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 326 - Chicken Parmesan Lollipops

We had these treats when my sister and brother-in-law were in town visiting recently.  I forced them to try and them and be guest reviewers (it didn’t really take much forcing, they were totally game).  We ate them in between rushing around town finding fun things to do (like paint rocks at a mobile art van we found on the side of the road in Alexandria, VA!). 

We found a mobile art lab!  And it just so happened that it was ROCK PAINTING day!

Before I go into the individual reviews let me explain the product a bit.

These Chicken Parmesan Lollipops are easy to make – just take them out of the freezer and bake them for 15 – 20 minutes on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  The “lollipop sticks” (which are a bit fatter than normal toothpicks) are a bit superfluous.  You cannot really use the sticks to transfer the lollipop from the cookie sheet to a plate, because the stick falls out.  This is because the CHICKEN is not a solid piece of chicken (we we thought it would be).  Instead it is ground up chicken mixed with spices then formed into a little ball, not really a ball but a FLAT BALL, then breaded and put onto the stick. 

Here is the box - it is in the frozen food section

As for my opinion, I felt that this ground up chicken makes the texture a bit odd.  It is also a littttle too tomato-y but I personally liked it.  I thought they were interesting as an appetizer.  I would give them a 3.75.

They look cute on the plate, but trust me, the sticks had to be put back in after I transferred them over from the cookie sheet.

Jim’s thought on this product:  “I decided to spread the Chicken Parmesan Lollipops on CRACKERS.  I enjoyed them so much more this way.  I think that the texture lends itself to being spreadable.  I like the taste.  They taste like CHICKEN.  I would give them a 3.5, which is high.”  (Jim is a college professor and I kid him about being a tough grader, so this is a great score from him.)

Jim's new invention - CHICKEN PARM LOLLIPOPS ON A CRACKER!
Who needs a STICK when you can have a CRACKER?

Sherry’s thoughts:  “I didn’t really care for the texture when I bit into it, but I liked them spread on a cracker.  I liked the taste.  I don’t think I would BUY these, but if someone had them at a party I would eat one.  I would give them a 3.”

Sherry mid-bite.  

And finally, David’s musings on these meat lollipops J:  “I appreciate the respect that this food item has for my feelings.  First of all – potion size.  They are in small, manageable portions.  Each one provides 3 or 4 small bites so you don’t need to worry about a huge portion on your plate that is constantly saying, “You haven’t finished me yet…” and putting your blood pressure up.  The taste:  very nice.  Flavorful.  Like a little bit of chicken parmesan on a stick!  The downside of chicken parmesan is all of that TOMATO SAUCE, but when the portions are this small you don’t have to suffer through all of that.  You just have the delight of the taste and then you are done with it.  You don’t have to finish the rest of the chicken parm that is left on your plate.  Now, for this new concept of which I have heard of placing it on a CRACKER… I did try this, and I have to admit that it is nice.  Because the tomato paste is modified by all of that starch/breading so it “milds it out” and that is good.  But I prefer them on a stick to on a cracker (because the cracker is too stressful…).  (Editor’s note:  David seems remarkably stressed about his appetizers, doesn’t he???)  It doesn’t STICK to the cracker, it just SITS on the cracker because of all of the BREADING…  So, as you bring it to your mouth, you are worried about it rolling off!!!  (Editor again:  apparently Jim smooshed his onto the crackers more to prevent the falling off factor.) I would give these a 4.” 

$4.99 - not a bad price if you want chicken balls on a stick

So, in the end, nobody hated these, nobody thought they couldn’t live without them, and one person invented a new way to eat them.  All in all a good time was had by everyone.  J

Price – $4.99

Rating (average of 4 raters) – 3.5

Day 323 - Chicken Soup Dumplings

Let me start by saying – THIS BLOG HIT 50,000 VIEWS!!  Yes siree, this crazy wild project of mine, this hair brained idea hatched at the end of 2014, has surpassed any expectations I may have had.  On the afternoon of November 11, 2015 I watched as the counter clicked over to 50,000.  Let’s just say, I was excited!!

GET.  OUT!  50,000 hits????!  Yowsa!

Now, time for a REVIEW!

Trader Joe’s CHICKEN SOUP DUMPLINGS get 5 super shiny solid gold stars!  Twinkle twinkle 5 shiny stars, these dumplings rock.

