Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Jenny,

I don't know if they have it anymore. It was with the other irradiated precooked room-temperature plastic packages, like lentils, rice, brown rice, etc.


All,

Just tried the new TJ's biscuits-in-a-cannister. While not Crystal's, they were pretty good for canned biscuits, head-and-shoulders above Pillsbury (i.e. no wierd chemical taste).

It's okey-do key. I'll bet you thought I was going to go Frank on you.
Instead, I am disturbed that we will probably never,
never, ever get a TJ's here. Columbus is a right fer piece.

We are very lucky to have TJs close by.

I love:
their chocolate chips and their pita crackers. The crackers get eaten really quickly( and I usually buy three boxes at a time).
Not so much:
I bought the frozen fried mac and cheese balls which were awful (what can I say, I bought them in a weak moment).

Rumor has it that TJ plans to expand into Florida in the next couple of years, starting with stores in Miami and Sarasota. Since Aldi is already here (owned by the same German group that owns TJ) and they already have some type of distribution network in place, that sounds like good sense to me. Frankly, I am tired of carting extra suitcases out to CA when I visit my sister so I can stock up.

For the past two weeks my Trader Joe's has had a special on Sky Valley Heirloom Navel Oranges by Cecelia. They are small, but they are packed with flavor, sweet and delicious. If you can find them, I HIGHLY recommend that you pick up a few bags.

I picked up a bag last week and they are great. Thanks for the tip!

I am so excited....just confirmed a trip to Santa Fe in May and I will be driving. That is the closest TJ's, since we don't have any in CO, although I am still hopeful. Keep the tips coming so I can have a list of what to stock up on....I have made a pledge to avoid buying silver jewelry and save my money for TJ's.
ilene

The triple-ginger ginger snaps.
Also, their frozen strudel is pretty yummy.
The dried fruits are very good -- a wide variety and the price is decent. I especially like the wild blueberries and Montmorency cherries. Geekboy loves the prunes.
Blister peanuts. Their nuts in general tend to be great for the price, but these are addictive.
If you use blocks of low-moisture mozzarella, their's is hard to beat.
I have to admit to loving their cornbread mix. Be forewarned, though, it is very sweet - more of a corn muffin, really.
My MIL loves the rosemary Wise Crackers.
The jarred pears and peaches are quite good. We buy them to have on hand when there is no fresh fruit in the house.

edited to add:
Oh, and here's a link to a tasting of their beers - http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-09-26/features/sc-food-0924-drink-trader-joes-20100926_1_vienna-style-lager-firestone-walker-beer-community

The VERY best price on Plugra butter; take a cooler with ya! I'm sure you can find something to put in it for the trip there...