I really liked this blueberry preserve Trader Joe’s has come out with, which uses wild organic blueberries from “the Canadian Boreal Forest“. It has a really delicious, intense flavor of wild blueberries. It’s very tasty though I found it a bit on the sweet side, borderline overly sweet. So what I did was I tamed the sweetness down easily by squeezing in about a 1/4 of a fresh lemon into the jar and mixed it in. The lemon juice did the trick to cut the sweetness and giving it some more acid. It made it even better and really improved the whole thing. So definitely I suggest don’t forget to buy a lemon when you pick this up. TIP: after adding your lemon juice cut a little piece of the lemon rind and throw that it too for extra lemony flavor. The Organic Wild Blueberry Preserve is $4.49 for a 17.5 oz jar. Not cheap but then it is Certified Organic and taste-wise I would say this stuff is certainly a Gourmet Level jam. Probably elsewhere (say Whole Paycheck?) a similar one would probably go for more like six or seven dollars. Try this on just about anything but I really think it would be heavenly on a slice of TJ’s Sliced Brioche bread, toasted with butter, spread with the blueberry preserves. Ditto on an English Muffin, toasted Crumpet or on your pancakes….
Trader Joe’s says: “Our supplier takes wild, organic blueberries, harvested from the Canadian Boreal Forest, and simmers them with organic cane sugar to complement their pleasantly tart and rich blueberry flavor.”
You may have heard of this super popular “recipe” if you can call it that, which is all over the internet. It makes a healthy snack or dessert. Basically there are actually two ingredients: chia seeds and almond milk (or whatever “milk” you want). Here ya go.
RECIPE: CHIA SEED PUDDING
In a glass or small jar, put about 2 tablespoon of TJ’s chia seeds. Next add about 1/2 cup of any kind of milk beverage (like almond milk). Give it a little stir. There are no rules that you must use almond milk, just use whatever you like best. Me, I alternate all the time between OAT, ALMOND or SOY MILK depending on my mood. Option: Add a bit of honey or any of your preferred sweetener (agave, maple syrup) and stir that in. While optional it does add some flavor and if you have kids you must use something like that. All you do now is wait for it to thicken so put it in the fridge and let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least about 30-60 minutes but it sets up best if you let it sit for 8-12 hours or overnight. When ready to serve put some fruit on top, or even something crunchy like Granola.
Chia seed pudding is super easy to make and of course very healthy. Now there is no rule that you can’t have use more ingredients and include a few other things. I usually mix in some yogurt or kefir too with the oat milk and sometimes add a few dried fruits like dried cranberries in. Basically figure about 1/2 cup of liquid to about 2 tablespoon of the chia seeds. If that is too thick (or not thick enough) adjust with more or less chia seeds until you get the consistency you, or your kids, prefer. This is a great snack.
Trader Giotto’s (Trader Joe’s) CHICKEN PICCATA – Seasoned, breaded boneless chicken breasts in a lemon and caper sauce
“Our Chicken Picatta is made for us using a special family recipe. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are seasoned and breaded then baked in the oven until crispy. We then add a buttery, lemon and caper sauce to complete the dish. A timeless Italian American classic that tastes like you made it from scratch”
My neighbor wanted to see if this heat and eat Trader Joe’s chicken dish was worth buying for some night when she didn’t feel like cooking. So she got it to try out and invited me along for dinner. In short, we both thought it was good. In fact I was impressed at how good this actually was. It tasted almost “homemade” quality. Now I should note we did fix it up slightly just by adding a bit more lemon and capers, and that helped boost the flavor. To cook it we did Trader Joe’s “recommended method” of baking in the oven. I recommend doing this that way. As compared to just nuking it in the microwave, it will be better baked, as the chicken will crisp up a bit in the oven and when you add the sauce (at the end) it will reduce a bit and get a bit brown and bubbly. Both of these will make it taste better than if you just microwaved it. The chicken was not dry, it was tender and juicy and of course the sauce helps this. The sauce was tasty. It certainly was better with the flavor boost some more lemon juice and more chopped capers. If you add those it will really make this taste even better (maybe even a tablespoon of butter). There were about 2 large pieces and 2 small pieces of chicken breast in the box and it comes with a large package of the sauce. The Nutrition Facts on the box says this contains 3 portions, but in reality you may find it more like 2 portions. You do want to serve this with something on the side to make it into a meal, like some rice, potatoes or pasta. Maybe some crusty bread for mopping up that tasty lemon caper sauce? We ate this with a fast easy pasta with zucchini and garlic which matched perfectly with this dish. Trader Joe’s Chicken Piccata was quite tasty. It’s $8.99 (16 oz). Not frozen, this is in the refrigerated (fresh) section with other prepared dishes. I would buy this again.