This is the box.  It is in the frozen food section.  You NEED it.  Go buy a box.  Like, now.

David and I both agree – the only thing that is not so good about these dumplings are that there are not more of them in the package.  J  There are six in the package and it says the serving size is one.  I think that would be perfect, however both times we have had these I had to split them with someone who shall remain nameless, and 3 was just not enough.  They are too yummy to stop at 3!

Here is MY portion.  I WOULD have eaten the whole box of these dumplings, but I was forced to share.

We first tried them as a sample at the Bethesda, Maryland TJ’s.  They are amazing.  My sister Sherry was here the first time we had them, but she didn’t want any because she thought they smelled like stinky feet when they were cooking.  Well let me say, if stinky feet taste this good, bring on the toes cuz I will gobble them up!!    (They do not smell like stinky feet to me.)

They are super easy to cook – pop ‘em in the microwave for 2 minutes in their little container and you are ready to roll.  The tricky part is to get them out of the little plastic container.  Each dumpling is in it’s own little compartment.  You need to use a big spoon to gently glide it under the dumpling and place it gingerly in a bowl.

Another Chicken Soup Dumpling lover

The thing is, when you read the title, CHICKEN SOUP DUMPLINGS, you might be like me and mistakenly think they are dumplings IN chicken soup.  That is incorrect.  These are dumplings with chicken soup IN THEM!  I KNOOOOW, nutty concept!!  But what execution!  To fully experience the “chicken-soup-inside” effect you have to be careful when transferring them from microwave to bowl.  Otherwise you rip the dumpling and some soup leaks out.  But if that happens don’t fret!  Just catch the soup and put it in your bowl!

These are totally delicious.  the second time we had them we dipped them in soy sauce and it was yummy, but you do not NEED to add the sauce.  They are moist and tasty enough to stand on their own.  They can be a bit messy – if you have been careful and the soup is still in the dumpling you will get a chin full of soup, but it is worth it.  Just pull out a napkin, wipe up, and move on to the next dumpling. 

Well worth the three bucks.  NEW ITEM - don't discontinue these Trader Joe's!  Are you reading these?
KEEP THESE DUMPLINGS!

David thought about opening a can of chicken soup and plopping these in to make “instant won ton soup” but we agreed that would be a waste of perfectly amazing dumplings.  Eat them on their own.  And eat them right after you cook them. 

These are a good invention!  They are new and maybe seasonal, so GET THEM SOON AND GET THEM OFTEN.

Price – $2.99 (only .50 cents per delicious dumpling)

Rating - 5

Day 322 - Scallops Wrapped in Uncured Bacon with Brown Sugar Glaze

I am sorry I keep bragging about our  local Trader Joe’s (Clarendon, VA), but guys, they had an ANNIVERSARY PARTY recently for their 4^th anniversary!  Isn’t that sweet??  They had a raffle for 3 TJ’s bags stuffed with goodies, some samples (HELL-O – a whole candy cane Joe Joe instead of a broken up one like you might normally get at a TJ’s sample station) and they even had MUSIC!  This employee was playing guitar and singing and was great!  TJ’s always has fun music playing over the speakers, but it was cool to have live music while grocery shopping.

Raffle and sample!

This was the "invite" to the party!

And live music!  :)  Thanks TJ's - happy anniversary. We are glad you came to our hood.

Anyway, while we were there for the party, we picked up a box of Scallops Wrapped in Uncured Bacon with Brown Sugar Glaze.  I had been wanting to try them (David not as much as me).  We busted them out around 6:00 pm because we hadn’t eaten lunch but were hitting the road to do a few things and needed something warm in our bellies before taking off.  Just needed something to hold us over until we got back and made “real dinner”.

These could be messy to cook. The instructions say to cook these on a baking tray.  I think that means a cookie sheet looking device that has small sides.  We do not own one of those (and our cupboard is full and messy enough) so my choices were a baking dish or a cookie sheet.  I chose the cookie sheet, but put foil on the oven under it expecting that some bacon fat miiiight roll off.

They come on little skewers, which were a problem for us recently with the Chicken Parmesan Lollipops (to be reviewed soon) but in this case the skewers worked great.  They held the food securely and made for an easy way to eat it.

