Chicken and Vegetable Wonton Soup

First off, if you lived off ramen noodles cooked in a hot pot in your college dorm for 4 years, this soup is the adult version of that meal.  It is just as fast, cheap (but not as cheap as ramen), and hearty, but a little less “college-y”.

Now for the review.

Autumn is here - SOUP SEASON!

The package says this soup is one serving, but I would call it 1.5.  There were 7 or 8 hearty wontons, so that is quite a few to eat in one sitting.  I really like this soup!  The broth is tasty, the wontons are good and meaty.  This warm soup would be good on a cold fall or winter day. 

I wish it had more veggies – there were only 2.5 snow peas and kind of a lot of carrots.  Would it kill them to throw in a couple more snow peas??  The photo on the package seems to show more veggies than our bowl had.  The photo also makes it look like the veggies and won tons float – I think that was artful use of chopsticks to push things to the top and make them look jazzy in the picture!

Here is our bowl.  Served with San Pellegrino, which Trader Joe's was OUT of last night.
Oh I hope they have not stopped carrying it...

My favorite part of this soup is the CILANTRO – if you get a bit of cilantro in your bite it really jazzes things up.  That being said, I realize that cilantro is one weird a** herb!!!  Have you read the articles that explain that, to some people’s taste buds, cilantro tastes just like SOAP???  Isn’t that freaky??  I love cilantro, so I feel sorry for the people who think it tastes like getting your mouth washed out with soap.  Here is a link to a good article about cilantro:  Cilantro Haters

This is easy to prepare – I microwaved it for 4.5 minutes, let it rest for one minute, then dove in.  this would be a good “bring to work” lunch.  It wouldn’t stink up the break room when you microwaved it like some other frozen lunches do. 

Find this one in the frozen food section

Here is what David thought of it, “This is a nice idea.  It is lovely and warm for the winter time.  For me the soup was a bit “Campbell’s Soup-y” and a bit sweet rather than them more vinegar-y and flavorful hing that I would expect from a Chinese wonton soup.  And the dumplings – though I love dumplings, these are a little bit, ummm, I could do with them being more, ummm, GRANULAR I guess.  That is, BITS of meat and BIT of vegetables in there, rather than just like a chunk of a chicken hotdog in there.  I do agree with Susan that the cilantro is a great idea.  I would give this a 3.25.”

And I would give this soup a 4.  So those 2 scores will be averaged together for the final rating. 

Price:  $2.29

Rating:  3.75

Tuscan Cantaloupe IN SEASON Again!

GUYS - IT IS TUSCAN CANTALOUPE SEASON!  

Tuscan Cantaloupe - it's what's for breakfast

(Let me be honest with you - I cannot spell cantaloupe without really thinking!  It's a tough one to spell, eh?)

Cantaloupe is not normally my favorite fruit.  David brought one home last week and I noticed it was really making the kitchen smell "canteloupe-y" (perhaps I am trying to break my habit of spelling cantaloupe wrong by spelling it as many times as possible in this post...).  When we ate it, it was super tasty.  And that's when it hit me:  THIS WAS NOT A REGULAR-RUN-OF-THE-MILL-BORING-CANTALOUPE, it must be TUSCAN CANTALOUPE SEASON!!

We found these gems at Trader Joe's last year and they got a coveted 5 star review!  I re-read the review today and it made me giggle - I wrote it when I was a bit ticked at David for grocery shopping without me (we both really like grocery shopping...).  Here is the review from back on day 164 of this project:

Tuscan Cantaloupe Review

You need a Tuscan Cantaloupe.  Get one now, while they are in season.  Once they are gone, the shelves will once again be stocked with little melon sized balls of sorta bland tasting orange stuff. But for now, grab a bit of delicious!

P.S. - I noticed that the original review talked about how David's dad, who I called Mr. Gaines, ate the same breakfast Every.  Single.  Morning.  I can't believe I neglected to include a PHOTO of Mr. Gaines!  He was such a sweeeet man - wise, funny, loving, and smart.  So here he is - MR. GAINES!

David and his DAD
My mom was losing her hair while on chemo, so we shaved our heads in solidarity.
Well, Mr. Gaines didn't shave, he was already bald...  

Mr. Gaines LOVED ice cream.  Actually, he liked all things chocolate...
Here we are after eating ice cream with him (circa 1995)

Brussels Sprouts (Frozen)

I .  Finally.  Get.  It.

As a true Brussels Sprouts lover, I never really understood why that veggie has such a bad reputation!  It seems that way more people HATE Brussels Sprouts than any other veggie (well, maybe except okra, but okra should really be in a class by itself…).  Brussels Sprouts are delicious!  Brussels Sprouts are healthy!  Brussels Sprouts are easy to prepare!!  Brussels Sprouts look like adorable little teeny tiny cabbage heads!  I could not understand why so many people turned up their noses at them!!!

