Baked Cheese Crunchies

This bag of TJ's Baked Cheese Crunchies boasts that these snacks have “33% less fat than regular fried cheese flavored corn snacks**”.  It took us a while to hunt around on the packaging to follow the asterisks after that statement to find what they connected to.  I finally found the mouseprint (did you know that is what teeny tiny print is called, isn’t that a fun phrase??) that told us: 
     -one 28 gram serving of TJ’s Baked Cheese Crunchies will set you back 6 grams of fat
     -whereas a 28 gram serving of Regular Fried Cheese Flavored Corn Snacks will ding you 9 grams 
       of fat.

All of that being said, I would posit that if you are worried about eating FAT, perhaps cheese doodles should not be on your shopping list.  There are much tastier "cheat foods" in my opinion!  Also, anyone who thinks that David is going to eat a 28 gram serving of Cheetos, be they “real” Cheetos or this Trader Joe’s version, is mistaken.  No, David is a Cheetos aficionado and once ate so many on a road trip that he barfed.  I think Cheetos are the only food he has ever done that with. 

Snack time

So, I recused myself from reviewing this product, since obviously David is the cheese doodle expert in our family.  I myself only eat Cheetos Puffy “Natural” Cheetos – the white ones.  And don’t lecture me, I knooooow they are not “natural”, ok?  But those are the ones I eat!

Here is what David said about this snack food:

“I will eat crunchy or non-crunchy Cheetos, because the crunch is amusing.  But these are not quite as amusing as a Cheetos brand baked crunchy snack.  These will do.  They have a bit less cheese taste than traditional crunch Cheetos.  Otherwise, they are fine. 

Does this man look excited to eat this snack food?  I think not.

I will go back to my fried puffy Cheetos “Naturals” and not get these again.  When you need a snack, these will do.*  I will give them a 3.5.”

Price:  $1.99

Rating:  3.5

*Editor’s note:  When David said, “When you need a snack these will do,” I pointed out to him that if you really neeeeeded a snack, a fried turd would do.  He stressed that he would give a fried turd a lower score than these TJ’s Baked Cheese Crunchies. 

EDITOR'S IMPORTANT NOTE:  I find this very funny: I just realized, after writing this review, that we have previously reviewed this product.  It is bound to happen, there are probably around 500 reviews in my blog.  But I totally forgot that we rated these way back in September 2015.  I am impressed that they got almost the same score back then, and also impressed that TJ's has not increased the price at all.  I smiled when I read a reader's comment on the original review (that I had forgotten) dissing name brand Cheetos.  Link to original review here:  Baked Cheese Crunchies Original Review

Updated Review: Authentic Greek Feta in Brine

Well folks, it doesn't happen often, but it is happening today.

A Trader Joe's product is getting a BUMP UP in the number of stars it got on my original review!

And not only is it getting a BUMP UP in stars, it is going from 4.75 stars to the elusive 5 STAR REVIEW!!!!  Can I get a round of applause for Trader Joe's Authentic Greek Feta in Brine please??

So excited about this feta that we are JUMPING!   (OK, that was really us jumping in front of the
Supreme Court because a decision came down that we were psyched about, but still, the jump fits...)

Here's the scoop:  We.  Love.  Feta.  As cheeses go, feta is super high up on our list.  And this Greek Feta in Brine from Trader Joe's is, as Oprah might say in her sing-songy voice, Ahh-Maahhhzzz-Zing!  The only thing that kept it from getting a 5 star review the first time 'round was the crappy packaging it was in.  Original Authentic Greek Feta in Brine review here

Our household is not divided by gender.  We are a home of 2, David and I, and we don't divide roles up by "male" and "female".  We both cook.  We both grocery shop.  We both clean...  Wait, who am I kidding, neither of us cleans...

But OPENING THE FETA, sigh, opening the feta has been a "male task" at our house since we got addicted to this TJ's feta in brine.  I could not open that dumb container for the life of me!!  It had a little plastic bit you had to bust off, I could do that.  But then the rest of the opening was IMPOSSIBLE for me.  At first I thought it was just because I had long fingernails (so sue me, I didn't want to bust a nail).  But I have also tried opening the containers when I had very short nails, and that was a fail, too. So each and every time I wanted to eat feta (which, let's face it, was often), I had to call David into the kitchen to open the dumb package.  Laaaame!!!

