Trader Joe’s Sliced PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD, made with pumpkin purée & spices

16 Sep 2026 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, baked, bread, dairy, Fall Season, fresh, General, Holiday, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, seasonal, snacks, spices, Staple, sweets, tea, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ?, Xmas season Tags: bread, dinner, fall, Food, gluten, item, Limited, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes, vegetarian

A package of Trader Joe's sliced pumpkin sourdough bread featuring an illustration of a pumpkin and a label indicating it's made with pumpkin puree and spices.

Sliced bread resting on a wooden cutting board, showing a light brown crust and airy interior.

Trader Joe’s Sliced PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD made with pumpkin purée & pumpkin spice

$4.99 (17.6 oz, 500 gr)

NEW ITEM (LIMITED TIME)

As I’ve mentioned before I’m actually not one of those people who goes nuts when Trader Joe’s comes out with all the pumpkin stuff every Fall.

However on occasion I do see something that looks interesting and peaks my interest. Like this bread I saw in the New Items shelf while I was checking out:

Trader Joe’s SLICED PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD. After doing a little research I saw that some shoppers supposedly are raving about this bread and snapping it up. So I got one to try out. Here’s my honest review.

I liked this. I like that its actually made with some pumpkin puree, so you get a (subtle) hint of pumpkin. I like the fact that the amount of spice is very subtle. It’s not overly flavored with spices. There is just a hint of pumpkin spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg). Almost background.Pumpkin puree is the third ingredient listed (flour, water, pumpkin purée…) in the ingredients.The bread has a slight sweetness but just a little and tastes like bread, not dessert.

The bread has a nice crumb with some air holes and a little structure. It has a bit of little sourdough tang but think sourdough in quotation marks. I think of this as a “sourdough style” bread.

As is untoasted, I thought it tasted fine. However my first thought was I have to toast it. This is best for toasting or grilling. First I just toasted it and tried it simply spread with some good butter. Simple but delicious. Also excellent with butter and raspberry jam. Experiment and find your favorite combo for jam. Trader Joe’s APPLE JAM perhaps?

FRENCH TOAST? I didn’t try it yet but I know this Definitely would make fantastic french toast. Try that with this bread over the holidays?

Close-up of a grilled cheese sandwich, cut in half, revealing melted cheese between two slices of toasted bread, with a slice of cucumber on the side.

Sounds a bit odd but how for a grilled cheese sandwich!? I saw somewhere on the internet to make a grilled cheese with this bread and for cheese, some gruyere. They were not wrong. I tried it. So good. We really liked the way these grilled cheese sandwiches came out and tasted (my “recipe” below)

A slice of whole grain bread with large pieces of white cheese on top, partially covered by another slice of bread.

Cheese: I saw the recommended one was Trader Joe’s GRUYERE CHEDDAR MELANGE and that’s what I used, which it was a perfect match.

Here’s how to make a grilled cheese sandwich with this PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD.

Slice up your Gruyere Cheddar Melange cheese, then spread the bread slices with a thin layer of your favorite mustard. I used a mix of Dijon and Regular mustard. Add a decent amount of cheese and carefully close up the sandwich. Grill in a heavy pan with a bit of butter on medium. Let it grill up for about 3-4 minutes per side until it looks nice and Golden Brown and Delicious (check occasionally after 2 3 minutes, it can get dark easily) Flip the over carefully, press gently with a spatula until the second side is done and the cheese is all melty and delicious. Serve with pickles.

I’m sure it would also be good with some kind of cheddar but I have to say, that Gruyere melange perfect, subtle and nutty and matched perfectly with the pumpkin sourdough.

Nutrition facts label for a sliced pumpkin bread from Trader Joe's, including ingredients, serving size, calorie content, and nutritional information.

My only complaint with this bread is they don’t give you enough for five bucks! Its kind of small, half loaf of bread which is just over a pound. Our loaf went pretty fast, in fact we were fighting over who would eat the last piece of toast.

1 slice is 110 calories.

