Sunday, December 24, 2017

Bust Out The Mistletoe

It's that time of year -

BUST OUT THE MISTLETOE!!!

Mistletoe from Trader Joe's - the most important decoration of the season!
We have been a bit frantic this holiday season - traveling, working, rushing about...  So, I am just gonna tell it like it is:

SO FAR THE ONLY HOLIDAY DECORATIONS WE HAVE OUT ARE A MENORAH (with no candles in it yet...) and A MISTLETOE from Trader Joe's (that is not actually HUNG UP yet...). 

And, umm, it is Christmas eve!  And Hanukkah is over.  Yes, it is December 24th and we have practically NO decorations! 

But honestly, we are non-traditional celebrators.  We celebrate any and all holidays (hence the menorah AND the Christmas spirit).  Oh, and we do not celebrate ON TIME.  We celebrate when we choose!  Why be ruled by a silly calendar when you can celebrate on whatever day feels right??


This is us under what we deemed THE WORLD'S LARGEST MISTLETOE in Stockholm, Sweden, November 2017
So perhaps we will find someone's Christmas tree put out for the garbage men in a day or two...  And perhaps we will "recycle" that and make it our own.  Or maybe (most likely) we will forego a tree this year all together and find another way to express our holiday spirit.

In the meantime, we are holed away in Vino Volo at the St. Louis airport (near gate E18 :) ) enjoying our Christmas Eve dinner during a 3 hour layover.  We visited my family in Omaha all week and are on the way back home. 

Ho ho ho - Merrrrry Christmas (with a wine flight)
But we wanted to take a moment to wish you a happy, merry, joyous WHATEVER (and whenever) you celebrate. 

And though it is probably too late to snag some mistletoe at Trader Joe's THIS YEAR, just know that next year when you see it you should grab some.  It is totally effective and works wonders!  (Original reviews here: 

2016 crop Trader Joe's Mistletoe review click here
2015 crop Trader Joe's Mistletoe review click here

THIS PRODUCT STILL RATES A 5 STAR REVIEW!  Year after year, Trader Joe's mistletoe delivers.

Happy holidays to all.

Friday, December 22, 2017

Flowers -- Holidays or Everyday

This is my periodic reminder to YOU, dear reader, to BUY FLOWERS FOR YOUR MOTHER.

Go to Trader Joe's.  Pick up a poinsettia if they still have some in stock.  Get one of those sweet little Christmas trees in pots.  Get a bouquet of pretty colored blooms.  Get ANYTHING - just GET FLOWERS FOR YOUR MOTHER!

Sure, she may say, "I don't need flowers,".  She might say, "Oh, you shouldn't have...".  But trust me, you SHOULD.

And you might think, "But I can't afford flowers!  I mean, it is the holiday season, I have spent so much on gifts already, I am strapped for cash".  But flowers at Trader Joe's are very, very reasonably priced, and your mom will SMILE when you give them to her.  

Don't wait for a special occasion-  do it today.  Think of all she has done for you - all of the "gifts" she has given over the years (some that came in boxes and some that were gifts of time and love).  Gift her back!  Show her you care.  Do it today.

Do it while you can still look her in the eye as you hand them to her.  Tell her how thankful you are for all she has done for you.  If you are 6, 16, or 50 - if your mom is still here on earth, GIVE HER FLOWERS.

Because someday, you won't be able to hand them to her.  Sure, you might still buy them in her memory, but trust me, it is not the same.  Give them to her NOW, while she can appreciate them.



Happy holidays one and all.  And God bless us, every one.  




Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Cinnamon Roll Wreath

Today’s review is of a holiday product – Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Roll Wreath.  We are visiting Omaha, Nebraska to have an early Christmas celebration with my family, so I thought, “Who better to invite to be guest reviewers than my dad and his wife??”.  May I present – John (my dad) and Evelyn (his wife)!!
Ho, ho, ho - MERRRRRY CHRISTMAS!  Santa stopped by early!
This photo was taken the night of our family Christmas, when Santa showed up!  Yup, the big man himself made an appearance!  It was quite fun.  We have 5 believers in our family – well, 4 believers and 1 too young to really get it…  But they all liked Santa (wellll, that is stretching it…  In all honesty, the 2 toddlers were not so fond of the jolly old fat man).  But the adults loved him! 

