Trader Joe’s New Zealand Sweet Apple Rings

30 Mar 2016 1 Comment

by promacnyc in Dried Fruits and Nuts, General Tags: apples, dried, Food, Fruit, healthy, natural, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian

New Zealand Sweet Apple Rings

“Unsulphered and unsweetened”

These may be a new product, or at least I’ve never noticed them till recently. Anyway I bought them to try and really liked these. Its really good new Trader Joe’s product.

My first impression upon opening the package was my nose immediately caught a very nice “apple-ly” scent coming from the bag, and them upon popping one of these dried apple rings in my mouth… next was that “oh yeah so yummy” reaction to something new you’re trying. This has a really natural taste and delicious flavor, this is neither too sweet, nor too tart. You are thinking yeah “These are what dried apples should taste like” as you chew and chew a few more. In fact you may find as I did, its really hard to stop eating them!. I could probably devour the bag munching on them. Not that I should do that! But I can see a bag will go fast in my house.

The apples have been dehydrated to just the right point, where they are not too hard or rubbery like some dried apple rings can be, but are wonderfully softish, and chewy and kind of taste what I imagine, if I made my own dehydrated apples, what they would taste like. The ingredients are one thing, and one thing only: Apples! “SELECTED FROM BRAEBURN, ROYAL,GALA, FUJI AND PINK LADY APPLES” Unsulphered and unsweetened. I really like ingredients where one thing and one thing only is listed. You know what you bought come with no hidden agendas.

In sum, try these, you are sure to like them. These could be a healthy snack and treat for you or your kids to have around. Try with some peanut butter and you have something heavenly (could even be put into a sandwich?)
An 8 oz. package sells for $3.49. The package I bought got eaten fast. They are slightly addictive. Be forewarned.

So these get a

RAVE

Have you tried this product? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

TJ’s Premium Pine Cat Litter

03 May 2015 14 Comments

by promacnyc in pet, Products, Trader Joes Tags: bathroom, cat, compost, eco, kitty litter, litter, maya, pet, pine litter, recyled, supplies

I haven’t reviewed pet products offered at TJ’s before. I’ve only written about things for humans but Trader Joe’s does carry some great products for our furry friends too! As a cat owner, one product I’ve started buying on a regular basis is TJ’s PREMIUM PINE CAT LITTER.

If you’ve only used clay type litters till now, pine litter is a bit different. This is made from All Natural 100% pure pine sawdust compressed into pellets roughly 1/2 ” long.

Pine Litter of course has a pleasant natural scent that is helpful for odor control. When this litter gets wet, it disintegrates into a powdery sawdust. Even the used litter sawdust does not develop a very strong ammonia odor if used correctly. As pine is a natural disinfectant it seems to keep odors down, obviously a plus in a kitty litter. Again, a Pellet-type litter such as this is a change from clay-type litters, so obviously both you and your cats will need to get used to the change.

Instructions on the bag tell you to switch to the Pine Litter gradually over time, by putting a layer of this down, then your normal litter on top of the pine litter, until your cat accepts the pine litter on its own. I have tested this with many cats over the years, and all of them accepted the pine pellets within about a week. Of course every cat is different in their behavior and hygiene, so you will have to try this and see if your cat will get used to it. Hopefully they will, as this is a decent alternative to clay litters. Its cheaper than many litters and seems to my nose at least does seem to be effective at cutting down odor. I am not saying it eliminates any odor but basically I rarely smell any terrible odors – unless I go into the bathroom immediately after they’ve just pooped. Even the used wet litter has fairly low ammonia / urine odor, as the pine tends to neutralize odors. However I still use a sprinkle of Baking Soda, every other day or so, which also neutralizes ammonia and suggest using that.

I like the fact that this litter is made out of a recycled waste product: pine sawdust leftover from wood mills and lumber production. So this is kind of “Eco”. TJ’s pine litter is cheaper compared to similar pet store products like Feline Pine which is similar. The TJ litter bag is 3.5 lbs and says “one bag is a 4 week supply”. That’s about what it lasts for my one cat (Maya) if not a little more. Using the pine litter, I don’t have to buy (and lug!) a huge 25 lb. bags of clay litter as I used to. This is a major plus especially for us car-less, city folks. It also has no bad chemicals. Some websites claim that the clumping agents in clumping type litter are not good for cats, as they lick their paws later and these can accumulate in the stomach over time.

