gets all melty and gooey. While it is all nice and soft, you eat the slightly squeaky yummy cheese which is kind of like a mozzarella stick without the breading. In fact they suggest you dunk it in some tomato sauce. Some people have put the Hot Honey on it. Some have put Ranch on it. I like it “Greek style” with fresh lemon juice sprinkled over the hot cheese. This stuff is wonderful on top off a salad, or eaten with with a crusty baguette or other bread. Trust me, this is so good and you will come up with lots of ways to enjoy it. Anyway you eat this, you will find it delicious. Its about $4.29 for the package (6 oz). I would buy this again.
My suggestion. Try it Greek Style like Saganaki. Cook it up in a small pan with a little olive oil until golden and sprinkle it with fresh lemon, then bring the whole pan to the table for everyone to tear into and enjoy with warm bread or pita and some salad. TJ’s sells another yummy cheese for grilling called HALOUMI, which is also delicious. Try them both.
“Known in its native Finland as juustolepä, Bread Cheese contains no wheat, or gluten, nor anything else of that nature, but rather gets its name from its hearty, remarkably bread-like consistency and squeaky, Halloumi-like texture. And much like Halloumi, Trader Joe’s Garlic Bread Cheese is best served nice and warm, after it’s had a chance to get just a little melty and gooey.”
Just to give you an idea of how small it really is, the cute little pineapple growing on the stalk is about the size of my thumb. It looks so cool and adorable.
Full name of the plant is PINEAPPLE BROMELIAD. See the link for info on care and growing.
TJ’s was selling these for $15.99
Now have you ever wondered why you see so many pineapples in depicted in design, old buildings and architecture? There is a reason: it showed wealth and hospitality.
This is a very good “curated” blend of two single origin coffees from Central America, specifically from El Salvador and Nicaragua. It’s a 50/50 mix of both, each roasted differently, one to a Medium roast and one as a Light roast, to bring out the ideal flavors of each. I found this coffee to be very tasty, smooth and delicious. Its $9.99 for a 12 oz bag of whole beans. I think if Starbucks or your local coffee high end shop was selling this kind of “curated blend” they would charge almost double that.
I would buy this again.
TIP: The best way to buy coffee is like this, as WHOLE BEANS. Why? Coffee has a ton of volatile oils which are best ground right before you want to use it. You get the maximum flavor if you grind up some beans just before you brew it. Now, if you don’t have a grinder at home, use the grinder at Trader Joe’s. When you get home, put the bag of ground coffee into a freezer bag, seal it and keep it in the freezer. You can put a few days worth of ground coffee in an empty air tight jar to keep it fresh.
My wife loves this and told me she’s “addicted” to it. I tried it, liked it too. Very refreshing. Mild ACV taste/tingle. Made with organic apple juice and no added sugars. It’s $1.69 for 12 oz and only 35 calories. “Healthy soda”!
Here’s what Trader Joe’s says about the product: “What can’t apple cider vinegar do? Some folks use it in marinades, others use it to pickle produce, some even use it as a cleaning agent. As it happens, you can now add “use it to make a remarkably refreshing soda” to the list, with the introduction of Trader Joe’s Organic Sparkling Ginger + Lemon Apple Cider Vinegar Beverage. This tart and tangy sparkler combines pleasantly pucker-y organic lemon juice and bright, bracing organic ginger with (you guessed it) organic apple cider vinegar to create one curiously cool and crisp drink. Best enjoyed nice and cold, our Organic Sparkling Ginger + Lemon Apple Cider Vinegar Beverage at once offers all the thirst-quenching qualities of a lemonade, the exhilarating bite of spicy ginger, and the playful mix of juicy and tangy that only apple cider vinegar can supply. It makes for an especially delicious anytime drink, though we find that its unique flavor profile makes it especially amenable to pairing with rich or spicy foods.”
One ingredient, Chicken. A protein packed treat for dogs or cats.
