Brighten up your space with these plants for five bucks now at Trader Joe’s (limited) for Halloween (2025) DIA DE LOS MUERTOS – Day of the Dead inspired design.
Pretty cute, huh?
Seen @ Trader Joe’s : BLOOMING MINI SKULL PLANTS, $5. For Halloween
20 Oct 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, DIY, Fall Season, fresh, General, Health & Beauty, Mexican, New, News, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: #Halloween, healthy, no preservatives, plants, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
Seen @ Trader Joe’s: LIGHT UP CEMETARIUM plant combo
11 Oct 2025 3 Comments
in Holiday, Home Goods, Products, Trader Joes Tags: fall, halloween, item, Limited, plants, product, Products, seasonal, Trader Joes
NEW at Trader Joe’s: FALL/HALLOWEEN 2025
I just saw these at my Trader Joe’s in the new items section next to the checkout line : they had these cute little plants in jars with a light. Scary cute. They call them “LIGHT UP CEMETARIUM”
A combination of TERRARIUM and CEMETERY?
In the glass jar there’s a plastic skull, and a gravestone that says RIP which has a ghostly blue light, and a bit of green moss, one air plant (Tillandsia) and a spiky spotted succulent (Haworthia).
“they contain some green moss, a spiky Haworthia plant, and a willowy tillandsia, along with a menacing skull and light-up headstone….. (CARE) requires only minimal care (simply mist the tillandsia once a week, and lightly water the Haworthia once every couple weeks)” “We particularly love the eerie way the blue light from their headstones casts shadows from the plants when placed in a dark room.”
“Great for gifting to anyone with a ghoulish sense of decor, and ideal for displaying at your desk during the autumn months, our Light-Up Cemetarium is a fanastically phantasmagorical way to celebrate fall.” (- TJ)
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/light-up-cemetarium-082986
You can just give these a little spray maybe once a week; that’s all the care they will need.
They are about eleven bucks. CUTE!
#Halloween #TraderJoes
Trader Joe’s SIMIT Turkish Sesame Bread
08 Oct 2025 1 Comment
in All Natural, baked, bread, cheese, dairy, fresh, frozen, General, New, News, Prices, Products, Rave, review, snacks, Staple, tea, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: any good, baking, bread, Food, frozen, heat up, mediteranean, Products, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes, worth buying
RAVE
Trader Joe’s says: “For a taste of Turkey at home, allow us to introduce you to Trader Joe’s Simit Turkish Sesame Bread. Simit can be found on street carts and bakeries throughout the country, and although these beauties may resemble bagels, they are distinctly different.
Simit is not boiled (like bagels), just baked, and have a characteristic twist throughout. While its interior is chewy and nutty, its exterior is crispy and dense. Our Simits are made “Ankara style,” on the smaller size, conveniently-sized, with a crisp texture. Sticking to tradition, these circular breads are coated with a molasses-based solution that adds a bit of shine, helps with browning, and allows sesame seeds to encrust their surface.” (TJ)
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/simit-turkish-sesame-bread-081133
NEW at Trader Joe’s for Sept/Oct 2025 are these fabulous Turkish Breads called SIMIT, which are made in Turkey for Trader Joe’s. Find these frozen along with other breads like their frozen Naan.
Simit come in a package that has 4 round breads, wrapped in packs of 2, to stay as fresh as possible. It’s $3.49, or about 90 cents each. In Istanbul there are carts with sells simit. A little search on Google says on the street in Istanbul they typically sell for about 10-20 Turkish lira ($0.25-0.50) and a bit more in a bakery.
I had read these they were coming to TJ’s and kept waiting to see them. When I finally saw they arrived at my local TJ’s, I grabbed a package to try and review. So how are these? Well, here’s my honest review. Are they worth buying? YES!!!!!!
Trader Joe’s did it again with a delicious bread find imported here from another land. Wow, are these simit breads terrific. I give these a 5 stars RAVE! Delicious. I just loved how these taste and at the texture of the outside versus the soft inside.
These are little Artisanal breads, which you can tell are hand rolled. They are encrusted all over with sesame seeds. When you are warming these up, and they get start to get toasty you will smell the sesame in the kitchen. Yes, the shape of these may remind you of a bit of a bagel, though simit are very different and unique. They are just baked, not boiled first like bagels. They are the tiniest bit sweet on the outside. These look like they were twisted together then rolled by hand. So they’re not as easy to cut open say as a bagel. They separated when I tried to cut in half horizontally and I found them best to just take one and rip a bite off as I went if I wanted to, or rip them in half and dip them or put butter or whatever on them.
They were great just plain by themselves but were fabulous with other things like different kinds of butter, olive oil, cheese, olives, cream cheese and scallions, jam, you name it, you will love it. I loved them alongside some scrambled and sunny side up eggs, where I dipped the simit into the yellow yolks! Yummy!
