Day 31 - Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies

These cookies are NEW to Trader Joe’s.  They come out with new products quite often, which is good given my task of reviewing something new from the store every single day of 2015!

New product!

I was leery – cookies PLUS “cookie butter” filling sounded waaay too sweet for this girl.  But I asked as I was checking out if the woman ringing me up had tried them yet and she HAD.  She said since they were new, a bunch of people from the store had been sampling them, and she reported they were really tasty.  She, too, had been worried about the “too sweet” factor but her report was that the COOKIES themselves were not sweet, so the filling was not overpowering.

Afternoon snack - cookie butter sandwich cookies and espresso!

After trying them I must say – I AGREE WITH HER!  The cookies (on top and bottom) are what I would describe as “neutral” – not too sweet, not savory, just COOKIES.  They are much softer than I imagined they would be, too, and not crumbly because the filling sort of holds it all together.  The cookie butter filling is, as its name would lead you to believe, buttery.  The combination is yummy!  My partner is not a fan of cookie dough products and even HE thinks they are pretty good.  

Not a bad price, either

Price - $3.99

Rating – 4

Day 30 - Chicken Pot Pie Bites

These seemed like such a swell idea!  Little Barbie sized versions of real chicken pot pies!  What could be cuter??

The problem is, once they are cooked (which takes an hour if you do it like we did in the oven), they are not so CUTE anymore.  They bubble up over the edges and are difficult to get out of the little Barbie sized muffin pan they come in.

They are so CUTE in this photo.  As they say on weight loss commercials, results may vary.

They TASTE good, mind you.  It is nice having guaranteed pot pie crust in every bite (as opposed to regular sized chicken pot pies, where sometimes you just get inside goo and not crust).  The filling is a nice blend of sauce, chicken, and veggies and the crust is yummy. 

They are meant to be served as little appetizers, but we just plopped 6 each on a plate, dunked them in Dijon mustard, and called it a meal (with asparagus on the side).  For a MEAL, they worked ok, but I wouldn’t bother with them for appetizers. 

Price - $4.99 (which equals  .42 cents per tiny pot pie)

Rating – 3

Day 29 - Chicken Enchiladas

These were recommended by a good friend, a friend with high standards in the yummy food category, so I was totally trustworthy on this one.  My friend said these are one of her Trader Joe’s staples.

Anyway, we picked some up and had them in the freezer, so on a night when we were running late and ready to throw dinner together around 10 pm, we thought we would give them a try.

Did I mention we were also a little cranky that night?  We were.

Anyway, for some reason I thought I remembered my friend saying these were DRY and we needed some sort of SAUCE for them.  I busted out a jar of Cowboy Caviar – a corn salsa concoction from Trader Joe’s that we had purchased over a year ago that we had never opened (it was expired) and prepared for the worst (remember, we were cranky).

After heating the enchiladas in the microwave, I opened the package to find they had a SAUCE! They were not naked!  I still threw some Cowboy Caviar on them, and some hot sauce, and off we went. 

They were not bad.  Not the world’s best enchiladas, but not bad at all.  The sauce on them was tasty but I wish there had been more of it.  They were meaty.  I think maybe we over cooked them a bit – the ends of the tortillas were hard.

I am going to give these babies another try.  On a night when we eat before 10:00 pm and are not cranky.  J  They are sure cheap – only a buck each (2 come in a pack).  The Cowboy Caviar jazzed ‘em up some. 

Price - $1.99

Rating – 2.75

Day 28 - Seafood Cocktail Sauce

We do not eat very much seafood.  It is not that we do not like it, we just rarely think of getting it I guess.  But every once in a while, mostly when we are in Florida right on the water, we splurge on FRESH SHRIMP and have ourselves a little SHRIMP COCKTAIL.  And it is amazzzzingly good. 