If you want to be fancy add slices of lemon on top when you serve it.
Wow, this is terrific. I loved it on first bite. This may be one of Trader Joe’s best New Products, maybe even a Top Ten. You will find this stuff mentioned all over Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. This spread takes TJ’s well loved, super popular Unexpected Cheddar cheese and adds things like butter and whey to make what is a hard cheddar into a spreadable pub cheese. It takes the amazing Unexpected Cheddar and manages to turn it up to 11. Trader Joe’s says: “Our supplier combines our crumbly Unexpected Cheddar with salted butter and whey to create a superbly savory, creamy Cheese Spread that’s ready to enhance sandwiches and glorify grazing boards with the simple flick of a knife. Spread this pub-style cheese on a Raisin Rosemary Crisp, and you’ve got one classy snack on your hands. You might also add it to an appetizer of puff pastry topped with chopped figs to bring out its subtle fruity notes. No matter how you use it, it’s guaranteed to be a real crowd-cheeser.” (ok a groan for the bad pun)
Search around you you’ll find pictures using this spread to make the trendy fancy “cheese boards” which are all the rage on Instagram. Here’s TJ’s idea to make one with this spread, nuts and honey
Remove cheese spread from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to assembly to help soften.
To a medium-sized cutting board, use a butter knife or spoon to spread the unexpected cheddar over the entire board, leaving a small outer rim exposed. Use your utensil to make swooping motions as you spread to help create nooks and crannies.
Top with chopped pecans, thyme leaves, and a drizzle of honey.
This flavor is the one I’m now seeing of TJ’s yummy “bread cheese“. This “pizza seasoned bread cheese” is quite good, even perhaps dangerously so! Just grilling it with some halved cherry tomatoes, basically I came up with kind of a “deconstructed pizza”. Served the cheese and grilled tomatoes with some toasted bread with a little EVOO over everything. A sprig of fresh basil completed the picture. What’s not to like? All the flavor and fun of pizza in five minutes. Eat it while it’s still all gooey and melt-y. I would say a package made roughly two portions. I’d go with “sauté” and not microwave as grilling it will brown it more and so be better that way.
HEIRLOOM GROUND CHICKEN – All Natural, Pasture Raised, Slow Growth, Air Chilled, No Hormones or Antibiotics
So what exactly is HEIRLOOM CHICKEN you ask? Here’s what Trader Joe’s says: “Trader Joe’s All Natural Heirloom Chicken is a very special chicken. First, it comes from a recognized breed with a genetic line that traces back multiple generations. And unlike so many other chickens raised very quickly on processed meal and antibiotics, these Heirloom Chickens are slow-growth, pasture-raised birds. This means they are allowed to mature at a natural rate and forage for food in a natural environment. They also have never been given antibiotics.”