Aren't they cute???

The box says a serving size is 3 pieces.  There are 10 pieces in the pack.  I am not a math major, but it is gonna be tough to divide these evenly if we follow the serving size recommendation, isn’t it?

Now onto the TASTE.  I like them, they are really good.  The first bite worried me that the scallops might taste a little too “fishy” but all subsequent bites were yummy.  They hold together well – the bacon is a lovely little wrapping. 

While I was baking these I thought, “I bet these would work great as party appetizers”.  Then I wondered to myself, “WHY do I mention “party food” so often in this blog?  We almost never throw parties and are honestly not party guests very often, either.  I must imagine that the rest of the world, all of YOU, are out to or hosting parties 4 nights of the week!  I am living my life vicariously through the fabulous cocktail parties that I imagine you throw for all of your well-dressed friends.  At your next soiree, these bacon scallops would be good to serve.  When you set them out on your fancy crystal platter (that I am imagining) I would plan on each guest eating 4.

These are not as expensive as I would expect (scallops can be pricey sometimes).  I give these a rating of 4.

Now for David’s opinion.  His is less glowing than mine…

It looks like he likes 'em

David:  “Scallops are the tofu of the sea.  They are pretty much flavorless.  They have a delightful texture, but unless you have some kinda SAUCE goin’ on to give them flavor – herbs, spices, something – they are really just sort of Styrofoam wrapped in bacon.

However – the bacon is great!  The overall taste is not bad.  The skewer-age is perfectly designed and the bacon is delicious.  I poured some soy sauce over the scallop (in the inside) and it made it more palatable.  It gave it this thing that I tend to like, I don’t know about you, it is a thing called ‘TASTE’.  (Note:  as if there wasn’t enough sodium already, he goes and adds soy sauce…)  The bacon disguises the fact that the scallop isn’t really pulling its’ weight taste-wise.  I would give these a 3.75.”

There you have it!  I am gonna go with a 4 for the final review, because David also recommends them for a party.  We both think people would say, “Oh fannnncy” when they see these and think you went to a lot of work to skewer each little scallop and wrap it gingerly in bacon.  They will never know that you just opened the package and heated them.  Shhh – I’ll never tell…

Here is a link to TJ's archived article on this product:  Fearless Flyer - Scallops w/ bacon

Price – $6.99

Rating - 4

Day 315 - Tofu Edamame Nuggets

Before disclosing my opinion of these Tofu Edamame Nuggets, I asked David for his opinion.  Here is what he said:  “Nice.  Umm, not terribly tasty, but pleasantly “substantial”.  With a nice sauce they are quite, umm, delicious.”

Then I told him how I FELT about them:  These are boring.  They are stupid.  They are a vegetarian excuse for chicken nuggets.    Why it has to be a “nugget” is beyond me.  Smooshed up tofu squished into the shape of a “nugget”.  I guess when you think about it, why the hell are CHICKEN NUGGETS in that shape they anyway?  They are just mushed up chicken. 

Here is what the bag looks like.  They are sold in the frozen food section.

Anyway, these things need WAY MORE edamame.  There is almost no edamame in them.  It looks like there is some carrot it them but it is tasteless.  The only thing that TASTES is the sauce that David made to dip these in.  The sauce is definitely the best part of this dish – it beats the nuggets hands down.  Really the only good things about the nuggets are that they are WARM and that they HOLD SAUCE.  If they had about four times as much edamame in them as they do, I think they would be better.  All you have to do is heat them in the oven so they are really easy to make.  But they are not worthy of being an appetizer at your dinner party, let alone your main course.

I guess if you are a vegetarian (maybe these are vegan?) – if they are, they are all YOURS, go for it!  They don’t taste BAD, they just barely TASTE.  I do not think they are worth the money or the wasted dinner.  (I do not count calories but I reckon if I did I would also say they are not worth the calories.)  If you are going to eat dinner you might as well have something that TASTES (and tastes better while you are at it).

Even this cheap I still say they are not worth the money.

After hearing my rant David said, “Fair enough.  More vegetables would be an improvement.  And a little chicken or pork would make it even better!”.  Hahahaha!  Ok, I think adding meat would sort of ruin the whole “vegetarian thing” they have going for them.  We like vegetarian food and eat quite a bit of it, but these are a fail.

