Trader Joe's Appetizer Night II

As I mentioned not long ago, every once in a while, we have appy night.  It's really just a fun way to say that we have nothing in the house to cook from scratch!

Here is my latest appy night... and my candid review.

I bought this French Flat Bread because my mom went wild over it.  I also QUITE enjoyed.  It is decadent and delicious.  It is a little small, but perfect if you are cooking several things.  My mom ate it by herself for lunch.

 My older son loves mozzarella sticks, so I thought I would give these a whirl.  They are tasty, but explode a bit in the oven.  I expected this!  You also need to purchase your own marinara sauce - don't forget!

 

We all love these Shrimp Nuggets.  They are dee-lish!  And again, don't forget the cocktail sauce.  (TJ has a fantastic cocktail sauce!)

Sloppy Joe's from Scratch, Served on Pretzel Rolls

Always a family favorite, and an easy prep meal, SLOPPY JOE'S.

I am really picky when it comes to meat purchasing, and I only like one of the ground beef options that Trader Joe's has.

 

And if I am feeling healthy, I buy the TJ wheat buns.  If not, I buy the pretzel buns.

 

Here is my version of Sloppy Joe's.  Adapted from many, many different recipes.  And honestly, I never quite make it the same, because I almost never have all of these ingredients at once!

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 tbsp. dried minced onion

4 oz. tomato sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. Drain off any grease.

Stir in the onions, tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated and onions are tender, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns and serve.

 

ENJOY!!

Ham & Cheddar Pretzel Bread Sandwich

I am so tired of sandwiches for lunch.  I've said this before, I know.  But I should clarify.  I'm so tired of plain old sandwiches on wheat bread.  I still love me a fancy sammy.

Somehow, Trader Joe's bakes pretzel bread fresh daily.  Not sure where or how, but I don't question it.

Buy some pretzel bread (each piece serves two) cut it in fours, and make yourself a delicious, open-faced sandwich.

This is how I do it.

Toast the four pieces lightly in the toaster oven.
Apply some mustard (or mayo if you fancy). 
Add ham (or turkey) and cheddar (or swiss, etc) cheese. 
Melt in toaster oven for about 5 minutes.

TJ Raisin Bran is Just Right

My kids love cereal and my husband eats it almost every night a couple of hours before bed.  I like it once in a while, but it seems like it is SO sugar-filled.  My kids first tried raisin bran at my dad's house (this man is OBSESSED with cereal.)  He buys the name brand one at your local chain grocery store.  The raisins are literally coated with sugar.  My kids were in heaven.

That's why I first tried the TJ RB.  I was hoping to satisfy a craving in my kids, without buying a sugar-y snack.

And we are hooked.  The TJ RB has a nice mix of healthy fiber-filled flakes, and tasty (SOFT) raisins.

Tempura Chicken with Sweet & Sour Sauce - WINNER!

When in a pinch, this is a good, quick meal.  It feeds our family of four, but my two kids are young.  It makes for small portions.  I supplement it with white rice and a veggie.  I cooked broccoli and then mixed it with the sauce.  Wish there was more sauce, it didn't cover the broccoli very effectively.

We all also love the Mandarin Orange Chicken.  Like my kids ask for THIRDS!

Chips & Dip TJ Style

Everyone likes chips and dip right?  I'm a purist.  Give me some french onion dip and a nice thick ruffle.  Don't fix what ain't broken.

While many might really like the Bacon Cheddar dip, I did not.  I really waffled while shopping at TJ recently.  It didn't sound appealing, but they no more than I do, right?  Wrong.

Let me mention, I am not much a fan of cheddar.  I do love bacon.  But in a dip?

Anyway, it wasn't terrible, but again, just not my cup of tea.

The chips however, are a big winner.  They are just right.  Not too thin, not too thick, and NOT Kettled (HATE kettled.)

Go for the chips.  Ponder the dip!

                                 

 

Arancini Bites - Say Wha? - This Appy Falls Short

I love appetizers.  Who doesn't?  Every now and then, I have TJ Appy Night at my house.  It sounds fun and planned (to my kids), but really it just means I have no food in the house to cook.  So, I go to my deep freeze, which was initially purchased so I could cook large quantities, freeze them and have homemade meals on hand.  But let's be real, it's just my TJ Freezer.

I generally really like the appys that I have purchased from the Teej.  But I advise you to please skip on past the Arancini Bites.  Cheesy rice balls, covered with crust.  It just doesn't make sense.  And they are bland.  And they need a dipping sauce.   (A recurring theme in my taste testing reviews.  NEEDS DIPPING SAUCE!)

Curry Chicken Salad - I wouldn't Buy it Again

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is the Curry Chicken Salad from that other grocery store, that shall not be named.  But it is ridiculously overpriced (or it seems like it is at $12 a pound.)  It is a luxury, a once in a while thing.  Imagine my excitement when I saw the TJ variety.  But then I tried it...

It is not terrible, there is nothing wrong with it.  But I won't buy it again.  It is WAY too curry-centric.  The curry taste is just too overpowering.  I guess if you are a huge curry lover, give it a try.  But I almost don't even think you will like, Mdme Curry.  It just isn't the right ratio.

COOKIES! Trader Joe's Does NO Wrong!

I have a major, uncontrollable sweet tooth.  BUT, I am really picky.  My grandma was the best cookie baker in all the land.  I have always been relieved to have such high standards when it comes to cookies.  I have never liked a store-bought cookie.

Until now...

Trader Joe's makes more than one really good cookie.  My two favorites right now are these chocolate chip varieties.

 I am ashamed to admit that these disappear in our house in less than 36 hours.  These are my all-time fave.  The are good morning, noon and night.

 

Because these have nuts, I have to be in the mood to eat them.  I am usually adamant that baked goods should be nut-free, but the almonds in these treats are very subtle.  As you can see, we ripped into this box as soon as we got home from TJ.

TJ Saves the Day - Mini Croissants!

I was just cooking dinner tonight and realized that I needed to bake muffins (or some breakfast food) for some ladies that were coming to my house in the morning.  The thought of coming down to the kitchen after the kids went to bed and baking muffins was really devastating.  Nonetheless, I took out the butter to soften.

Then, as I went back to cooking dinner (frozen meatballs from TJ,) I saw them!  I had TJ croissants in the freezer!  And they are AH-MAZING.  So delicious.  Tastes like a little slice of France.

All you do is put them on a baking sheet (greased or on parchment) and leave them there overnight.  Then, wake up, pop them in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, and VOILA.

TJ SAVES THE DAY!  No late night baking for me!  Yippee!