Tallis is one of our BELIEVERS.  She WHISPERED what she wanted to Santa!
Anyway, David and I stopped at the Omaha Trader Joe’s in One Pacific Place and picked up a few things, including a CINNAMON ROLL WREATH.  The whole family was crashing my dad’s house (uninvited) to eat pizza after a hockey game, and I thought a few cinnamon rolls after pizza sounded great.  However, I failed to read the package instructions…


Oops, I should have turned the box over and read the other side...
These suckers are not simple to prepare.  I mean, they are not DIFFICULT by any stretch of the imagination, but they are not like a tube of Pillsbury rolls that you just pop open and bung in the oven.  These need to sit and rise before baking.  Also, they do not come with the GLAZE…  Again, I should have read that and known before we bought them, but it was a “grab and run” because we are rushing around doing family things.  Had I KNOWN we needed to make glaze, we would have picked up some powdered sugar (because, let’s be honest here, my dad and Evelyn do not cook much., let alone BAKE, so finding powdered sugar that was not expired a decade ago in the pantry would have been impossible…).  In the “fly by the seat of your pants” category, David Googled and learned he could make the glaze with regular (not powdered sugar), which he found and mixed with water and vanilla to make glaze.   

So, due to these treats needing to rise before baking, having them as a late night snack was out.

Hey look - a WREATH made out of CINNAMON ROLLS!  (Pre-glaze)
But that left them for breakfast the next morning!  Evelyn had sort of a hard time waiting for them (because, like I said, they had to rise).  But when they were finally ready, she was thrilled with the results.  Here is what everyone thought:

Dad:  “These are delicious!  I give them a 4.95.  It sounds hard to make them, but it really wasn’t.  Susan is making it sound like they are very difficult to make, but they really are not (editor’s note:  Dad did not assist with the preparation… 😊 ) .  I like them WITH the frosting best – David makes a mean glaze.  If they were any better they would be perfect!  I give these a 4.95.  (Editor’s note:  I explained that normally in this blog we only use .25 variations, so he could give them a 4.5 or a 4.75 or a 5.  But he INSISTED on the 4.95.  And he is the dad, so he gets to pick his score!)

Dad loved them
Evelyn:  “I would say these are perfect!  I prefer them with the glaze.  They are perfect! Let’s have them again!  I give them a score of 5.”

David:  “The taste is nice.  The glaze is good.  They are a little under-cooked, a bit under-done tasting.  (Editor’s note yet again:  I followed the instructions and baked these right in the middle of the recommended baking range time.)  I like them.  I give them a 3.5.”

David liked 'em
Susan:  I agree with David that the centers of the cinnamon rolls were a bit underdone, but I sort of like that taste.  I agree with everyone else that the frosting/glaze is a good addition.  I think the whole “wreath” concept is super pretty.  If I got them again I would bake them a bit longer.  These would be good for Christmas morning breakfast.  I give them a 4.5.

Sweet, fluffy, and buttery - good description
There you have it.  If your Trader Joe’s still has these in stock, grab a box.  They are fun and tasty.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Susan and David (and Santa, of course)
Price: $4.99

Rating (average of 4 raters):  4.5

Friday, December 15, 2017

Sweet Corn, Burrata and Basil Ravioli

This is a fancy review, because not only does it include a product review, not only does it also include a STORE LOCATION review, but it also includes a GUEST REVIEW!!!  One of my readers, who is also a friend, WARD, asked a looong time ago if I would consider a guest review from him and his wife.  I answered with a resounding YES, because he is a fun guy, a great writer, and because it would be something new and different for the blog!  A fresh point of view!!  