I mean, honestly, these things need to come with a SAUCE.  David made sauce for ours and without that I would REALLLLLY have complained about these things! 

See the SHAPE?  Why must the world be nugget-ized???  This is actually a sad looking photo.  It looks like all we had
 to eat were these lame, dry things...  This was a late night snack and I think was accompanied by a salad.

I give them a 2.5 rating.  And after hearing my rant David was swayed and agreed that these are not worthy of a better score.  Skip these and use your money for something else at Trader Joe’s.

Price – $2.99

Rating – 2.5  

Day 279 - Southwest Chicken Poppers

I went to a “new to this blog” Trader Joe’s this week.  It was not new to ME, mind you, I had been there before, but not since I began this blog.  It is the one in Tysons Corner, VA (on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church) – which, to those of you not from the Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland area – is a suburb of DC basically.  J

Anyway, it is right off a busy road, which makes getting out of the parking lot a bit tricky.  One exit has a stop light and that is the best one to use, but the set up makes it tough to get in line to get out.  The shopping complex has, among other things, a Peet’s Coffee, so you can grab a latte to sip while you shop.  I think it is strange that there is a Whole Foods right across the road, too.  I am not sure which one came first but they sure are close to each other.

Artwork in the TJ's lobby - Tyson's Corner THEN and NOW.  :)

This store was fine.  Nothing really special about it – no employees smiled at me or greeted me or asked if I needed help.  It was clean.  Signs were okay.  I saw a stuffed frog wearing a TJ’s nametag hidden amongst some products, so they must have the program for kids to find it.  That always makes me smile.  It seemed like the store might be having an inspection of some sort when I was there because some people with clip boards were standing out on the sidewalk lamenting about the lack of lights. 

What I found to be the worst about this store was what appeared to be a distrust of shoppers.  Either they have some really jerky people who shop there, or someone in management thinks people can’t return carts to the store, because there is no curb cut in front of the store to roll your cart down to bring your groceries to the car and load them.  Not only that; even if you are willing to “off-road it” and barrel your cart down a curb, they went to the trouble of placing BARRIERS all in front of the store that are not wide enough for a cart to fit through.  Look – I am a responsible, trustworthy citizen.  I RETURN MY SHOPPING CARTS after delivering my goods to the car, people!!  And you should, too.  (That is a pet peeve of mine – people who leave shopping carts in parking lots are rude.)  I realize not everyone returns their cart though, and I hate door dings as much as the next guy.  But REALLY, it feels unwelcoming to be blocked in with my cart and forced to carry heavy bags to the car.  Once I lugged my big bag to the car I noticed that if a shopper walks quite far down to the next store, they could bring their cart out into the parking lot THERE, as they have a curb cut and no barriers. 

I took this photo before I walked into the store. I didn't even notice this unfriendly curb/barrier combination as I was taking it!

Enough of my rant.  Onto the review.

Southwest Chicken Poppers.  What is FUNNY is that by the time we sat down to eat these I had somehow convinced myself that TJ’s had named this product CHICKEN BALLS.  Understandably (to me at least) I found that name very funny.  I worried about the chickens…  And as part of this review I was prepared to explain to Trader Joe’s why a name change was in order.  Only now I look at the box and see CHICKEN BALLS was only in my mind!  The real name is Southwest Chicken Poppers (but in our house they will continue to be called Chicken Balls).  J

Chicken Balls - errr - Poppers...

These were good.  I like the breading on the outside and the stuff on the inside is really tasty!  I tasted  black beans, corn, spices - and I didn’t even taste the chicken!  They are a little spicy but not hot at all.  I dipped mine in Hatch Valley Salsa (cuz I love that stuff and could eat it all day) (if you STILL haven't read the Hatch Valley Salsa review click here. )

These took 20 minutes to cook in the oven – not bad at all.  A serving size is 3 which was the right amount for our 10:00 PM dinner.

They don't stay together all that well, but they taste good.  Here they are served with baby bok choy
(dipping choices of Hatch Valley Salsa and TJ's Cowboy Cavier were off to the side)

David said the coating on these was nice.  The inside was moist but “not so gooey” that the stuff ran out.  He agreed that it tasted very nice because of the vegetables.  He also didn’t taste the chicken but wanted to be clear that he didn’t REGRET that.  He decided it must be “chicken paste” that is somehow “infused through the whole thing” because the balls don’t taste like they lack the ”body that proteins give”.  He says it is more like a CROQUETTE.

