Trader Joe's Taco Dip

I have a long-standing, deep-seated, everlasting love for Trader Joe's. Their products are usually fresh and tasty, always affordable, and the store in general is just FUN. Almost everything I've tried there has been a hit. Almost.

I'll admit the cover photo drew me in to the 5-layer dip. What's not to love? Vibrant colors, oozy cheese, cool sour cream, and chopped scallions. And honestly, Trader Joe's is usually pretty good about the package photo representing the actual product.

FAIL. Big old fail. Never mind that it looks hardly anything like the photo--it was also like a big, soupy, mushy mess of salt. PASS.

I put a hearty dollop of Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt on top since there was barely any sour cream visible in the actual dip. This also helped to cut through some of the overwhelming saltiness.

Don't worry, Trader Joe's--I can't stay mad at you. Nobody bats 1000! Next time I'll make my own dip with Trader Joe's ingredients--duly noted!

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St. Patrick's Day Prep!

My friend Carlota & I have a video on easy, make-ahead recipes for St. Patrick's day (or any day) that will give you plenty of time to enjoy the party WITH YOUR GUESTS! You can find the recipes below (though the Mini Shepherd's Pie recipe is HERE), and you can visit Carlota's blog here, and follow us on Twitter (@Kittenmagix for Carlota, @LKPNYC for me!) If you like the video, hit the 'like' button on the YouTube page--thanks, and Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Chocolate-Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream from Smitten Kitchen
Guinness, Irish Cheddar and Cashel Blue cheese from Fresh Direct & Trader Joe's
Shepherd's Pie recipe adapted by LKP here (all ingredients from Fresh Direct!)


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TJ's Coffee Cake

One lazy weekend, ABF & I decided to try the Trader Joe's coffee cake mix with breakfast.

It's pretty idiot-proof...the bags are clearly labeled just in case you can't tell which is which (and trust me, when I'm sleepy enough, I've been known to mix the two.

It's super simple to put together, and I relished the chance to get my hands in the mix!

It bakes up in about 45 minutes. I found myself getting impatient towards the end, but if you put it in first thing as you go about getting breakfast ready, it won't feel quite so long.

I really enjoyed this--it's buttery, crumbly, ,and quite tasty. It sells for about 3 bucks a box. It's a handy little something to keep in your pantry for a rainy weekend morning!

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Holiday Giveaway: Sugar Cookie Set!

It's time for Stuff I Ate's very first Giveaway! This is an all-in-one day of fun for kids--or kids at heart!

One of my favorite stores, Trader Joe's, has this awesome Christmas cookie set. It comes with the cookie mix, colored sugar sprinkles, icing, and three cookie cutters! All you need to add is some butter and a single egg.

This is the perfect idea for an afternoon of baking fun---and a good clean way to have fun with kids, family, friends, you name it! And there are two up for grabs, so it's a doubly delicious giveaway!

This is just one delicious way to thank all of you for your support, especially over this past year. This blog has been so much fun for me to write, and I truly love each and every bit of feedback I get, from comments on the blog to love on the Stuff I Ate Facebook page. I get such a kick when I hear from someone who tried a recipe and loved it, or from someone telling me they actually take a moment out of their busy day to stop by and visit. That's so awesome!

Now, how do you enter for a chance to win? Just leave a comment below telling me what your favorite Christmas (or winter) holiday activity is. Cookie-making? Sledding? Making snowmen? Drinking hot chocolate by the fire? Oh wait...those are all my favorites. Tell me yours!

You can get extra entries by following my blog and/or 'liking' my page on Facebook (click the badge up on the right or search for "Stuff I Ate" on Facebook). Once you do that, mention it in your commment! If you already are doing that, leave a comment to let me know that, too!

I'll pick the TWO winners by noon Eastern on Tuesday, December 21st and will then ship it to you ASAP...hopefully in time for Christmas, even!

TJ's Alsatian Tart

I bought this Alsatian-style tart at Trader Joe's on a whim. It sounded delicious and an awful lot like the amazing one we at The Modern (review here!), so I tossed it in the cart. Gruyere Cheese? Caramelized Onions? Plus it was around 5 dollars--deal!