Product of Canada

CONTAINS SESAME SEEDS

Trader Joe’s PANEER Indian Style Cheese

11 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, Asian, baked, cheese, dairy, fresh, General, Trader Joes Tags: Cooking, Fearless Flyer, Food, item, Products, protein, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes, travel

Paneer is a fresh, non-melting Indian cheese that you can cube, slice, or crumble. It absorbs flavors and holds its shape when heated. Use it in curries, stir-fries, salads, or as a substitute for tofu or halloumi

Apparently twice before, Trader Joe’s used to sell a paneer cheese, first way back in the 90’s and again around 2000. But they say it just didn’t catch on back then so they dropped it.

Now with a few very popular items like PALAAK PANEER and PANEER TIKKA MASALA – which they sell a lot of – people are more familiar with paneer. So once again, TJ’s just came out with this, Indian Style Paneer Cheese. This is made for Trader Joe’s by a cheese producer in Wisconsin.

What makes paneer cheese useful to cook with is that it doesn’t melt. Paneer stays pretty solid when cooked. So good for adding to dishes as well as for grilling. Trader Joe’s says marinate it in your favorite spices before grilling. Or simply add it for extra cheese into one of entrées like PALAAK PANEER. I love Palaak Paneer but I think theyve gotten chincier with how much paneer is in it (Which I think it used to have more, and maybe they cut back for cost reasons?)

“Made for us in Wisconsin, this pasteurized cow’s milk cheese is produced by curdling the milk with acetic and lactic acids, resulting in a firm and crumbly fresh cheese with a subtle tang.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/paneer-indian-style-cheese-083749

This cheese is just milk and acid to coagulate it. It has zero salt and no flavor really. Think of it as a blank canvas like tofu.

Here’s my honest review of this new PANEER cheese. I was expecting this to be like the paneer in their entrees (made in India) like Palaak Paneer or Tikka Masala Paneer. This seemed firmer (before I learned the hot water soaking trick) and needing to let it cook at least 10 minutes or more.

(hot water trick!) *What I have learned since I started is that some people recommend putting paneer in very hot water for about 5 minutes before using it.

I tried to “crumble” it as they describe it as being “firm and crumbly”. I couldn’t really crumble the cheese with my fingers (tip: this worked better after the hot water trick*).

I cut the paneer into cubes and sauteed/grilled it in butter, sprinkling on some Indian masala spices and curry powder. Not bad that way grilled up. Grill it low and slow.

I tried the hot water soak, the second time I cooked with it and it did seem to help with the texture being too firm. Worth trying this hot bath trick before you use it. Also I learned to cook it for longer periods. If putting in a stew or curry let it cook at least 10 minutes to soften and absorb flavors. If grilling this, try low and slow till nice and golden brown. Flavoring: you need to add a ton of things to give it flavor. Garlic is wonderful and lemon juice at the end will perk it up nicely. Don’t forget a pinch of salt! It has zero.

RECIPE: PAN FRIED SPICED PANEER

https://healthynibblesandbits.com/spiced-pan-fried-paneer

Trader Joe’s “PANEER, Indian Style Cheese”

PRO: Good for grilling; will stay firm. People say Trader Joe’s price is far better than Whole Foods’ paneer.

CON: A bit too firm? But the trick with hot water seems to fix that.

$4.99 (10 oz)

Preparation Basics

Soften: Soak paneer in very hot water for 5-10 minutes to make softer and more pliable.
Cut it: Slice into slabs or into bite-sized cubes.
Season: Toss with oil, salt, and spices like turmeric, chili powder, or garam masala or curry powder before cooking. Fresh garlic works great

Popular Cooking Methods

Pan-fry: Heat a little oil or ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the cubes for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.
Simmer in Sauce: Add raw or fried paneer cubes into hot curry sauces (like palak paneer or tikka masala) and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Grill or Skewer: Marinate chunks in yogurt and spices, then grill or pan-sear for a smoky flavor.

Ingredients: Milk, Acetic Acid, Lactic Acid.

Trader Joe’s KEY LIME PIE

04 Aug 2026 3 Comments

by promacnyc in baked, dairy, frozen, Meh, Products, review, sweets, Trader Joes Tags: dessert, Products, review, sweets, Trader Joes

Trader Joe’s KEY LIME PIE

NEW ITEM

I adore key lime pie, so I was happy to see that Trader Joe’s had one. Here’s my honest review of Trader Joe’s KEY LIME PIE, sold in the frozen section.