But now that I have tasted Trader Joe’s frozen Brussels Sprouts (which I shall refer to as B.S. for the rest of this review so I don’t have to keep writing out the name), I understand why so many people think B.S. are complete BS.

  

Here they are - in the freezer section...

 These are gross.

The texture of them is disgusting.  They are mushy and just do not feel “right” in your mouth.  They do not have the rich, roasted, delicious taste of fresh B.S. .  Honestly, when I ate them they made me gag a bit.  If I could offer up a bit of a comparison; I grew up only knowing CANNED ASPARAGUS (don’t judge!!).  I liked it.  My memory is that my mom didn’t serve (canned) asparagus often, probably because it is so expensive.  But when she did serve it, I really liked it!!  Then, when I grew up and got a kitchen of my own and my sweetheart introduced me to REAL, FRESH ASPARAGUS – oh my…  My heart skipped a beat!  I realized all that I had been missing all of those years!!  Canned asparagus, when put in a head to head competition with fresh asparagus, would LOSE HORRIBLY. 

And frozen TJ’s B.S. would get beaten to a pulp in a side to side comparison with fresh B.S. .

It looks like David was thinking these would be "meh" before we even reached the check out lane!
WHY didn't I go with his instinct and leave these at the store???

These frozen TJ's B.S. are not 100% horrible, they do have a couple of positives going for them:

1.       They are simple to cook – open the bag, plop in a baking dish with olive oil, and roast

2.       They are (presumably) healthy (though probably not AS HEALTHY as fresh B.S.)

3.       They are easier to prepare then fresh B.S. – no rinsing or cutting needed

4.    They are cheap

But all of those PLUSSES get drowned out by the yucky TASTE.  If something doesn’t taste good, no amount of easy preparation makes it worthwhile in my book.

These are so yucky tasting that there are still LEFTOVER B.S. IN OUR FRIDGE.  Folks, there are NEVER leftover B.S. in our fridge!  When I roast fresh B.S. I will gobble down every last morsel, and if I can’t fit one more in my belly, I will eat the leftovers the next morning, cold, for breakfast.  (OK, maybe I am a B.S. freak, but they are goooood!). 

Leftover smelly, mushy, yucky (previously frozen but now roasted) Trader Joe's Brussels Sprouts.

So, that is my take on this sad excuse for a frozen vegetable.  I give them a 1.75.

Here they are as I prepared to roast the little suckers

Here is what David thinks, “I LOVE THESE AND I WANT TO HAVE THEM ALLLL THE TIME!!  Just kidding…  I don’t think they are as bad as Sue does.  They are soft, particularly on the inside, I like that.  I think they are a little bit mushy but that is alright in a B.S.  They don’t have much of a B.S. taste, but that’s alright, they have some.  They’ll do.  They are kinda like potatoes, they will do for a filler-upper and they are quick and easy.  I would give these a 3.”

And here they are "in the wild" - i.e. on our plate.  Yuck.  Waste of plate space.
Notice the other TJ's stuff!  TJ's couscous mixed with TJ's (frozen) edamame, TJ's (frozen) asparagus,
TJ's chicken enchilada (I think that is what it is) topped with TJ's Hatch Valley Salsa, some TJ's black bean sauce thing...
The only super gross thing on the plate was the TJ's B.S. :(

Susan back again:  please don’t buy these.  Other TJ’s frozen veggies are good – the Roasted Corn, for example!!   And their frozen Edamame is my current addiction!  But these frozen B.S. are crappy.  

Price: .99

Rating (average of 2 raters):  2.5

Here are other Brussels Sprouts review links from this blog:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts Parmyere (this was yucky)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts (a coveted 5 star review!!)

Blueberry Poppyseed Cookies AND Annapolis, Maryland store

GUYS!  I went to a NEW (to me) TRADER JOE’S!  I got to check out the store on Jennifer Road in Annapolis, Maryland.  What a nice store!  It is very clean, really well lit, large, well stocked, and has friendly employees!  Oh, and the signage is cool, too!  Their new product section also had something neat:  a poster of photos of refrigerated new products!  Normally the refrigerated new stuff just gets thrown into whatever department it fits in, and so it is harder to know what is NEW.  I love that this location puts photos up of the new cold/frozen stuff so you know what to hunt for if you want something you haven’t had before.  Oh, and before I forget to mention it – the parking for the Jennifer Road TJ’s is plentiful and easy (and free).  Yes siree, this store is a winner.