Seafood Cocktail Sauce

This Trader Joe’s cocktail sauce is what serves as our dip for those luscious shrimp.  Yup, the shrimp cost a pretty penny, but the sauce sure doesn’t!  It is cheap, spicy, zesty, and delicious.   I recommend grabbing a bottle of it and having it at the ready.  Maybe seeing that puppy in the fridge will remind you to GET SOME SEAFOOD!  J

Very reasonable price for a very tasty sauce

Price - $1.79

Rating - 4

Day 27 - Salted Butter Quarters

OK, confession:  I do not normally buy “store brand” stuff at stores other than Trader Joe’s.  I mean, like, if I am in Shoppers Food Warehouse, I will plop down the extra dime (or quarter…) for the well-known label – the one I have seen on TV and in coupons.  I KNOW this is “conditioning” by the huge companies, and I KNOW I should save money and purchase the plain label, store brand product, but 9 times out of 10, Heinz canned tomatoes will jump in my cart instead of plain label.  (And yes, I know that sometimes the store label brand is the same exact product that is inside the fancy brand can, just with a different label…)   I am a bit embarrassed to admit all of that, but it is true! 

But here’s the thing – at Trader Joe’s, a vast majority of the products are THEIR STORE BRAND.  And they are fabulous.  Equal to or better than the famous brands we buy because we see them on TV and because our mothers bought them and fed them to us when we were growing up.  I buy them, I like them, and I am happy.  J

BUTTER!

So that sets the stage for this butter (salted butter quarters).  If I were at Safeway or Shoppers Food Warehouse, I would not buy the plain label brand.  I would spend more and buy Land O’ Lakes butter.  But at Trader Joe’s I am perfectly happy to buy store brand butter!  And it is yummy.  And works well in all the same things I use butter for – on bread, for baking, to top veggies, etc (though, honestly, our “toast butter” is a different butter, which I will review soon!).  This butter is good.  It is on par with Land O’ Lakes.   Heck, this butter is even made from cows who were not treated with BST.  If you, too, avoid store brand things, just start by trying this butter.  You won’t notice a difference.  J 

  

Turns out, this price is insanely cheap!

Side note – this blog is not about recipes, coupons, or penny pinching techniques.  But I am a curious person.  So I just looked up what the same size package (16 oz) of salted butter quarters would be at my local Safeway if we bought Land O Lakes.  HOLY SMOKES - $6.09!!!  MORE THAN DOUBLE what we paid at Trader Joe’s!!!   So not only is it yummy, it is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. 

Price – $2.99

Rating – 3.75

Day 26 - Ocarossa Wine

This is a NICE red wine at a very, very cheap price.  That’s the thing about Trader Joe’s wines – so many of them are dirt cheap, you can afford to experiment and try something new! 

Ocarossa - a delicious wine at only $5.99!

This is an Italian red wine – nice and bold.  It has a cherry taste but not too fruity.  We served it with a beef stroganoff served over pasta and it was the perfect complement to the meal.

This wine pairs well with dinner

Interesting fact – each Trader Joe’s has an in-house artist that makes all of their own signage.  I think that is an awesome idea!  It means nothing feels too “corporate” or cookie cutter – each store you go into has its own feel.  This is evidenced by these two price signs for Ocarossa Wine – one was taken at “our” Trader Joe’s in Falls Church, VA and the other was taken at a Trader Joe’s in Raleigh, NC on a recent road trip.  Which do you prefer??  

Sign from Virginia Trader Joe's

Sign from North Carolina Trader Joe's

Price - $5.99 (so reasonable!)

Rating – 4.25 stars

Day 25 - Hot Pico de Gallo Salsa

This stuff is like vegetable crack.  Once I open a tub of it, consider it g-o-n-e.  I mean, sure, it SAYS a “serving” is 2 tablespoons, but that is an outright lie.  I have eaten a whole tub (with blue chips) in one sitting.  I am not proud of that fact, but I must put it out there to warn you.  Once you start, you cannot stop eating this salsa.