That sounds pretty good right? While they don’t say “free range”, from the description it sounds like it to me. After reading about TJ’s Heirloom Chicken I wanted to try some. I got the ground heirloom chicken, and in short I thought it was quite good. Obviously an “heirloom chicken” costs more than TJ’s regular chicken, as this is a “super premium” chicken, and to me it actually seems like it Whole Foods item! Though if it was at Whole Foods I can only imagine it would cost more (maybe $10-12lb)? Trader Joe’s sells the Heirloom Ground Chicken for $6.99/lb. By comparison TJ’s regular ground chicken, something I have been getting for years and like very much as well, is $3.99/lb. One difference I noticed is the texture of this Heirloom Ground Chicken seems to be better, a coarser grind and not as finely ground as the other one (and this one seems to be less wet?). So this seemed to brown a bit faster. It’s 90% lean with 10% fat.
To cook the ground chicken, I added seasonings and mixed in quite a bit of chopped scallions. I shaped the mixture into patties, sprinkled them generously with the terrific AJIKA blend which is great on chicken and also helps browning. I sautéed them in olive oil for about 4 minutes on both sides until golden brown. I served these burgers/kebabs on warm pita doing kind of a Middle Eastern chicken burger thing. I sauced them with some TJ’s Garlic Dip and some Green Dragon. These chicken kebabs were really tasty; we really enjoyed them. One could of course make something similar and shape them into meatballs or long cylinder kebabs. What I didn’t do, but might in future is compare the two kinds of ground chicken TJ’s sells side by side, cook them up the same to compare. Meanwhile I’ll say yes this “premium” chicken is quite good. I would buy it again. Trader Joe’s also sells boneless breasts of this Heirloom Chicken for the same price as the ground chicken, while whole chickens are $3.99 / lb. (Again, cheaper I think than it would be at Whole Foods?) So you can either try a whole bird (roasted) or the boneless breasts, or this.
There’s more you can read about ALL NATURAL HEIRLOOM CHICKEN on the TJ website (Whole chickens are $3.99/lb)
Many of us butter lovers were afraid Trader Joe’s had discontinued ALL three of the imported butters they had one carried including this one, Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. So this is to let you know I finally saw this one back at Trader Joe’s. This Irish butter had been Missing In Action off the shelves at TJ’s for months. Previously Trader Joe’s used to carry 3 premium imported butters but unfortunately that changed during the Pandemic probably due to rising production cost factors on the supply side. The other two butters, the French Cultured Butter from Normandy and the New Zealand Butter were also both excellent but got Discontinued at Trader Joe’s. Who knows if the Normandy or Kiwi butters will they ever return, but at least TJ’s has the Irish Kerrygold butter back finally. A TJ’s captain told me in this case the reason was due to a packaging problem that Kerrygold had which was now fixed. The Kerrygold was not available in any US stores for months but it’s finally back. Kerrygold Irish butter is a Very Good super premium butter. Kerrygold says its from “Grass Fed Irish cows” producing the “sweetest, richest milk in the world”. Even if that’ Blarney, this is a very good high quality premium butter with the most beautiful deep golden yellow color and it tastes great. The gold foil package of Kerrygold is their salted butter however it is very lightly salted. Its hint of salt will work well with most foods. Kerrygold also has an unsalted butter which is a silver package. I didn’t see that one back at TJ’s yet. Trader Joe’s sells the Kerrygold butter for $3.99 (for 8 oz or 1/2 pound). It may be not as cheap as it used to be, but Trader Joe’s price is less than Fresh Direct ($5.29?) and other vendors. If you’ve never tried this or any imported premium butter, give yourself a splurge at least once and try a really good butter. Spread this on a hot toasted Crumpet with some good jam. Quite heavenly combo. Link below to see what the company says…
“Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world with volcanic mountains extending the length of Western Sumatra. Coffee on this lush island is grown on small farms, where the beans are picked, washed and pulped by hand using the wet hulling process, creating some of the most flavorful and complex beans on the planet. Our organic and fair trade Sumatra beans are carefully roasted to a medium dark level to reveal smooth earthy flavors with little to almost no acidity.” (from the package)