Neat artwork in the Annapolis store

One thing that was a bit different about this particular TJ’s location is that they had a “satellite demo” station!  As I have mentioned in several reviews, Trader Joe’s tasting stations have frequently sealed the deal for David and I and convinced us to pick up a new product.  Well, this Annapolis store has a traditional TJ’s demo/tasting station on one side, and a portable one on the other side!  That means they have not one but TWO opportunities to WOW customers with their products and personalities!!  I think that is super clever and wise.  (I say that even though, today, the satellite station was serving something that in THEORY sounds like it could be a winner, but in reality fell flat – APPLE PIE CHEDDAR CHEESE…  Yes, cheddar cheese that tasted like apple pie…  I can appreciate a slice of warm apple pie topped with cheddar, so this could have been a winner, but, umm, no thanks…  The texture was bizarrely rubbery.  But I digress, this review is not about that cheese, I didn’t buy any I just sampled it.)  I am all for dual demo stations!  The more tastes (and smiles) the more sales!

Here is Heather - wowing customers at the satellite demo table!

One sad fact about the Annapolis store is that they do not have a WINE and BEER section.  Sigh.  It is not at all their fault, mind you!  The state regulations require that alcohol not be sold in grocery stores.  I feel bad for the TJ's shoppers!  They are missing out big time.

A rather strange thing about this store is that the outside accents are painted BLUE rather than the traditional Trader Joe’s signature RED.  I am assuming that is due to an over cranky landlord in the shopping complex, but it doesn’t really look very “Trader Joe’s” to me. 

I found another TRADER JOE'S to visit!!!

I met a super sweet employee, Travis, and he helped me try to find a uniquely Annapolis (or uniquely Maryland…) item to buy.  In the end, he DID find me a chocolate bar (which I purchased but haven’t tried yet).  Thanks, Travis. 

Travis is a most excellent Trader Joe's Ambassador!

Ok, Onto a REVIEW!  Let’s examine Trader Joe’s Blueberry Poppy Seed Cookies.  We purchased these in Virginia and brought them with us on our recent visit to Edmonton, Alberta.  We opened them as we sat in a theatre (shhh, no food or drinks allowed!) waiting for a play to start. 

The first thing that David said when he looked at these were that they looked like DOG TREATS.  I agree – they look like dog biscuits.  When I took my first bite I was afraid that they also tasted like dog biscuits…  But they don’t really!  They are quite bland – not very sweet.  It is kind of surprising that there are whole blueberries in them – they are flat on the outside so you do not see the blueberry bulges.  They do not taste very poppy seed-ish.  They could be a bit sweeter for my taste.  They would be better with tea or coffee instead of just on their own.  They do not break apart much when you bit into them, which is both handy and surprising.  I think these would be good if you were trying to eat kind of healthy – they taste healthier than Oreos.  I give these biscuits a 3.5. 

New product this summer - Blueberry Poppy Seed Cookies
(which ironically are from Canada... We bought them in America, hauled them to Canada,
then hauled the ones we hadn't finished  BACK to America in our suitcase...)

Here is what David thought of them:  "These are dry but not unpleasant.  The shortbread cookie part is tasty.  The addition of the blueberry makes it just sweet enough.  It is not a cookie with CHOCOLATE on it, it is a cookie for eating with tea or coffee, and in that it is very successful at what it is trying to do.  I like the size.  They are chew-able and delightful.  I like that these look like DOG BISCUITS!  How often do you get to eat a dog biscuit and it tastes good??  I give these a 4.5."

Hey Mikey, he likes 'em!

There you have it.  The Trader Joe’s on Jennifer Rd in Annapolis, Maryland get a 5.0 rating, and the Blueberry Poppy Seed Cookies end up with a 4.0.  

Price – $3.99

Rating – 4.0

Black Beans - even CHEAPER than before!

I first reviewed Trader Joe's Black Beans (in a can) on July 21, 2015.  They got a good review, which you can see here:

Black Beans Review

At that time, one can of black beans was .89.  As you might suspect, most stores do not LOWER their prices.  I mean sure, they may run a special sale every now and then, but would you really expect a store to LOWER their price and keep it that way???

TRADER JOE'S DID!

They CUT the price!!!

The same can of black beans is now a dime cheaper!

Yup - black beans are now only .79!!!  Look, a dime might not be a ton of money to you, but every dime counts, man.  Dimes add UP!  If you eat one can of black beans per month, you would save (let me do the math here...) $1.20 a year!!!!

Good ol' Black Beans

Seriously, I think it rocks that Trader Joe's sees fit to lower their prices sometimes.  When the price of everything else in the world seems to be going UP, it is nice that the humble black bean gets a bit cheaper.

Keep it up, TJ's!!

P.S. - while we are on the subject of BLACK BEANS, do yourself a favor and do not buy the Black Bean Rotini at Trader Joe's, even if they lower the price...  0 star review here (and trust me, 0 stars is hard to get from me...):  Black Bean Rotini Review

Avoid this at all costs

Black Bean Rotini is barfable