Find it near the cheese, hummus, pizza dough section

First off, the veggies in it are fresh.  And cut to just the right size.  I usually eat it by dipping in a Trader Joe’s blue chip, and the size of the veggie chunks are just right to jump up and sit on a chip.  But you need to know – when the label says “hot”, it ain’t a kiddin’!  This stuff is hot, which is just the way I like it (and also means I get to eat the whole tub myself because it is too spicy for my partner - yes!!).  You will find tomatoes, green peppers, onion, cilantro…  Is your mouth watering yet because mine is…

2 tablespoons?  You must be freakin' kidding me

Because it is fresh, the expiration date will come quickly after you open it (which is not normally a problem for me, given my propensity to suck it all down in one sitting).  If I didn’t always eat it all up with chips I am sure it would be delicious on a taco or enchilada. 

This also comes in “mild” or “medium”, but that is only for wimps.  Go big or go home!  Find it in the refrigerated section near the cheeses.

Price – $2.99

Rating – 4.75 stars

Day 24 - Brussels Sprouts Parmyere

This is yet another seasonal product – Trader Joe’s carried it during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  Why, I do not know…  After all, why keep Brussels sprouts just for the holidays??  I can eat a good Brussels sprout any day of the year!

Frozen dish - quick to cook and tasty (though see below, doesn't look quite like this on the plate)

 Anyway, being fans of this particular veggie, we thought we should check this out.  The package says it contains 3.5 servings, but our experience is that it contained just enough for two people.  We chose the microwave cooking method, and it took longer than the package recommended it would.  There is a small packet included filled with fried onions, designed to be sprinkled on top of the veggies after they are cooked.  Those fried onions added a nice zing!

If I were judging this product solely on APPEARANCE on the plate, it would get a 1.5.  That is because, ummm, it looks like vomit on your plate.  That is not an appealing appearance! 

Maybe it is just me, but the appearance leaves something to be desired....

But if I were to judge this product on TASTE alone it would probably get a 4.  It was nice, cheesy (with both Swiss and Parmesan), soupy, and yummy, especially bites that had fried onions on top.  So, I will average the two ratings together to come up with my final rating.  J

I will pick this one up again when Trader Joe’s brings it out for Holiday Season 2015. 

Price – $4.49

Rating – 2.75 stars

Day 23 - Pumpkin Scones

If you are new to Trader Joe’s let me explain something – they come out with special products at the holidays.  These things are only available during that holiday season – get them, eat them, and don’t expect to see them again until the following year.  These Iced Pumpkin Scones came to Trader Joe’s when they must have decided, “Let’s do EVERYTHING pumpkin!” around Halloween/Thanksgiving 2014.  They had pumpkin coffee, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin beer, pumpkin everything – including these unfortunate scones.

We don’t eat a lot of scones, and we do not eat a lot of pumpkin flavored stuff.  But for some reason I felt we needed to try some, maybe it was the peer pressure of, “Everybody ELSE is eating pumpkin….”.  So I threw them in our cart.

Bleck.  They really did not have any good qualities.  They were not a good texture.  They were definitely not a good taste (overly pumpkin, nutmeg, and sugar).  The icing on them was sweeter than, well, sweeter than sweet. And they were not even PRETTY.  When I laid some out on a plate to try and pass them off to unsuspecting guests, they looked a bit like poo plops…  I guess it is no wonder the guests went for other sweets! 

Poo plops - errr - I mean Pumpkin Scones.

I do not know how much we paid for these sad little scones, but I know whatever it was it was too much.  We didn’t return them (we should have), we threw them out.  When they come round again next year you won’t find any in our house!  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, well, … , ummm, you’re not gonna fool me again.

Price - ?? (because “pumpkin season” is officially over, I cannot find the price)

Rating – 0 stars

Day 22 - Cafe Pajaro Blend Coffee

The thing about buying coffee at Trader Joe’s is, we can NEVER remember which ones we like…  There are quite a few to choose from, and I normally remember which we have BOUGHT at some point when I see the labels, but not which ones are GOOD.  This was the first time for us trying this one – the Café Pajaro Blend.  It is billed as organic, fair trade, Arabica, extra dark roast, and full bodied (yeah, yeah, I like my coffee like I like my men, full bodied.  Ba-dum-bum – I’m here all week…).

Here's the can - Cafe Pajaro Blend

I would describe this coffee as GOOD.  Not, “Knock your socks off, amazing, OMG I can’t believe I am drinking something this good” but fine.  No bitterness.  Quite rich.  And yes, as the label touts, “full bodied”.  A nice way to start the day.

