Trader Joe’s ORGANIC PAPPARDELLE PASTA NESTS. Imported from Italy
“Boils into toothsome bundles of sauce holding pasta”
INGREDIENTS: Organic Durum Semolina
I really like these little pappardelle “birds nests” noodles. When I want to impress people, I make these with a terrific sauce. The dish will always get a rave.
Looking at the rough texture on the exterior of the pasta, you can instantly see they are extruded on bronze dies, which top pasta maker’s use. Made for Trader Joe’s by an artisan Italian pasta company (“…one of the most highly-regarded pasta makers in Italy”) Trader Joe’s says the company also mill their “own local, organic, durum wheat semolina themselves”. Yes these are pricier than most of the pastas at Trader Joe’s however you can pretty much see these are “super premium”. I’m sure they would cost at least double what TJ’s sells them for at some high end market under a premium Italian brand name.
They cook up into a wonderful soft toothsome noodle which almost seem like an egg noodle, but they are just semolina. These noodles really take incredibly well to any sauce you can think of to serve with them. I especially like them with a hearty meaty sauce like a Ragu or Bolognese. They go great with TJ’s frozen “MUSHROOM MEDLEY”. They work for “spaghetti and meatballs” instead of the spaghetti, or with Cacio e Pepe, or Alfredo or a Carbonara sauce. Or add them to a soup.
For a really simple fast pasta in a pinch just toss the noodles with good butter and Parmigiano and black pepper for a simple yet sublime pasta.
When making these I usually allow about 2 nests per person/portion. “Boil gently for 12-13 minutes”. They used to be $3.49 but now sell for $3.99 for the huge bag (17.6 oz) TIP: I’ve even used these noodles making Chinese/Asian noodle dishes!
“They’re brought to us by one of the most highly-regarded pasta makers in Italy, who doesn’t just put in the hard work of crafting each batch of Pappardelle Pasta Nests into the tender, delectable noodles that they are — they also mill their very own local, organic, durum wheat semolina to do so.”
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC GROUND BEEF (85/15 meaning 15% fat). From organically raised 100% GRASS FED cattle. Certified Organic.
“Trader Joe’s Organic 85/15 Ground Beef comes from organically raised cattle that are never given antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. The cattle are 100% grass fed, grazing on wide-open pastures—their diet of natural grasses and vegetation contributes to full-flavored, well-marbled beef that’s rich in healthful Omega-3 fatty acids. 85/15 refers to the ratio of lean to fat, meaning that this Organic Ground Beef is 85% lean.”
The beef was delicious when I made it into a classic hamburger and cheeseburger (with Unexpected Cheddar). For ground beef 85/15 mix is considered “lean”. Most ground beef you buy is generally 80/20 (20% fat). I am OK and prefer the slightly leaner 85/15 ground beef, and this was still plenty juicy. This ground beef will be good for any recipe. Next up for me, tacos.
Trader Joe’s tends to put rather long “use by” dates on the bag. I say use it as you would any ground meat you buy, within two days of purchase to keep it as fresh as possible, and if not just toss this into the freezer, and when you need it do an overnight defrost.
Organic Ground Beef is $7.49 (1 lb.) Way cheaper than you would pay at Whole Foods.
I just saw lovely fresh organic cranberries in stock at Trader Joe’s now (November 2023)
This year the organic ones are $2.99 a bag (1 lb). The regular ones, $2.29. Both are very good prices this year! Frankly for the fairly small price difference between the regular and organic I would get the organic ones.
How easy is it to make your own cranberry sauce? It will take you maybe 1 or 2 minutes of “work”, if you call “add water and sugar” work.
I will not bore you again with my rant about never serving anyone Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce from a can again — but really its super easy to make your own fresh cranberry sauce!
“Our Organic Cranberries are harvested in the fall and shipped to your neighborhood Trader Joe’s. There are so many uses, you’ll want to grab more than one bag to simmer into a super sauce, bake into breads and muffins, deck out your Thanksgiving tablescape, garnish glasses of chilled sparkling wine…”
EASY BASIC CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE : Put all the berries into a heavy pot. Add one cup water, then add one cup of sugar. (I like organic cane sugar but use any kind you have) Bring this to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and just let it cook like that for 15-20 minutes until the cranberries start to “pop”. Once the start to pop its done.
(TIP : you can use orange juice for the liquid, or mix or 1/2 juice 1/2 water)
When the sauce cools it will thicken a lot as cranberry skin contains a great deal of pectin. I like adding some fresh lemon juice too (optional) after it’s done. You can make this days in advance. Take it out and let it come to room temperature before serving. I promise you, your guests will rave at how good your sauce is.