USAGE: Without getting into too many yucky details my clean up method is basically as follows: I use two tools to clean up (important tip): A regular litter scoop PLUS a cheap large plastic spoon, the kind you can get from a dollar store or Target. Therefore you have a scoop with holes and a spoon with no holes for the sawdust and using the two, you maneuver as to not throw away as many still good unused pellets.

The way I clean is I balance half the litter box over the toilet leaving a little space to get to the bowl for disposal. I scrape away the pellets with the scooper, then target and remove any “solids” with one or the other tool. I first get the dried poop out while trying to toss out as few still OK pine pellets as possible. I dump the solids in the toilet. Then I brush the clean pellets on top aside, and look for the slightly dark wet “sawdust” that the pellets turn into when they get wet and fall apart. These are usually at the two ends of the box as my cats face one way or the other. I sift with the slotted litter tool with a little side to side motion so any unused pellets remain in the scoop and the sawdust falls below. I use the spoon to remove wet/dark sawdust. Then I give it a little shake and sprinkle on some clean Pine Litter plus a sprinkle of baking soda. What I don’t do is dump a whole bag of pine litter in at once when I start out. I find it lasts longer if I start with say half a bag and remove and add litter on top as needed.

This technique is a bit different from doing regular clay or clumping litter but this stuff you can probably flush down the toilet, unlike clumping litters as the wet sawdust is very light and flushes easily down my toilet (shh!). If you have a garden the directions say you can use it as compost. If you don’t want to do this of course just bag up all the waste, the way you do with clay clumping litters and dispose in your normal way.

I have found that the pine litter does keeps smells mostly under control especially with the baking soda, and a bag lasts about a month (I have 2 cats) and I don’t have to change the whole box as much as when I used clay litter. As the litter is bigger and feels different to a cats paws, only trying this with your cat will let you find out if they will adapt to this product. If you are patient and do it gradually as the bag says over a week or two, they probably will accept this litter, so you can try it. Disposal: I confess when I clean daily I flush all the waste and its not a problem, its very flushable. I live in a apartment in a NYC . If you live in the country you can compost the sawdust as the bag’s directions says it can be used as mulch after use.

Even if you have to use it with combined with clay litter forever, by putting a layer of pine pellets on the bottom then clay litter on top, the pine litter will still be effective in odor control. Of course your cat(s) will mix everything up together but it still works this way too, just may be a bit messier to clean. There is no 100% perfect litter product but this one is quite good. A 7 lb. bag costs $3.50. A better deal compared to Feline Pine, which sells for about 14 lbs for $10-16 at Petco…

*TIP 1: For cleanup, be sure to get a cheap plastic spoon (dollar store) to use together with your regular slotted litter scooper, as the wet sawdust will just fall through that. Of course you try not to throw out “good” unused pine pellets as much as possible…

TIP 2: While you are at the dollar store, also buy a cheap door mat to place under/in front of the litter box. It will help cut down on material migration / tracking. I dump the dust they track out of the box down the toilet doing my daily cleaning routine.

Have you tried this product? Let us know what you think in the Comments section!

UPDATE: PRICE INCREASED TO $3.99 (2020)

UPDATE: Nov 2022 – Sad to find out today from my TJ’s Captain, “Vendor can’t supply for our price anymore. Item no longer available” !!!!!

RAVE

UPDATE: 2019 – I now have two other cats. Both got used to the Pine Litter quickly. Even with 2 cats, a bag seems to last about a month.

(this was Maya, who I had at the time of this writing but has since passed away, after 16 years of looking like she was about 1 years old! She is missed!)

Trader Joe’s Pita Chips; Parmesan, Garlic, Herb

23 Mar 2014 1 Comment

by promacnyc in Products, Rave, Trader Joes Tags: Chips, Food, product, Products, Rave, vegetarian

Trader Joe’s Pita Chips

(Parmesan, Garlic, and Herb flavor)

RAVE

To me these are one of those “wow these are amazing!” TJ’s products you buy once and instantly fall in love with. The kind you put into the,“I want to have these on hand at all times” category and buy every time you go to the store.

Cut quite thick, and baked – these chips are SERIOUSLY, majorly crunchy!. They’re so savory and full of massive amounts of flavor that you might devour the whole bag in a sitting.