I was impressed to see it looks almost exactly like the box's photo. Don't you hate it when the actual food is nothing like the picture?

After 10 quick minutes in the oven, the tart was ready. I probably could have baked it a little longer, but there is such a thing as too brown for me when it comes to crust.

I had a (heartily-peppered) slice of this with a cup of Trader Joe's organic tomato soup (LOVELY!) and enjoyed every bite of this tummy-and-soul-warming meal on a cold winter's night. It's light, fresh, not a bit of grease--win-win-yum!

Favorite Fruit

Have you ever had champagne grapes? They are one of my favorite fun fruits. My mom started using these when she did catering decades ago, and I remember thinking she was quite the trendsetter then. Everyone (okay, the women) would ooh and ahh over these cute little grapes that pop in your mouth, much like champagne bubbles (hence the name).

One warm August night, I assembled a yummy plate of snacks to nosh on while ABF & I made dinner at his apartment. Everything you see on this plate is from Trader Joe's! Iberico cheese, multigrain crackers, and champagne grapes (packed on my birthday-ha!)

The wine came from one of our favorite spots, Duckwalk Vineyards in Long Island. A nice glass of 'grownup grape juice' with our grapes and cheese!

Gosh, I love being a grownup sometimes. And for good measure, one more shot of ABF's beautiful tile backsplash in his lovely kitchen!

Easy Alfredo

It doesn't get much easier than this--creamy, delicious Fettucine Alfredo in 8 minutes! This was the sample du jour a few weekends ago at the Oceanside Trader Joe's. ABF and I each picked up a bag. One bag has 2 servings, and it sold for 4.99, which is a bargain.

I was surprised to see the cooking time is exactly the same for stovetop and microwave. I wanted to do some light cleaning while it cooked, so I opted for microwave. Bring out the lovely IKEA serving platter (dishwasher/oven/microwave safe)--one of my best buys yet!

The pasta comes out in little "nests," and the chicken and sauce are frozen into separate bits. I was skeptical that it would come out well in the time alloted, but I worried for nothing. I stirred halfway through, but otherwise this dish was on auto-pilot.

I dished out half for dinner that night (along with leftover veggies and mixed greens) and put the other half in Tupperware for lunch the next day. Delicious both times! Of course, another round or two of fresh-cracked pepper didn't hurt, either.

This was delicious, simple, no-muss, no-fuss, and I will definitely pick up some more on my next time. Granted, it's not for every night, but when you want something that's very satisfying in a moderate portion, this is one to get.

What are some of your favorite Trader Joe's items?

Stuffed Poblanos

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. Annnnnd...still it took me a good 8 1/2 months to get around to it. The impetus? A woman who works with ABF gifted him with a bunch of peppers from her garden in Long Island. Fresh, local poblanos? It was so on!

Just look at these emerald beauties!

I roasted the peppers over the gas burner in ABF's recently-renovated kitchen (it is gorgeous! well-lit! fun!)--you already know how this part goes.

I only had a handful of ingredients at the ready--some shredded chicken, Trader Joe's Cuban-style black beans (leftover from last weekend), and TJ's pepper jack cheese, but time was of the essence---I wanted to make the most of the local produce. I shredded it all with some help from ABF, mixed it together, stuffed the peppers, and then popped them under the broiler for a few minutes.

I was super thrilled with how yummy these were. Que rico! Next time I'll make sure to have some red onion and sour cream on hand!

PS: ABF--please thank your coworker again for me--these peppers were yummy!

Snacktacular!

What's this, you ask? Oh, nothing...just one of the most delicious snacks I ever made. Nutella spread on Trader Joe's High-Fiber, Whole Wheat bread (5g fiber per slice!), and fresh, local strawberries. Holy freaking YUM.

Note: Nutella is not low-cal. 100 calories per Tablespoon--use sparingly and savor every morsel!

Poached Eggs & Caponata

I love, love, love poached eggs. I like the way I make them the best, but if they're on a menu in a restaurant, I'll usually order them, too. Most of the time I just simmer them in a shallow pan of water, but sometimes I feel like getting a little fancy and swirling them a la chef style. This past weekend I was in just such a mood.