HEATING: Take them out of the freezer and leave them about 15 minutes to defrost. Then toss in a 350 oven for about 4-5 minutes. – OR – Just so you know, I made mine on the stovetop in a cast iron pan. About 4-5 minutes a side on low-medium, until they looked golden brown and flipped it over. That easy method worked fine too. If you have an air fryer that probably will also work.
My wife loved these as much as I did. We are eating them with many things. Tonight for one, they well go great with LENTIL SOUP.
Simit are $3.49 for 4 breads (14 oz) Frozen
I would buy these again
How to eat Simit – Simit is a versatile bread that can be enjoyed in many ways throughout the day:
- For breakfast: Pair it with traditional Turkish breakfast items like feta cheese, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a glass of Turkish tea.
- With spreads: Serve it with savory dips such as hummus or a red pepper dip. For a sweet option, top it with butter, jam, or Nutella. I liked them with a little cream cheese.
- As a snack: Warm them and eat it plain
- As croutons: Cut it into pieces and toast until crunchy to use as a topping for soup.
Very short ingredient list. No Preservatives. We like that!
I found it a bit difficult to cut the Simit lengthwise to use for a sandwich as they are twisted and cutting them tended to make them separate. However they taste just as yummy.
https://www.weloveist.com/how-to-make-simit-at-your-home
If you are Turkish and try these, please let us know what you think…. UPDATE. We’ve heard from a few Turkish people who said they “taste like home”. One reader left this Comment: “Just tried today. Real deal. Just like the simit in Turkey.”
Trader Joe’s BREWED GINGER BEER
06 Oct 2025 2 Comments
in All Natural, drink, General, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, review, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: drinks, Ginger, ginger beer, no preservatives, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes, vegetarian
All I can say is: This is SO GOOD! So refreshing. So delicious.
It’s more to the everyman taste than some Ginger Beers I have had in the past, especially real real Jamaican ginger beer, which while I love, some people may find too too strong with way too much ginger flavor. This is just more like the best ginger ale you ever had, well balanced with a perfect ginger flavor plus a little bit of lemon and lime in the background. It’s one of those things that was next to me on the Check Out line, just asking for you to put in your basket and I could not resist, for which I am very glad because I now have a new favorite beverage.
Trader Joe’s sells these for about $1.15 each or or pack of 4 for $4.49 (12 oz each)
“Made fom a time-tested recipe with ingredients that include water, sugar, ginger juice, lime and lemon juices from concentrate, and ginger extract, our Ginger Beer has a refreshing, gingery bite, and mild carbonation. The addition of lemon and lime juices adds a zesty, citrus zing, and also helps establish the right acidic balance.” -TJ’s
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/brewed-ginger-beer-174345\
Trader Joe’s mentions using this to make cocktails. Probably great for that.
Keep in mind of course, while it tastes great, this is a soda and has just a little less sugar (35G) as Coke (39g) does so I would go easy on it.
But taste wise this is very tasty. I would buy it again.
Trader Joe’s CIABATTA DEMI-BAGUETTE
04 Oct 2025 1 Comment
in All Natural, baked, bread, fresh, Italian, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: artisinal, baking, bread, breads, Food, no preservatives, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes
“For best flavor and crispy crust, pop into a 400F oven for 4-7 minutes“
These are only $1.29?! Wow!
CIABATTA DEMI BAGUETTE – Its a half size “demi” ciabatta bread. We tried it. We loved it. It comes slightly underbaked, to allow for additional baking that you will finish. This will really improve it to almost “freshly baked right out of the oven” status. Just pop it in for about 4-7 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
Don’t want to turn on the oven? I didn’t. So I tried this: I found I could toast it up on the stove top (covered) in my cast iron pan for about 5-7 minutes on each side. I cut it into slices. Flipped. Or you can cut in half lengthwise. Doing this way until it was slightly toasted which worked out fine. One more idea is you could perhaps toss it in an air fryer if you have one (I don’t). Or toaster oven or broiler.
The ingredient list has few ingredients and no preservatives. ING: Flour, water, sea salt, yeast.
Trader Joe’s says: ” The loaf is in the shape of a half baguette (“demi-” and “wand” in Italian), but the bread itself is ciabatta bread. Ciabatta dough contains a higher moisture content than traditional baguette dough—over 70% in this case— giving it a thin, slightly caramelized crust and a light crumb with large holes. Better yet, it’s made with just a few ingredients: unbleached wheat flour, water, sea salt, yeast, and malted barley. Though our supplier makes large quantities of bread, they are still able to achieve the sought-after artisanal taste and texture.”
