“Serve at room temperature for best flavor. Great addition to a cheeseboard; enjoy with an oaky Chardonnay”
RAVE
PRODUCT OF U.K.
IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED is an award winning cheese, featured by Trader Joe’s sometime back as their “Spotlight Cheese”.
Is it worth buying? Here’s my honest review.
OMG is this cheese good. Just excellent. I enjoyed tasting it so much, I had to stop myself when I realized I had almost devoured 1/2 the package.
If you haven’t tried it already, put this cheese on your list. Especially as it’s TIME LIMITED. Meaning Trader Joe’s will have it until it runs out.
This is yet one more fantastic super premium Imported cheese you can buy at Trader Joe’s for a decent price. Note that this is one of those products sold under it’s own brand, not as “Trader Joe’s”. That means they really wanted it.
IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED is a mature “aged cheddar” (over 12 months) with a mouthwatering edge of sharpness, a hint of sweetness and a lot of umami with a lovely orange red color. While in the cheddar family this is actually a “Red Leicester” similar but more crumbly than cheddar. It’s a farm cheese, produced at Wyke’s Farm in Somerset, England. The label for Ivy’s Reserve Somerset Red describes it as “nutty, mellow & moreish,” More-ish is a British term that means, “having a very pleasant taste and making you want to eat more.”
That’s exactly the effect it had on me. I kept wanting just one more taste, and when I finished my taste test, I saw about a 1/4 of the package somehow had magically vanished 😉
“Crafted in the style of a Red Leicester, Ivy’s Red is a special edition among Wyke Farm’s variety of Cheddars. It definitely stands out for its burnt-orange color and nutty & fruity notes, which are delivered with a firm texture that is rich, creamy, a bit tangy”
Lovely deep orange color with the taste of aged authentic British cheddar (aged over 1 year) A little earthy, a little tangy.
I had to try it melted, and of course it tasted fantastic melted. I think this might make the best melted cheese sandwich. Try that and add to other things…. an omelet perhaps?
Trader Joe’s has a picture with a cheese board and I am sure this would be a big hit on any #cheeseboard. They picture it with some some chutney, dates, nuts and crackers. Indicating how great this could contrast with the sweet spiciness of say, their MANGO CHUTNEY.
It says “LIMITED” so don’t expect to always find it but if you see it, I highly recommend trying this. At a high end cheese shop I would not be surprised to see this imported farm cheese selling for at least $20 a pound.
Trader Joe’s sell this for $5.49 (for a 7 oz piece)
I actually really love a good hot dog, however as someone who tries to watch what they eat, hot dogs now are something I will basically only eat once a year – on July 4th! So when I do eat a hot dog, it’s got to be really good, of course, and would prefer it be one that is at least trying to be one of the “healthier” versions. But still really tasty.
For me, Trader Joe’s Organic Uncured Grass Fed All Beef Hot Dogs fits the bill exactly. Most important, these are good and tasty hot dogs, that are made better than many others that have questionable ingredients, something hot dogs are notorious for. These have good ingredients. Made with USDA certified organic beef from grass fed cows. They don’t contain added nitrates or nitrites as preservatives (ie, “uncured”). They use natural ingredients to “cure” them, specifically celery and sea salt. The ingredients are not mysterious. The rest of the ingredients are all organic seasonings, things like garlic puree, minced onion, paprika, and red pepper flakes. “No fillers. No kidding”.
We got these for a July 4th get together this year and these dogs were a big hit. Everyone commented on how good the hot dogs were. Nice and tasty, well seasoned the way I like my dogs with: “Organic black pepper, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic red pepper, organic paprika, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic coriander, organic celery powder, organic garlic puree….”
These were so yummy on those good buns with good sauerkraut. I can’t wait for July 4th to roll around year again! You and your kids however may eat them anytime you are in the mood for hot dogs and want them to be as good as possible.
110 calories per hot dog
$5.99 (10 oz package, which has 6 hot dogs)
I would buy these again.
“NO PRESERVATIVES; KEEP REFRIGERATED BELOW 40 F AT ALL TIMES”
Would you say this looks like Trader Joe’s wants to get in on the the popular “drizzling” trend of olive oil in a squeeze bottle? Are you thinking this looks like the popular “Graza Sizzle” oil?