The buzz word these days in the food world? Umami… Parmesan cheese is known to have lots of umami. That must be a) why they are so tasty and b) why when I eat these even my cat instantly comes running over, starts to cry, and tries to grab them out of my hand (really, if I just open the bag she goes nuts)! Its a hoot.

These Pita Chips have a bold texture and taste… very tasty combination of the parmesan, garlic and herbs. I can not begin to tell you how crunchy these are, you must try for yourself but when I say “crunchy” I mean so crunchy if you were watching TV and eating these you would have to turn the sound way up just to hear it over all the major noise going on in your head.

They are thick enough so could they be wonderful with salsa, guacamole, or any dip and are guaranteed not to break like normal chips might. But the truth is they are so good by themselves, they don’t even need dip; you can easily enjoy these plain (they are anything but plain) right out of the bag . The hard thing is to stop eating them, period. You say just one more and realize the bag’s almost empty. I’m pretty sure these would even work to as croutons on a salad I read somewhere on the web that they are possibly actually “Stacey’s Chips”. I’ve never tasted those so can’t judge but these are $1.99 and I read that Stacey’s brand just under $4. I (try) to put a bag of these away in the back of the cupboard to keep and save so we have always have something special on hand for guests who might drop in — but the reality is more than once we just went to the cupboard and grabbed a bag and said, “Come on lets open these; we’ll get some more next time we’re at Trader Joe’s”. So much for will power. We might have to buy 2 or 3 bags at a time… And even then, they might not be safe. So these get a RAVE and are definitely worth a try. They’re dangerously good!

Have you tried this product? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Pizza 102 – “Getting More Advanced” No Knead Dough

10 Mar 2014 3 Comments

by promacnyc in Blog, DIY, General, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes Tags: fresh, Grana Padano, Jim Lahey, No Knead Dough, olive oil, pizza, recipe, Trader Joes

“Pizza 102”

Pizza (No Knead Dough) Canned crushed tom., fresh tomato, garlic, mozz, Grana Padano, EVOO, arugula topping…

Once you really get into making your own pizza, the next evolutionary step for you to take might be to make your own dough!

No…really! Its easier than you think. Especially now as over the last few years there’s been a kind of revolutionary dough recipe and technique that has caught on like wild fire. I’m referring to “No Knead Dough” which thanks to both its creator, Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery, and the internet, which has spread the recipe to an enormous number of people who’ve tried it, has started many, including yours truly on this truly DIY fun and tasty path.

You can learn a lot by watching Jim Lahey show how to make homemade pizza with no knead dough:

Simply the #1 Soap for Summertime: Trader Joe’s TEA TREE OIL SOAP

11 Jul 2013 7 Comments

by promacnyc in General, Health & Beauty, Products, Trader Joes Tags: beauty, blog, fresh, healthy, product, Products, Rave, soap, Tea Tree Oil, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free

UPDATE – DISCONTINUED 2019. For archival purposes…

Yes I’ve praised this soap before in an earlier post.

While the rest of the year I keep a bar of TJ’s HONEY OATMEAL SOAP in the shower, come summertime, I swap that for TEA TREE OIL SOAP.

Trader Joe’s TEA TREE OIL SOAP is my #1 Summertime soap. On a hot day there is nothing that cools me off and refreshes me like washing in cold water with this stuff. It has a slightly astringent quality of course due to the tea tree oil. That’s what must make it feel so refreshing.

Now, the only soap that feels even more refreshing than this stuff would be DR. BRONNER’S PEPPERMINT OIL SOAP, which Trader Joe’s does sell as well. But lets face it, that cost’s $10/bottle (Will make another post about this famous stuff, with all the crazy writing all over it)

From a listing on Amazon of ingredients for a bar of the Tree Tree Oil Soap ;

Very Basic, Natural Ingredients
Contains No Laurel / Laureth Sulfates
Cruelty Free – Never Tested on Animals; No Animal Products in Ingredients
Made In Connection With An Upscale Boutique
Comes in Double-Pack (Two 4 oz Bars Per Pack)
Ingredients
Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water, Glycerin, Tea Tree Oil, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate.

also saw this about tea tree oil soap in general:

Tea Tree Oil Soap Soothes the skin with its natural healing properties…

reduces bacteria and inflammation

acts as an antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antifungal.

