Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

[jedovaty]

Yeah, I finished the bag after posting and found a couple peas, they had only had that sweet batter-flavor like the rest of the things.  This tastes fairly good and I can see where it would hit a particular craving, but when I want a sweet snack, it's usually cookies, so me personally I probably won't buy it again.

 

Edit: if you look at the bowl picture I posted, about 630 there is a wasabi pea in the milk, just found it hahaha

Edited November 3 by jedovaty (log)

[BeeZee]

Picked up frozen mini vegetable soup dumplings today. I don't recommend them, they were tasteless and gummy. I did microwave per pkg directions.

They were sampling the stuffing flavored potato chips, which were tasty!

[rotuts]

This is a new arrival @ MyTj's  ;

 

 

 

https://www.joshcellars.com/products/josh-cellars-reserve-bourbon-barrel-aged-zinfandel?srsltid=AfmBOorYGfWNBT2wNtUxQSAOUkiWsTC1kHCOjhD54G3pSUr6w3vfPG7W

 

and it seems to be selling for around  $ 26 - 27 US Bucks 

 

 

its $ 5.99 at my Local TJ's.  they are getting 50 cases .  its prominently features .

 

It a higher octane Zin , 15 %

 

I tried it .  its a '21 vintage , and you can tell its older , as it has a bit of an aged ' rim ' to the wine when you look at  it.

 

it has a very pleasant Zin flavor , good body , no benzine ,  dry but not bone dry .

 

its a very nice slightly aged Zin   , w a table wine price  ( @ TJ's )

 

wondering about the massive price differences :

 

Im betting there is too much of this wine @ the winery , and it might be aging too fast for the amount there and

 

the chosen price point @ the winery , and elsewhere .

 

I very much like Zin's , and this is a cut above table wine Zin's ,  around 5 -- 15 USD , 

 

Im going to get a few cases .

 

look for it if you go to Tj's from time to time.

 

[rotuts]

Picking up 8 cases Monday AM

 

4 for my friend @ WHPS  and 4 for me.

 

turns out my TJ's local got 110 cases .

 

Yum Yum

 

[blue_dolphin]

Two new pasta shapes

 

Haven’t tried the radiatore yet but the rigatoni is nice.  Some rigatoni is awfully big and this is a nice bite size.  The cooking time on the bag is 13-14 min. I tasted at 10 min and it was ready to go into the skillet to finish another min or two in the sauce. 

[rotuts]

 

sold out late Friday .  110 cases .

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

 

sold out late Friday .  110 cases .

Wow!  I haven’t even been to my TJ’s to see if they had any!

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin

 

call and see .  if they still have it , reserve a case.

[dans]

On 11/7/2025 at 1:09 PM, rotuts said:

Picking up 8 cases Monday AM

 

4 for my friend @ WHPS  and 4 for me.

 

turns out my TJ's local got 110 cases .

 

Yum Yum

 

The last time I bought that much wine from a single producer was when Haven’s Merlot went on clearance. I think I bought 4 cases each of the basic Merlot, boutique, and something else(I forget). 
 

Michael Haven had such a gift for Merlot. I found it on many wine lists in restaurants at bargain prices. At one company Christmas party the wines served were so bad I bought a bottle of the haven’s for my table. We ended up buying 4 or 5 bottles. 

[Maison Rustique]

Pretty sure my Trader Joe's would never hold a case of wine for a customer. I called and asked them about something once a few years back and they said to hurry up and get there because there wasn't much left.

[blue_dolphin]

22 hours ago, rotuts said:

@blue_dolphin

 

call and see .  if they still have it , reserve a case.

I went to TJ’s this morning, spoke to the guy who orders the wine, and he has not seen that Josh Cellars Zin available to order in our area. 
They carry a Josh Cellars bourbon barrel aged Cab @ $19.99 which he says is a very slow seller. 
 

On the upside, the TJ’s Napa Valley sparkling Blanc de Blancs and Brut Rosé have made their appearance in both Reserve ($9.99) and Platinum Reserve ($14.99) versions. 

I always stock up so I’m ready to celebrate all year!

[Smithy]

6 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

I went to TJ’s this morning, spoke to the guy who orders the wine, and he has not seen that Josh Cellars Zin available to order in our area. 
They carry a Josh Cellars bourbon barrel aged Cab @ $19.99 which he says is a very slow seller. 
 

On the upside, the TJ’s Napa Valley sparkling Blanc de Blancs and Brut Rosé have made their appearance in both Reserve ($9.99) and Platinum Reserve ($14.99) versions. 

I always stock up so I’m ready to celebrate all year!

