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Trader Joe's Products (2017–)


Kerry Beal

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An overwhelming Nope on the Apple Cider donuts.  Nobody liked them.  Just a not good cake donut with no apple flavor and annoying messy coating.

An overwhelming Nope on the Tiny Apple pies.  The filling was like apple sauce and very, very sweet and the topping was weird texture.

 

An "okay" rating on the Apple cinnamon buns.   They need to be slightly warmed to make them good.

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  • 1 month later...

Not a bad item to keep in the pantry at work - I had this flaked over salad today. Cost was $3.69. One solid chunk of salmon, very lightly smoked. The oil was a medium for storage, not worth eating.

 

salmon.jpg

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"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

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I found shelf stable fresh noodles and they have been under my nose at TJ's all the time.   I had made char siu from one of the fresh hams off our harvested feral pig.   I made a noodle stir fry dish with the diced meat, and a bag of the frozen stir fry veg.   Really good easy and popular dish with the eaters.

I didn't use the sauce packet in the veg.  I just barely seasoned with a splash of soy and a dash of oyster sauce. 

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I don't think anyone has mentioned TJ's grilled olives. My sister told me about them (we are both big olive fans) so I picked up a jar on my last visit. They're great -- very unusual, with an actual grilled flavor. Rather than a brine, they're packed in an oil-based liquid. I'd never heard of this variety of olive before, but in my opinion, they're a winner.

 

image.png

 

image.png

 

This photo makes them look huge -- they are large, but the plate is a very small tapas plate.

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On 7/17/2023 at 4:27 PM, lemniscate said:

disappointment.   The mini Brioche toasts have been discontinued.   Whole Foods still carries mini toast crackers, but not brioche type.  It's so hard to find mini-toasts, melba toasts and rusks (Ikea discontinued theirs) anymore.  The market has swung towards flatbread crackers.  Not a fan.

 

I can still get Bauducco's (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) online.  But they are not quite as good as the ones listed above for me.

 

The brioche toasts were back in stock at my TJ's this morning.  $1.99/box.  The packaging looks the same as always.

 

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Trader Joe's organic creamy mushroom soup (vegan). Includes kale (not much) and carrots, the creamy broth is from coconut milk. It has a good earthy flavor, I'd buy it again. Found it in the refrigerated section, $3.99 for the container. I had it for breakfast at the office, if I wanted to make it a bit more substantial, I'd add some cooked barley or farro.

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"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

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21 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

The brioche toasts were back in stock at my TJ's this morning.  $1.99/box.  The packaging looks the same as always.

 

 

Hooray!! I break them into 2-3 pieces and use them as croutons. Yum !! I was so sad when they didn't have them on my last visit to TJ's.

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Deb

Liberty, MO

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21 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

The brioche toasts were back in stock at my TJ's this morning.  $1.99/box.  The packaging looks the same as always.

 

OMG! OMG!  Thank you.

 

Hilarious though, my Amazon subscription delivery of 12 boxes of London Sesame toast rounds is arriving today.   I still will go get the brioche toasts too.   Costco had Boursin on sale and I bought a few.  I will need lots of cracker material.

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it you have not tried these cookies :

 

IMG_2994.thumb.jpg.3aee49cffbc2614629758371a7310274.jpg

 

understand beforehand what you are going to put yourself through 

 

Tried them ?   you know what Im talking about , you are planning ahead already

 

when TJ's seasonally D/C's these , you are going to be seriously annoyed.

 

Ill study the ' best by  day and plan accordingly/

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7 hours ago, rotuts said:

it you have not tried these cookies :

 

IMG_2994.thumb.jpg.3aee49cffbc2614629758371a7310274.jpg

 

understand beforehand what you are going to put yourself through 

 

Tried them ?   you know what Im talking about , you are planning ahead already

 

when TJ's seasonally D/C's these , you are going to be seriously annoyed.

 

Ill study the ' best by  day and plan accordingly/

 

Daaang.

I'm going to look for those,

next time I'm near a Trader Joe's!

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
HosteG Forumsnsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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10 hours ago, Smithy said:

Daaang.

I'm going to look for those,

next time I'm near a Trader Joe's!

 

They're a seasonal holiday item, though they can sometimes hang around a bit longer.  I like them because they're so tiny, they can't possibly have too many calories 🙃

 

I tried this "Holiday Cheer" version of the Unexpected Cheddar spread.  According to the label, it contains cranberries, Riesling and cinnamon.  It's OK but I'm not in love with it yet. Might be better on celery or apple slices than on crackers.  I think it will be excellent on a turkey sandwich so I'll have to make sure to nab some leftovers. 