Cafe Pajaro price tag

Ahhh, still my "morning hair do" while sipping some
 Cafe Pajaro Blend coffee

We have a cheap bean grinder at home so always buy beans.  If you do not have a grinder, Trader Joe’s will sweetly let you use theirs.  J

Price – $7.99

Rating – 3.5 stars

Day 21 - Mushroom Turnovers

I need to tell you the star rating right off the bat – FIVE SOLID SHINING STARS!  Trader Joe’s Mushroom Turnovers ROCK.  They are always, always in our freezer (unless we have just emptied the box, in which case they are on the list to pick up next time we are at the store). 

THIS IS THE BOX, put at least one in your cart!

Most importantly, they are DELICIOUS.  They taste soooo good!  They are a little turnover stuffed with chopped mushrooms, sautéed onions, and a sauce that is to die for.  The turnover crust is what they call a “cream cheese pastry”.  What I call it is a-freaking-mazing.  They almost taste MEATY, but there is no meat in them.  Trust me, I had to look on the ingredient list to verify that because, well, taste for yourself and tell me if you think it is “meaty” tasting!

Ingredients - see, NO MEAT!

Also, they are quick to prepare.  We put them on a cookie sheet in the oven and they are heating up while we are chopping veggies or making a salad.  When they come out they are little hot bundles of deliciousness.

And lastly, they are well priced.  At $3.69 per box of 12 pieces, that is only .31 cents per turnover!  So you do not need to feel guilty when you pop 1, then 2, then 3, 4, 5 in your mouth! 

Get these on your next trip to Trader Joe’s!

Price - $3.69

Rating – 5 solid shining stars

Day 20 - Clam Chowder

I always keep a can of Trader Joe’s Clam Chowder in the cupboard.  It is a simple “go to” soup when you need a quick lunch or when you are not feeling great and just want something hot.  It is particularly good on cold winter days (as is any soup really…).   

Clam Chowder Soup

It is nothing special – it’s clam chowder plain and simple.  Sometimes it is a wee bit “fishy” for my taste, but it’s cheap and hearty, so it qualifies as a staple in my book.  Put a bunch of freshly ground pepper on it, throw in a cracker or two if that is how you roll, and call it a LUNCH. 

Not too pricey - will warm you up on a cold day

Price - $1.49

Rating – 3.5 stars

Day 19 - Real Mistletoe

Obviously, this is a seasonal product.  J  But it is one I highly suggest you grab next holiday season!!!  Real mistletoe is sometimes difficult to find – and you do not want that cheap plastic crappy kind.  I cannot guarantee the effectiveness of fake mistletoe.

Real Mistletoe - you need this for the holidays!

 I CAN, however, tell you that this Trader Joe’s Real Mistletoe worked like a dream!  Rarely does an investment under $2.00 have such lovely outcomes!  I hung it with a red ribbon and it was very effective at encouraging lovers crossing under it to stop and smooch.

Real Mistletoe in action - see??  Works perfectly!

We picked it up near a check-out.  Be on the look-out for it next holiday season!!

Price - $1.99

Rating – 5 stars (of course!)

Day 18 - Avocados

Sure, sometimes you might be able to find avocados on sale at Safeway or Shoppers Food Warehouse for a little cheaper, but Trader Joe’s avocados are reasonably priced ($1.39 each).  Avocados are such a tasty, healthy thing to eat.  It’s good to have one in your fruit bowl!  

Yummy - a tasty avocado!

We like to put thin avocado slices on sandwiches, avocado chunks on lettuce salads, or make avocado/caper/red onion/tomato chunk salads!  You need to think ahead when we buy them – you must strategize about when you will use it and choose one that is going to ripen at juuuuust the right time (which is tough to do!).  I confess that we sometimes forget we have an avocado and don’t find it until it is far too late and it has turned to black mush, bleck.  Of course, if it is just a tiny bit too late, there is always fresh guacamole to be made! 