 

Now that I think of it, it's the Bourbon Barrel aged Cab (I think from Josh Cellars) that I've tried, not the Zin that @rotuts likes so much. Once was enough on the Cab, but the grapes are different. Maybe I'm maligning that Zin unfairly. If I get a chance, maybe I'll try it out...but since I'm a couple hundred miles from the nearest TJ's, I'm not holding my breath!

[rotuts]

Really ?  again ?  more bags ?

 

not only do these bags generate Buzz

 

there seems to be pre-Buzz click bait too :

 

https://dengarden.com/news/trader-joes-new-canvas-bag-rumor

 

 

[rotuts]

They are Back !

 

 

and Oh so good .

 

esp. the Maple

Edited November 20 by rotuts (log)

[Shel_B]

I've been enjoying this salsa for a few months and it's really quite good. Not anywhere near as watery as some store brands I've tried, thick, but not overly so, and a nice level of heat. This is something of a Goldilocks salsa for me, just right, and a perfect choice for TJ's dipper-style corn chips. This has become my go-to salsa. Guests have liked it and said so.

 

[Smithy]

I expect to be near a Trader Joe's in about a week, and realized that I still have untried purchases in my freezer. I pulled out the Green Chile Chicken Bowl for tonight's dinner.

 

 

It's certainly easy. It's a single-serving paper bowl (now merrily burning in my fireplace, along with the box) and it can be cooked in a regular oven or a microwave. @rotuts will note that it has quite a bit of sodium. Oh, well. The ingredients and calorie count are good.

 

 

 

I chose microwave heating, and may have slightly overheated or understirred it based on the toasted cheese at one edge of the bowl. Here it is, before stirring:

 

 

Dinner, garnished with more grated cheddar:

 

 

The flavors were good, and I'd say the meat and grains were pretty well balanced. That said, I doubt I'll buy it again. (1) I had to remove a couple of inedible bits: tendon? bone fragment?? although it was only 2 small bits*; (2) the flavors are good but I can probably do the same myself, with a little enterprise and considerably less salt. It's good: just not as good as the chiles rellenos and the pork tamales that I will definitely buy again when I have the chance.

 

*I know I could have taken the package back and complained, but the receipt is long gone and the store is a couple hundred miles away. Not worth the effort.

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

too bad that GCCB didn't hit the spot.

 

My Tj's never asked for a receipt  .  just the box.   

[Smithy]

The first time I had one of these, it was a luxury buy from my best friend's Colorado father. I don't know how he had learned about Racine, Wisconsin and its Danish kringles, but he had -- and he shared. I'm sure he ordered from this same bakery.

 

 

Over the years, when I could, I'd buy one or two to share with family. Last weekend I was at a Trader Joe's in St. Paul, and scored one!

 

 

It's tender and almondy and incredibly sweet. Here's a cutaway photo. 

 

 

For those who've never seen one of these: the oval is roughly 10" wide by 12" or 13" long, and about 4" thick. I've gotten away from sweets over the years, especially for breakfast, so I'll have to share this around. But it's delicious.

 

I also stocked up on their chiles rellenos, and I bought another beef birria bowl. They didn't have the pork tamales I'd liked before, but I took a flyer on another type of tamale, and some burritos, and a chicken shawarma bowl, and maybe something else. I'll have to show them later. They're all loaded in the garage deep freeze. It was -20F when i got home, and I was in no mood to unpack, photograph, and then stow!

Edited 5 hours ago by Smithy
Added cutaway photo and rough dimensions. (log)

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

those Kringles really are quite something

 

they are quite sweet , but its easy to remove some of the icing .

 

Pecan are the ones that I like the best

 

I have no idea how TJ's manages their price , compares to on like @ the bakery.

 

heated up in the CSO , w a significant dab of butter :  Yum Yum.

[Dave the Cook]

On 9/6/2025 at 10:34 PM, Smithy said:

I broke into another of the packages I bought back here: this time, the Papas Rellenas: mashed potatoes around a beef filling, with a crispy outer coating. I hadn't planned far enough in advance to thaw one of the other treasures i'd purchased. These are to be cooked from frozen.

 

 

. . .  they make a fine template for something to try making from scratch!

 

We tried these too, in part because they seemed like an easy alternative to the beef chop recipe in the New York Times a few days prior. We were disappointed in them. As Smithy noted, the filling wasn't much write home about, and we thought that the potato layer was too thick compared to the filling. We tried them with a couple of different salsas,  but in end suspected that they might be best if cut in quarters and put on a platter with queso for dipping, as an hors d'oeuvre.

 

On the same TJs trip we bought a box of these:

 

 

Not recommended. Filling was a mushy mess, and the tortilla shells, while crispy on their perimeters, were disappointingly soft.