Trader Joe’s is appropriately enough, calling their new oil that comes in a squeeze bottle, “Main Squeeze”. As usual for Trader Joe’s this is a more budget friendly item than say Graza’s line of oil. MAIN SQUEEZE is a blend of Mediterranean extra virgin olive oil from three counties: Tunisia, Spain, and Italy which is “packed in Italy”.
They are selling this 750 ml (25.4 oz) bottle for about eleven bucks – which is cheaper than some of the other oils they sell as many come in a smaller 500ml bottle, like the EVOO from California for example.
$10.99 is a fairly good deal for a 750 ml bottle. Graza brand oil sells now for about $17 at Target for this same 750 ml size bottle. I don’t have any of the Graza oil at home now one so can’t directly compare them. Graza oil is from one country, Spain.
They say this: “Imported from the Mediterranean, it’s a golden, grassy, and pleasantly peppery cold-pressed Olive Oil, ideal for everything from light sautés to dipping bread, and it’s contained within a consummately convenient Squeeze bottle topped with an adjustable spout. The squeezable design is perfect for drizzling over roasted veggies, burrata, or soups. It’s also versatile enough for dipping bread, making pesto, or general pan-frying and sautéing. “
I tried this Main Squeeze Oil and pretty much liked the taste. Yes, it does have “a golden, grassy, and pleasantly peppery taste with a mild kick on it’s aftertaste”.
One thing I don’t like? The nozzle. It’s not great. Hard to grip for a start. I found it tricky to open and close. It is very narrow, so hard to grip, and turn to open and close. It should be wider. I found I needed to grab it with something (towel, etc) to get a firm grip.
The nozzle also had a tendency to get gunked easily. I had to wipe it often as it got gunky after about two uses.
Now do I think the oil is as good as their best EVOO oils (the Sicilian and California ones)? No I would say just a bit under those two excellent oils, however they are more expensive. Those both cost more than this.
So is TJ’s MAIN SQUEEZE is worth trying if you want to try the whole “drizzle” experience. Its of course cheaper than Graza Sizzle EVOO. This says it is “$13.85/quart”.
Like all extra virgin oils keep it in a cool dark cupboard if at all possible to stay as fresh as possible.
$10.99 (750 ml, 25.4 oz)
“Packed in Italy; Oil from Tunisia, Spain and Italy”
I really like this very versatile dressing. Sold in the refrigerated section near salad stuff. Sure this a “salad dressing” but it is also more than that.
Trader Joe’s has this to say about it: “When is a salad dressing more than a salad dressing? How about when it’s also a great dip, condiment, marinade, sauce…”
Salad dressing, a marinade, a glaze, a condiment, even a dipping sauce for your dumplings!
It can be used for all those and maybe more. This is really versatile and useful to have in your fridge. It is of course peanut-y and a typical Asian style mix of sweet and savory. We tried it as a salad dressing. Very yummy. After we poured some over mixed lettuce and arugula my wife said “I think this would also be great on noodles“… Yes! Toss some into your noodles. Or grilled chicken (use for a marinade and a glaze). Or Salmon. Or Shrimp. Or Baked Tofu. Or an omelet. A dipping sauce for dumplings. Cole slaw. Grilled vegetables…. you name it.
It is a bit sweet (from agave syrup) and of course very peanut-y. Has the tiniest amount of spice listed as the last ingredient but I can’t really detect any level of “spicy” here. If you want that, just add your favorite spicy stuff. You can even top with some crushed peanuts (this is smooth) for added texture. I really like this!
You will find it good on or with so many things. The cousin of this, also very good is TJ’s TOASTED SESAME DRESSING.
It lists 120 Cal per 2 tbls
$3.99 bottle (12 oz)
Great with chicken. Marinate some boneless breast or thighs in a bit of this sauce for 1/2 hour. Grill or broil them. Brush on some sauce in the last minute cooking to get a wonderful glaze. Serve with more sauce.
“This awesomely herbaceous spread was designed expressly with bagels and lox in mind—we find the notes of Dill are particularly suited to bringing out the best in smoked salmon or Steelhead Trout. That said, it also happens to be great when simply enjoyed with crackers or charcuterie, and a mixed-in spoonful will add all kinds of depth to a pan of soft, scrambled eggs.” – trader joe’s
The internets seem to have gotten a bit abuzz about this new Trader Joe’s spread. I loved the last one I tried (whipped feta spread). So I got this newer one to try out for review.