Bottom line – avocados are yummy and healthy.  Buy ‘em.  And since you are at Trader Joe’s anyway, might as well pick one up there!  They are just as good as avocados purchased at other stores.

P.S. – Secret – we grew an avocado plant from a SEED!  We have been working on it since Spring of 2014 and in January 2015 the tree got planted in real, live Florida soil (instead of a pot!).  Soon we hope to harvest our OWN avocados!!

ROOTS!

Ava, our avocado tree!

Price:  $1.39 each

Rating:  4 stars

Day 17 - Mozzarella Cheese Chub

We go through a lot of cheese in our house, the majority of which is cheddar.  But this mozzarella also gets a fair bit of play from us, especially in SUMMER GARDEN SEASON.  Oh yeah – there is nothing better than a big, red, juicy, fresh garden tomato topped by a thick chunk of this mozzarella, add to that a couple of just picked basil leaves, top with extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and coarse salt.  That, my friends, is the taste of summer.  So now you know how we use this cheese J.

Note:  if it is not summer, or if you do not grow tomatoes, pair this with Trader Joe’s Kumatoes (see review from this blog, day 5).

This is the one we get - 8 oz is a good size

 Pros :

• Tasty
• Soft
• Reasonably priced
• Almost always available at Trader Joe’s
• A good size

Cons:

• Tricky to open, and when you do open it – messy.  Mozzarella water gushes out so only open it over the sink. 
• Not possible to store in original packaging, so have a little storage container ready when you open it.
• Goes stale quickly if you do not use it within a few days (probably because all of the mozzarella water stuff plops out of the packaging when you open it so is not in the storage container to keep it moist).

Price - $3.29

Rating – 4 stars

Day 16 - Edamame

Trader Joe’s sells frozen edamame in a couple of different formats and I have never quite figured out the difference.  I say, just grab a bag out of the freezer section while you are shopping and make sure you have it on hand at home.  Edamame is just SOYBEANS – so don’t be afraid to try it. 

This is one variety of edamame that Trader Joe's sells

Edamame is an EASY snack, healthy for you, and a good appetizer.  We just cook it a bit in boiling water, drain it, and grind some big salt chunks on it.  Then get a spare bowl for the used pods and sit down in front of your tv and EAT!  Edamame is an expensive little luxury when you go out to eat at fancy restaurants, but dang cheap when you buy it at Trader Joe's and just boil some up out of your freezer!

Tip – make a bit more than you expect to eat, cuz you are gonna eat it.

Price – $1.69

Rating – 4 stars

Day 15 - Marcona Almonds with Rosemary

OH.  MAN.  You need these.  Seriously, invest in a bag.

We had never tried them until this winter.  After all, they cost $6.49 a bag – those are some pricey nuts!  But they are GLORIOUS.  They really are a perfect combination of all of the ingredients – the almonds are so rich and buttery, the salt is perfectly proportioned, and the ROSEMARY (which I normally do not like) tops it all off like nobody’s business.

This is the pricey little bag of Marcona Almonds with Rosemary - get one!

These are a great snack to put into your prettiest bowl and serve as fingerfood when you have guests over.  Warning:  make sure you eat a few before the guests get there, or you may not get any once they taste them.

Price - $6.49 (it’s only a 6 oz. bag, which is expensive but worth it)

Rating – 5 stars

Day 14 - The Bagel Spinoza

This blog is all about honest, real customer reviews.  So in all honesty, we have not found a loaf of bread at Trader Joe’s that suits us.  None of them have ever been fluffy enough, or tasty enough, or lasted long enough without going stale.  So for that reason, we hesitated buying the bagels.

We should not have been scared.  They are great!!  They are a terrific texture and taste fabulous.  Top them with butter, hummus, cream cheese, peanut butter – the sky is the limit!  J  They did not go stale quickly which is a plus for us with only two people in the house to eat them.

It Bagels the Mind

The price is really good, too, it works out to only .38 cents a bagel!  That seems much cheaper than bagel packages at other stores and CERTAINLY cheaper than the “buy one at a time” bagels at other store’s bakeries.  Go for it.

Yum - bagels!

And really, with a tag line like, "It Bagels the Mind", how can you NOT try these??