But Trader Joe's must have heard my frustration (ok, they likely did not read it here, but maybe they sensed it magically, or maybe I was not the only one to hate the packaging).  THEY CHANGED THE PACKAGE!

The new one is oh so nice!!!  I just opened it and made a big ol' salad, and David is not even home!  :)  I feel so liberated now that my feta consumption no longer replies on his muscles. 

Thanks Trader Joe's.  This new packaging is awesome.  I feel independent again!  Who knows, when David comes home and I show him my new discovery, he may feel a twinge of sadness that I no longer "need him" for the feta...  Not to worry - I can find another chore to give him (shhhh)! 

Price:  still $6.49 I believe
Rating: 5 STARS!

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 345 - Farfalle with 4 Cheeses and Spinach

Here’s the thing: I am stressed.

This time of year is STRESSFUL.  There are so many gifts to buy and wrap.  And we always make our own Christmas cards and that takes a ton of time and creativity (we haven’t even STARTED yet…).  We are heading out of town soon and I need pack for that…

Last week, which somehow wasn't as stressful of a time....  This is a big ass Christmas ornament, isn't it pretty?

But on top of all of that “normal” stuff, a good friend who we help care for has been injured and so we have jumped into “care taking” mode.  We are her only friends really, and have the responsibility to make sure she is okay.    So the past couple of days that has meant bringing her home from the hospital, advocating for her to get in-home health care people who speak Spanish and can communicate with her, and trying to help clear out her apartment to make it safe for her to navigate with a walker.  (She is a hoarder…  Two and a half years ago she was on the verge of being evicted and we had to do a major clean-out of her apartment – it was very hard.  Now, with health care workers going into the space, we are worried they might report it as being “unsafe” for her since she has begun to re-accumulate stuff.  Sigh.  It’s an ongoing battle.)

Again, from a less stressful time just a few days ago, David "plugging in" a huge ass string of Christmas lights in NYC.

SO, with all of THAT going on, I am stressed and haven’t written a review yet today!  It is 4:30 PM my time and I try to have my reviews posted much earlier than this every day, but I am sure that you are super busy, too, so I hope you will forgive my tardiness.

Onto today’s REVIEW. 

This Farfalle with 4 Cheeses and Spinach is a typical frozen meal.  I used to eat this type of thing allllll the time for lunch.  You know the drill:  small box of frozen something-or-other than you grab out of the freezer and bung in the microwave.  I used to buy whatever varieties were on sale at the grocery store and just keep a freezer full of them.

Here's the box - it looks prettier on the front of the box than it does when you open it and cook it.

But after a while, they all sorta tasted the same and felt, well, kinda crappy.  So I stopped eating them.  But I picked this one up at Trader Joe’s to eat and review for the blog.  J

This one is pretty bland.  That surprised me, considering the fact that the title boasts of not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 4 cheeses (they are listed as:  hard cheese (what the hell is that?  “Hard cheese” sounds like a rubric of cheese…), emmental, mozzarella, and gorgonzola !  Somehow, even with all four cheeses, this dish doesn’t taste all that CHEESEY.  The spinach in it is nice and the bow tie pastas are cute. The meal definitely requires the addition of salt and pepper. 

This was my view as I ate this lunch - I was eating with my CNN friends.

This box is one serving.  It is quick and easy to make.  It fills you up if you eat it for lunch.  Basically this is not amazing, but it gets the job done.  If you just “need some lunch” this is fine.  I wouldn’t write home about it and I wouldn’t put it as a “must buy” on your shopping list.  But if one somehow jumps in your shopping cart you don’t need to throw it out. 

See, it doesn't look nearly as pretty as the box made it out to...  And it kind of tastes as bland as it looks here.

Ok, it’s time to continue with the holiday “do do do” s and go watch the little neighbor girl in “The Nutcracker”.  J

Price – $1.99 (I think)

Rating - 3

Day 246 - Shredded Parmesan

We normally buy a CHUNK of parmesan and shred it ourselves.  But I thought I would try something new this time, thought I would go the “lazy route” and buy some pre-shredded cheese.  After all, I need products to review, right?