I opened it up and tried a small taste of it. Is this dip any good? Yeah Baby! Here’ my honest review.
Yes, yes, yes! I love it. I found this just SO good! Very dill-y and herbaceous, and I am a fan of dill. If you like it, you will also love this. Corny but yes this is “dill-icious” as they have named it.
Trader Joe’s say it was designed to match with smoked fish. For sure! They suggest spreading it for a “shmear” on a bagel, then top with some smoked salmon, or smoked trout or what have you. Certainly this will be wonderful for matching with any kind of smoked fish.
It is good for other things too of course. I liked it just as a dip with veggies: sticks of carrots and cucumbers, radishes, peppers. Anything.
It also tasted great simply spread on a few crackers I tried it with. I then spread it on TJ’s yummy Euro Grains Bread which I topped with slices of cucumber. This combo was excellent. Try it on that wonderful bread or crispbread.
“To create the vacation-in-a-jar that is Trader Joe’s Organic Guava Spread, our supplier starts with organically grown Guavas from Brazil picked at the peak of ripeness. The luscious pink fruit is simmered with organic cane sugar, fruit pectin, and a bit of water (plus ascorbic and citric acids) to create a thick, brick red, tart & tangy spread, teeming with tropical flavor. Simple? Somewhat. Tasty? You bet.”
That bit about vacation in a jar? I have to say, it’s not far off. The moment I simply opened up this jar, something wonderful hit my brain which just registered as a “tropical” smell, before I even put any in my mouth.
Then I put some on a spoon and tasted it. Tropical? Absolutely. This just has the most amazing flavor. I put it on everything to see what it works with.
It works with almost anything. Cottage cheese, toast with butter, or even better, cream cheese. In fact it pairs up so wonderfully with all kinds of cheese. Monterey Jack. Pepper Jack. Cheddar cheese. UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR (on a cracker spread with this guava jam.
You name it. Put some on pancakes. Try with vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream, in fact it pairs great with chocolate. Peanut butter and J. Crackers. Cheese boards!
“And who wouldn’t want to level up their summer cheese board with a swoosh of this Spread on a cracker, topped with a cube of TJ’s Unexpected Cheddar Cheese? (Fun fact: this is exactly how the Spread was served and ultimately approved at the TJ’s tasting panel—the combo is absolutely worth tasting for yourself!)” – TJ
All over the internet, everyone seems to agree that it is incredibly tasty
I just loved this Guava Fruit Spread. I bet you will too.
Product of Canada. The guava is from Brazil. Certified Organic
I would buy this again. It’s considered a very good price too as guava is not cheap.
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC GUAVA SPREAD $2.99 (10.5 oz jar)
There used to be quite a few items you could find at Trader Joe’s that cost 99 cents. There aren’t many now. There are a few pasta items that still cost 99 cents though many went up to $1.29-1.49 like farfalle/bowties.
Trader Joe’s ORZO still costs 99 cents and it’s great! So useful to have in the pantry.
Orzo is a rice shaped pasta frequently used in Greek and other cuisines. I find orzo just so handy. So here’s my Ode To Orzo. First thing I love about orzo is how fast it cooks. “Boil5 minutes” ?! Yup. It probably will take you longer to boil the water. It is so small it just takes 5 minutes to cook.
Many meals when I realize I don’t have enough stuff for a meal, I will find myself reaching for the Orzo. Because it’s ready in no time at all and yes it is a pasta, and I love any pasta. All I need to do is dump a cup of orzo into boiling salted water (or stock).
After five minutes just drain it, add it to a bowl and throw in a nice hunk of butter or olive oil (or mix of the two). Grind on some black pepper. Taste if and see if it still needs a sprinkle of more salt. BOOM; your buttered orzo side dish is ready. Optional; Grate on some cheese. Parmesan, Pecorina, Grana Padano or cheddar or goat for that matter.
You can equally expand on buttered orzo with adding a vegetable to that. Perhaps diced fresh zucchini which is a lovely combination especially with some feta cheese for a Greek dish. The cubed up zucchini can cook in the water along with the orzo and be ready when the orzo is, in about 5 minutes. Or even easier vegetables? Use a frozen vegetable. Maybe French Green Beans? Or frozen peas? The green beans can go in with the orzo (about 5 minutes). Add the peas about the last minute or two before the orzo is cooked as those are ready very fast.