May I present Ward and Ann - the guest reviewers!
So here it is – let’s start with what Ward and Ann have to say about Trader Joe’s Sweet Corn, Burrata and Basil Ravioli:

“This is one of those meal items that has me saying, “It’s good, but it needs … something…” I am talking about Trader Joe’s Sweet Corn, Burrata & Basil Ravioli. The subtitle on the package says, “Creamy ricotta and burrata cheese ravioli filled with sweet corn and basil.”  It comes in a sealed, refrigerated eight-ounce plastic tray with two servings per container. It is not a gluten-free product, nor is it vegan, but it qualifies as vegetarian.

Here is the package
Ann loves ravioli and loves to impulse shop at TJ’s. So, this came into our kitchen, and I made the meal. The ingredient list is long, including mostly recognizable things like durum wheat, cheese, canola oil, sea salt, turmeric, cayenne powder, and microbial enzymes (which I believe are used in cheese-making as a vegetarian substitute for rennet.) At our Trader Joe’s in Rochester, NY, this ravioli package sells for $3.49.  (Editor’s note: Rochester, NY is where I met my sweetheart David!  And on our very first date we went to a grocery store, Wegman’s!  I wish I could say we went to Trader Joe’s, but I don’t think there was one in Rochester at the time, and besides, Wegman’s is a quintessentially Rochester experience…)

Before adding anything else to it, I sampled a plain cooked raviolo. (Yes, raviolo is the singular of ravioli!)  It was good, but not very exciting. The filling was mostly corn, and the corn was fairly coarse and unsweet. Maybe I am spoiled by having the luxury of choice when it comes to seasonal sweet corn in upstate New York. If we get corn that is not tender or sweet enough, it goes into the freezer for soups or stews. The corn in these ravioli would have barely met my soup standards. The cheese and basil part of the filling was fine, but there could have been more of it.

Pretty good price for this item
Now, about the pasta - the casing of these ravioli was rather fragile. As a result, a few of the ravioli spilled their guts in the cooking water (and I was very careful not to overcook – the package directions are clear about not boiling.) So, if this happens when you cook it, make sure you drain through a sieve or colander that will catch all the interior bits that have escaped into the cooking pot.

So, here are my secret magical additives to bring this dish from a 2.5 to a 4.5: greens, chickpeas and garlic. These are my basic go-to additives for many pasta dishes. Saut̩ some chopped greens like chard, spinach, or rabe until tender. Add minced garlic and cooked chickpeas (canned is okay, but I prefer cooking dry beans in a pressure cooker Рless salt and more flavor.) When the veggies are tender, melt in plenty of butter (yes, real butter) and add red pepper flakes and salt to taste. The chickpeas will add a nutty and creamy protein factor. The greens will add a fresh garden goodness. And, well, garlic is garlic.

Ahhh, with Ward's magical enhancements it looks delightful, no?
Drain the ravioli (and whatever filling has spilled out) and add them to the skillet with the other ingredients. Toss and serve onto warmed plates (editor’s note:  warmed plates??  Remind me to eat dinner at Ann and Ward’s house next time we are in Rochester – fancy!) with grated parmesan to sprinkle on top. Ann suggests a wine pairing of Pinot Noir. Since we live near the Finger Lakes, we poured one from Ravines Winery.

Rating:  without Ward’s magical enhancements – 2.5
Rating:  with Ward’s magical enhancements – 4.5  "

And now let’s look at what David and I thought of Trader Joe’s Sweet Corn, Burrata & Basil Ravioli, shall we?   We served it with fresh basil (from our garden) and grated parmesan on top.  It will be interesting (to me anyway…) to see if our tastes are similar to Ann and Ward’s!

David: “These ravioli are very nice.  They are light, a little bland, but the cheese inside is a nice choice to give them some flavor.  I would personally prefer – I mean – the pasta itself is VERY tasty, so it is nice that the sauce doesn’t obfuscate that, but I like a little bit more taste, so I would recommend serving this with sprinkled bacon bits, or a tomato and sausage sauce.  Something that would bring a little more zing to the flavor palate.  But, that is not the ravioli’s job!  Their job is to be the best pasta ravioli they can be!  And since the ingredients are corn and a kind of bland cheese, I think it does a great job.  I give it a 4.0.”

