Trader Joe's Product Reviews

Things have been quiet since my last post.   Eric’s work, like most people around here, has been sporadic, but rumblings of the ramp-up of spring are beginning to be heard in the distance.  If  I were home, I would be thrilled with the spare time, because I could find so many things to fill it up with, but here, I just feel unsettled.

  The best cure for that mopey feeling is exercise, so we have been running more, including a virtual run for Sherry Arnold.  Sherry was a math teacher in nearby Sydney, MT who was abducted while on her pre-dawn run.  Her cousin organized a run where people all over the world could run in her honor.   We ran 4 miles around Watford City on a clear Saturday that was 5 below zero when we started.  It was a little tough to start out, but felt just fine after we warmed up.  Photos and comments can be seen on Facebook Virtual run/walk for Sherry Arnold.  The turnout was huge and raised money for her two children.

The next day we headed out from the camper to a high point that turned out to be over five miles away over hill and dale.  There is so much more topography here than I expected, and the beauty of the grasslands is really growing on me.  It will never replace North Idaho, but I do appreciate it.

All that fresh air and exercise builds a mighty appetite and we are usually thinking of our next meal even as finish the current one.  I just finished using the last of the Trader Joe’s products that I brought to the camper, so here’s a review for all you TJ fans out there:

Marinated Lamb Tips—These were meant for the grill, which I don’t have, so I seared them in a hot skillet then pulled them at medium rare.  Served with the well-boiled, then thickened winey marinade and toasted polenta discs, they were tender and delicious.

Reduced Guilt Multigrain Pita Chips—With 40% less fat and 45% less sodium, you might think these would be tasteless, but they were positively addictive.  Eric and I mowed through the 6 oz bag in no time.

Peanut-filled Pretzels with No Salt Outside—The perfect snack to take along on a hike.  They still have enough salt baked in, but not on, the pretzel to be tasty, with the bonus of peanut-y protein.  Yum.

Condensed Cream of Portabella Soup—I expected this to be a step up from Campbell’s, and it was, but it still had that weird condensed soup taste.  Acceptable as a sauce fixer-upper, and the ingredients look a lot friendlier than the ones on the red can.  The 11 oz aseptic box is darn cute and camper-friendly, too.

Egg Pappardelle Pasta—If  you were served this pasta in a homey Italian restaurant with checkered tablecloths and a Chianti bottle candle holder, you would swear Noni was in the kitchen rolling it out with her grandmother’s rolling pin.  I served it with heart-healthy Shrimp Alfredo on Valentine’s Day (get the play on the theme?).  I know it is basically double wide fettuccini, but I love it so much more.

 

California Sun-Dried Tomatoes Julienne Cut—These are so handy to have in the pantry for jazzing up just about anything.  The other day I tucked them into grilled cheese sandwiches and Eric gave me that “you’re a goddess” look.  TJ’s product is tender and sweet, and I aspire to dry my tomatoes to be like theirs.

Peanut Satay Sauce—I browned some bone-in chicken thighs (no grill for satay) and glazed them with this sauce.  I know that satay sauce should have a little vinegar bite, but this was a bit sour for my taste, so I doctored it with a little agave syrup.  That did the trick, but I like homemade better.  Not bad, though, and I liked the texture of the peanuts.

General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce—This turned bargain boneless pork chops and some sliced veggies into a scrumptious one –pan dinner served over steaming brown rice.  Sure, the first ingredient is sugar, but that’s why it’s so good! Like all TJ labeled products, it has basically all normal stuff.

Mango Ginger Chutney—OK, I’m a big chutney fan, so I had big expectations from world-wise Trader Joe’s.  Well, I wasn’t disappointed.  Big chunks of tender mango, bits of red bell pepper, raisins and ginger with just enough vinegary syrup to hold it all together…oh, my.  Blows Major Gray’s out of the water.  Mixed with caramelized onions and served over seared pork tenderloin medallions, it was heaven!

Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix—My friends and family know me as a pumpkin nut…I grow pumpkins, collect pumpkin tchotchkes, carve pumpkins, and, best of all, I cook pumpkins.  Making pumpkin pancakes easily in the camper sounded great.  These are simple to make with a few fresh ingredients.  I sprinkled them with chopped walnuts while they were on the grill and served them with pure maple syrup and ham steaks.  They are sooo good! I still have enough for two more breakfasts…maybe this Sunday!

Well, there you have it.  Trader Joe’s rocks, and now they are in Spokane, less than an hour from my house in Hayden.  I’ll be home soon, and ready for another pilgrimage to my favorite store.  Three and a half weeks and counting!