Price - $2.29

Stars – 4.25

Day 13 - Grand Reserve Meritage (2011) Red Wine

If you like the taste of drinking petrol (gasoline) – then this wine is for you!  Even the “bouquet” smells of gas.  Bleck!  The particular bottle we have is “Lot #27” – I am guessing that is a CAR LOT from the taste of things… 

It doesn't LOOK like gasoline, but it sure tastes like it...

 Not really a lot else to say.  Don’t buy it.  Don’t drink it.  Friends don’t let friends drink (red) gasoline.  There are loads of other choices of wine at Trader Joe’s – DO NOT PICK THIS ONE.

Price - ??? (I do not have the receipt for this – we bought it and brought it out of town with us – but looking around online it looks like we wasted $12.99 on this!  That is not cheap for a wine at Trader Joe’s – I sort of wish I hadn’t looked at prices!  We have half a bottle sitting here that we do not want to drink.  Any amount we spent on it was too much.)

Rating – ½ star

P.S. – It could be that we just got a bad bottle…  In looking online after writing this review, I found a couple of sites that praise this wine (note:  we do not research wine before we buy it – I mean, we TASTE IT if Trader Joe’s is doing a tasting J, but we are not the types to go online and dig up info on a wine before we buy it.  I just happened across this and thought it only fair to share another perspective:  http://www.reversewinesnob.com/2014/05/trader-joes-grand-reserve-napa-valley-meritage.html )

Day 12 - Pomegranate Seeds

These are one of the pricier things we buy at Trader Joe’s…  They are a splurge, a treat!  And they are YUMMY.

Pomegranates are a fruit I never ate as a kid.  Consequently, as an adult, I have no idea how to eat them!  I like to drink Pom juice once in a while (that is another huge splurge and not sold at Trader Joe’s - Pom Cherry is my favorite), so I figured I would like pomegranates, too.  But man oh man, they seem like nature’s locked bank vault!!  The skin is super hard, and if you managed to break into it, how the HECK would you get those seeds out of there?

So instead of Google, “How do I eat a pomegranate”, I invested $3.99 in this little treat from Trader Joe’s – pomegranate seeds all picked out, packaged, and ready for me to e-a-t!  It’s a bit silly, really, I do not buy pre-sliced apples on the pretense that I should not pay someone to slice my fruit when I am perfectly capable of slicing it myself.  But man – these pomegranate seeds are so good, I keep throwing them in my shopping cart!! 

BRILLIANTLY packaged Trader Joe's Pomegranate Seeds 

I believe Trader Joe’s has improved the packaging over the last couple of months.  I think the first couple of times I bought these they came in a container where once you opened it, all of it was exposed to air and open.  But now they have done something ingenious and divided it into 2 sections!  Now, if you are careful when you peel back the plastic top, you can open only half of the container, keeping the other half fresh and sealed.

I eat these on top of Greek yogurt – yum!  I also eat them by the spoonful for dessert sometimes. 

Price - $3.99 (I know, a splurge)

Rating – 4.5 stars

Day 11 - Half and Half

Trader Joe’s Half and Half is good.  The main draw is that it is not UHT (Ultra Heat Treated).  While I am not finicky about that, my normally very laid back and lackadaisical partner for some reason prefers non-UHT dairy products (healthier, I am sure, but this is coming from a guy who will eat a whole box of cookies with his non-UHT milk….). 

Half and Half makes a cup of coffee better!

Anyway, because it is non UHT, it has a much shorter shelf life than other brands of half and half you can buy in different stores.  It comes in a pint container, so we get through it before it expires with no problem (and we just drink one cup of coffee each per day). 

Price - $1.19

Rating – 4.25 stars

Day 10 - Greeting Cards

Trader Joe’s has a small selection of greeting cards.  They are usually pretty good – not the top quality paper but very acceptable.  They are all priced the same - .99 cents.  That is a bargain – Hallmark keeps raising their prices and you can easily plop down $4.00 for one of their cards. 