TIP: Fresh cranberries freeze well. You can buy an extra bag and freeze it. No one says cranberry sauce doesn’t go well with foods besides turkey. Its great with grilled chicken and other things too.
“Bowtie shaped pasta from Italy with sauce holding ridges and toothsome texture”
NEW ITEM: Trader Joe’s “artisan” organic pasta “Farfalle Rigate”, bow-tie pasta. Unlike the other regular non-artisan one they sell, this organic artisan version comes with ridges. Ridges hold sauce a bit better. This pasta is bronze die cut. The recommended cooking time is 10-11 minutes.
When I made it I did find it had a nice toothsome texture, and was a little better than the regular one ($1.29).
Trader Joe’s says “limited supplies” of this, so if you see it and are interested pick up a bag. Trader Joe’s ORGANIC FARFALLE RIGATE PASTA is $1.99 for 1 lb. I would buy it again.
“In addition to providing an even more satisfyingly toothsome texture (especially when cooked al dente), these ridges also make their bronze-die-cut Farfalle Rigate that much better at holding our Basil Pesto, Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce, or any other pasta sauce you choose to toss them in. While we find that they’re especially suited for richer, creamier sauces, the truth is, you really can’t go wrong with Farfalle of this quality. Even just a bit of your favorite TJ’s olive oil, minced garlic, and crushed red chili peppers will make a fantastic Farfalle aglio e olio.”
“Organic soybean oil, water, organic eggs, organic white vinegar, salt, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic mustard seeds….”
Trader Joe’s used to carry both a regular (non-organic) mayo and an organic version. At some point they discontinued the non-organic version and now carry just this “Organic Mayonnaise.”
I used to buy the regular one, which came in a big 32 oz jar, double this one. Both are very good. I remember the non-organic 32 oz mayo went for $2.99.
This 16 oz organic mayonnaise is $3.49, or more than double the price. Oh well! A remember asking the Captain at the Front Desk what happened to the non-organic mayo, and he said he thought Trader Joe’s seems to be gearing towards selling only Organic if possible. They were slowly discontinuing non-organic versions of some products (for instance my beloved tomato paste in a tube. Gone!). He said he thought TJ’s plan was to only carry Organic Products in the future. Which to me sounds kind of like Whole Foods…
Honestly I thought the regular mayo was fine and half the price of this organic mayo. I was unhappy they just Discontinued it and gave customers less choice. Sure I like Organic stuff but I like options too. Don’t get me wrong, this organic version is very good and of course I’ve switched to it, unless I see Hellman’s on sale somewhere (that too has gone way up)
Commercially made mayonnaise like this one is good and fine, however if you never tasted “real French mayonnaise” — the kind you make fresh — you are missing out. You should try to make it at last once. Watch this video below to get ideas how to make your own real French mayonnaise from scratch.
Seriously this is the real McCoy. A real fresh mayo is so good you won’t believe it. Mayo is not hard to make. It will only take you maybe 5-10 minutes . You could impress some guests! Compare this to any mayonnaise you have probably had, the best commercial brand and you will not believe the difference. All you need is vegetable oil, an egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, beaten together… its actually easy and fun and kind of magical when it all emulsifies. Ah food science!
Seen at Trader Joe’s : NEW ITEM – Italian Artisan Organic Striped Farfalline (Bowtie)
Very colorful, from natural coloring’s. It has paprika, turmeric, beet and spinach. I think these would be great for a pasta salad for one thing? $3.49 for a 16oz bag. But then these are Organic and Artisanal.
“Farfalline is Italian for “little butterflies,” and these Farfalline certainly resemble their namesake. Each butterfly- like bowtie sports either green and orange stripes or red and yellow stripes—all from organic, plant-derived sources, including paprika, turmeric, spinach, and beet root powders. Cooked al dente, this Pasta becomes a proverbial canvas for an array of colorfully captivating meals. Cook Farfalline in boiling water for 8-9 minutes, then drain, and toss with Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Pesto Sauce, Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce, or Cajun Style Alfredo Sauce for a quick and quite tasty pasta pairing. If pasta salads are your creative outlet, consider adding some Farfalline flair to your picnic fare all summer long.”
JUMBO MONSTERA – (NYC Bway & 72nd 8/9/23) I gave them a really close look. These “Monstera Deliciosa” plants looked super healthy and robust with lots of new growth. Different stores may get different items so check your store. These plants were $12.99. A pretty good price for these highly sought after Monstera’s which everyone wanted to during Covid. I’m pretty sure if you repot these asap, you will get a lot of growth. Monstera care tips in the link below…
For a long time I planned to review Trader Joe’s Cottage Cheese (in short, it’s quite good) but frankly I thought I’d be talking to the wind, reviewing an old fogey food that nobody buys anymore except me. I love cottage cheese and usually have some in the fridge.