B72772EB-319B-487C-A702-2CA28989E0E5_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.99c0c799a227abc2f0e97194fb541fbe.jpeg

 

Yesterday, I bought one bottle of their barrel proof bourbon @ 29.99

73C47F43-D996-4474-A934-1DCD09E60463_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.ada5dd155fb4b3d7ad3785ce49afa896.jpeg

 

Also got a few bottles of the TJ's Brut Rosé North Coast Sparkling Wine that shows up every year at this time.  Still $9.99 a bottle. I'll go back for a case or two to last me through 2025!

B48D9D6F-8E94-42BB-946F-8D809A06259A_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.b35a9fe6659a3ad4d4a152e00fe8337a.jpeg

 

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The 2023 Vintage Spiced Ale is in now.   It's quite good this year.   Deep, dark, and complex.  I think they dialed back on the ginger; sometimes ginger flavored ales taste like soap to me but I didn't pick that up in this year's beer.   $5.99 for the 750ml, (brewed by Unibroue) Belgian Dark Spiced Ale.

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On 11/9/2023 at 1:34 PM, JAZ said:

I don't think anyone has mentioned TJ's grilled olives. My sister told me about them (we are both big olive fans) so I picked up a jar on my last visit. They're great -- very unusual, with an actual grilled flavor. Rather than a brine, they're packed in an oil-based liquid. I'd never heard of this variety of olive before, but in my opinion, they're a winner.

 

image.png

 

image.png

 

This photo makes them look huge -- they are large, but the plate is a very small tapas plate.

 

I agree, these olives are great.   Very smoky,meaty tasting.   Thanks for your review.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The other day, I noticed that TJ's had come out with their own brand of red bitter.  Pronto! Amaro Aperitivo Bitter.  I think it was $9.99 for the 750 ml bottle.

My local Total Wine store has been out of Bruto Americano for a while now, so I thought I'd give this stuff a try. 

Based on the shape of the bottle, I was a little afraid it might be an Aperol dupe but the color is darker and more brown. Nothing wrong with Aperol but it's not my favorite in this category.

E047FC7E-54C0-4F11-BB01-55C95742E74B_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.09afc5bd3179c5cf60fbff6071541036.jpeg

In the same order as the bottles above:

F637AF52-FA00-4304-8677-84418DED5F4B_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.1518882fa5e03b6ccc1ae3721ce2170f.jpeg

 

The TJ's stuff is less bright & citrusy, less sweet and more herbal, more complex and more bitter than Aperol. 

No Campari on hand for a side-by-side but I believe the TJ's is less bright, less citrusy, less bitter, less sweet and more herbal and complex than Campari.

The TJ's is more similar to Bruto Americano in both color and flavor though it's noticeably less complex and interesting. 

 

I used it to make a Boulevardier and thought it was very good. I used Punt e Mes as the vermouth, which probably compensated for the lower bitterness vs Campari. 

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On 11/2/2023 at 12:42 PM, BeeZee said:

Not a bad item to keep in the pantry at work - I had this flaked over salad today. Cost was $3.69. One solid chunk of salmon, very lightly smoked. The oil was a medium for storage, not worth eating.

 

salmon.jpg

I love these.  I always have a tin or two in my pantry and my favorite ET bagels in the freezer.  Makes a great meal with a little cream cheese.

 

On 11/9/2023 at 3:34 PM, JAZ said:

I don't think anyone has mentioned TJ's grilled olives. My sister told me about them (we are both big olive fans) so I picked up a jar on my last visit. They're great -- very unusual, with an actual grilled flavor. Rather than a brine, they're packed in an oil-based liquid. I'd never heard of this variety of olive before, but in my opinion, they're a winner.

 

image.png

 

image.png

 

This photo makes them look huge -- they are large, but the plate is a very small tapas plate.

Thanks for the recommendation.  I just put these on my TJ shopping list.  

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I decided to stock up :

 

IMG_3057.thumb.jpg.c19c733ab8447091cbd49ce74748ecc0.jpg

 

over on the dinner thread 

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/164739-dinner-2023/page/173/#comment-2408832

 

I used this paste for the first time.  the results , as mentioned were interesting , but need adjustments

 

so , I stocked up.

 

and , get this :   its authentic tikka !  from India !   can't get more authentic than that .

 

anyway , try it , you might like it.

 

BTW  it has a interesting ingredient list :

 

ddd.thumb.jpg.e4474cbd3df5c2167b4e551d6032011d.jpg

 

ground watermelon seeds .  don't see that every day .

 

P.S.:  manufactured 5/15/23  good to 5/16/24

 

Edited by rotuts (log)
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inspired by @Kim Shook   , above 

 

I had this for an early dinner :

 

IMG_3059.thumb.jpg.cf8b6fc11865895ca6c2ed84ed4dc98e.jpg

 

same Tjj's salmon , drained .  low-fat yogurt , window green onions .

 

I don't have cream cheese , nor did I have a bagel 

 

this was quite good.    its a keeper esp for the summer , w the heat and humidity .

Edited by rotuts (log)
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