.99 cent greeting cards - cheap and functional (but not fancy)

Here is what I see as pros and cons to Trader Joe’s cards:

Pros:

·         CHEAP

·         Some cute designs

·         Convenient since you can pick them up while you are at the store

Cons:

·         Very limited selection

·         All the same price, and all very “Trader Joe’s” looking, meaning anyone you send one to (if they also are a fan of Trader Joe’s) knows you did not splurge on them (I know, I know, it’s the thought that counts, but there are some situations where a bit more than a buck is appropriate – such as, “Gee, congratulations on your wedding!  It was gorgeous and all!!!  Thanks for the sit down plated steak and lobster dinners you served me and my plus one that you had never met before.  Here’s a .99 cent card from Trader Joe’s!” (which presumably would be taped atop a fancy gift from the couple’s registry at Williams Sonoma, but still…).

·         Not many “occasion specific” cards – more blank and generic

The cards are hard to find in some Trader Joe’s locations, you may need to ask.  In our favorite TJ’s they are on a post near the front of the store.

Price - .99 cents

Rating – 3 stars

Day 9 - Belgian Endive

For a while in 2013 I believe I was ADDICTED to these.  I ate them every single day.  

Here’s how:  get the pack of 3 Belgium Endive at Trader Joe’s.  Wash one (or 2 – if 2 use 2 different colored ones to make it pretty).  Slice them in thin to medium slides (start at the pointy end, throw away the very bottom thick end).  Also slice thin bits or chunks of a red onion.  Add chunks of feta cheese.  Add tomato (or kumato if it is not summer).  Add chopped up Trader Joe’s Baby Beets if you have some on hand.  Top with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Squeeze half a lemon (or a Meyer Lemon if they are in season) over the top.  Using a salt grinder, grind some big hunks of salt on top.  VOILA – a super tasty and very delicious salad!  Don’t blame me if you get addicted.

Belgian Endive - aren't they pretty?

At other grocery stores endive are usually sold by weight and are quite pricey.  Other stores often only sell the green version too, whereas the pack you get at Trader Joe’s has the pretty purple one (which they call red) for color.   I like the TJ’s version – 3 endive for $2.99 – basically a buck an endive.  You know what you are getting, and what you are getting is tasty!  They will last in the fridge for a couple of days after you open the pack so you have time to make more salad.  J

Recipe idea - my addictive Belgian Endive salad described above (this one has endive,
feta, onions, baby beets, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt)

That’s all I ever use these for, salad, and I use them a LOT.  Sometimes I will chop one and add it into a regular lettuce salad, too.  I know you can COOK endive and serve it hot, but have never tried that.  Do you have a good recipe?  If so, please share it in the comments section.  I would love to try them cooked.

Price - $2.99

Rating – 4.5 stars

Day 8 - English Toffee with Nuts

Trader Joe’s English Toffee with Nuts is a holiday product, meaning they only carry it for a limited time.  It comes out every year around Thanksgiving.  The first year we found it we fell in love!  It is really well done – chunks of toffee about the length of a pinky finger (thicker than your finger) covered in chocolate then rolled in chopped nuts.  What’s not to like???  That first year we got through two huge tubs ourselves and gave some as gifts to friends.

Everyone gets so excited with the seasonal holiday products like English Toffee with Nuts come out!

So the NEXT year when we saw it show up on the shelves again, we were thrilled.  YIPPEE – more English Toffee with Nuts!  We bought two tubs again. 

But the thing is, the tubs are BIG.  And the toffee is CRUNCHY.  And after eating a few pieces, your jaws get sore.  So we ate and ate and ate to get through tub number one, then cracked open tub number two but only scratched the surface before it got buried behind other stuff in the cabinet.  But we didn’t miss it – we had od-ed on the stuff. 

So this year when the toffee showed up on the store shelves, we eyeballed it, then I remembered we still had some old stale toffee left over.  We busted out the stale stuff and tried to get through it.  It tasted basically the same even a year later.  But we had lost our appetite for it.

Right above the freezer section - holiday goodies

We are going to get back on the horse in 2015.  I am sure with a year off that toffee is going to taste as delicious as that first piece did.  I DO recommend you try it, just pace yourself.  All good things in moderation.  ONE tub might be plenty for a household of just two people.  (Find it in the freezer section only during the holidays on shelves above the cold products.)