While I thought this pie was kind of tasty and did have some of that key lime flavor, unfortunately the level of sugar in this is through the roof. This key lime pie is just way, way too sweet. Too much sugar. My wife tasted it and immediately made a screwed up face and complained that it was Crazy Sweet. She could barely eat hers.

With the pie we had to drink some strong black tea,. which helped tame a bit of the sweetness level.

Which led me to wonder I if I could try adding a dollop of plain GREEK YOGURT on top of the pie to cut down the level of sweetness. That did actually help, somewhat, with the sourness of the yogurt countering the sweetness which made it a bit more edible. My suggestion if you do buy this key lime pie, get some plain Greek yogurt, or unsweetened whipped cream for it. It will still be sweet of course but more tolerable.

IF they could cut down the sugar (which is a whopping 39 gram per serving) I would like this. As it is, I can just give this a MEH. B- for effort.

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/key-lime-pie-053250

Key Lime Pie is not an easy pie to make and to get it right. You need lots of REAL key lime (which are costly, and should be from Florida (aka the real deal) not Mexico in the perfect ratio to sweetened condensed milk to balance out the sweetness. Real Key Lime’s are very sour. So the combo works.

Ah STEVE’S! I’ve had (and love) one of the best key lime pies out there – STEVE’S KEY LIME PIE. which is famous in the NY area, and is actually made all the way out in Red Hook, Brooklyn where they even sell it right there at the factory (a fun visit too).

Steve’s Key Lime pie is amazing, balanced perfectly and nowhere near as sweet as Trader Joe’s version. It has the citrus to sweet level correct. I’m sure it’s probably because they add more way more and real FL key limes, which are an expensive ingredient. Of course it costs a LOT more than TJ’s pie, which is only six bucks. So while this is a good price, and kind of tasty, its again simply too sweet. You can try to fix it up a bit with some yogurt, which does help make it more palatable. Maybe even a squirt of lime or lemon?

Sidenote: their Key Lime Cookies are pretty good

$5.99 (17 oz)

Trader Joe’s budget friendly Family Style MEAT LASAGNA (frozen)

01 Aug 2026 1 Comment

by promacnyc in baked, bread, dairy, DIY, frozen, General, Italian, Prices, Products, Rave, review, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: dinner, easy, entree, Food, frozen, gluten, idea, noodle, pasta, product, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review

Trader Joe’s: “Tender sheets of pasta layered with creamy ricotta, tangy tomato sauce, and plenty of ground beef and pork seasoned with onion and garlic (the words “ultimate comfort food” would not be hyperbole here). Topped with an additional trifecta of cheeses—mozzarella, Romano, and Parmesan—the Lasagna is made fresh, then frozen and shipped to our stores, ready to report for ‘What’s for dinner?’ duty.”

RAVE

Just great to have in the freezer.

How can anyone not love lasagna? Soft slightly chewy, flat, wide sheets of yellow noodles, in three or four layers with a delicious tomato sauce and cheese. THREE kinds of cheese. All the layers topped with a cheesy bechamel sauce after baking that gets nice and golden brown and delicious. That is sounds like my Ultimate Comfort Food.

Years ago, I actually used to make it every now and then when I had company, as it was always a hit and could feed a crowd. But it is a lot of work.

If you are not going to make it yourself this Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna is an easy way to satisfy that craving. I had seen reviews of this online that people considered Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna quite good. I wanted to finally try it.

We got one to do a taste test for a little get together with a neighbor who wanted an “easy meal”. This TJ lasagna as our Main. Here’s my honest review. It’s true. Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna is not only pretty good, its surprisingly good. When we tasted it our reaction was that this was way better than we expected. This lived up to it’s well deserved reputation.

Trader Joe’s FAMILY STYLE MEAT LASAGNA is very tasty, very satisfying and just really yummy. TJ’s frozen lasagna actually tasted like something you could be served out at a family restaurant. All three of us tasters kept remarking at how (pleasantly) surprised at just how good this was for something made commercially. The ingredients even lists fennel seed. Now that’s Italian. The pasta, meaty sauce and cheese combined perfectly and was well seasoned with herbs and spices. The rich meaty sauce includes both beef and pork for plenty of umami. The noodles still had texture, they weren’t mushy. I liked the ratio of noodles to the layered cheese and stuff inside. For me, the best part were those dark, baked corner edges. I was sure we over-baked it but it was actually perfect. Just really nice and browned at the corners where the top of the lasagna baked up nice and chewy with browned cheesy goodness. The corner pieces were my favorite part.