It’s great for adding to soups or stews as well. Chicken soup with orzo is fantastic and very comforting.
Orzo is fantastic to make whole dinners around. For example, a ONE POT dish of Garlic Butter Chicken Orzo; here’s the recipe.
So this is why I always have some orzo in the cupboard, and suggest you should as well. If not, the next time you are at Trader Joe’s just grab a a package of what I think is one of the handy dandiest items there that only costs 99 cents! The 99 cents pasta (spaghetti, capellini, orzo, etc) and cans of beans there are good ways to stretch your dollar at Trader Joe’s.
“It’s made with a base of rich and fluffy Whipped Cream Cheese that’s been mixed with a tangy sun-dried tomato spread, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and a series of savory seasonings, all of which work together to evoke the taste of cheese Pizza on the palate.”
So here is another one of those Trader Joe’s products that came out and seemed to blow up all over social media.
Sometimes I find the things that go viral worthy of the hype, however sometimes they leave me with the opposite impression, with an “I don’t get it” feeling.
So how does this product strike me? Somewhere in the middle I think.
Everything But The Pizza Whipped Cream Cheese Spread has sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Parmesan cheese and spices. Kind of imagine taking some whipped cream cheese, and mixing in marinara sauce. Tasted right out of the tub on a spoon, I would say you might find it tastes kind of “strong”. This definitely needs to go on something or with something.
I tried it on a toasted bagel which one of the things everyone says is Da Bomb. For one thing, if you do that at least toast the bagel so you get some of that crusty chewy effect you want. I thought that combo tasted pretty good. Just not earth shattering as claimed that on a bagel it “tastes like a pizza”. If I was going in that direction, I would prefer the classic muffin pizza. English muffin toasted up with a little tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. I grant you there is slightly more work involved.
I thought the best thing to do with this is to add it to some pasta. Thin it out with some pasta water, milk or cream or even mix in some marinara sauce. You can end up with a nice creamy pink pasta sauce. It did kind of work for me with pasta. What I ended up liking it on, believe it or not, was actually putting it on some pizza!
I had a thought when I was making some pizza from scratch of adding some to my pizza. When it was all toppped, I put a few dollops of this all over with all the other things using two teaspoons. After baking, it came out of the oven with those creamy bits now caramalized a bit. Some creamy bites with lots of flavor. Pretty good!!
I think with pasta, or on a pizza, this stuff is worth trying out. This is one of those you have to try it for yourself and see what you think items. Invent some uses that you like.
All in all I was just a little bit under impressed with this in comparison to all the hype and viral plaudits I saw online about it, however your mileage may vary. Let us know what you think via the Comments
This TikTok’er “hated on it” but discovered she likes it using it to make an open egg sandwich, using toasted sourdough bread:
Another TikTok’er suggest eating it on raw bell peppers, as kind of a crudité dip. So try it with other things like carrot sticks, celery sticks and the like….
I’m surprised I never got around and actually reviewed this Trader Joe’s standard, which is a kind of a Classic in it’s own right.
I had tried the other one, Trader Joe’s roasted garlic marinara and liked it. So I thought I it was time to give the original flavor a spin.
First and foremost, either of these Trader Joe’s sauces are a great deal. $1.99! A jar still costs less than two bucks. This sauce is a very good what I might call an every day tomato sauce, frankly equal to some big brands that cost more.
You can fix it up easily too. Love garlic? I do. So I added a few cloves of slivered fresh garlic to the pan in a bit of olive oil, let the garlic get a little toasted, then poured in this sauce. Add some more herbs to your liking as well, especially a little fresh basil should you have some. A dash of red pepper flakes perhaps?
Even if you do nothing, this is a very tasty versatile sauce which can not only be used for pasta but for cooking and making other dishes. “Use it as a simmer sauce for chicken breasts or meatballs. Or, let it be the starting point for your own sauce-creation. So many different ways to enjoy this enduring sauce.” https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/tomato-basil-marinara-sauce-045029
I even like the way this one tasted way better than an organic version I tried a while back and gave a fail.
This would also be a good sauce for making your own pizza, using either fresh dough or a crust (or naan) from Trader Joe’s.
