Day 347 - Blueberry Vanilla Chevre (and ALDI)

Aldi.

There, I said it.  Aldi!

There is much confusion over Aldi, a German grocery store chain that has some stores in the United States.  Some people have told me it IS related to Trader Joe’s, others have said it is NOT.  I cannot find any info on the relationship on the official Trader Joe’s website, but there are loads of articles online is you search.  The majority point to this:  Aldi and Trader Joe’s are separate companies owned by German BROTHERS.  Apparently they used to run a company together in Germany (called Aldi), but, like their country, Aldi SPLIT into Aldi North (Aldi Nord) and Aldi South (Aldi Sud) after the siblings got into what I can only presume was a huge fight (the article here says the fight was over selling cigarettes:  Aldi article.

So now Aldi SOUTH operates Aldi, and Aldi NORTH operates Trader Joe’s. 

At least that is the version of the story I am going with until someone from corporate offices of Aldi and/or Trader Joe’s tells me differently.

So, while they stores are not directly related, their OWNERS are siblings.  I wonder if they get along?  Imagine that holiday meal – Aldi South brother brings Aldi food to the party, while Aldi North brother insists on bringing only Trader Joe’s stuff…  Ahhh, families. 

I have long heard about Aldi but didn’t get to visit one until I was in Omaha recently.  My sister Sherry took me to Aldi, and as you can see from this photo I was excited to go!!

I get to check out an ALDI!!  Omaha (actually Bellevue), NE

First off, the grocery carts are EUROPEAN style.  You deposit a quarter, release your cart, and use it.  Then, at the end of your shopping trip, you return the cart and get your quarter back.  I love it!  (People who leave their carts in parking lots are one of my pet peeves, and this system offers an incentive to return your cart.)

Sherry investing in our shopping cart

Aldi stores are not nearly as well appointed, well lit, or well stocked as Trader Joe’s.  Each Aldi only has a very few number of people working at any given time (I think 3 or 4 employees run the entire store – stock, cashier, do everything).  The displays are not the least bit fancy.  You pay for your shopping bag.  You bag your own groceries.  You are not greeted with a smile or helped to find a product if you need it.  There is not a lush, vibrant produce department.  The aisles are not wide and welcoming.

But ALDI IS CHEAP.  Like, super cheap!!  And that can make it fun!!

Aldi, like Trader Joe’s, mostly carries plain label products, not nationally known brands.  But there were some big brands there.  There are not CHOICES in brands like you would find at other supermarkets though.

(My sister and I had another thing happen at Aldi that made our shopping fun:  there was a super cranky and a bit “off” old man shopping when we were there.  We made the mistake of engaging him in conversation, and h e basically stalked us after that.  He kept FINDING us in aisles and criticizing every single item we put in our cart.  It was hilarious.  He thought everything we were buying was terrible, and even said the PAPER TOWELS we had chosen would kill us.  It became apparent through our “conversation” (which was mostly HIM talking and us being berated…) that he was a veteran.  Well, I politely thanked him for his service, and his reply was, “They all say that.  Then they say F*&%  YOU!!!”.  Bwahahahaha.  That was the first time a service member replied THAT way when I thanked them!!)

Anyway, I wanted to make sure to compare prices while at Aldi, so I looked for things that I knew Trader Joe’s also carried.  One thing I found to compare was Kerrygold Butter.  It is our very favorite butter and I reviewed it for this blog here:  butter review   In the review, I bragged that it is much cheaper at Trader Joe’s than it is at other stores, but guess what?  It is even CHEAPER at Aldi!!!  You can save an extra .30 cents by picking it up at Aldi!  Awesome!

Same butter, even CHEAPER!

Another thing I saw at Aldi that I knew Trader Joe’s carried was Blueberry Vanilla Chevre.  Now that we have picked up a log at Trader Joe’s, I see that the packaging is different (though I suspect the quality is the same?) and the TJ’s version, though one dollar more, is two ounces more. 

Seasonal item at Aldi's.

OK, speaking of Blueberry Vanilla Chevre, let me finally get to today’s review and let you know what we thought of it!!!!

We first had it months ago at Trader Joe’s when they were sampling this cheese spread on top of Triple Ginger Snap Cookies (cookie review).  The taste was deeeelicious, which both surprised and delighted us!  So we decided to buy the cheese and cookies and serve them as appetizers recently at a birthday dinner we hosted.

Don't they look PRETTY??