This would mean you won’t smell as much too!

Two Large Bars of this soap to a pack mean its $1 a bar; WOW! Thats a really good deal for this level of quality health and beauty product. Did you catch that “made in connection with an upscale boutique? in the text above” I bet whoever the original manufacturer really is (any ideas peeps?) they probably sell a bar for $3-4 each when it has their own fancy name on it. But when Trader Joe’s re-brands it under their own label, they can sell for much less (probably the fancy packaging makes it seem worth another $4?! )

Many women use TEA TREE OIL soap in the bathroom basically for the face but trust me, try it in summer in the shower if you haven’t already on the rest of you, too. Its refreshing and feels great and so clean. BUT NOTE: avoid getting it in your eyes (It can sting a bit)

Let me here what you think about this soap for Summer!

UPDATE 2019 – DISCONTINUED ! ARGH!!! RANT!!!!

Nuts & Heartbreak At Trader Joe’s

04 Jul 2013 2 Comments

by promacnyc in Discontinued, General, Products, Rant, Trader Joes Tags: Almond, complaint, discontinued, Holy Grail, missing products discontinued, nuts, Old School, out of stock, Trader Joe

A tale about Trader Joe’s Roasted ALMONDS IN THE SHELL.

—

nut·crack·er

pronunciation:ˈnətˌkrakər/

NOUN 1) a device for cracking nuts.

—-

Oh! This is so just typical… I find a new product at Trader Joe’s that looks interesting , says to myself ‘Self, you have to try this!’, buy it, open it up and instantly think, “OMG this is so great! I love it! I will buy this from now on, every time I go to TJ’s”!!!! And so it happened with this product :

Trader Joe’s Roasted ALMONDS IN THE SHELL.

I’ve bought natural almonds in the shell before, back in the day, when you sat down, Old School with a bowl and a nut cracker. In the old days, my folks and I would sit down together with a bowl of nuts and our family nutcracker and crack each one open to enjoy as we chatted or watch a tv show together. Its a bit of work cracking open nuts over and over but that was the way you ate nuts back then in the 70’s. You didn’t pay peons in some foreign land to not just grow them for you, but to also sit there and open them for you too, you lazy Gringos. We opened them ourselves with a nutcracker. 2009673-man-cracking-walnut-with-metal-nutcracker-in-hand-isolated-on-white-background

And nowadays? Everyone’s gotten so lazy, its hard to even imagine a family with a nut cracker spending time opening your own nut you are about to eat. But yes thats why there is such a thing as a “nutcracker”.

So I see these babies in a bag, “Almonds In The Shell” and notice upon close examination in the bag that they appear to have somehow been “pre-cracked” (?!!) I mean they look like pistachio nuts with a little slit waiting for your thumbnail to just pry apart. Very interesting ! So I says to myself, boy those guys at Trader Joe’s have figured out that we still want the enjoyment of sitting down with some nuts and opening them but with a little help. Make it easier than the old nutcracker. And sure enough, when I try them, they are easy to open! They are just like pistachios, you just pry them apart with your fingernails. No nut cracker needed! The shells are somehow thin. Much thinner than any unshelled almond I’ve ever see before. How did they manage that?!

Its like someone at Trader Joe’s found the Holy Grail of Nuts.

And TASTE? Oh man, they are FABULOUS. My taste buds seem to think they’re better than the shelled almonds. As if they’re holding a little extra flavor inside the shell with the almond that’s there waiting to escape as soon as you pry them open. You can smell it. They are just so…. almond-y! Like a Super Almond. They are really SO VERY GOOD!

I am in love.

They become my new favorite Trader Joe item. I buy a package every time I go to Trader Joe’s. I find a pound can just last a few days- if that. We go through the bag like butter. I have to hide them from myself (and my wife) otherwise they can go in a night watching some movie on Netflix, cracking open almond after almond. But it seems better than just putting a hand down and putting two or three in your mouth. There’s work involved. OK, very little work but still you have to open them. You’re burning up a few calories doing it right?

There’s are shelves full of them. I even see them featured in the NEW PRODUCTS section. On display. In a huge, huge pile.

A few weeks pass, and my wife goes to get them and comes back empty handed. She say’s there weren’t any. I go in a week or two and see its not there. Worse, the shelf where I was picking them up from in the Nuts section, doesn’t even have the Sign for them up!