David, like me, got the giggles over calling these things chicken balls.

They are easy to prepare.  They would make good appetizers for a party.

Price – $3.99

Rating - 4

Day 212 - 5 Cheese Greek Spiral

We bought this one night when we were shopping while hungry, which we always tell ourselves we should never do.  If you go to the grocery store, any grocery store, on an empty tummy you will always walk away with heavier bags than if you shopped after dinner.  But when you eat dinner after 10:00 PM every night and Trader Joe’s closes at 9:00, well, you see our problem…

Anyway, we grabbed this one night when we were strolling down the frozen food aisle.  When we got home I unpacked groceries and put it in the freezer (we got a new fridge this year and it has a bottom freezer, which is amazing!) and promptly forgot about it.

Here is our new fridge - IN OUR ENTRY WAY!  They carried it through the dining room and living room to get it to our kitchen.  Anyway, here there are no doors on it, so see how big the bottom freezer is?  Holds lots of TJ stuff!

So it nice a nice discovery in the freezer the other night!  “Hey, we got this cool Greek thing, let’s have it!” I said.  It was really easy to cook – just popped it in the oven.  It is a cool looking spirally thing – a bit snail-ish (and, for the immature among us, the end of it looks a bit, well, poop-ish…). 

Here is what it looks like on the front of the packaging

And here is what it looks like in real life after you cook it.  See how the end is, well, a bit, umm...

But it doesn’t taste poop-ish!  It is good.  The flakey filo bits are oh so flakey and the cheese is super cheesey.  In other words, all parts do their jobs very well.  Here is what the package tells us are the cheeses you will find inside this dish: “gouda, kasseri, kefalotyri, semi-hard cheese, (huh?  Isn’t “semi-hard” an adjective describing a cheese – like, don’t we need an actual NAME of a cheese?), and blue cheese”.  The mix of cheeses is quite good.  It tastes like you are on a Greek island, but without the cost of airfare and without having to try and read menus in Greek… 

This is not a MENU, but this is what it looked like when I tried to read Greek when we went to Greece is 2007....

This would be fun to serve at a dinner party as an appetizer.  It is a little messy to cut into – flakes fly – but it’s cool.  It is something a bit unusual and fun.

Bonus photo of GREECE - has nothing to do with the 5 Cheese Greek Spiral but here is David jumping into the blue water of Greece!!  Isn't is gorgeous?

Price – $3.99

Rating - 4

Day 176 - Mushroom Mochi

Followers of this blog will know that a couple of months ago we hosted what we called a Trader Joe’s Dinner Party.  Everything we served was from TJ’s, and we had forms for the guests to fill out and rate each product.  Those scores were then averaged and used in the blog. 

 

TJ's dinner party ingredients - the Mushroom Mochi are on the far left of the photo near the kumatos and cheese...

Well, one problem was that we had purchased SO MANY items to use for the party (each review sheet had 26 products listed) that we FORGOT to cook and serve one!  Yes, the Mushroom Mochi stayed in the freezer until the middle of the dinner, when one guest saw it listed on the review sheet and said something like, “Can you pass the Mushroom Mochi?” to which I had to reply, “Ummmm….”, because I could NOT pass them, they were still frozen.

Oops - forgot to take the box out of the freezer...

And they remained frozen until last night.  We got home late from a rehearsal, I was exhausted, plus I have a bad cold.  So we needed something EASY and quick.  We ended up busting out the mochi and serving it with rice, fresh green beans, and peas. 

Here they are on a plate!

The box calls the little mochi “potsticker dumplings”.  I do not think that is a great description though, because they do not taste like any potstickers I have ever had.  There are 3 cooking instructions – microwave, steam, or stove top.  I did the stove top method and it was very easy and took a total of around 8 minutes. 

Cooking - heat in a pan (sprayed with Pam), then add water, cover, and steam

One word the box uses to describe these is “toothsome”.  Wow, that’s an adjective you do not see often!  In fact, let’s look it up.  Here is what dictionary.com has to say: 

1.        pleasing to the taste; palatable:   a toothsome dish.

