Day 213 - Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are another in the collection of perfectly sized little Trader Joe’s cookies.  They store them in an odd place – on shelves over the frozen food bins.  So you have to brave the cold of the frozen food aisle to get to them, but they are worth it.

Cookies and signage in Orlando, FL Trader Joe's in May

Cookies and signage in the Chicago (South Loop) Store in July.  See how the signs vary by location?
In house artists make them all!

To me, these cookies were not all that “oatmeal-y”, but David claims they were JUST OATMEAL-Y ENOUGH.  J  The chocolate chips are pretty delightful – little bits of luscious.  The cookies are just the right size if you ask me.  You can eat them in one bite if you like (my method) or bite them into smaller pieces (I just checked with David, who I knew didn’t eat them in one bite.  Guess what?  He says he gets FOUR BITES per cookie out of these Cabbage Patch sized treats!)

These are a yummy and simple snack or dessert.  Throw a few in your lunch bag, or sit and munch on some while you tune into “Ellen” in the afternoon.  They are, of course, not as good as if you made them homemade, but they are good.  They are head and shoulders above other store bought cookies (like those nasty Chips Ahoys).

David claims, “I think they are a perfect balance of substance and sweet taste.  I recommend them.  They are not crumbly, they are CRUNCHY but not CRUMBLY”.

This is a boy about to eat cookies.

Yup.  These are good.  And they travel well for long drives, too, presuming you have air conditioning in the car and don’t leave them in the hot sun.  Trader Joe’s packs them in a little plastic tub that seals up nice and tight.  Can you say, “ROAD TRIP!!!”? 

And I just did the math and I do believe these babies work out to only a nickel a cookie.  I told David who declared, “Wow!  You could eat 20 of ‘em for a dollar!  Nice!!”.  We are easy to entertain folks, easy to entertain.

Price – $3.99

Rating – 4.5

Day 196 - Golden Plum

This golden plum was purchased at a visit to TRADER JOE’S in Chicago!  Specifically, the SOUTH LOOP Trader Joe’s!  

David and the lovely GOLDEN PLUM

We were in Chicago this month for my partner David to participate in the Physical Festival, so of course while we were there we tried out a new TJ’s!  It was a really nice store.  Bright, open, with friendly staff.  We TRIED to buy 2 local beers, but the cashier told us we had to get either 4 or 6 L.  She was super sweet about it – I mean, it obviously is not HER rule.  She even walked us over to the beer section to see if there were any more we wanted to try.  But we were only there for a couple of days and so we decided to forego the local beer but got other stuff.

South Loop Chicago TRADER JOE'S!

Once such thing we got was a golden plum.  And we had a GUEST REVIEWER review it with us – David’s brother Ted!  We sat outside at a little café for brunch and ate this plum as our appetizer.  

David and his brother Ted.  They have not lived near one another for a long time so don't see each other very often.

Here is what we thought:

Susan: 

o   Sticks quite a bit to the pit (I know this because I am the one who cut it into pieces to share)

o   Tart

o   Pretty color – like a sunny day

o   Fruity

o   Yummy

o   Rating - 4

David:

o   Flavorful

o   Tart, but you want that in a plum really

o   The skin has it’s own little tartness to it, which I like

o   Satisfying

o   Ample

o   Delicious

o   Rating - 4.75

Ted (guest reviewer):

o   Tart

o   It doesn’t smush in the hand when it is cut

o   How do you rate a FRUIT?

o   Rating – 4

After tasting it, we had a lively debate over what one could PAIR this plum with.  I went with BLUE CHEESE, which then led to a discussion on how blue cheese goes with everything.  Other ideas were pears, cherries, strawberries, Manchego cheese…  Ted, a tech guy, then GOOGLED what to pair this plum with and ended up on a site of “stone fruit pairings”, which recommended washed rind cheeses.

Price per PIECE, not by the pound.  Makes checking out faster!

I will give the final review by averaging all 3 reviewers’ ratings.  I will also add that, like with other produce, I like the fact that TJ’s priced these plums per piece and not by the pound. 

Price – .59 cents each

Rating – 4.25 (average of all 3 ratings)