Oh No! NO NO NO! You GODAMM TRADER JOES Muthafuggas!!

We all know this scenario. This sinking feeling. That oh so Trader Joe’s feeling you get at the pit of your stomach when you realize, “Oh no! Maybe this is not just Out Of Stock! Maybe this is (gulp!) A DISCONTINUED ITEM ! 2009673-man-cracking-walnut-with-metal-nutcracker-in-hand-isolated-on-white-background.jpg !!

If you are a TJ regular, you KNOW this feeling. Its a bad feeling. Almost like learning a best friend has died. Almost like turning on your computer and you push the power button but it won’t start up and you realize oh my computers broken. Almost like coming out of a store and going to the place your bike was locked up, and not finding it there and realizing, some motherf-er stole it (for me, a bike, for you, might be your car)

And so it was. I went to the Manager’s counter and asked about my beloved Almonds In The Shell. Where they out of stock? Any idea when you might be getting more in? The Manager (Captain?) consults her computer screen and tells me the bad news. “I’m afraid they weren’t selling well. They were discontinued”

Gasp! Discontinued?!!! Not selling well?! I was buying them constantly. If I only knew, I would have bought a case.

I left the store, heart broken.

It wasn’t the first time.

Even worse, I knew, it won’t be the last either.

My unspoken rule for Trader Joe’s is “never fall in love”.

Its just too risky.

RANT

(published In Memoriam – Dry Roasted Salted Almonds In The Shell – 2013-2013)

“Out out brief candle!”

Trader Joe’s Just a Handful: Almonds, Cashews, Chocolate Trek Mix (prepandperfection.wordpress.com)
Roasted Almonds: The guilt-free recipe (alittleblackapronwithpearls.wordpress.com)
Almonds Are the Fourth-Best Nut (gawker.com)
Handful of Almonds! (nevergiveupfitthoughts.com)

TJ’s “South African Smoke” Seasoning Spice Blend

19 Jun 2013 51 Comments

by promacnyc in Discontinued, General, Products, Rave Tags: Food, fresh, Paprika, product, Rave, review, Sea salt, Seasonings, Spice, Spice mix, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetables, vegetarian

SEASONAL ITEM (summer)

Trader Joe’s and Spices – TJ’s has shelves of terrific spices which are decently priced if you compare them to a regular supermarket, plus the spices always seem fresh to me.

They move a lot of spices and get restocked all the time. I especially like some of TJ’s seasoning blends, mixed blends of whole spices, sold right in their own cleverly-designed spice grinders. As you know grinding spices just prior to using them, is the best way to get optimal flavor. You can even re-use these as they have screw tops. You can put your own stuff in them or add to the blend which I do sometimes. As far as some good TJ’s blends this is an especially great one

South African Smoke Seasoning Blend

The ingredients listed simply are: smoked paprika (in large flakes), sea salt, garlic, basil. Even though this may not sound so complex trust me when you grind this seasoning onto almost any food, you get a heavenly smoky aroma.

ON THE LABEL: “SOUTH AFRICAN SMOKE adds that wonderful Umami flavor, which can be elusive and difficult to achieve. You will be amazed and delighted at the way a grind or two will awaken any food.

So, so TRUE! I couldn’t even begin to list all the foods this is good on. This might make even make wet cardboard taste good!

But if you try it on almost any food (meat, chicken, tofu, veggies, rice, potatoes, pasta…. you name it)… then you will agree with that this stuff is the bomb.

A jar costs about $2.29. I even added some coriander and fennel seeds into the jar, which I thought made it even better. So you could experiment a little too with these jars of spices, added some of your own spices too. Here’s what “Trader Joe’s themselves had to say about this on their site:

“Our travels take us to some of the world’s most interesting regions, where we have the opportunity to taste foods we may never have encountered on our home turf. (Full disclosure: this is the royal we, as it refers to our buyers and not, alas, to certain writers of food-related information.) Among our recent “discoveries” is Trader Joe’s South African Smoke seasoning blend, one of the more unique items we’ve come across.