David looks a bit unsure of this product before we tried it...  Aren't the stripes on the raviolis pretty?
And here is my take:  I am glad we added the fresh basil and parmesan, I think those were good with this dish.  The label said that the ravioli included basil, but I couldn’t taste that in it at all (and neither could David).  We served this with just olive oil for a “sauce”, and I think that is the only way to go with it, because the taste is so mild that any other sauce would overpower the ravioli. 

The corn is chunks of corn, which I thought was nice.  This pasta has the problem that other TJ’s raviolis have – how do you safely get them OUT of the pot after they are cooked?   You really need a large slotted spoon to gently remove them, and when we had these we were not in a kitchen that was stocked with one of those.

Overall, I like the taste of these.  I agree with David’s score of 4.0.

Look - we are visiting YET ANOTHER Trader Joe's! 
I think this brings the total to around 33 locations visited in 12 states so far.
And finally, a note about a new to us Trader Joe’s location – the store on West Sand Lake Rd in Orlando:  This was a very nice store.  It was clean, well lit, and well laid out.  The employees were friendly (although none offered to help us).  I did not notice anything really unique about the store, but they did have some cool flamingos at the check-outs.  I asked if those are always up and they said that they had put them up months earlier and just left them, because customers liked them.  😊

Flamingos make anything look more "Florida", even check-out lanes

Orlando Trader Joe's signage

























Here is a recap of ravioli scores:

Price:  $3.49

Rating: (average of 6 raters, since Ann and Ward rated it using 2 different cooking techniques) 3.75

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Honey Crisp Apple Cider is BACK!

Everyone who is a regular at Trader Joe's has their "go to" items, their favorites.  We mourn them if TJ's discontinues them.  But if they are seasonal, we DELIGHT when their season rolls around and they magically appear on the shelves again...

May I have a drum roll please....

Party in the juice aisle - Honey Crisp Apple Cider is BACK!
HONEY CRISP APPLE CIDER IS BACK AT TRADER JOE'S!!

If you haven't had the pleasure of drinking this cider, boy are you in for a treat :) .  It.  Is.  Delicious!  I have to warn you though - last year I developed a bit of an "addiction" to it...  Every afternoon last winter for about 90 days I would get incredibly sleepy around 3:00 pm.  It was like clockwork!  The clock struck 3:00, my yawning started.  But the yawning was accompanied by a CRAVING...  I neeeeeeeeed a mug of hot Trader Joe's Honey Crisp Apple Cider!  Lucky for me, that is an easy, healthy, cheap, and legal craving to satisfy!  So for about a month and a half there, I drank a mug of this warmed up every afternoon!

And, truth be told, I sort of drank too much of it.  "OD-ed" on it, if you will.  I had stocked up on a few bottles, but left them untouched until this fall rolled around.  I have since busted them open and resumed my adoration of this cider.  And you should, too!!!

Who has 2 thumbs and think this price point is perfect for a cider this good?  THIS GIRL!!
If you have tried the other TJ's ciders and think those are good - well I hate to say you are wrong, because we all have our own preferences.  But...  TRY THIS ONE, TOO!

And if you like it (and you will) make sure to squirrel away a few bottle down in your wine cellar (ok, seriously, is anyone who shops at TJ's rich enough to have a WINE CELLAR?  Perhaps I guess.  I squirrel away my collection WITH the wine in the basement, which just so happens to be stored in a rack on top of a shrunk (which is like an extra pantry closet). 

THIS IS THE ONE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR!
Wherever you have room to store it, all I am saying is, get a few bottles!  Because it is seasonal, and like most good things, seasons will change and this will disappear until next year. 

Price:  the same as it has been since I first wrote about it 2 years ago, $2.99 and not a penny higher
Rating: still an amazing 5 stars

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Pain Au Lait

The package says, “ ‘Pain Au Lait’ translates to MILK BREAD, a humble name for these slight sweet and elegant rolls.  Moist and straight forward, they pair well with butter and jam and are perfect for dunking in coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for a classic French breakfast or a pick me up.”