Any dog or and cat will likely go nuts for these treats, I mean as in rip your arms off to get them. At least my two cats do. Now at six bucks a bag, these are not cheap however it is because its really “super concentrated” chicken, pure little pieces of freeze dried chicken breast. Maybe these two ounces of freeze dried chicken started off as a pound of chicken before they freeze dried it which removed all the water? So one or two treats should suffice (ha, that’s what you say human). Kitty guest Review: My two cats went absolutely bonkers for these, I just opened the bag and they ran into the kitchen from the other side of the house. How they could smell them I have no idea but clearly if you’re a dog or a cat you will smell them and go insane. These treats can also be used to put on top of food if your pet doesn’t want to eat for any reason (changed food brand or recipe, lack of appetite, illness…). In that case, you can just crush up a piece between your fingers and sprinkle the chicken powder on top.
The other good, and much cheaper, treat Trader Joe’s sells is the DRIED SALMON SKIN. They however are messier and smellier to deal with but at $1.99 a bag a good bargain and a healthy treat for cats and dogs (they are labeled “for dogs” but cats can eat too and love them, it’s just baked salmon skins)
I was pretty impressed with these new sausages, called UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR CHICKEN SAUSAGE. In fact I’m going to say these sausages are the bomb. We’re talking so juicy & flavorful. Overall flavor of these sausages is terrific. It’s Ingredients include chicken, unexpected cheddar of course plus caramelized onions and red bell peppers. Personally I really like the snap of the natural pork casing they use, but some have said they think it’s too “thick”* . They didn’t drip or ooze out cheese, if that’s what you are are expecting, its not cheesy like that, it’s more about flavor. I guess the cheddar just melts in and gives them a lot of flavor and obviously some juiciness. I thought they were delicious and we both really enjoyed these when we ate them for dinner as a dish with a side of sautéed potatoes and vegetables.
These can be served in many ways. Want super easy? Just grill them up a bit and put them on a good bun with mustard and sauerkraut. Maybe the TJ’s Brioche Hot Dog Buns! I did a “German style” dish with them with sauteed potatoes. I grilled the sausages on the stove. Along side the sausages, I made sautéed vegetables (potatoes, onions, peppers and some cabbage). The sausages with these vegetables were a really good combination and we enjoyed it all with slices of TJ’s MARBLE RYE bread and DIJON MUSTARD and some of TJ’s excellent SAUERKRAUT. Very German. OK the Dijon was French.
These sausages are already fully cooked. However I think browning them is a must. I just learned you should not prick sausages as we’ve been taught. That they stay juicier if you don’t prick them. OK one of them burst a bit on me but it was fine.
One of these sausages has only 160 calories, and while they are not low in sodium, they are not super high either, these sausages have a bit less sodium compared to TJ’s Andouille Chicken Sausages.
I think these CHEDDAR CHICKEN SAUSAGES are a terrific addition to all the other chicken sausages that Trader Joe’s carries. In fact for me, these are so impressive I’d say these go right to the top of my list of all of TJ’s chicken sausages. I would buy these again. These are $4.49 a package (12 oz) PS – * Personally I love the snap that a real traditional pork casing gives a sausage however if you don’t want it one reader writes he carefully peels off the casing before cooking them.
As the owner of a by-now very spindly 20 yr old rubber plant, I was pretty impressed at how robust and thick these Ficus Elasticas at Trader Joe’s were. They’re beautiful. $12.99
New at Trader Joe’s: Creme Fraiche is kind of the French version of sour cream. However its a bit different, and better that sour cream as it has more butterfat plus is a bit more tangy. This is the first time I’ve seen creme fraiche at Trader Joe’s. This is a welcome addition to the dairy stuff. Lots of ways to use it. Use it in cooking. Also fabulous au naturel topped with berries and a little sprinkle of coconut sugar.
Good price on a good extra virgin olive oil from Greece, single origin, Kalatmata oil. I really like the attractively designed tin it comes in. “Bright and grassy in flavor with a light bitter finish”. I liked this. 16.9 oz. Super for five bucks. TK’s has another Greek kalamata oil too for only a dollar more, $5.99.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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