Saturday, November 14, 2015

Day 318 - Cheese Blintzes


Here's the box!  Bright and sunny
I didn’t expect to really like these blintzes.  We had our own “personal blintz” maker, David’s dad (who I called Mr. Gaines), who died a few years ago.  I adored him, and he was very proud of his blintz making skills.  And rightly so, too, because his blintzes were delicious.  He set the bar very high and we really haven’t had blintzes since he hasn’t been around to make them.  I figured no one could top Mr. Gaines’ blintzes. 

Mr. Gaines at our wedding reception (holding nephew Chris who is now about to graduate high school!).
Doesn't Mr. Gaines look a bit like Col. Sanders here?  :)  He was a great guy.  I miss him.
Here is what David, son of the blintz maker, thought of these Trader Joe’s brand blintzes:  “Very nice.  Surprising subtle – the crepe tastes of a hint of orange that I recognize from the Grand Marnier that my dad used to put into the blintzes.  The mix of filling to wrapper is really just about right, even overly ample.  My only complaint is that it could use a hint more flavor, though admittedly blintzes are not about the flavor but about the comfort and the flavor is subtle.  But I think if it had a drop more vanilla or cinnamon or nutmeg it might be a little bit more tasty.  They are nicely crisp without being hard.  I give these a 4.5.”

As for me, I won’t say these TOP my father-in-law’s or are even equally as good, but they are tasty.  They are easy to prepare; I baked them in the oven 7 minutes on one side, 4 or 5 minutes on the other side.  They are a great excuse to pile on apple butter that my friend gave us from “Apple City USA”.

Relaxing Sunday morning breakfast
These are a nice, calming, Sunday morning breakfast to be eaten while reading the newspaper.  There is a lot of filling in these blintzes, it gushes out when you cut them.  I will not be scared to buy these anymore.  I used to fear they would make me too sad in that they would remind me of my father-in-law too much and make me miss him, but now I see they remind me of him in a sweet way and make me smile.  I agree with David that they deserve a 4.5.  We will get these again.

This is from a book we made for David's birthday of the top 10 reasons Mr. Gaines loved David - may we present reason #4!!
LOVE YOU MR. GAINES!
Price – $3.49 

Rating – 4.5

6 comments:

  1. Not like my mother's blintzes, either, but delish - my favorite TJ item.

    I heat them in a skillet with butter until golden brown on each side - crispier than an oven? Slosh on sour cream (and TJ's cherry preserves sometimes) - yum, yum, yum.

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    1. Your FAVORITE TJ s item :). I like the sound of that.

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    2. Just made these for my daughter and myself. I made them in the oven mainly so I did not have to fry them. I baked them for 7 minutes and then turned them. Was only going to leave in 3-4 more minutes but after the timer went off I took them out. I Was still waiting on my daughter so I turned the oven off and put them back in for only a couple of more minutes. That turned out to be a mistake because they burst and some of the cheese came out. They were still delicious but not as crispy because of the problem with the cheese. I topped them with fresh strawberries and a dab of whipped cream. I loved them. Unfortunately my daughter had eaten one before that were made only with cream cheese. She doesn't like cottage cheese or ricotta so she really didn't like them. I have a couple left so I will serve them tonight after dinner for dessert. I think my husband will enjoy them. Next time I will probably prepare in a skillet with a little coconut oil.

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    3. I am glad they still tasted alright even though they burst! :) The fresh strawberries with whipped cream sound like the perfect topping. Ahhhh, strawberries!!

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    4. Mine always burst a little on the sides too. I top them off with sour cream and Trader Joe’s blueberry preserves.

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  2. Mine always burst a little on the sides too. I top them off with sour cream and Trader Joe’s blueberry preserves.

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