12 Oz bag of freshly shredded parmesan

I really like parmesan.  And this was a good tasting one.  It was just a weird SIZE in my opinion.  The shreds were not big enough to munch on as chunks, yet were too big to throw on top of pasta and call it a day… 

  

The bits were just too BIG... Here they are on top of macaroni pasta (recently reviewed) and garden tomatoes

I guess the ideal use for this cheese would be on top of homemade PIZZA.  That way it would melt and, as so many people like to say, size wouldn’t matter.

We did find another use for it – we put it in homemade pesto.  Once a year we celebrate PESTO DAY by harvesting all of the pesto out of our garden, borrowing a food processor, and going crazy making pesto.  We put cheese in some of it and leave some of it “naked”.  So we used this shredded parmesan for that and it seems fine.

After midnight - the end of a very long PESTO DAY!  22 sealed bags of fresh pesto!

 Overall, an okay cheese.  I prefer to cut and shred my own so I can get the size I want, so I don’t think I will be investing in this one again. 

Price – $5.49

Rating – 3.5

Day 241 - Blue Stilton

Blue Stilton is a lovely cheese.  A strong cheese.  Ok, it is a cheese most people would call a STINKY or SMELLY cheese, but it is darn good!

And this Trader Joe’s version of Blue Stilton was GOOD.  So good, in fact, that after we shared our first one with other artists at the Indy Fringe over wine and I had to leave town for a couple of days, David went BACK to Trader Joe’s and stocked up on ANOTHER one.  Then, after we finished  that one and came back home to Virginia, last night at Trader Joe’s he bought ANOTHER ONE.  So that is 3 purchases of this lovely cheese in just 2 short weeks.  Ahhhh – stinky cheese rules!

  

Trader Joe's Blue Stilton - a right good stinky cheese

This cheese is good to put on a cracker and eat while sitting under the stars and sipping red wine. 

It is also good to eat in a salad while sitting in front of a television watching trash tv like “Naked and Afraid” and drinking San Pellegrino (which got a great review on day 94 of this blog)

http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/04/day-94-san-pellegrino-water.html  

I imagine it would also work well crumbled up and spread over a thin pasta.  Or in an omelet.  The sky is the limit.  J

From England - like lots of other good things

As you can see from the signage in the Indianapolis Trader Joe’s, this cheese is from England.  Lots of good things are from England!  Let’s think of a few:  the Beatles, Hobnob Digestive Biscuits, fish ‘n’ chips, my Aunt Shirley, and Amy Winehouse.  Now we can add this Blue Stilton to the list.

Aunt Shirley!!!  The best Aunt in England.

If you do not like smelly cheeses this is not the cheese for you.  But Greg, a hybrid musician from Boston who was in Indy with us, is a foodie and DOES like smelly cheeses and here is what he thought of this particular one when we shared it with him:  “This Stilton was a fine version of the cheese.  It is a little sharp and a little pungent.  It has a good flavor and balance of salinity.  It is a delightful snack at the end of the day.”

It is not cheap, but it is much cheaper than airfare to England to pick up the cheese there.  

David says:  “This cheese is DELIGHTFUL!  It is flavorful and pungent.  It has some structure to it, yet is nice and creamy as well.”

This cheese is a win for stinky cheese lovers.  

Price – $11.99/lb

Rating – 4.5

Day 232 - Authentic Greek Feta in Brine

 I’ve said it before and I will say it again – I am not ashamed.

I LOVE ME SOME FETA.

I am home alone – I had to come home and work a few days and leave my main man in Indianapolis.  So tonight I decided to splurge and treat myself with some really nice feta.

Here is the packaging for this fancy feta

At least, what I presumed would be nice feta.  I fell for the “it’s expensive so it must be good” trick (I like to think I do not usually fall for that…).  The feta we normally purchase at Trader Joe’s is $2.99 for 8 oz.  This feta was $6.49 for 10.5 oz – see – comparatively it was PRICEY!  (You can see the review of our normal TJ’s feta on day 105 of this blog.)

What the hell- put it on a credit card!