I got out my deep saucepan, added a generous glug of white vinegar (crucial!) and set to swirling the water.

I dropped each bad boy in there individually and used a spatula to keep things moving. In less than 2 minutes they were ready to eat!

I had some stovetop espresso bubbling away while I made the eggs--and everything was ready in a matter of minutes. Cooking at home does not have to take forever! Sometimes it can, and sometimes even that's fun, but today it was all about delicious food, fast!

ABF & I sampled some Trader Joe's caponata on our most recent visit, and I liked it so much (despite my ambivalence re: eggplant) that I brought a jar home. I decided to use this as a bed, sort of a shakshuka/rancheros nod. I used just a few tablespoons as a bed for the perfectly poached eggs. Yum.

It was pretty darn delicious, though the sugar in the caponata was a little too pronounced for me. I'd also recommend heating it up next time--I wish I'd waited a little longer for it warm up a bit more. That would have gone a little better with the piping-hot poached eggs. I might have to make these again very, very soon.

Lobstah 101

I finally did it! I finally cooked my own lobster. It was comical at best (for me, not the lobster), and ultimately delicious, but I still feel weird about it. I am a shameless carnivore, but I will gladly remove myself from the food-harvesting part of the food cycle. Then FreshDirect.com had to go and put lobsters on sale, and I figured the time had come to just suck it up and cook it myself. And by 'myself,' I mean with Kelli there to document each hilarious step.

Growing up in MA, lobsters were definitely a part of family meals, except I was still a prissy, picky little eater who would play with the lobster before it got cooked, even name him, and then watch other people eat him. I had no interest in seafood in my younger years (oh! How I would shake the younger me and enlighten myself about the deliciousness of succulent lobster meat, dunked in a dish of drawn butter. Alas...)

I ordered the lobster earlier in the week, and by the time my Saturday morning delivery arrived, I'd forgotten all about it. Until I started unloading the groceries and one of the bags MOVED! Yikes.

Kelli was standing by with the camera while I summoned up the wherewithal to PICK UP THE LOBSTER WITH HIS BIG SWINGING CLAWS THAT SEEMED SO HUGE AND UP IN MY FACE. At one point Kelli said "Don't swing his claws at me!" That made me laugh--and I completely shared the sentiment.

I picked up the lobster (Kelli named him Bob even though we agreed there would be no naming!!!) and when he started to squirm, I started to shriek. Yeah. Like a little girl. That's when I remembered my tongs (yay!) and used those to transport this 2-pounded to the pot of boiling water. CLANG! In a flurry of frantic flailing (more by me than the lobster), it was done. Bob was in the water and cooking away for the next 15 minutes.

While the lobster boiled, Kelli made the green beans. She buttered the pan, added some minced garlic, salt, and copious amounts of black pepper. She cooked these for just a few minutes, so they'd still have crunch and nutrients!

We made a simple green salad with romaine, cucumbers, gorgonzola dressing, and more black pepper. Crisp and refreshing (and low carb!)

This dinner was DELICIOUS, and total cost (with ingredients from FD and Trader Joe's) was about 17 dollars for TWO people---a lobster dinner for two! Delicious and affordable! I noticed the lobster is still on sale this week at FD..I think I'm going to snag a few more and take this lobster craving all the way! Wicked Good.

Flax Seeds!

With a friend's wedding around the corner and summer not far behind, I've been ramping up my focus on healthy eating. My friend Hoosh & I are keeping food journals to keep ourselves honest, I'm trying to get extra veggies in every meal, and I've been adding extra fiber as well. I've had these flax seeds in my fridge for ages, courtesy of my Mutha :), but I never opened them until now.

I ground them with a few spins in my coffee grinder, then mixed the entire teaspoon (the yogurt was only a 4-ounce serving) into my Trader Joe's vanilla cream yogurt. This stuff is so decadent it's like a dessert, and that's how I'm treating it...but even dessert should have some extra fiber, right?

These gave the yogurt a different texture, of course, but I didn't mind it, and I feel better knowing I'm 'sneaking' some extra healthy stuff into my diet. Also? Could I love Trader Joe's any more than I already do? Probably not.

Is anyone else out there a flax fan? How do you get it into your diet?