All in all, this is quite a decent tasty entree , which was satisfyingly good and frankly a good deal for the price ($7.49). I think that would not buy you one portion of lasagna, anywhere, right? Let alone 4 (or 3!)

If you have this in your freezer, this can make a really easy dinner, which everyone will probably like and come in for a very affordable price…$2-3 a portion? Sweet deal for a family.

PORTION SIZE: This lasagna is 24 oz (2 lbs). While the box says “4 servings” (which would be about 8 ounces each) realistically that might be a tiny bit on the low side as far as feeding 4 adults. Maybe 4 adults if this is served with 2 sides, or with a salad and some bread.

When we ate it, there were three of us, myself, my wife and our neighbor. We served and ate about 3/4 of the lasagna to start with. But frankly this was so tasty, when we finished what we had, we all said we wanted a little more! So us three adults ending up finishing the whole thing easily, even with a salad and a side dish. So just FYI, realistically maybe think 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 kids, especially if you want another bite or two. Kids as well I think will love this too, of course.

COOKING METHOD: Sure the box say you can nuke this but I say: “Fugedabouit! This will taste best baked, period. The box it even says baking is the “preferred method”. Browning greatly adds to the overall taste and get those nice chewy bits, which is done by baking semi-covered with the film which you later remove and bake a bit more at the end (the film is oven safe of course). Microwaving will not give the needed browning. So just plan on baking this, please.

HOW TO BAKE Trader Joe’s frozen Lasagna – “Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Put the lasagna on a baking sheet. Lift up the two opposite corners of the plastic film on the top slightly so it can vent (important). Bake for 65 mins, then remove and carefully remove the film so it can brown. Put it back for about 5 minutes to finish browning. For reference, you can check my picture. It looks over baked but it was perfect IMO, with the corners being my favorite part of it. If you want less browning thats your call.

Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

So yes it will take a little over and hour to cook this from frozen, baking in the oven. Perhaps, if this is defrosted maybe it would cut down on baking time to 30-45 minutes? Might be worth trying. Leave it out on the counter for a few hours to defrost….

ADDITIONS? Of course if you want to, you add things just before serving this to ramp up the homemade angle. You could grate on some fresh Parmesan or Pecorino, add fresh basil if you have it, and add a drizzle of EVOO. If you want extra sauce with it you could even open a jar of your favorite one and serve a little on the side for mopping up with some good toasty bread.

A great Trader Joe’s product, and quite the value.

Trader Joe’s FAMILY STYLE MEAT LASAGNA $7.49 (24 oz)

I would buy this again.

(Tip: I saw they also sell a non-frozen lasagna in the refrigerated case; it’s 50 cents more, $7.99. I have not tried that yet)

PRODUCT OF CANADA – I hope the price is not affected by tariffs!!!

Trader Joe’s MINI UNCURED PEPPERONI STICKS (double snack pack)

18 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, Blog, bread, cheese, dairy, DIY, fresh, General, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, review, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes

Little mini pepperoni sticks divied into 2 cute “snack packs” of about one ounce each.

I saw these on the check out line at Trader Joe’s yesterday. I could not resist this cute package so picked one up and honestly, when I got out of the store, I opened up the package and took a bite of one of these sticks. I have to say these are really tasty and brought me back to when I was a kid and bought “Slim Jims”. Probably these have way better ingredients.

They are neither hard nor soft, just the perfect texture and taste. These are a snack-sized helping of slim, perfectly chewy Pepperoni Sticks made from uncured pork. (No nitrates or nitrites are added, except those naturally occurring in sea salt and cultured Swiss chard powder). Very savory and tasty, pork-y goodness. Even could go on a #cheeseboard.

My package went pretty fast. Health food? No, of course not, these are a occasional treat but the ingredients are not mysterious and they are not very fatty. Sodium is pretty high! A whole package (both sides) contains 1050 mg sodium, or about 56% the allotted recommended daily sodium level .

However if one ate half a package at a time, as an occasional snack/treat not too terrible. Just so you keep an eye on that. Me I can eat about 4, 5 sticks and be satisfied.

1 package has 210 calories, 13 g protein….

