A Trader Joe’s fan blog with some NYC attitude. Mostly raves with a few rants.
04 Oct 2022 Leave a comment
in All Natural, Fall Season, General, New, News, Pantry, Products, Rave, snacks, Staple, sweets, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: fall, Food, no preservatives, product, Products, pumpkin, seasonal, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
There are some Fall items that are misses and some that are hits. This is a HIT for me. These are really good. I love them and everybody I offered them too liked them. The added spices and coating is not cloying, it’s just enough but not too much so you still taste pumpkin seeds, and they are really crunchy and tasty (they have butter). $2.99 for 8 oz.
The Pumpkin Greek Yogurt however was a big Miss for me; Didn’t like that taste at all. I would not buy that again.
31 Aug 2022 1 Comment
in All Natural, baked, cheese, dairy, fresh, General, New, News, Pantry, Products, Rave, snacks, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: cheese, Food, lactotarian, product, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes
“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.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/garlic-bread-cheese-071622
“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.”
Trader Joe’s
26 Aug 2022 3 Comments
in baked, cheese, condiments, fresh, General, Pantry, Prices, Products, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: product, Products, review, Trader Joes, vegetarian
These look almost exactlu like a RITZ cracker, something I love and which in my lifetime I’ve probably eaten a few thousand of. These however I think these may be slightly healthier than those and made with better ingredients. For one thing, comparing the ingredients labels I immediately notice the GOLDEN ROUNDS list Sunflower Oil and Cane Sugar whereas Ritz’s ingredients have Palm Oil and High Fructose Corn Syrup. But how are these compared to Ritz taste wise? Not bad at all, in fact they are pretty good (if maybe a tiny bit less than Ritz which are a classic) Still the ingredients here are a bit healthier for you and that small difference in taste is outweighed by this. These crackers were very tasty eaten with some Unexpected Cheddar cheese on top. These crackers are perfect for a cheese plate or snacks. There are about 100 crackers in a box. TJ Golden Round crackers sell for $1.99. $2.69. These are worth giving a try. I would buy them again.
05 Aug 2022 5 Comments
in baked, frozen, General, Pantry, Prices, Products, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: no preservatives, Products, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free
Trader Joe’s sells these frozen hash brown shredded potato patties. I see a lot of people buying them. Maybe because they kind of resemble MacDonald’s potato patties? These are not bad at all. They consist of just three ingredients, potatoes, oil and salt. You can bake them as suggested on the package. A toaster oven will work for that too. It doesnt say this on the package but you can make them on the stove in a pan which is what I did. I added a tiny bit of oil to a non-stick pan and cooked them on low until the first side was golden brown, then flipped them, about 15-20 minutes in total. I would say you want these as crispy as possible. Now I don’t have an Air Fryer but I’ve seen other people report you can cook these in and Air Fryer and they work well getting nice and crispy without adding more oil.
The patties were pretty tasty, especially with a sunnyside up egg I had them with. I gave them a good dusting of black pepper and that improved them quite a bit for flavor. I could see you using these at breakfast, or lunch or dinner. Very versatile. Things they match well with include ketchup, eggs, bacon, sour cream, or of course pretty much anything that would go well with potatoes. There are 10 patties in a package which now goes for $2.29. Trader Joe’s also sells frozen shredded hash brown potatoes in a bag, that is not in patty form just loose, the way you would normally make hash browns. Those would be good for adding things in during cooking such as some chopped onions and peppers, so also useful. The Sodium level is not crazy high (250mg a patty). But don’t eat 4! Thats 1000mg.
UPDATE (Fall 2022) Product has been MIA for some time. Don’t tell me these are gone for good TJ’s….
UDPATE 2 (WINTER 2022) This product is finally back!!
04 Aug 2022 2 Comments
in All Natural, New, News, Pantry, pet, pets, Products, Rave, Recipes, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: cats, chickeb, dogs, dried, Food, pets, Rave, review, Trader Joes, treats
FREEZE DRIED JUST CHICKEN FOR PETS $5.99
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)
23 Jun 2022 2 Comments
in coffee, frozen, ice cream, New, News, Prices, Products, snacks, sweets, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes
Hold The Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones
These seem to be pretty popular so I checked them out. My take was they are super cute for one thing if you serve them to someone. Taste wise, they’re pretty good. The chocolate coating was good, the ice cream good, however the one in these is not quite as good as TJ’s “premium” coffee bean ice cream, COFFEE BEAN BLAST. The cones had a slightly stale texture especially at the bottom. So while OK, frankly these wouldn’t make me want to give up a scoop of TJ’s excellent “super premium” Coffee Bean Ice Cream instead of these if given a choice. So while really cute to serve to someone, personally I would prefer a scoop of the better ice cream. The MINI CONES come in a package of 8 for $3.79. If I had a choice of picking this product over a quart of ice cream which is almost the same price don’t think I would get these. I’d get the bigger ice cream, better taste and value, over the “cute factor”.
18 Jun 2022 1 Comment
in All Natural, can, General, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Food, greek, healthy, hummus, mediterranean, Middle Eastern, no preservatives, Pantry, product, Products, Rave, review, side dish, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
Absolutely great pantry item. For something that just comes out of a can, I have to say this chickpea dish is really tasty. Super easy. Pretty cheap! This can even become dinner in a snap.
