Have you ever walked the aisles of Trader Joe’s and just want to try each and every one of their products?!? I mean, they seriously carry some globally-inspired noms at super reasonable prices. Totes a sucker for many of their products, but could EVERYTHING they put out really be as good as the picture on the package?
Well, on this rainy day, we decided that while Manny was using us as his guinea pigs for his cocktail recipe development, that it was the perfect time to do a Trader Joe’s food tasting party. Y’all! This turned out pretty fun, and we will likely do it again. And again. And again! LOL.
So, how did it work? We all walked the aisles and grabbed our picks:
Manny: Scallion Pancakes (Pa Jeon) and Lemongrass Chicken Stix
Kriska: Tempura Cauliflower, Kung Pao Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Triple Ginger Cookie Thins, White Stilton with mango & ginger
Kris: Pita Bite Crackers, Banana Date Nut Bread Crisps, assorted cheeses (La Cava Barus Cava Aged, La Delice de Bourgogne, Jarlsberg)
Imagine the possibilities of how your party could turn out depending on what different items your group picks out. We do recommend not going while your hungry because we definitely grabbed way too much food for just four adults. What did we expect?! We all know what happens when you make a grocery shopping run on an empty stomach! LOL!
Do you have any Trader Joe’s favorites? Let us know which one you love. We definitely have our go-to items but this was a fun way to find new ones!
Here are some of our ‘tasting notes’…
First Course: Cheese Board
Kriska’s favorite: The White Stilton with mango and ginger with the triple ginger cookie thins was the perfect combo. Almost dessert-like, too!
Kris’s tip: Enjoy the La Delice de Bourgogne with some prosciutto for just the right balanced bite. The Pita Bite Crackers is a must for any charcuterie board.
Second Course: Appetizers
The scallion pancakes were pretty good, especially considering the amount of work it can take to make the right consistency of a mix when you make your own. This will likely be a staple in our freezer going forward. Make your own dipping sauce with whatever you have in your pantry. My sis happened to have some gyoza sauce and we just added some red pepper flakes to increase the heat level. The lemongrass chicken stixx were pretty tasty, too.
Third Course: Mains
Kriska: I was really looking forward to loving the Tempura Cauliflower because it seems to be all the rage, but maybe I just had too high of expectations for the hyped up veggie. It was decent. My favorite was definitely the Kung Pao chicken. This will also be added to our freezer–right next to the Mandarin chicken we always have on standby! LOL!
Kris: Don’t do what Kriska did and try to cook the Honey Walnut Shrimp in the oven first. This is one of my TJ’s favorites but this didn’t turn out as well as when I follow the stove-top directions.
Do you have any Trader Joe’s favorites? We would love to know.
These party tips and post recommended by Kriska!
cltremedy.com 