Turns out that was a big mistake.  Though I am totally cool with “desserts as appetizers”, it turns out our guests view appetizers in a more traditional sense and didn’t like the “sweet for starters” concept.  I am afraid my “eat dessert first” mentality hurt the overall score of this product and for that I apologize, but here is what everyone thought:

Joan (the birthday girl) – “It’s not my favorite.  I love blueberries.  I like chevre on crackers.  I would like this better if the combination was not together.  I prefer plain chevre and plain blueberries rather than the combination.  I don’t think I would have liked it better on a cracker because of the sweetness.  I think I liked it on the ginger, but as an appetizer it was a little sweet for my palate.  It would be an excellent dessert.  As a dessert I would enjoy it with a glass of ice wine.  I give it a 2.”

Greg (Joan’s husband and David’s brother) – “I support my wife in everything, in this as well.  I agree with her – because of the blueberries and the ginger snaps it tasted more of a dessert instead of an appetizer.  If it was dessert I would toss the chevre and just have the blueberries and ginger snaps and that would be fine.  The chevre is frankly overpowered by the blueberries and ginger snaps.  I couldn’t really taste much in the way of chevre, which is a shame because I like chevre…    I would give it a 1.5.”

Isn't it a pretty color??

David –  “I liked it.  I am embarrassed that my family is so critical.  Although it is sweet and you don’t get to taste the chevre as much as you would like, it is its own thing.  Particularly the concept of the ginger snap – it is certainly a dessert.  When we had it in the store it had less blueberry in it.  I give it a 3.5.”

Me – I think it is super kinky to have this cheese on a ginger snap, that is why I like it.  I think the chevre is tangy, the ginger snap is sweet, and the blueberries are neutral.  That’s why I like it – it is like three different tastes in one.  it says there is vanilla, too, but I don’t really taste the vanilla.  I would give it a 4 when served in this combination with the cookies.

Here is what the package looks like

Whew – those reviews are all over the map, eh?

Want to see if there is an Aldi in your area?  Check out this site:  Aldi site

Price (at Trader Joe’s) – $4.99

Rating (4 reviewers averaged) – 2.75 (I really think it should be at least a 3, but I am honoring the math, sigh)

Day 193 - Triple Ginger Snap Cookies

I cannot believe I forgot to review these earlier in the year. 

THESE ARE SOME DAMN GOOD COOKIES.

I think that is a pretty clear, concise review, don’t you??  But let me say a bit more, in case you were put off by my foul language or do not believe me.

See how HAPPY David was to get these???

The first time we tried these they were sampling them at our local Trader Joe’s.  I remember it was cold weather, and I think it was way back in February or March.  Anyway, it was an ODD sample…  They used a Triple Ginger Snap Cookie as a base, then smeared goat cheese rolled in blueberries on it!!!  Doesn’t that sound disgusting?  It did to me.  CHEESE on a COOKIE sounded bleck, and BLUEBERRIES on CHEESE didn’t sound too hot, either.  So the whole package sounded gag worthy to me.  But I was brave and tried it.

And boy was it GOOD.  It was not barfy AT ALL!  The cheese had a tang to it, the blueberries brought the sweetness, and the ginger snap, well that little ginger snap brought a whole lotta yum.  That was the day we bought our first tub of these little cookies, and we have been eatin’ ‘em ever since.

Look!  This is one of TJ's BEST SELLING COOKIES EVER - and I can understand why.

The other day we were in a TJ’s in Nebraska and I heard a young couple walking around holding hands say, “There are the ginger snaps”.  Like, I was an aisle distance away and I still HEARD them say that and tuned into it.  I of course made plans to cross paths with them, and noticed they didn’t have said ginger snaps in their arms.  I said something  like, “Did I hear you mention GINGER SNAPS?” .  “Ummm, uhhh,  yes, I guess so…” stuttered the baffled young lovers.  “Well, if you have not tried them, YOU SHOULD.  They are amazing and delicious and you need them,” I advised as I continued my shopping.  J

See what a nice size the Triple Ginger Snaps are?  (And isn't David's mug adorable?)

The best part of these cookies (IMHO) are the pieces of ACTUAL REAL LIFE HONEST TO GOODNESS GINGER that you find in them.  I have never had ginger snaps that had that before!  It is not just ground ginger, it is little buried treasure bits of REAL GINGER.  You have to taste it to believe it.