The Greek flavors here are all good, with lemon, parsley, cumin, garlic and black pepper and as this is sitting, marinating, the seasonings have permeated into the chickpeas so they are way more tasty than if you just these on poured.
If had any complaints about this my only very small complaint would be the oil as of course, this has soybean oil (cheap) as opposed to olive oil (expensive) to cut down the cost. However this is easily fixed – Just add some of your own good olive oil.
I poured off most of the sauce and added a glug of good Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which improved it, of course. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice too while you are at it, which will brighten it up so it tastes like you almost made it yourself. This would be great for say a picnic. We ate it as a side dish with some Falafel and thats a good match. Or add a can of this on top of salad greens to add some bean protein. Trader Joe’s describes this as kind of a “deconstructed hummus” as it has many of the same ingredients in it as hummus does. In fact I served it alongside some hummus and even put a bit of this on top of the hummus which is a typical serving style to put a few chickpeas on top.
So useful. I consider this a must have item in the pantry.
A can is $1.99. PRODUCT OF GREECE.
I would buy this again.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/greek-chickpeas-with-cumin-and-parsley-060205
17 Jun 2022 6 Comments
in All Natural, baked, bread, Dried Fruits and Nuts, General, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, seafood, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Appetizer, Food, Guests, healthy, ideas, no preservatives, Norway, Norwegian, Open Faced Sandwich, product, Products, Rave, review, Scandanavian, Trader Joes, vegetarian
“These are really seedy, really crunch savory flats, made for us in Norway using the bakeriets proprietary process. The crispbreads make a wonderful snack on their own or are perfect with cheese and soup.”
INGREDIENTS: Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wholemeal rye flour, oat bran, oatmeal, flax seed, spelt bran, wheat bran, water, sea salt, oregano, thyme
In Norwegian, they are known as “Knekkebrod”(Crispbreads). I’m crazy about these super crunchy Scandinavian crispbreads / crackers, and I buy these all the time. I always want to have these in our house. These are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, As far as crackers go, these are not Junk Food but Health Food. They’re absolutely loaded with seeds and whole grains. They’re super healthy crispy platforms for almost anything.When we say these are “crunchy” we’re not kidding, they’re stupendously crunchy, as in can’t hear yourself talk crunchy. These make a great match with your favorite hummus or any dip or spread. They are great for those Scandinavian open faced sandwiches of course. Load these up with some Lightly Smoked Salmon with cream cheese or mayo (see pic below) and you will be in Heaven (or more appropriately, Valhalla). Smoked Salmon is great too of course. Cheese of any kind. Ham… you name it, it tastes great on these. You can break them in half carefully to make a smaller size if you want. A Top 10 Trader Joe’s Item!
PRODUCT OF NORWAY. 8 oz package is $2.99. I would buy them again.
https://www.veggirlrd.com/a-very-versatile-cracker-trader-joes-whole-grain-crispbread/
Get your Viking on! You can not get more Norwegian than these.
11 Jun 2022 Leave a comment
in baked, General, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, snacks, sweets, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: chocolate, dark, pretzel, product, Products, Rave, review, snack, sweet, sweets, Trader Joes
“Mini Pretzels” with a thick coating of good dark chocolate. Sweet and a little salty. A match made in heaven folks. Love Them! A 12 oz bag is about $3.29. I would buy them again. There is also a milk chocolate version too (no thanks i’ll stick with the dark)
01 Jun 2022 Leave a comment
in All Natural, cheese, dairy, General, New, News, Prices, Products, Rave, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: board, cheese, cheese freak, delicious, Food, product, raw milk cheese, recommended, review, Trader Joes
TERRIFIC NEW TRADER JOE’S ITEM!
BLUEBERRY FIELDS is a really good, new cheese on offer from Trader Joe’s. I was pretty impressed when I first tasted this. First off while BLUEBERRY FIELDS may have a cute name I call this is a “serious” cheese. Not a “cheese with fruit” like the goat cheese logs coated with blueberries or cranberries (and don’t get me wrong I do like those fruit coated goat cheeses on occasion). BLUEBERRY FIELDS cheese is nothing like those cheeses . Here there is only the barest hint of a blueberry taste.
BLUEBERRY FIELDS is a very tasty cow’s milk semi-hard cheese made with “raw milk” (you don’t see to many raw milk cheeses here in the US). It has only a barest subtle hints of “blueberry” from the edible rind which has been washed with some kind of blueberry essence. I’d say a millimeter of the rind has been imbued with the blue coating which is not sweet and matches perfectly with the flavor profile of the cheese. The rind is very much part of the cheese (just in case you are one of those people who always cuts off rinds from cheese, like my wife). You want to eat this rind. Tasting notes: Tastes like a high end Euro farm cheese. It’s excellent with a subtle nuttiness with a complex “Euro” taste to it. I believe it’s produced right here in the good old USA. My wife told me, “I don’t even taste blueberry”. Yes, its very subtle but its there. I think this would be scarfed up on a cheese board served to guests. This is delicious on a cracker, bread, and especially with apples, grapes or other fruits. This is well worth trying especially if you are a cheese freak like yours truly. An 8 oz piece sells for $4.99. I would buy it again.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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