Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator: A Review

/in /by

The Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator: A Review of a great Wine gadget!. Have you seen those funny looking Wine Aerators and wondered what they were all about?

We have been told by a many friends, family and fellow wine lovers that to get the full effect from a wine, you should make sure that the wine has had enough air. This makes sense on some level, as wine has been corked up in the bottle for who knows how many years.

vinturi_essential_wine_aerator

But the science behind how much “air” to give a glass of wine was a mystery to us before we got the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator. This  cool wine gadget allows you to open up a bottle of wine, pour a glass throught the Aerator and then TaDa! The wine is fully “aired” and ready to drink.

No more waiting, no more guessing if the wine has been open long enough…before you get to drink! (OK seriously, who really wants to open a bottle of wine and then wait for an hour… or longer….grrrr… )

The real benefit? This Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator kinda “smooths” out some of the Trader Joe’s $3.99 wines… right from the first glass… yum!

In fact when we first bought this Aerator, we did an little taste -test where we opened up a bottle of red wine and poured a glass the regular way, and then poured a second glass using the Aerator. We were pleasantly surprised to actually taste a difference between the two glasses.  Without the aerator, the wine was dryer and lacked the full taste that eventually showed up later on that evening. The glass that we passed through the aerator: the wine was smooth and the flavors were more intense right from the first sip.

Here is a link if you want to read more about the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator.  It would make a great gift for a friend and/or yourself…

What do you think?  Do you have a Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator? Share below or on Facebook ~Thanks!

Kumato Brown Tomatoes at Trader Joe’s

/in /by

Have you tried the Kumato Brown tomatoes at Trader Joe’s yet?  These tomatoes sure caught our eye when we saw them in the store as,  no lie, the tomatoes are brown.

OK so I love those heirloom tomatoes, you know the ones that are yellow and orange and red and usually funny shapes (some are more like pumpkins than tomatoes really…) but I don’t remember ever seeing a brown heirloom tomato before… And Kumato? never heard of it….

So we bought a package….  we had to try them….

Well, we have to share that these brown tomatoes are fantastic!  We have had them in a salad and simply sliced up with a little salt and pepper so that their natural yummy flavor just comes out!

This is our salad with avocado, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers…The color and the flavor of the tomatoes was delish!

Have you tried the Kumato Brown tomatoes at Trader Joe’s? What did you think?

Share your thoughts below or on Facebook! ~Thanks!

How To Make Kale Chips

/16 Comments/in , , /by

Are you interested in learning how to make kale chips?   Have your friends been telling you that you have to try these yummy things and you are like …eeks! no way! I will admit that I was a bit skeptical when I started to hear about Kale chips too.

I mean I enjoy eating cooked Kale, but a Kale chip? really?? Hmmmmm….

Well, we finally took the plunge and made some Kale chips over the weekend and WOW! they were really good. (and easy to make too). Here is what we did:
How to make Kale chips

Ingredients:

  • Bag of Trader Joe’s Kale (near all the bags of lettuce)
  • Olive Oil
  • Sea Salt

How to Make Kale Chips:
1. Turn oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out the Kale in a thin layer (we only used about 1/3 of the bag). Check the leafs for the tough stems, and tear them out, so you are left with only the “tender” kale leafs.
3. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the leafs and toss around so they are lightly coated. Next time I am thinking of using some Trader Joe’s Olive Oil pan spray to get a more even and yet still light coating of oil on the Kale.

Kale Chips before the oven
4. Bake for 20-40 minutes. I would check the Kale at 20 minutes and then every 10 minutes after that. The Kale should be dry and crisp (It will shrink up and get dark when it is ready).
5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with Sea Salt.
Let them cool slightly and then enjoy!

Finished Kale ChipsEat & Repeat!

We enjoyed them and finished off the pan rather quickly… so we made more!

So now you know how to Make Kale Chips! They are fast and easy and are as addicting as Potato chips in my opinion…

Let us know what you think! Leave a comment below or on Facebook! ~THANKS!

Apples At Trader Joe’s Kansas City

/in , /by

Hello Kansas City Trader Joe’s Fans;

Here at Living Trader Joe’s we wanted to let you know about a special treat being offered right now at the Ward Parkway location.

For those of you are lucky enough to have the childhood memory of picking fresh apples off of a tree and eating it right there in the orchard or back yard you can relive that experience.

If you are one of these people, then your mouth has probably started to water as you recall the sweet-tart sensation that danced on your tongue as you bit through the tough skin that protected the juice packed center.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure yet…it is waiting for you at Trader Joe’s Ward Parkway. Unless you just cannot stand tartish apples, that first bite will be a moment you will not forget.

For those of you not in the Kansas City area call your favorite location and see if they are offering something similar.

Enjoy life,