Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve

So, we have something to CELEBRATE!!!  I knew it was gonna happen when I went to bed last night.  I wanted to stay up for the excitement, but not having slept well the 2 nights before I just COULDN’T stay awake.  So when I rolled out of bed early this morning the first thing I did was check this Trader Joe’s blog – WE HIT 150,000 VIEWS!!! 

But then I got busy.  I worked all day and the time got away from me.  But I needed to CELEBRATE this milestone!  So I finished out the day with a trip to Ormond Beach with my sweetie.  We swam in the warm water.  We breathed in the fresh air.  And we JUMPED. 

150,000 views!!!  Now that is something to jump about!

And now, just a few hours after it officially hit the 150,000 mark, the blog is just shy of the 151,000 mark!  I am serious, something has been happening lately that is bringing in a lot of readers.  What’s the haps, people??  But don’t worry, I won’t celebrate tooooo often, only for the biggies (like 150,000!).

So as part of the pre-celebration last night, we opened a bottle of French wine.  The bottle was a 2015 (ahhh, a very good year for colonoscopies if I remember correctly…).  My wine ignorance is going to show here, but I always thought that Cotes du Rhone wines were RED.  This may be because there are a couple of Cotes du Rhones from Trader Joe’s that I like to drink that are red.  (Ugh!  Now that I look back on the blog I see I have not reviewed either of my “go to” Cotes du Rhone reds!!  What was I THINKING!!!  I know I have all of the documentation for the reviews.  Note to self:  get more organized…)

Anyway, we bought our first bottle of this WHITE Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve about a week ago after we tasted it at our local Virginia Trader Joe’s and really enjoyed it.  So when we were stocking up on TJ’s wine to bring on a trip to Florida (no, we did not drink any on the 13 hour drive!), we grabbed a bottle of this, and boy am I happy we did!

Sort of a boring label, but not a boring taste

David’s take on it:  This is a very nice, well balanced wine for when you want a wine that has more character than a fruity one.  It has a nice, kind of WOOD character to it without the overbearingness of a chardonnay.  I don’t know where that comes from; it’s not too fruity, not too sweet, but it is PLEASANT.  And it is cool.   I think it is better served with something rather than on its own.  There is kind of a “tang” at the finish that makes you think, “Hmmm, it would be nice to have something to eat with this, like a piece of cheese…”.  I give this wine a 4.25.

My opinion:  We served this wine chilled.  Like I said before, I thought Cotes du Rhone were always red, so this surprised me.  I really, really like it.  It is a great summer wine that would pair with anything!  It doesn’t have an overpowering taste, so it would not overpower what you were eating.  We served it with a pizza that we made that had a red sauce.  (I am always proud for some reason when we make homemade pizza.  This time we bought a pre-rolled out dough – don’t judge…)  I think this wine would pair well with fish, pasta, salad, a tuna sandwich…  It would also be yummy to drink while just popping cashews in your mouth.

Would you like a glass??

I get a little bit of grapefruit taste, but as you know I am not a wine expert.  Who knows, there may not be a grapefruit note in the whole bottle!  But it is GOOD.  It is a great all-around white wine to have on hand for summer.  OH, it would be good with DESSERTS, too, since it is not too sweet.  I give this wine a 4.75.

David points out that, although we have nothing against a wine of color, we do like a good white.  J  And I agree, especially when it is hot outside, a nice, chilled white wine is what is called for.  So for now, while in Florida in June, I am all about the white (wine)! 

Grab a bottle of this Cotes du Rhone.  Try it!  It will be something different and, while it isn’t the cheapest wine on the shelf, it won’t bust the bank.  Plus, I think it’ll make you smile.  Go for it!  Interestingly, the pricing sign says it USED to be $9.99, but because Trader Joe’s costs to get it have gone down, they have lowered the price they charge to $8.99!  C’mon now, in this day and age, what other retailer is gonna do that???  Thanks Joe!

Thanks for the treasure, Joe!!

Price – $8.99

Rating (average of 2 reviewers) – 4.5

100,000 HITS!!!

Guys, it is a huge day!! Today, February 24, 2016, at exactly 5:43 PM EST this Trader Joe's 365 blog reached 100,000 hits!!  

To celebrate, I tried to make a fun video that was little clips of me being happy (and goofy) all glued together. But I didn't know how to use the only equipment I had to film it, and I accidentally made it UPSIDE DOWN.   When I uploaded it, I was amused (and perplexed) by the upside down-edness of it all. But guess what? When I plugged it in HERE on the blog, it automatically righted itself! Hey! So here is me celebrating!

And hey, here is a photo of me in a hallway jumping for joy at the big accomplishment!! 100,000 hits on my blog - wheeeee!!!

Can you sense my excitement???

So yeah, it is a big day. Maybe 100,000 doesn't seem like a lot to you in this day of "viral videos", but to me, that many views of my crazy project makes me very happy (and grateful).

THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE!!!!!