This is the bag you are looking for
These are produced in France and I bought them at the Trader Joe’s near Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.  They looked great in the bag and I was excited to try them.  The shape is fun – they are a tiny bit smaller than a hotdog bun and sort of similar in shape (from what I remember) to TJ’s pretzel bread. 

First let’s hear what David, a person who has consumed more than his share of French bakery products, thinks of them:

See?  It may have been past noon, but we were still in our robes and
messy morning hair, so this is BREAKFAST!
“I think these are delicious.  I used to see these things in Parisian bakeries and wonder why a person would get THAT when sweet cakes were available (i.e. pain au chocolate).  But now that I taste this it is delightful!  It is soft and sweet in a gentle way, and is a good carrier of this lovely jam and butter.  Without the jam and butter, it might be a little bit bland, but still pleasant.  As a carrier for butter and jam this can’t be beat.  It might even be better than challah.  (The editor stepped in here to ask if the ones in France were the same shape as the ones Trader Joe’s is selling.)  Yes – little hot dog buns.  I give these a 4.5.”

I thought the shape of these were funny and I presumed maybe Trader Joe’s had “Americanized” the shape to the familiar hot dog bun, but the expert says this is normal, so there ya go!  I think these are really good!

New!  Pain Au Lait
When I bought these pain au lait they were a bit cold and there was some condensation in the package.  This leads me to believe that, like many TJ’s bread products, each store probably gets them frozen and keeps them that way until they put them out on the shelves.  We ate them the morning after I bought them because I wanted to make sure they were fresh.  I topped mine with Kerrygold butter (our go to butter, reviewed here:  Kerrygold Butter link) and an amazing thing we got on a road trip that took us through Georgia.  We stopped at PEACH WORLD (for the love of peaches!) and bought a little jar of Praline Pecan Honey Butter.  The stuff is to die for!  You can bet on our next drive through Georgia we will be picking up some more.  If you do not plan on making a road trip in that direction soon, you can find it online here: Georgia Peach World .

Hey!  Georgia Peach World also has these fun face-cut-out things you can snap your photo in!  Only,
I didn't know I was going to use the photo in a review, so we didn't take any pictures of US, only of our
travel companion (never before seen in this blog...) SPICEY ON A STICK!  Anyway, he thought Peach World
was the bomb, too!
I served the pain au lait with Trader Joe’s coffee, TJ’s half and half, TJ’s clementine, and TJ’s blueberries 😊 .   We warmed the pain au lait in the oven (I had seen a comment online that someone did that and loved it, they were right). 

A delightful way to start the day
These are easy to split down the middle (like a hot dog bun) to put your butter or honey or whatever inside.  I think these make a great breakfast!!  We ate ours on a weekend, meaning we slept in so this “breakfast” was served at 12:15 pm (does that make it lunch?  Philosophical question…).  We call the first meal of the day breakfast, regardless of the time we eat it.

These would be great for kids to eat for breakfast, and would be fun to pack in a kid’s lunch, too.  They are a little bit sweet but not “dessert sweet”.  When we ate one with just butter, David identified that they taste very similar to Parker House rolls.  We prefer this pain au lait with both butter AND jam. 

This is the Praline Pecan Honey Butter.  Trust me, you need it...
I wish Trader Joe's sold it!  Alas, you can order at the link above.
TJ’s bread does not have preservatives so it goes bad (moldy) faster than breads you would buy at other grocery stores.  If you are prepared to eat them quickly after you purchase them you will avoid that issue.  I give these puppies a 4.5

Price:  $2.99
Rating:  4.5


Sunday, October 29, 2017

True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon

Full disclosure – normally when we buy wines at Trader Joe’s, we buy the cheaper bottles.  I mean, isn’t that why people GO to the Trader Joe’s wine department, to score inexpensive wine?? 

But every once in a while, an occasion calls for something special.  Something FANCY.  Don’t you agree??