We served them the other night to guests (who appropriately have the last name Guest) and here is what they had to say about them:

-          4 – “It tastes extremely good but a little stail (sic) and hard.”  - Andrew

-          4.8 – “Just strong enough but could be stronger.  Not too hard.  Softish.” - Lucas

-          5 – “Love, love, love, love, love it!!!!!” - Bella

-          4.8 – “Great sized cookies.  A perfect mix between soft and hard.  Great crunchiness.” - Beth

-          4.8 – “Not too sharp, manageable one bite pieces.  Crunchy, but not too dry.” - Tony

-          4.5 – “Great crunchiness, sharp but soften after (illegible, marked down for bad penmanship)     .  Great, but not frightening gingerness.” - David

-          5 – “Love the ginger PIECES.  They get stuck in your teeth but, unlike corn, you are HAPPY to find them!!  Nice size – you can eat them in 1 or 2 bites.” – Susan

These are the Guest guests.  This is AFTER they ate the cookies I think.

You need to give these a try.  You will not be sorry.

Found these doodles on Andrew's review sheet. They aren't cookie related

More Andrew doodles - aren't they cool???

Price – $3.99 (and worth every penny)

Rating - 5

Day 174 - Kono Sauvignon Blanc

OK, this is an odd review.  Because this was an ODD SITUATION!

We went to Omaha, NE for a quick 4 day visit.  I grew up there and all of my family still lives there.  There were lots of events happening over the weekend – my twin nephews’ birthdays (happy birthday Trevor and Jordan!), getting to meet my just born great niece, Father’s Day, and a dinner at a Mexican restaurant to celebrate my birthday, which was a week ago.  So it worked out great to go at this particular time.

I, of couuurse, planned to pop by Trader Joe’s while there since I had not visited that location since I began this blog.  Omaha was the 12^th Trader Joe’s in the 7^th state (well, one is a District) that I have checked out this year!  My family was planning a weenie roast and s’mores making evening on our last night in town, so I picked up some supplies for that – graham crackers (to be reviewed soon), Triple Ginger Snaps (aye carumba I just checked and those haven’t been reviewed yet???  That sure surprises me!!!  They will be soon.) which I thought would go well with the roasted marshmallows, beer brewed in Nebraska, and wine.  I had asked my nephew and his partner if they would help me write a review and they said it sounded fun and would do it, so I thought using those products we could do a tasting during the s’mores night and write something up.

Omaha Nebraska Trader Joe's (at 1 Pacific Place) - very nice store

Boy was I wrong…

It turns out it was not an intimate family night around a campfire – it was a SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY for me with around 40 people.  And there was not a campfire to be found!  It was sure fun and a big surprise.  And it turned out I showed up at my own party with a Trader Joe’s bag full of groceries!! 

Some of the friends and family waiting to SURPRISE me with a big sign!

But my sisters had planned all the food out, and I was having too much fun seeing people I hadn’t seen in years and chatting to think about a review, so we didn’t get to tasting until after the guests had gone.  Then we sat down and had some of this wine (and a Nebraska beer which will be reviewed later).  Contributing to the review is me, my partner David, and my sister Sherry.  I invited my other sister Annette to contribute, too, but she didn’t feel qualified J. 

My sisters and I - me, Annette, and Sherry - at the party

So here is what we thought:

This Kono Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) is very citrus tasting.  Sherry identified the citrus as GRAPEFRUIT.  The label mentions gooseberries and passion fruit, but we will just call it CITRUS, ok?  The signage in the store says it serves up “lemon-lime and green apple flavor”, so heck, maybe it is a mix of a whole bunch of fruit flavors.  I think it needs to be well chilled to be enjoyed.  David described it as crisp, light, and mentioned that “it has flavor”.  Umm, doesn’t all wine have flavor?  I do believe this particular comment was a bit vague…

Kono Sauvignon Blanc (Omaha Trader Joe's signage)

I realized after a few sips that it would pair well with Triple Ginger Snaps, so I busted them out and I was right!  It seems sort of an odd pairing in that the wine tastes distinctly SUMMERY and the cookies have a bit of a WINTER taste, but together they complement one another.

The label tells us it is a New Zealand wine – Maori.  It seems to me that those Kiwis often make a nice wine.

So, it could have been the post party glow, but we all enjoyed this wine.  Each of us rated it a 4, so it was easy to average the ratings out.  I did the math, no calculator required.  J

Price - $8.99

Rating – 4

(Rating of the surprise birthday party – a solid 5)