$1.99 package (2 oz)

Trader Joe’s DETROIT STYLE UNCURED PEPPERONI PIZZA, review

18 Jun 2026 1 Comment

by promacnyc in baked, bread, dairy, DIY, frozen, General, Italian, New, News, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: cheese, Detroit, dinner, Food, Italian, pan, pizza, Products, recipe, Recipes, review, style, Trader Joes

(hope you find it. this pizza’s very popular & sells out fast!)

TRADER JOE SAYS: “With its rectangular shape, deep, crispy-edged crust, and golden underside, Detroit-style pizza has been wowing pizza fans and converting thin crust devotees since 1946. Believe it or not, the original Detroit-style pie was said to have been baked in steel pans originally used for auto parts!Trader Joe’s Detroit Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza is decidedly not assembled in auto part pans, it is packaged in a rectangular, oven-friendly pan that’s sprinkled with cheese prior to pizza assembly. This crucial step delivers the golden, crispy-on-the-underside and pillowy-on-the-inside crust that’s characteristic of a Detroit Style pie.“

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/detroit-style-uncured-pepperoni-pizza-083764

NEW

Very popular item! Sells out fast? If you are looking to try Trader Joe’s (new) DETROIT STYLE UNCURED PEPPERONI PIZZA all I can say is GOOD LUCK finding it in the freezer case. If you don’t see it, ask the front desk, as to when it comes in.

Most of the time I went looking to buy it all I found was an empty shelf. Since it came out it usually seems to Sell Out fast. Naturally I have a feeling this is due to social media.. At the moment, this is a hot item. I guess each store gets a certain amount per day and whatever they get, sells out pretty fast.

When items get very hot, I always wonder – Is it really that good or is it just Hype due to social media?

When I finally saw it in the freezer, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed one to try it and here’s my honest review. First I should say as a native “Noo Yawkah, and lover of our classic styles of pizza, I’ve never been a big fan of thick crust pizza and as you can see, the crust here is pretty thick.

But GUESS WHAT? Tasting this Trader Joe’s pizza all I can say is this item is popular for a reason\I never had a Detroit pizza in my life so I can’t judge how accurate Trader Joe’s version is. My wife and I both enjoyed eating it, despite the amount of crust.We found this to be quite tasty and yummy. It really hit the spot when we were in the mood for pizza for dinner. And yes, I made dinner a bit healthier by making a veggie side.

Yes it is pretty dough-y for me, but overall, quite tasty. All the elements were good. It had a nice thick tomato sauce, very flavorful and very tomatoe-y, It matched perfectly with the nice amount of cheese. The star of the show is of course that pepperoni.

The uncured pepperoni on this pizza is EXCELLENT. Not greasy. No pool of grease you see usually see on pepperoni pizza. Nor did it shrink up a good deal into cups like some pepperoni. Spicy? Not to us taste buds. I thought this uncured pepperoni was pretty mild.

What I’ve learned with this pizza is how to make this as good as possible. The main point being, make sure to get it well baked. See the last pic for how it looked when we ate it (i made some veggies for a side) It does come in a paper pan which you can put right in the oven for convenience.

TIPS: The package says bake in the included oven safe paper pan for 23-25 minutes at 425F. Rearrange the pepperoni evenly.

As you see, I made our meal a bit healthier adding some veggies to our dinner… It was all SO YUMMY!

Notes:

I thought a metal pan might give it a better bake than the paper one it comes in (seeing as a real one is baked in a steel pan, right?) So I took it out of their pan and put the pizza on a small sheet pan. At the very least, even if you use their pan, put that on top of a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Anyway your call on that. I should try both methods..,
Of course all ovens vary widely. In ours, it definitely needed more than their listed time (23-25) at 425 to get really well baked, which is what I tink you wantwith this pizza. It should look like the picture on the box. Deep deep brown cheese. After the recommended time, I tried it and decided the crust wasn’t nearly baked enough. I put it back in the oven. In our oven it needed another 5 minutes to get nice and deep brown all over. I also added a squirt of olive oil on the bottom of the pan to give the crust some help as it was a bit dry. Olive oil will help brown and crisp the bottom and improve it quite a bit. Figure perhaps 30 minutes baking time? Check it often towards the 25 minute mark and adjust as needed.
Be sure to let your oven get nice and pre-heated, give it a least 10-15 minutes after it hits temp before you put in the pizza.
I think I could have even brushed on some oil on the edges/sides. It looks a little dry as you can see; easily fixed with some more evoo. I will do that next time.
Personalize with your own Seasonings: I added my normal seasonings I like; slivered garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper…. Feel free to do what you like to your pizza. I hit this after it came out with some fresh grated pecorino. I had fresh basil which of course was terrific on it. Do your own thing and enjoy! But even as is with nothing, this is quite good.