Either those grooms are very tall, or that "reverend" is very short...  Do you
recognize the officiant?  It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding!
The first time we purchased this wine was for one of those special occasions.  My nephew Jordan married Zach, the love of his life, this January.  For their honeymoon get-a-way they escaped to our Florida house, chillaxing at the beach and playing mini-golf 😊 .  David and I happened to be in Florida right before the love birds came, so before we left we organized little surprise gifts from each family member to greet the newlyweds when they arrived.  One thing Jordan’s parents wanted to give was a nice bottle of wine, so we scoured the shelves at Trader Joe’s and found this True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Isn't the label beautiful?
One of the things I was looking for when I was trying to pick the perfect bottle was a suitable pretty LABEL.  Cuz it was a HONEYMOON, and you simply can’t have an ugly bottle of wine for the treat!!  (And before anyone comments on this – yes, I know TJ’s sells “Honeymoon Viognier”.  That just seemed, well, too obvious a choice!!)  But the beautiful butterflies on the True Myth label seemed perfect, and the price point was higher than most TJ’s wines without being outrageous (plus, it left money in the pot to buy a gift certificate for a dinner out at a fancy restaurant!). 

It's not $2 buck chuck, but it is not crazy expensive either
So, while Jordan and Zach had enjoyed a bottle of True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon (and reported that it was delicious), we had not treated ourselves to one!  Until Mary Day 2017 that is!!  Yes, to celebrate the end to another Mary Day, I brought home a bottle of this wine.  After all, my mom enjoyed a good wine, so this was fitting on her day.

Since we are talking about weddings, and since I mentioned my mom,
here she is in her wedding gown!  (In one of those bizarrely colorized black and white photos.)
Here is what David thought of this wine:  “This wine is strong, deep, and rich.  It is a little bit “tannin-y” at the end.  It is nice.  It is a bit “woody” tasting and full bodied.  I would definitely pair this with a strong food to eat, like a steak or something.  We had it with snicky-snacks, so it was a little bit overpowering.  I think this is a good wine.  I give it a 4.5.”

A lovely glass of wine at the end of a day of shopping 
Here's my take on it:  I really like it.  Maybe this is a psychological thing – I know it cost more than most wines we pick up, so it is “supposed” to taste good, right?  (I heard an NPR story on that topic once and it was fascinating!  They served people unmarked glasses of wine, and even total wine snobs, like, sommeliers, couldn’t tell the difference between the pricey stuff and the cheap-o kind!) 

Anyway, this wine is very rich.  It tastes very “dark” (can “dark” be a taste??).  There are fruity notes, which I enjoyed.  I think it would be amazing with steak or a pot roast.  In fact, a TJ’s filet mignon roast (reviewed here:  Filet Mignon Roast ) served with mashed potatoes would be a perfect fit with this wine.  Anything with mushrooms would be a compliment.  But I like it even with snacks!  We ate it with walnuts and some super fancy chocolates I got for Mary Day (alas, not at Trader Joe’s, but at a little boutique candy shop) and I liked it even with that pairing!  I guess I am not fussy. 

This is a nice, smooth red wine.  We will get it again.  I give it a 4.75.

And here is one of the very best photos of Jordan and Zach's wedding.  If you can't see the love emanating from there here, you need to have your eyeglass prescription checked.

Congratulations to the happy couple!!!!


Price: $16.99

Rating:  4.75

Monday, October 23, 2017

Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream Trio

A terrific holiday product is BACK, and this is your alert to get some NOW before they are gone!

All of those boxes of magic, just waiting to go home with someone!
The ultra moisturizing hand cream trio quietly made its way back to Trader Joe’s shelves.  This stuff is the bomb!!!  As I said in my original review of it, it is exactly like tubes of hand cream at L’Occitane, an ultra chi-chi expensive store.  I mean, it is just like that stuff, only more reasonably priced! 