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/ciabatta-demi-baguette-096399
The night we tried this bread, I had made a pasta frittata and this bread went perfect with that, as we used it for mopping up our extra sauce. Both my wife and I found this bread to be so tasty.
Another time, I used this loaf to make a classic grilled sandwich, a CUBANO. Sliced it horizontally and used the soft loaf (panini press style) Grilled up some pork slices, black forest ham, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, mayo. Grilled on both sides until golden brown and cheese all melted. So yummy.
It’s a small loaf, just about 6 oz of bread. and it goes for just $1.29! A bigger ciabatta loaf (11 oz) goes for $1.99.
I would buy it again.
Trader Joe’s HONEYCRISP APPLE GRANOLA, review (Fall Item)
29 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in All Natural, baked, cereal, DIY, Dried Fruits and Nuts, Fall Season, fresh, General, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, review, seasonal, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: breakfast, Food, granola, healthy, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, review, snacks, Trader Joes, vegetarian
LIMITED FALL ITEM
Does it taste really like apples? Yes actually it does, thanks to little bits of dried honeycrisp apples all throughout the granola. This granola not the clumpy kind; it is loose like cereal, not with the large clumps as some other granola’s that Trader Joe’s has such as the almond butter granola. Personally I am a fan of big “clumpy” granola with chunks that I can take out and sometimes just snack on. However I liked this too as it’s got that great apple fruity taste. I mean the taste of this granola is really a winner from those apple bits.
Ingredients include rolled oats, cane sugar, dried Honeycrisp apple, honey, molasses, and a subtle hint of fall spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove….) Very, very subtle, more like a backnote to the apple taste of this granola, not the overwhelming kind.
This Apple Granola one of their “Limited” fall items, meaning we will see it for a few months. So if you want to try this grab it while you can, and maybe stock up on a few bags if you tried it and liked it. I probably will. Both my wife and I really liked this very tasty granola.
$3.99 for a 12 oz bag.
I would buy it again.
“Our latest fall-forward, seasonal cereal shines the spotlight on an autumnal all-star: the heavenly Honeycrisp apple! Heralded for its crunch and concentration of flavor, it’s a natural companion to snacks and cereals of all sorts—snacks and cereals such as the sweet, seasonally-spiced clusters inside each bag of Trader Joe’s Honeycrisp Apple Granola!” – TJ’s
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/honeycrisp-apple-granola-076757
Trader Joe’s OLIVE FOUGASSE Artisan Style Bread
24 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, baked, bread, cheese, condiments, dairy, DIY, French, fresh, General, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, review, Staple, Trader Joes, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: bread, Canada, Food, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes
“A savory, focaccia like bread with light chewy texture, studded with briney black and Kalamata olives”
This bread is a bit unusual and one of Trader Joe’s more “gourmet” breads on offer. I think it’s worth trying especially if you are an olive fan.
This is a French style FOUGASSE, a bread typically associated with the South of France. Kind of a cousin to Focaccia. Trader Joe’s Olive Fougasse has both Kalamata and Black Olives. It’s loaded up with olives and has a great olive flavor. I love olives and I really liked this bread. FOUGASSE can be shaped in many ways, some quite artistic (see link for images of different Fougasse breads)…..
We baked it up as directed.Like a few breads Trader Joe’s sells, this one comes slightly underbaked, so you can get “fresh baked bread”. It’s needs to finish baking for just about 5 minutes so just pop it into hot oven (or air fryer?) for about 5 minutes. It will smell heavenly when you take it out. Its crusty, soft and chewy inside, Herby and Olive-y. My wife and I really enjoyed eating this with a pasta dish.
This would be great with many things, including I think goind with your cheese board, charcuterie board or butter board.
If you see a Fougasse in a bakery they would probably be selling them for 6-8 bucks. Trader Joe’s price is $3.49 (12 oz)
Ing. include flour, water, sea salt, yeast and herbs. It has No preservatives. Use within a day or two after buying or freeze it. I would buy it again.
NEW @ Trader Joe’s, CRISPY GARLIC
23 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, Asian, baked, Blog, condiments, DIY, fresh, General, News, Pantry, pasta, Prices, Products, Rave, review, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: All Natural, Asian, chicken, chinese, dinner, Food, healthy, Italian, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, Thai, topping, toppings, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
First they came out with the CRISPY SHALLOTS which I like a lot. Now they’ve come out with something similar but it’s CRISPY GARLIC.
This new product is a winner. Possibly even better. For me, a must try. Crispy slivers of garlic toasted until nutty. A great topping, or ingredient. Lasts a long time so a great item you can keep in the pantry for whenever you need it. This is a super Asian (or Italian or anything) garnish.