So this afternoon I was craving feta.  I neeeeeeeeeeeeded feta.  And really, as far as cravings go, if you are going to crave something, I think FETA is a mighty healthy craving, don’t you?  So I went straight to Trader Joe’s in Clarendon, VA to hook myself up!

Now, earlier in the day I was stuck in traffic.  Like, BAD Washington DC traffic.  So I had time to hear the news on NPR not once but two or three times.  So I kept hearing about the Prime Minister of Greece resigning today.  And you know, Greece is in a boat load of financial trouble.  That poor country is a messy mess!  So I guess what I am saying is, yes, I splurged and spent way more on feta than a girl needs to spend, but it was AUTHENTIC GREEK FETA from GREEEEEEEECE for heaven’s sake!  And if anyone needs my money, it is Greece, right?  So there.  Not only did I satisfy my craving, I helped out an entire economy with my purchase.  (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

David taking the plunge in Koufonisia, Greece (2007)

Me swimming in Koufonisia, Greece - isn't the water beautiful???

So, was my splurge on this feta worth it?

Uh-huh.

This cheese is amazing!  It is a kick ass feta.  It comes in brine, which seems to ensure it is not dry and blecky like some fetas are.  However, the brine also means it can be MESSY, as evidenced by when I tried to pick it up after “closing” it (oops, it was not closed) to read the bottom of the container…  I splashed brine all over the counter. 

It has 2 chunks of feta in it - here I stood them up for you to see

This is what it is like when you open the tub

The thing I need to ding the rating on a bit for this product is the packaging.  It is super hard to OPEN.  You pull off a little hard plastic bit, then theoretically you can pull the lid off.  Maybe it is because I currently have long nails and need to cut them, but I had a really hard time getting the lid off.  I resorted to jamming a fork around until I could squeeze it open a bit.  And of course the whole time I was trying to rip the lid off, I was afraid the lid would POP off and give me a brine shower.

This totally satisfied my craving for feta.  Ahhhhh....  

I am glad I splurged.  Greece needs our help – go buy this feta.  J  Just be really careful opening and closing it. 

Price - $6.49

Rating – 4.75

Day 105 - Feta

Feta is a staple in our house.  It often tops our salads.  It jumps in our omelets.  And it graces our pasta dishes.  Feta, feta, FETA!

So we have tried feta from a variety of stores.  Oh, we have tried pre-crumbled feta, we have tried huge-o hunks o’ feta, and we have tried this Trader Joe’s Feta. 

Guess which one is normally in our fridge??  YOU GOT IT – THIS TRADER JOE’S ONE!

LOOK FOR THIS PACKAGE!

Why?  Because it is just about perfect.  It is hard enough to stay together without disintegrating into feta dust when you cut it.  It is TASTY.  It is not too dry (many pre-crumbled ones are super dry, yucko).  It is YUMMY.  It is cut-able.  It is DELICIOUS!  All of that PLUS it is very reasonably priced!

Cheaper than you will find at other stores!  And TASTIER!

Did I mention how good it is???  Really, the only “issue” with it is the packaging.  Like the Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Chub (reviewed on day 17 of this blog), once you open this feta package you have to figure out somewhere to store it.  Trust me, you are gonna get feta goo/juice everywhere if you try and leave it in the package it came in.  My solution; cut the feta package open, have a plastic container with lid ready, and plop that puppy in there.  That’s much easier than trying to get it in and out of a Ziploc baggie. 

Feta in action - on a salad!  (Also pictured are Trader Joe's beets (will be reviewed on this blog), Trader Joe's chick peas (also to be reviewed) and Trader Joe's avocados (reviewed on day 18 of this blog)

If you like feta, try this one.  It is a winner.

Price – $2.99

Rating – 4.75

Day 101 - Belletoile Triple Cream Brie (cheese)

If you like BRIE, go for this.  It is such a good price, and it is delicious!  Get a fresh baguette and SMEAR this on.  Wait, you COULD get a fresh baguette (soon to be reviewed on this blog), put on a thick layer of Kerrygold butter (reviewed on day 49 of this bog), THEN smear this Triple Cream Brie on it…  Oh man my mouth is watering just THINKING about this…

There are several bries at Trader Joe's, this one is really good

I am sure you could make an awesome sauce with this brie, too, but when we get it we normally devour it all on fresh bread (or crackers if we are out of bread). 