South African Smoke begins with African-grown paprika that is slow-smoked for 48 hours over a sustainable African hardwood called Acacia Saligna, commonly used as barbecue coals. This process enriches the paprika with a smoky, roasted flavor that evokes the South African braai, or barbecue. The smoked paprika is blended with sea salt, garlic and basil and packaged in a grinder, giving you fresh-ground flavor in every twist. Use it as a rub for meats or veggies prior to cooking, or keep it on the table in place of everyday salt & pepper. You’ll find this spice blend only at your neighborhood Trader Joe’s, where we’re selling each 1.76 ounce grinder for $2.29.”

My only complaint about this stuff is it goes too fast in my house!

THIS PRODUCT GETS A RAVE!

UPDATE SUMMER 2014 –

M.I.A ON THE SHELF. HOPE ITS NOT DISCONTINUED !?

UPDATE : SUMMER 2015 …ITS BACK ON THE SHELF !! GRAB IT WHILE YOU CAN ?! ONE READER REPORTS ITS SEASONAL / FOR SUMMER only (grilling) SO STOCK UP WHEN IF YOU SEE IT

Beans, Beans, Beans! & Recipe for Mediterranean Bean Stew

03 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in General, Rave, recipe, Recipes, Trader Joes Tags: diet mediterranean beans canned recipe, Food, healthy

Trader Joe’s Great Northern Beans

With the recent publication of an important study about how a “Mediterranean Diet” can ward off heart attacks and strokes, its a very appropriate time to think about how one’s diet can be more like a “Mediterranean Diet”.

A “Mediterranean diet” is a heart-healthy diet that is “rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables”.

Personally after hearing about this study one of the things I thought was that “we should try to eat more beans and legumes” every week. So I thought I would buy some beans, make something good for dinner, then do a write-up about using beans that hopefully you can try.

I used Trader Joe’s ORGANIC GREAT NORTHERN BEANS and made a quick and easy “Mediterranean Bean Stew” with tomatoes, onion, garlic and lots of olive oil. It was delicious and a big hit at the dinner table. I hope you try it!

RECIPE: EASY MEDITERRANEAN BEAN STEW

Sauté a large onion (chopped) along with 3 large cloves of garlic in a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat. Saute these for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. To this mixture, Add 2-3 ripe tomatoes (chopped) and 1 can of Great Northern Beans (or Cannelini or Chick Peas). Normally I rinse beans but for this dish I included the liquid. Add about 1/4 cup of white wine and spices (Italian spices, oregano, basic) and a good deal of black pepper, plus a few shakes of red pepper. Add salt to taste (but add sparingly as the beans have salt in them).

Simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes over low-medium heat. When done, check the consistency. There shouldn’t be a ton of liquid, it should be like a thick stew so it seems too watery simmer for another 5 minutes uncovered on medium high heat.

To serve, plate and sprinkle with some grated cheese (parmigiano, pecorino, grana padano or ricotta salata) and dress with another good slosh of olive oil. A few olives couldn’t hurt either. This can be a Main Dish for 2 with some salad and bread, or a side dish for 4.

Beans and Legumes are very healthy as we all know. They’re extremely good sources of Protein as well as Fiber. TJ’s says one cup contains 14.7 grams of protein and 12.4 grams of dietary fiber. Trader Joe’s does sell a nice variety of canned beans. Beans are both nutritious and inexpensive (89 cents to $1.19/can). Canned Beans are great to have on hand in your pantry. I do usually try to make my own beans “from scratch” (soak overnight then cook) but the canned ones are handy when you haven’t planned ahead or had the time. So its not a bad idea to pick up a few cans and have some in your pantry at all times. They are great for adding to salads too of course, especially Cannellini and Chick Peas. These I do rinse when I use them this way.

The old song is true, “Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart…”

(I’ll stop there!)

DIY – Simple Homemade Jam

30 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in DIY, General, recipe, Recipes, Trader Joes Tags: homemade, jams, recipe

My Home-made Peach Jam

This is a jar of some “DIY fast-and-easy peach “jam” or “preserves”. I’m using the quotation marks because it is not the fully “preserved” type that will last months and months. Rather I make this to keep in the fridge, aka “refridgerator jam”. Its EASY and DELICIOUS, fast and much cheaper than store jams. You can make it in half hour. 97210-turbinado-sugar

Of course one could make this with Trader Joe’s very nice

TURBINADO RAW SUGAR

Or that plus half plain sugar…experiment!