I don’t know if it can go toe to toe with Trader Joe’s frankly fantastic (and upscale) Italian CARO SUGO sauce. However that one costs $5 a jar. You could buy 2 1/2 jars of this sauce for that. When you want a super special dish, the Caro Sugo might be worth it, but this is fine for more everyday level. Especially if you are using a sauce for cooking.
If you are on a tight budget Trader Joe’s can help with dinner. Let’s figure, you buy one of their pastas that still cost 99 cents. Grab a jar of this sauce. You’ve spent three bucks and you have dinner.
If your budget allows that might even leave room for some upgrades to say, one of their “artisanal” pastas ($2) and maybe some leeway to add a bread and salad…. $1.99 for a baguette and maybe a $2.29 bag of arugula.
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC RADIATORE pasta is a relatively new addition to the pasta shelves there. They were introduced along with the square rigatoni pasta, which I also gave a great review.
Want to know the translation of “radiatore“? Funny enough it means what it sounds like: “radiator”. Because that’s what these look like. Little radiators.
The shape has all those nooks and crannies which are perfect for taking in and holding a lot of sauce. By the way, did you know the Italian government recognizes about 300 different pasta shapes?
A 1 lb package goes for $1.99. It’s a high quality, bronze die cut pasta, imported from Italy and made from organic durum wheat semolina.
I made this pasta for dinner last night with Trader Joe’s TOMATO BASIL MARINARA sauce (a bargain at $1.99 and it’s excellent). OK, as I am a “cook” and can’t just open a jar and be done with it, I did add two cloves of garlic and a 1/2 shallot sauteed in a tablespoon of olive oil then added a 1/2 jar of the sauce (for two portions). Trust me it made it even better but you could go the easy route and just open a jar.
These radiatore cook pretty fast due to shape, in about 9 minutes. I probably took them out a minute before that (ie, pre-al dente) as I would cook them more in the sauce. I dumped the drained pasta into my pan with my sauce, added about a 1/4 of the pasta water, tossed them over and over for about a minute to let them marry and absorb some sauce till al dente.
I was going to serve peas on the side but as I was making this, my wife suggested I just toss everything in together. Which was actually a great idea as the peas add a nice flavor and texture and got into the nooks of the radiatore. Grated on some of my favorite TJ ROSEMARY ASIAGO which I especially love with pasta.
The texture and taste of this radiatore pasta was perfect and we really loved this dish we came up with “radiatore with peas in tomato sauce” which can now go into rotation. Try this combo! Super easy and delicious, not to mention a bit healthier with added vegetable protein. A little salad and bread made it all perfect.
The best thing? Pantry meal. Everything came out of the pantry (and freezer) so a perfect idea for when “you don’t have anything” in the fridge.
Delicious easy dinner for two, which probably cost less than 3 bucks.
Equally good would be the simplest pasta using this radiatore; just Butter and Cheese. Use lots of both.
I would buy these again. — (UPDATE: I looked for them today to buy more and didn’t see them on the shelves…. )
PASTA WITH PEAS recipe (pasta al piselli)
Toss your pasta into salted boiling water. Whatever time it says on the package, you will subract one or two minutes for “pre-al dente”. In a pan or pot, put a tablespoon of olive oil, and a nice pat of butter. (optional) Add 2 cloves of sliced garlic, and cook till golden. You could also add in 1/2 shallot too if you have one, or a 1/4 onion.
Add your favorite jarred (or homemade) sauce to the pan. When the pasta is “pre-al dente” (tests a little hard) add that to the pan and cook, adding in some pasta water (1/4 cup?). Toss in some frozen peas (1/2-1 cup as you wish) Toss everything over and over to mix and cook for about a minute or so, cooking the pasta just till it becomes al dente. That means “to the tooth” just after the pasta is no longer hard to bite and not soft or mushy. Italians hate overcooked pasta.
Plate and top with a nice amount of freshly grated ASIAGO cheese (or Parmagiano or Pecorino) and serve. Bread and a salad will round this out nicely into a dinner
Portions: for two people I usually figure about a 1/2 lb (half the package) pasta, and for sauce about a 1/2 jar but your ratio may vary. Again, Italians like just enough sauce to coat the pasta well but not to have pasta swimming in sauce the way most Americans think you make it.
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