2.        pleasing or desirable, as fame or power.    

3.       voluptuous; sexually alluring:   a toothsome blonde.

I am going to go with definition number one – pleasing to the taste.  These were pleasing to the taste! They were ODD, that’s for sure.  The first bite you definitely notice the TEXTURE more than the taste.  The mochi part is very gooey, but gooey in a good way.  It is hard to explain.  And the mushroom filling is really tasty. 

The box also tells us that in Japan they make mochi dumplings to celebrate New Year and guarantee good health in the upcoming year.  I will have to ask my friend Yanomi if this is true.  In any event, I think I will add these to our New Years Eve celebration traditions, right along with eating 12 green grapes in one minute at the stroke of midnight!

So even though we did not EAT the Mushroom Mochi at the dinner party, one clever guest still reviewed it.  Here is what she had to say:

-          “Probably would have been awesome but unfortunately we never got that chance.”

I say – get these.  Try them out.  My only other experience with mochi that I remember has been on top of frozen yogurt and I love it, but that is COLD.  This is a totally different taste and sensation eating it warm.

Quite cheap for such a taste experiment - go for it!

P.S.  – I dare you to try and casually throw the word “toothsome” into a conversation sometime this week!

Price - $2.99 (for 12 pieces)

Rating – 4.5

Day 113: Spinach and Kale Bites

I like spinach.  I like kale.  So what could go wrong with “Spinach and Kale Bites”???

Nothing goes spectacularly WRONG, but it doesn’t go amazingly RIGHT, either.  Turns out these are little blobs of super chopped up (blended almost?) spinach and kale, held together by a bit of egg and panko breadcrumbs.  There is a touch of parmesan (I think that is the tastiest part).

Here is what the box looks likes

And here is what a WHOLE BUNCH of the boxes look like

These really don’t serve the purpose I grabbed them out of the freezer for – to be a quick tasty dinner substitute when it is almost midnight and you haven’t gotten it together to cook anything.  (Note:  another Trader Joe’s frozen appetizer item DOES serve that purpose well – Mushroom Turnovers.  We pop those puppies in the oven around midnight a couple nights a month and have at ‘em and they make for a good super late night dinner (reviewed on day 21).  I guess we were spoiled by the experience of those…)

Spinach and Kale Bites (cooked) on a plate.

I think Spinach and Kale Bites would be okay if you were having a few friends over for dinner and wanted a little appetizer.  I wouldn’t recommend them for like, a fancy dinner party appetizer, unless the guests were the sort of people you don’t like all that much.   My partner David says, “They would be good for the kind of a party where you have a drink in one hand and you can just hold the Spinach and Kale Bite in the other hand and eat it in two bites.  You don’t have to have a toothpick or anything.”  (Note – David takes VERY SMALL bites.  Most people would snarf these down in one 

chomp.)

See - it says ONE BITE right on the sign.  David takes super small bites.  He is weird that way.

In the end these are just sorta little blobs of warm green.  Not very inspired.

Price – $3.99

Rating – 2.75

Day 103 - Chicken Shu Mai

This was our first time getting these at Trader Joe’s and we were happy with the purchase.  They are little frozen chicken and veggie dumplings that you heat and eat.  I cooked them using the “steam” method listed on the box, though you can also just bung them in the microwave. 

They come with a very nice sauce – mostly soy but a bit of rice vinegar taste to it, too.  It’s a wee bit tricky if you do not eat them all in one sitting, because the sauce all comes in one packet.  There are 18 pieces per box I think, so for two people that was a bit too many for one meal.  When we cooked the rest of them another day David had to whip up a bit of sauce (not to worry, he enjoys making 

sauce!). 

Find this box in the frozen food section

They remind me of going out on a Sunday for dim sum – tasty little morsels.  Only, they are much more reasonably priced than any dim sum restaurant you could ever go to. 

Seriously good price

Note:  I have not mentioned this in previous reviews, but Trader Joe’s does a fun little thing with naming products – this one is made by “Trader Ming’s”.  Often “Joe” will be replaced by a name that matches the culture the food comes from.  Keep your eye open for that if you haven’t noticed it before – some of them are quite sweet.

Price – $2.99

Rating – 4