Price - $8.99 (which is high, but the tub is humongous)

Rating – 3.75 stars

Day 7 - Chocolate Coconut Almonds

These are David’s new favorite treat.  He can eat half a container in one sitting (he is a slow eater, so he would have to sit quite a while to do that, but he would happily do it).  The almonds are nice and big, the coconut is super coconutty, and the chocolate is tasty.  They are an easy little snack to eat in that they don’t even make a mess!

Chocolate Coconut Almonds - a fancy, tasty treat

For MY TASTE, they are a wee bit too “suntan lotionish”.  I think that is mainly the scent – it just smells like the coconut suntan lotion of my youth and puts me off a little bit.  But if I can block the SMELL, the taste is very nice.

Price - $4.99 (sort of expensive)

Rating – 4 stars

Day 6 - Greek Yogurt

This yogurt is a staple in our fridge - we usually have some on hand.  It is just as good if not better than other national brands of Greek yogurt.  It’s creamy, rich, tasty, and very well priced.  I also like that it comes in a bigger container than the small single servings – doesn’t feel like we are contributing quite as much to the landfill (recycling center, but still…). 

Greek Yogurt

We often serve it for breakfast with fruit chopped up on/in it – raspberries, bananas, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries – whatever you have on hand (often more than one fruit goes in).   David likes to top his with honey.  If you have some walnuts or pecans, chop them up and toss them on top – delicious.   Another serving idea is to use it to make a smoothie in the blender – some Greek yogurt, orange or other juice, and fruit.  Blend it up and DRINK J.

Price - $2.49

Rating – 3.75 stars

Day 5 - Kumatoes

At first glance, kumatoes look, well, gross.  They are tomatoes, but they are BROWN.  And normally the last thing I want my tomato to be is brown. 

But when summer is over and our garden is no longer providing us with plump, ripe, red tomatoes, I am willing to go out on a limb and experiment to find a good substitute.  And KUMATOES are it! 

Kumato - see, they are odd looking...

They are not cheap - $3.49 for a pack of 5 – but they are a good substitute for the months when all other store bought tomatoes taste like dry cardboard.   I like them best when they are still a bit firm and a mix of green and brown.  I would prefer if I could buy them individually so I could do a little squeeze test on each one, but since it is Trader Joe’s you have to accept whatever is in the pack you choose.  And I must add, every once in a while you will get a “dud” - a yucky one.  But the good far outweigh the bad.

We most often eat these sliced and topped with mozzarella , olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and salt.  That is a simple to make and terrific tasting appetizer or salad course.  Just writing about them now is making my mouth water a bit.

Kumato serving suggestion - sliced and topped with mozzarella cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt

Price - $3.49, which comes out to around .70 cents per fruit

Rating – 4 stars

Day 4 - Belgian Dark Chocolate Non-Pareils

We bought these for the first time on the recommendation of a friend of David’s.  Let’s just say – everyone has their own taste, and these candies were not ours…  We were excited to try them (after all – they were RECOMMENDED!) but they did not live up to our expectations.

David in his chicken hat, excited to get a new treat

And that brings us to an amazingly awesome thing about Trader Joe’s – if you do not like something, they take it back.  They want to know!!  They like to hear your feedback!!  So after buying these, bringing them home, and trying a couple, we returned them to the store on our next visit.  And they were HAPPY to take them back and give us a refund or exchange.  They are so sweet about it.

Here is what we thought – the chocolate candies were just too THICK and hard.  They were difficult to bite.  They were not simple little niblets, like other non-pareils are.  They were thick, chunky bits of chocolate.  Eating them just wasn’t enjoyable, so back they went.  They weren’t cheap ($4.49), but trust me, we just exchanged them for other chocolates that were more to our liking J. 

Belgian Dark Chocolate Non-Pareils

Overall experience with the Belgian Dark Chocolate Non-Pareils: taste = not good, customer service in taking them back = amazing.

Price - $4.49

Rating – 1.25 stars