If you are a fan of dark roasts you will probably like this “Fair Trade Organic Sumatra” coffee. I really like it. When you open up the foil pack bag for the first time you will get the most amazing smell. This is an intensely flavorful coffee, roasted to what TJ’s calls “medium dark”. Well, coffee roast descriptions vary wildly especially chez Trader Joe’s. To me, I would say its just south of what some might call a French roast? The beans are dark and shiny. This is not however an Espresso roast. Nor would I call these “over roasted” myself (hard to trust even this picture, you kind of have to see beans in person really). For this coffee I think the roast works, perfectly. You will hopefully grind up your beans just before brewing of course… and all I can tell you is when I do and open up the grinder, the most intense and heavenly coffee smell hits my nostrils! For me the Sumatran is an excellent coffee, one of best coffees that Trader Joe’s has in a dark roast. I think this would be especially good for espresso machine owners as well as Moka pot brewers, like yours truly now. My brewing method the last few years is using a Moka pot . I also use a little milk with this to make something like old school “cafe con leche” as this coffee really stands up to and goes well with milk. While great as is, sometimes I will make my own custom blend of light and dark beans using this Sumatran with some lighter beans like the excellent TJ’s Azmari BUNNI Afro-Latin coffee to come up with a wonderful blend of both light and dark beans from Latin, African and Asian countries. If dark roasts are not your thing. Or you brew doing drip or pour over, I still say mixing some of this into your lighter beans, will make a good and slightly more intense coffee for drip and pour over brewers. A 13 oz bag of the Sumatra Coffee goes for $8.99. For Fair Trade beans, that’s not bad at all. For best flavor, I say best to use this up fairly quickly, say within a two weeks after opening the bag, or in a pinch freeze some. TIP: I save empty bags for doing this. PS Even darker? The other very good espresso roast beans I like that TJ’s has is the organic Five Countries Espresso.
Left: Organic Sumatra Right: Azmari Bunni beans (TJ’s calls Left, “medium dark” and the Right “medium”. Go figure) But both are very good!
“CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SWIRL” (NEW PRODUCT) An excellent new addition to Trader Joe’s ice creams containing two flavors which are so perfect together, namely chocolate ice cream plus an intense raspberry sorbet, both swirled together into one super tasty treat. This stuff is so delicious. Super gourmet premium ice cream/sorbet. Its $3.99 a pint.
Trader Joe’s CHEDDAR CHEESE with Caramelized Onions – “English Farmhouse cheddar blended with sweet caramelized onion, for a sweet and savory balance”
Another excellent cheese from Trader Joe’s, an imported farmhouse cheddar from Dorset, England. In the recent CUSTOMER CHOICE AWARDS, this won #1 for cheese.
Trader Joe’s says… “It’s crafted for us on an established estate, idyllically situated between the rolling Dorset Downs and the Jurassic Coast—an international world heritage site, lush with pastures. With more than 40 years of traditional cheese making experience, a famed farm on this estate transforms rich, creamy milk from local grazing herds (within a 30 mile radius) into beautiful, full-bodied farmhouse Cheddar.”
Some cheeses are overpowered by added flavors, however there are some very good cheeses with added flavors that are delicious, and this is one. I find this outstanding and delicious. Just FYI it you won’t see onion pieces in the cheese; they seem to have been melted / blended in so it’s a bit browner than a standard cheddar. The flavors of onion and other things in this cheese match perfectly with the cheddar. It’s delicious sliced thinly just on its own. It was great with fruit (apples, grapes, pear) maybe even better! I just love this with a slice of my favorite apple from TJ (ENVY). I also loved this cheese on a cracker with a bit of the Apricot Jam (try this!) Now what about MELTED?! Is it good? Yes, yes, yes! Fantastic melted… it made a really good melted cheese sandwich and was equally good for quesadillas. An “Ultimate melted cheese sandwich” might be mixing this cheese with the superb UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR on rye bread with a little Dijon mustard. It sells for $10 a pound, which is not bad for an imported premium cheddar like this. I would gladly buy this again. I think this would be great on a cheeseboard. This is a terrific cheese, and worth trying.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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