Here is the original review:  Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream Trio review 

Goes on so smooth.  Has a very delicate scent, not overpowering at all.
And not greasy!  What more could you want??
As you can see in that review, I rated this stuff a 4.75.  But because I am an equal opportunity reviewer, I averaged my score with my nephew Jordan’s, and that brought the overall score down to a 4.5.  However, THIS YEAR Jordan is not here as I am writing, so I get to pick the rating all by myself!  Hence, it is getting the 4.75 it deserves!!!

This is what the box looked like in 2015 - I THINK it is the same now.
If not, it is very similar.
Go get yourself a box.  And get another box to give as a gift.  It would be a perfect present for a teacher.  Or a friend.  Or you can open the box and give individual tubes to 3 different people!  Just make sure you keep at least 1 for yourself, cuz you are gonna love it.

Price in 2015
Price in 2017 - not a penny more!





   





Plus, HELLO, it is the same exact price it was 2 years ago!  No inflation!!!  Seriously, go get some soon.  They won’t stock it for very long, and when it is gone, it is gone.  Your hands will thank you for it.

Price:  still the low low price of $7.99 (for 3 tubes!)
Rating:  4.75


Saturday, October 21, 2017

Chocolate Filled Crepes

I love crepes.  I like chocolate crepes.  So, I was very excited when I saw these in the frozen food section at Trader Joe’s!!

Apparently THIS is my excited face.
We used to live in Paris, and I loooved getting crepes from the little stands on the street corners.  I especially loved the simple butter and sugar crepes…  Ahhhh, just writing about them brings back memories and makes my mouth water!  If digital cameras had been around when we lived there, I am quite certain I would have photos of us sitting at some café eating crepes, but sadly, that was back in the time of 35 mm film…  I do, however, have a couple of old Paris vacation photos.  😊

David, long hair and leather jacket, sipping coffee at a Parisian Cafe circa 1998
(You cannot tell me this look is not sexy...)

Us, touring the Paris sewers in 1989.  It looks like I am wearing a shirt I borrowed from someone who wore
 8 sizes bigger than me, no?  What was I thinking... 
All that being said, I guess you could say that I have sort of high standards where crepes are concerned.  However, I do not know how to MAKE CREPES myself, so I do not have a lot of room to judge or criticize other people’s crepes!  However, review is what I am here to do, so let’s set about reviewing these TRADER JOE’S CHOCOLATE CREPES, shall we?

Here's the box!  
First, they are frozen and so easy to prepare.  You just put them on a plate, bung them in the microwave, and voila – it is crepe time! 

My first reaction the first time we had these was, “Well, they are better than not having any crepe, that’s for sure.  But it is definitely not as good as having a “real crepe” on the streets of Paris.  The crepe part is a little bit rubbery, but it is nice that it holds all of the chocolate filling in.  you can pick it up like a sandwich, you don’t even have to use a fork if you do not want to.  In my opinion, the chocolate filling tastes a bit like melted ganache.  The size of each crepe is rather small, but that is not a negative in my book.  We have had them for snacks, dessert, and breakfasts (I prefer breakfast with a nice cup of coffee or cappuccino). 

Look!  A bit of chocolate is peeking out!  So pretty.  I served them with blueberries
 from TJ's,  a fig from our garden, and cappuccinos.  
I think these would be good if you added fresh whipped cream, or strawberries, or banana slices on top.  That would add some pizazz, but even without those additions I think these are a winner.  I give them a 4.25.

David’s opinion:  “I think these are very good.  I like the rubbery crepe quality of them, because the taste of the crepe is really quite flavorful.  I love that they managed to figure out how to make it a nice little sealed rectangular pocket so that stuff doesn’t gush out at the bottom.  I think the taste of the chocolate is quite nice – it is dark chocolate-y and there is not too much of it.  if the crepe itself didn’t taste so good I might say there wasn’t enough chocolate, but as it is I think it is a great balance.  I am going to give this a 4.25.”
These things are CHEAP!
Price:  $2.69 (which comes out to a whopping .38 cents per crepe, cheaper than a candy bar!!)
Rating:  4.25


Bonus Paris photo - lunch outdoors for my birthday - 2007