Trader Joe’s says: “Trader Joe’s Crispy Garlic ably demonstrates, when sliced thin and fried to a glorious golden brown, garlic’s gifts easily extend into the textural realm, too. We tried plenty of options before finding this iteration of Crispy Garlic, which is brought to us by an expert supplier in Thailand. Only their Crispy Garlic was able to capture that flavorful-but-not-bitter, nicely-fried-but-not-tough, crunchy-but-still-melt-in-your-mouth quality that our tasting panel adored. We think you’ll adore it, too. Trader Joe’s Crispy Garlic is excellent as a topping on stir-fries, salads, and scrambled eggs; pizzas, pastas, and pad Thai; or even burgers, baked potatoes, and bánh mi. It can be mixed into homemade cheesy dips and casseroles, sprinkled over noodle dishes or roasted veggies, or even just enjoyed over a bowl of freshly made rice.” – Trader Joe’s
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/crispy-garlic-078302
Tru’ dat. The little thin crisps of garlic are so just so flavorful and tasty. We tried it, and instantly fell in love with this stuff. We tried even eating them as is just out of the bag. Intense but tasty!
Think little thin chips of fresh garlic, cooked till golden brown, super crunchy and crispy. The garlic flavor is a bit milder and mellowed from the frying. As they say it’s cooked just right, before the point of bitterness.
Toss these chips on just about anything. We’ve been trying it out on just about everything we can think of to put it on and whatever we tried seemed to work. Noodles. Salad. Add some on top of plain Rice!
Here I put some on top of cottage cheese on top of a toasted slice of their Sourdough Sliced bread and added some spices, and the combo was super yummy.
You can crush them up with your fingers to get smaller bits too (I crushed them up over buttered corn. Yum!)
$3.29 (4 oz) I am just guessing it was probably about a pound of garlic before. Its got just 3 simple ingredients, garlic, oil and salt. It’s not greasy at all. Just crispy. Keep it tightly sealed in the foil pouch and it should stay that way for a long time.
I would buy it again
Pumpkin Brioche Twist is back at Trader Joe’s for the Fall Season
18 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in baked, Blog, bread, Fall Season Tags: Edition, fall, Fall Items, Fearless Flyer, items, Limited, Products, pumpkin, Rave, review, Spice, Trader Joes
This is one of the worthwhile Fall Items that’s “pumpkin”. I gave it a good review previously and will repeat again here, that I loved this for making excellent French Toast.
$4.99; LIMITED SEASONAL ITEM
PS; I also saw this new bread “Sliced Apple Cinnamon Sourdough” but have not had a chance to try it yet. It’s a Fearless Flyer item. Looks interesting!.
Trader Joe’s SOURDOUGH SLICED BREAD sandwich loaf
18 Sep 2025 2 Comments
in All Natural, baked, bread, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: bread, healthy, ideas, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, review, sandwich, sardine sandwich, sardines, sliced bread, sourdough, toast, Trader Joes
I saw this at Trader Joe’s when I was looking for some regular bread for sandwiches. I never tried this bread so I got it to review here.
I was thinking in the near future about making things like a grilled cheese sandwich, as well as regular square sliced bread for toast for breakfast. As far as sourdough bread goes, I think most people seem to be interested in Trader Joe’s round loaf sourdough bread(s). Which I love.
Still sometimes I want a regular type of “square sandwich bread” to have around for say, making regular toast or sandwiches. I would say this is about as good an upgrade for that type of bread as you could get. This is not some squishy Wonderbread loaf. Wonder bread this ain’t. It’s soft of course but has a firm, dense structure. I’d think of this not as an actual sourdough bread but as a sourdough style sliced bread, for sandwiches, etc. I took a slice of this and toasted it and was quite pleased as this makes a great slice of toast.
Sturdy with a perfect texture. For me, this was pretty much created to become Toast. It can make the best “English style toast” with a perfect bite of crust and crumb textures. A nice, sturdy slice of toast, aching to be buttered. Optionally topped with whatever you like. MARMALADE for sure!
Besides toast of course this will be fantastic to make any kind of grilled sandwich, say a grilled cheese, or anything. What about maybe SARDINES ON TOAST? Yeah baby.
If you try this and make a piece of toast with this bread you will not be sorry. If you don’t want it toasted, I would still suggest perhaps at least warming it slightly, as all bread benefits from being warm.
GRILLED CHEESE idea using this bread? I am thinking for the cheese, slice up some Unexpected Cheddar, put that on the bread and spread a very thin layer of TJ’s Pumpkin Butter on the top slice plus (optional) very very thin slices of apple. Grill this on low-medium heat with a tablespoon of butter until golden brown, flip over, and serve when ready with your favorite pickles.
90 calories per slice
Storing: I keep mine in freezer. Very easy to take out a slice.
$3.49 (24 oz)
I would buy this again
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