How big is it? 24 oz. (1 1/2 lbs) Now my wife thought the two of us should eat the whole thing. We could have, but I was the voice of reason and said, let’s eat 2/3 of it and leave a third. She fought me bitterly and snuck in a few bites of the leftovers.

Just know if you eat the whole thing all by yourself, figure 1750 calories. Personally I wouldn’t but that’s your call.

Not a bad deal at about $8 bucks for a pizza that can feed 2 or 3 people. $7.99 makes it one of TJ’s more expensive pizzas due to the quality pepperoni.

(TIP: one reader suggests using the included pan but putting a sheet pan under that. They said it did get very well browned up on the edges in that pan)

Trader Joe’s frozen UNCURED PEPPERONI DETROIT PIZZA $7.99 (24 oz)

People say this is one of the best pizzas Trader Joe’s sells.

I would buy this again.

Trader Joe’s QUESO FRESCO, Mexican Style Crumbling Cheese

22 May 2026 1 Comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, cheese, dairy, DIY, fresh, Mexican, Products, Rave, review, Staple, Trader Joes, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: cheese, cheeseboard, Mexican, Products, review, Trader Joes

“Fresh and creamy, semi-soft cheese with a mild, smooth flavor”

Queso Fresco (literally translated as “fresh cheese”) is a soft, un-aged Mexican cheese made with cow’s milk. It has a bright, mildly milky, and slightly salty-tangy flavor, and is known for its crumbly texture that doesn’t melt when heated.

Trader Joe’s version of QUESO FRESCO is very tasty. A little tangy, a little salty, not too firm and not too soft. It crumbled easily between my fingers, which is the best way to prep it.

Queso Fresco is of course terrific with all Mexican foods like enchiladas or tacos but you don’t have to limit yourself to Mexican food. You could use this in many cuisines, kind of like Feta cheese. Use this with eggs which it goes perfectly with, either sprinkled on top or use as an omelet filling. Its fantastic on top of salads. GRILLING: I even cut slices of it and just grilled them. While not as firm as Halloumi I was able to grill up till it was golden brown and not melt.

You could try pairing cubes of this queso with TJ’s GUAVA SPREAD on crackers; a perfect salty sweet combo that would be great on a #cheeseboard

Queso Fresco $3.79 (8 oz)

I would buy this again.

If you want a deep dive into queso, this site has that

https://www.wisconsincheese.com/the-cheese-life/article/136/queso-fresco

Trader Joe’s SUBLIME ICE CREAM SANDWICHES “Cookies ‘N Cream” flavor

05 May 2026 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in dairy, ice cream, Meh, Rant, review, sweets, Trader Joes Tags: baking, cookies, dessert, Food, ice cream sandwich, Products, Recipes, review, Trader Joes

“Cookies and Cream ice cream sandwiched between rich chocolate chunk cookies”

I like the original version of these: “Vanilla Ice cream sandwiched between Chocolate Chip cookies.

My neighbor tried this newer version: Cookies N Cream which are a new flavor riff on the original Sublime Ice Cream Sandwich (Chocolate Chip cookies around vanilla ice cream rolled in chocolate chips).

My neighbor wasn’t crazy about these Cookies and Cream sandwiches after she tried one. So she offered the rest of them to me. My wife and I tried them and we understood why our neighbor wasn’t crazy about this flavor. First off – Way, way too sweet. What I call “kid level” sweetness. Way too sweet from the two (similar) sweet things going on, both the cookie and the ice cream. IMO this flavor doesnt’ work. They have pretty sweet cookies and cream ice cream inside – outside a sweet gooey chocolate outer cookies. As soon as you chew this you are kind of making “cookies and cream” anyway. So the effect is double Cookies And Cream, and its a bit too much for me. My wife wouldn’t eat more than a bite.