I was really surprised to read recently that Cottage Cheese is now a thing. Due to lots of people posting on TikTok, cottage cheese has become a viral phenomenon among young people. Especially with their recipes like how to make “cottage cheese toast” (you need a recipe for that. Gotta laugh). So cottage cheese has gone viral? Funny but now I can write a review and offer my “recipe” for Cottage Cheese Toast:
Cottage Cheese Toast: Lightly toast a slice of bread. Spread with a little butter. Top with a good scoop of cottage cheese. I like to sprinkle on seasoning such as TJ’s AJIKA seasoning and black pepper. Or zing it with a little BOMBA or PERI-PERI (cottage cheese is bland) to jazz it up. A little chopped parsley or scallion on top would be great.
Trader Joe’s cottage cheese is very good. I like the Small Curd 4% version but there are other versions like low fat as well as Organic. The small curd one I get went up from $2.49 to $2.99 (1 lb). Strangely TJ’s sells a 2 lb container (twice as much) for only one dollar more ($3.99)! So the big container is a much better deal at $2 per pound. Nutritionally, it contains a whopping amount of protein (12g in a 1/2 cup serving) with only 110 calories (4% cottage cheese).
By the way, I think cottage cheese is great to eat with the super spiced ORGANIC ELOTE CORN CHIPS or CHILI LIME ROLLED CHIPS as a “dip”. The blandish cottage cheese balances out the spices and they make a great combo together. Obviously its easier to eat and scoop with the corn dipper chips than the rolled chips.
This is a very old recipe my mom used to make and it probably comes from my (Jewish) Grandmother a long time back. I assume its probably Eastern European in origin. Its like the inside of a blintz, minus the blintz. Cottage cheese is similar to “farmer’s cheese” which is drier.
RECIPE: BOW TIE NOODLES WITH COTTAGE CHEESE AND CINNAMON SUGAR:
Cook Trader Joe’s Farfalle (bowtie) noodles and when they are done, drain them and put them back in the pot. Turn the heat to the lowest possible setting. Now add a tablespoon or two of butter and then a good amount of powdered cinnamon (a teaspoon). Next add a few teaspoons of good sugar like Organic Sugar or Turbinado or Coconut Sugar. Stir in a cup of cottage cheese, or more if you like. Stir gently until the cheese just so slightly starts to melt into the noodles and everything is well mixed. Eat immediately. This is delicious as a snack or kind of dessert.
“High in iron and protein and a great source of natural fiber”
So what’s the best (not to mention one of the healthiest) things you can buyfor less than $1 at Trader Joe’s? Probably a can of beans for 89 cents.
Just a few years ago, TJ’s used to have a number of items one could pick up for a buck or less, but these have dwindled to a mere handful, especially over the last year due to price increases at all supermarkets.
However one tasty and healthy food you can still buy at TJ’s for less than a buck at TJ’s are canned beans. Here I will focus on the ever so useful black beans. However TJ’s has lots of kinds, including chick peas (garbanzos) and red and white/canellini beans as well. All are good and I always have a mix of at least a few cans in the pantry.
I especially like having black beans around as I find black beans really useful to come up with a quick meal or side dish. For instance for some fast and easy CUBAN BLACK BEANS.
I’ve been known in the past to make black beans from scratch, meaning soaking dried black beans, etc etc. But sometimes I’m lazy or forgot to soak them the night before, so I just open up a can of beans. However I always doctor them up and you should too. Straight out of the can black beans are OK but boring.
With very little effort you can make them very tasty into Cuban Black Beans.
EASY CUBAN BLACK BEANS – For a fast and easy recipe – sauté about 4 cloves of chopped garlic and 1/2 a chopped onion in a good slug of olive oil for 5 minutes. Then add a can or two of black beans; dump them without draining into the pot. Add dried oregano and ground cumin. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Before serving I suggest you mash up about 1/3 of the beans with the back of a spoon or a potato masher, as this gives a lovely creamy texture. Voila, you have a nice dish of Quick Cuban Black Beans, a perfect match for a plate of rice or tortillas or what ever you want to serve with these.
Spend a little more time and you can really make a decent Cuban or Mexican bean dish with a few more ingredients so follow the links below for some recipe suggestions. BTW for a little more you can buy Organic beans, now $1.09.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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