Here’s a basic recipe:

Buy some fruit. It should be fairly ripe. To make these fast jams, I usually buy the “quick sale” stuff at the supermarket that is over ripe, not perfect looking…but this is exactly what is perfect for making jam. Fruits: you can use peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, figs, strawberries, other berries. Have a fresh lemon on hand too. Sugar – Trader Joe’s sugar is perfect. But honestly almost any sugar will do (real sugar not fake). What matters is that you need to cook this a fairly long time. Use a heavy sauce pan.

Its not a hard and fast recipe. More like a basic recipe / ratio with many, many variations.

SIMPLE HOMEMADE FRIDGE JAM

Ingredients: About 1-2 lbs of fruit. Eg – Peaches, about 6 large.

Wash and cut up the fruit into small pieces. I do this directly into the pan. I throw in the pits too (will fish out later, or not) as I think they have natural pectin which will help with the ‘jelling’. I put about 1/2-cup to 1 cup of sugar. While that may sound like a lot its not, as it will all cook down, and the sugar will make it jell in this recipe.

Cook the mixture at a medium-high heat. You want a low boil that will not boil over (your pan should be big enough so that it has high sides and room). Watch it. Cook it stirring occasionally, for about 40-45 minutes total. Check it and stir it every 10 minutes. What you want is for it to all fall apart, and the fruit to mostly disintegrate. What looked like a lot of fruit will become a much smaller amount after its cooked down. At the end, I squeeze in half a lemon or lime’s juice. Let it cool, place in a jar and refrigerate for a few hours. It should thicken up. Use within a few weeks. This won’t be hard, trust me! It probably won’t last that long.

Melissa Clark of the NY Times has a wonderful recipe for jam here which you can use to experiment more with…

TJ’s ORGANIC VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

26 Jun 2012 1 Comment

by promacnyc in General, New, Products, Rave, Trader Joes Tags: beauty, Coconut, Coconut oil, Cooking, Cooking oil, healthy, Rave, review, Saturated fat, Trader Joes, vegan, vegan gluten free, vegetables, vegetarian

So I’ve been hearing about Coconut Oil, once considered highly unhealthy, being re-evaluated from a health standpoint.

Coconut Oil has been getting a fair amount of buzz this past year. I had read an interesting piece in the NY Times by Melissa Clark about cooking with it.

I saw this jar of Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in the NEW PRODUCTS shelf at my Trader Joe’s. I thought, I should see what all this fuss is about and made a mental note to pick up a bottle and try it. Now Coconut Oil is a really interesting product in that it has uses both ‘Culinary’ and ‘Health & Beauty’ ! So you can put this into many categories. So I jokingly say, you can eat it and you can put it all over your skin. Or use it as Cooking Oil but also use it as a Hair Dressing. It really is good for all these things, in fact, it has so many uses!

When I opened the bottle and sniffed it, it was just an intense smell of well, coconut. I mean you smell it and your mind instantly thinks ‘Tropical Beach’. At least mine did. Its just got a lovely aroma.

I heard it was great in cooking especially good for sautéing vegetables, as Melissa Clark wrote about. So I peeled and sliced up some Carrots (TJ Organic Carrots) and tossed them in a pan with about a tablespoon of the Coconut Oil. Again, an amazing smell wafted through the kitchen. Tossed in the sliced carrots and let them sauté for about 10 minutes or so. After the carrots were slightly browned I tasted one. It had a wonderful under-note of (yes) Coconut. The sauteed carrots tasted delicious, and I could imagine many vegetables benefitting from being cooked in coconut oil. Melissa Clark mentions roasted sweet potatoes – that sounds great – and she has a number of interesting recipes listed in her piece, which you can try.

Coconut Oil when it’s kept at a cool temperature appears white and in a solid state. If it warms up it, will become clear and liquid.

Additionally of course this is good for other things, like putting on your hair too. And it is wonderful to rub on dry skin as a moisurizer. I even read its a natural antiperspirant (you put a drop or two under your arms).

What a useful product. The question may be Where to keep the jar?! In the Bathroom or the Kitchen?!!

A jar costs $5.99 for 16 ounces. Check it out. I’m just beginning to experiment with using it. I put it on my hair, it helps keep my curly hair, curly and moisturized – it does make your hair soft and smell wonderful too.

UPDATE: (Spring 2019) They lowered the price. It’s now $4.99 !