Time Well Spent

I’m so ashamed. I broke my promise.  I must redeem myself.  Looking back on my last post, and noticing it was over two weeks ago, I had to ask myself—what do I do with my time??  Lay around the camper watching soap operas? Nope.  Get my nails done and have thrice weekly sessions with my personal trainer?  I don’t think so.   Go to lunch with my girlfriends?  Sadly, no.  Actually, much of my time is taken up by the extra work that camper dwelling demands.

After the cold snap we had endured released its icy grip on us, we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather that followed and set about building our “sun room”.  With the previously built pallet/plywood floor as a foundation, up went the 12x20 foot frame.  Eric found a discarded sliding door at the building center, and was able to repair it to perfect working order.  We now have an enclosed space attached to the camper that has Lexan walls and roof on the south side, solid walls and roof on the north and the slider on the west. With shelving and the soon to be completed insulated heated closet, we now have tripled our living and storage space.  On sunny days, the space gets so toasty, we need to leave the door open a bit.  Being able to move around and work in a bright, warm place is an incredible morale booster.

Without making special plans, my birthday turned out to be a fun one.  We went to T. Roosevelt Nat’l Park for a long run/walk and on the drive in were treated to a close-up of buffalo cows and yearlings grazing right next to the road.  They looked so unconcerned and gentle.  As we were running, there were two bulls up a hill from us.  With no trees in sight, we agreed to turn back rather than risk losing a footrace with charging buffalos.  The warm, sunny day was topped off with a steak dinner and coconut cake shared with our new friends Jeff and Karen from Alaska. 

 The next day Eric got a call to service a huge diesel generator north of Williston, and since I had no big plans, I volunteered to ride along. I grabbed several order forms for nursery-related items to keep me busy and off we went.  While Eric started working on the twelve cylinder beast, I stayed comfy in the truck pouring over plant descriptions and filling out forms.  When Eric needed my help I pulled on my trusty coveralls and became an “oiler” for a day, helping to get nearly 50 gallons of old oil out of, then the same amount of new oil into the machine.  After stops at the Laundromat and Walmart we finally got home after 9:00.  Ahhh, the coziness of it all.

Along with (sporadically) writing this blog, I have also been writing articles for our Huckleberry Nursery website—huckleberrynursery.com.  I spend a fair amount of time on these to ensure accuracy of the plant details and look at hundreds of photos to include in the articles.  I haven’t done this kind of writing since college, but I’m really enjoying it.  Maybe you will too.

Another thing I can spend hours on is recipes.  I am a member of several food websites and love to peruse them, sometimes randomly, other times with a specific purpose, like my latest one, Meatless Monday.   So far I have tried four recipes fromeatingwell.com—a strata, a Portobello sandwich, a black bean chili, and an eggplant/chickpea stew. They were all good, with the Portobello sandwich being our favorite and the eggplant dish warranting the comment from Eric, “needs meat”.  I intend to eat meatless at least once a week for the whole year and luckily my hubby is good with it, too.

We haven’t squandered the opportunity to enjoy the record smashing high temperatures here in NoDak.  Right out our door are miles and miles of hilly grazing land to run on along with little creeks and wetlands to explore.  We walked out onto a frozen pond to check out a muskrat den, speculating on what it must be like inside. Probably warm and serviceable, just like the camper.

On Super Bowl Sunday we drove out to a dammed-up section of the Missouri River and walked out on 18” thick ice.  We could hear the ice expanding and cracking and see deep fissures ¼” wide, which was a little alarming to this California girl, but Eric assured me we were safe.  There were ice fishermen and ice huts and pick-up trucks out there.  One group let us try our hands and auguring the ice, and it is harder than you would think!  No one was catching anything so we headed up to the bluffs for a wonderful run, until we got distracted by a slough filled with driftwood.  We poked around for quite some time, finding lots of treasures for yard art and a future furniture project.  Back home, we ran some more and did some strength work in our “gym” aka sun room.

 

We caught the second half of the game at a little bar in town which was non-smoking, had cheap beer, and free food brought in by the regulars, which was quite good.  The pheasant stew was rich and filling and went great with my Newcastle Ale.  Our team won (Yay!) and I won a black Absolut Vodka t-shirt that fit perfectly.  All in all, it was a great day.

There are only five weeks left until I return to Idaho, which I have mixed feelings about, because it means that Eric and I will be apart for long stretches of time.  We are both looking at this as an opportunity for personal growth and know we will get through it just fine.  That said, I’m still getting pretty excited to get back to my home, friends, family, cats, garden, work, stores, lakes, mountains…yeah, I love home. 

  

 Check out the photos below, the fog frost is really cool!