Love,

Susan

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 299 - Tangerine Juice

Before I start this review, let me express my happiness and appreciation.  Another reader sent me a TJ’s bag and honey!!!!!!!!  Can you even believe it?  Peoples’ generosity really makes me smile!! 

  

LOOK!!!  Another box in the mail from a blog friend!!

This one came from Robert, a reader who also has a Trader Joe’s blog (something I didn’t know existed until I was well into this project – note to self:  Google before starting huge projects!!!).  He got me a bag from the Ashville, NC Trader Joe’s store and it is SO CUTE!  We have used it several times.  The other night our cashier, Carole, at the Clarendon VA store noticed it and loved it!  Carole had a great idea:  people should be able to buy and collect the TJ’s bags from all the states!  She said that she for one would start a collection.  Hey, it would be more useful than those Disney collectible pins, my collection of squished pennies, or some of the other things people collect, wouldn’t it??  She thought the NC bag was awesome, and so do I!  We have not tasted the honey yet, but it came in a delightful jar that made it look as if your Great Aunt Tilly made the honey for you instead of a store.  As soon as we finish one of the honeys we have open this one is next on deck!  Robert’s blog also reviews Trader Joe’s products and is very fun.  You can find it at: Exploring Trader Joe's blog

Look!!!  An adorable NC bag and a jar of HONEY!  

Robert recently reviewed TJ’s Tangerine Juice.  Here is his review that I saw, which piqued my interest in this product:  Exploring Trader Joe's Tangerine Juice review .  Tangerine juice was something I had not tried before, and Robert liked it, so I figured, “Let’s give it a go!”. 

Here's the bottle - 32 fl oz of straight tangerine juice

Ohhhh Robert, Robert, Robert…  What path did you lead me down???

OK, so at $3.29 for a 32 oz bottle, this was not a cheap drink.  It was more of a “splurge” for a bit of excitement, or a health food splurge if you will since the ingredient (singular) is just TANGERINE JUICE.  I thought this would be a nice treat.  I was wrong.

It is very BITTER.  The first drink was horrible.  Bad, bad, bad….  The second drink (this is going to sound weird I know, but I am being honest here) tasted like colonoscopy prep stuff…  If you have ever had a colonoscopy you KNOW the taste I am talking about.  I must have had orange or tangerine flavored prep one time because when the second drink of this tangerine juice hit my taste buds I had a colonoscopy flashback!  (Note:  this is not really a flashback you want to have.)  I was a bit afraid I might have to excuse myself to the bathroom if I continued to drink this juice, but I convinced myself that this was not, as my sisters and I like to call it, “Go All Nightly” (colonoscopy prep stuff).  I steeled myself to take another sip.*

Looks pretty in our juice glasses, eh?

The 3^rd and 4^th drinks got a little better.  Not GOOD mind you, but BETTER.   To me it tastes like Tang.  I don’t remember ever having Tang at our house growing up but I must have had it at a friend’s house, because this makes me think TANG!  To me, the only thing cool about Tang was the idea that actual real live astronauts up in space might have drank it.  The taste, to me, is not cool…   I wasn’t sure what the actual FLAVOR of Tang was, so I Googled it.  Consensus seemed to be that it was supposed to be ORANGE, and I was going to go along with that.  Only, in the middle of the night I had an “Aha!” moment – HEL-LO!  Tang?  T-A-N-G…  Tang.  Umm, those are the first four letters of TANGerine!  Obviously the flavor of Tang is tangerine, it is just tricky in that we pronounce it differently than you would expect!  So Tang is basically a covert astronaut drink.

First taste

Reaction....

Of this TJ’s Tangerine juice, David says, “I agree.  The taste is very bitter at the beginning.  It gets better – I guess you get used to it.  The tangerine taste itself is nice – it is very “tangerine-y”. It’s just I think they made the mistake of squeezing the tangerines a bit too hard so you get a lot of the rind taste, which is a bit bitter.”

The color of this juice is unnaturally bright orange.  It is a very pretty color!  We have a wall this color.  But I would rather see this color on a wall I guess than in my juice glass.

See, our wall is the same color!  New Year's Eve tradition - eat 12 grapes in one minute at the stroke of midnight!  (As you can see we were drinking an excellent Beaujolais Nouveau reviewed waaaaay back on day 2 of this blog!  Review here )

We both gave this juice a 2.5 rating.  The upside is that it quenches your thirst.  Then again, water can do that, too, and it is not as expensive or nearly as bitter.

If you WANT Tangerine Juice, get it at TJ's - it was much
more expensive at Safeway

Sorry Robert, we need to agree to disagree on this one.  J  It is a good example of how some things taste great to some people and “meh” to others.  But THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the gifts!  I love them!

*Note from David:  Susan has a bit of PTSD about colonoscopy prep, so expressions of her feelings on that issue may appear larger than in your rear view mirror.

Price - $3.29

Rating – 2.5