Whereas when if this had vanilla ice cream, then there would be a contrast between the outer dark chocolate gooey cookie and the inside of the ice cream sandwich.

The original version of these is better with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookies and rolled in chocolate chips. There you get more distinct flavors and textures.

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/cookies-n-cream-ice-cream-sandwiches-081727

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/sublime-ice-cream-sandwiches-090987

https://www.allrecipes.com/trader-joes-best-sublime-ice-cream-sandwiches-11771798

Not too mention the soft outside cookie of the sandwich just kind of melted in my fingers as I ate it. It was messy to eat. My call is get the original one which is good. This one is a Miss for me. I think I would like it if it had vanilla ice cream in the middle. Then as you bite it you would get cookies and cream.

Get the original flavor, with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, which is wonderful.

I would not buy this one again.

Still your 5 year old may love it.

Trader Joe’s SALTED CARAMEL MOCHI

27 Apr 2026 1 Comment

by promacnyc in dairy, frozen, ice cream, Meh, New, News, Products, Trader Joes Tags: dessert, desserts, Food, GF, gluten free, ice cream, mochi, Products, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes

NEW ITEM

Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Mochi, Ice Cream wrapped in a layer of sweet chewy mochi (sticky rice).

Here’s what they say about it: “Each bite starts with the sweet, tooth-sinking sensations of the outer Mochi layer, which quickly gives way to the rich, full-flavored, and buttery-sweet Salted Caramel ice cream within.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/salted-caramel-mochi-083237

Here’s my honest review. Basically, I love most anything made with Mochi (sticky rice). I love that chewy texture. I’ve really liked most of the Trader Joe’s mochi ice cream combos they have come out with. I think one in particular is a knockout: the BLACK SESAME MOCHI ICE CREAM. I find that one to just be terrific and a bit of an unusual flavor, we don’t see too often in the U.S.

The Green Tea mochi ice cream is also good as well as the Strawberry flavor and the Mango…. So they quite a few flavors of these mochi ice creams. I think with now this Salted Caramel one, they have or had six flavor combos.

This new new Salted Caramel flavor got some buzz on the internet about how great it was. So I wanted to try it and see how it stacks up against all the other ones. Here’s my honest review.

I have to measure it against the other ones. I thought it was OK however I wasn’t terribly impressed with the salted caramel flavor, which lets face it, unlike say a fruit flavor, is a bit harder to compare to the real thing. I mean you know instantly if mango mochi tastes like mango. I think its harder for “salted caramel” which is the natural flavor combo of caramelized sugar plua butter with a bit of salt).

I wanted a second opinion, so I asked my wife to taste it too. She basically had the same reaction and said it was “just OK”. So we both found it just ok. We didn’t think the salted caramel mochi was as good as some of the other flavors, especially say compared to the (great) black sesame mochi, which we both loved as well as many of the fruit ones, like mango.

The outside wrapper is brown and pretty sticky. Usually the wrappers made from white sticky rice look white. So I assume there must be caramel in that as well as the ice cream as per the ingredients on the label. the combo of the white salted caramel ice cream inside and the brown mochi wrapper are a bit Meh and Underwhelming where as I really like many of the fruit ones (mango) and the standout (black sesame) And by the way, I do not see “butter” in the ingredient list. But I do see “miso” listed (??) which I imagine is part of the “salted” flavor?

So I didn’t hate this but I didn’t love it either. Again its OK but I would not buy this again. I would way prefer to buy my favorite, Black Sesame version, which if you havent tried it, I would recommend. Or Mango. Maybe Green Tea.

Of course this is IMHO. Some on Instagram do give this new flavor, high praise reviews of its a “must try”, “addictive” “gotta have it” – so your call.

As per TJ’s let all mochi ice cream treats defrost a bit before eating them to get the full flavor and texture profiles.

$4.99 (6 small ice cream pieces) 6.8 oz

Says GLUTEN FREE

Trader Joe’s “Dill-icious Cream Cheese Spread”

17 Mar 2026 2 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, bread, cheese, condiments, dairy, DIY, fish, fresh, General, New, News, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, snacks, spices, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: dill, Food, herbaceous, herbs, no preservatives, Products, Rave, review, Russian, Trader Joes, vegetarian

Trader Joe’s Dillicious Cream Cheese Spread

“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

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/dillicious-cream-cheese-spread-082381

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.