Not a bad price- you would pay much more at other stores

Yum - BRIE

Triple Cream Brie rocks – get it!

Here is a hunk of Belletoile Triple Cream Brie on my picnic lunch plate!  SPRING has sprung - picnic!!!!

Price- $8.99

Rating – 4.25

Day 91 - Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms

Ooh-la-laah – get a package of Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms!!!  This was our first time trying this and it was delicious!  The package says 3 servings but we gobbled it up in 2. 

Find this in a bag in the frozeen food section

There are a couple cooking methods listed on the package and I did the one in a non-stick pan on the stove.  Easy and only took around 8 minutes, in fact, I did it as the pasta that I was going to pour this over cooked. 

The dish includes lots of scallops, peas, and mushrooms in an Emmental cheese sauce.  All we added was salt and pepper (oh, and served it over pasta).  It would be nice if you put some fresh herbs on top, too.  My partner wished the cheese sauce tasted a bit cheesier, but really overall we were both very pleased with this dinner.

DELICIOUS!

The price is fabulous - $5.99 for what I see as a fancy dinner for two!  This really had the feel of a “restaurant meal” but it was at a Trader Joe’s price (plus, we ate it at 11:00 PM, which is after most restaurants stop serving dinner…).

Great price!

I recommend you try this one!

Price - $5.99

Rating – 4.75

Day 87 - Spanish Cheese Tapas Sampler

We first saw this adorable little package in a Trader Joe’s in California and we were so jealous!  “What??  Sweet little cheeses??  Why, we do not have THAT in the metro DC area!!” we whined.

How wrong we were!  We do INDEED have the Spanish Cheese Tapas Sampler at our local Trader Joe’s.  It is a package of 3 perfectly sized (5.29 oz total) little chunks of cheese – Iberico, Cabra Al Vino, and Manchego cheeses to be precise. 

Delightful concept, bland result

The only problem ISSSS, see, the cheese do not have much FLAVOR…  So, while they are delightful to look at and seem like they would be so quaint to serve to guests with some of those funky little ceramic cheese labels, I would prefer they actually TASTE good, too…  See where I am going with this?  They are just b-l-a-n-d.   Maybe they are SUPPOSED to be that way, I am no Spanish cheese expert!  But, for my taste, they do not have enough taste (see how clever that was?  I used “taste” twice there!).

In the end, I guess I would rather do the hard work myself and buy three separate cheeses that each had a little zip or zing to them and forego the simplicity of this little (bland) package. 

P.S. - Embarrassing postscript to this review:  It was not until after I had written this and we has almost finished all of these cheeses that we realized, oops, each cute little wedge is already SLICED!  We had been cutting bits off unnecessarily - the cutting is done for you (not in the direction we normally slice cheese, which is why we did not notice I guess).  

Price – $3.99

Rating – 3

Day 17 - Mozzarella Cheese Chub

We go through a lot of cheese in our house, the majority of which is cheddar.  But this mozzarella also gets a fair bit of play from us, especially in SUMMER GARDEN SEASON.  Oh yeah – there is nothing better than a big, red, juicy, fresh garden tomato topped by a thick chunk of this mozzarella, add to that a couple of just picked basil leaves, top with extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and coarse salt.  That, my friends, is the taste of summer.  So now you know how we use this cheese J.

Note:  if it is not summer, or if you do not grow tomatoes, pair this with Trader Joe’s Kumatoes (see review from this blog, day 5).

This is the one we get - 8 oz is a good size

 Pros :

• Tasty
• Soft
• Reasonably priced
• Almost always available at Trader Joe’s
• A good size

Cons:

• Tricky to open, and when you do open it – messy.  Mozzarella water gushes out so only open it over the sink. 
• Not possible to store in original packaging, so have a little storage container ready when you open it.
• Goes stale quickly if you do not use it within a few days (probably because all of the mozzarella water stuff plops out of the packaging when you open it so is not in the storage container to keep it moist).

Price - $3.29

Rating – 4 stars