Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Nibs

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Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nibs

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nibs

Here is a tasty product that I just picked up today when we were shopping at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Nibs. They were at the check out- next to all the mints and chocolate bars. Now I can lie and tell you they just caught my eye, but I actually was reaching down for a box of those HOT mints (the little deadly English ones…) and these were next with the small box of mints.

At first, I was just going to put them back, as I was looking for a mint, but then I got curious about what these actually were. When we worked at the chocolate shop, we did sell packages of chocolate nibs that were rich, sorta bitter and just wonderful.

So we gave them a test, and were very happy with the results. The nibs are small-ish about the size of a tick-tac and have a chocolate coating or shell.

But when you pop them into your mouth, they have a wonderful chocolaty flavor that is just right when you are having a craving for something sweet.

Also it helped that another customer in the line behind us saw what we were looking at and was prompted to comment on how she enjoyed them as an “emergency” treat in her purse. So that is where I placed the tin- in my purse for an emergency chocolate attack! HEY I think I feel one starting…….

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

How to cook Salmon in the Oven That Everyone Will Like

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OR an easy and foolproof way to cook all kinds of fish in the oven at home quickly….

We like to eat fish. In fact we like all kinds of fish but one of our favorite type of fish is salmon. We really love that deep red salmon (wild) that you sometimes see in the stores. Luckily Trader Joe’s sells this wild salmon and even in smaller packages that are better for two.

We have even purchased a rather large piece of salmon, cooked the whole piece and then had some nice salmon leftovers to have the next day on a salad. (I was planning to make a salmon salad sandwich with mayo and celery but truthfully just got a little lazy and placed the salmon on some salad greens. I am glad now, as the salmon was just fantastic! and tasty! I so love it when you can cook at home and say this was way better than going out)

OK so the big question is: how to cook the salmon, right??

It really is very quick and easy.

Roasted Salmon in the Oven

Heat your oven to 425 degrees

1. Prepare your baking dish by covering it in foil and either spraying with no-stick spray or a little oil. (yes I mean a little- spread it out with your fingers so there is only a thin film of olive oil on the foil in the pan).

2. Prepare your fish by thawing if frozen, then rinse and dry with paper towel. Place your fish (skin side down) on the oiled foil in the pan.

3. Lightly coat the fish with olive oil (again, thin) and season with salt and pepper, season salt or whatever you like to use. We like to use either a season salt or a salt-free seasoning like Trader Joe’s Seasoning Salute.

4. Place in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes for each inch of fish. This means if your fish is an inch think, you would want to check after 10 minutes to see if it is done. If you have a very thick piece of fish, say sea bass, you might want to go for 15 minutes.

5. Check you fish to make sure that it is fully cooked by cutting into the thickest part with your knife and seeing if the fish is “clear”(uncooked) in the middle or if the color is the same all the way through (fully cooked).

After   you have made your fish this way a couple of times you will find that you get used to the high heat and quick heating time. You will get a feel for how long you will need to cook your fish- and then you can start to experiment with marinades or sauces to top the fish.

Let us know how this works for you. Enjoy!

Try Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers

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Trader Joe's Chicken Gyoza Potstickers

Trader Joe's Chicken Gyoza Potstickers

These tasty and easy to cook items are wonderful to have stashed in the freezer until you need them. They cook from frozen so they can be prepared last minute if, say your plans change and you are at home some night instead of going out. They are also easy to make, perfect for the beginner cook!

Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers make fantastic and different “Game Food” too! We have been enjoying them while watching the World Cup! (OK—a fairly international snack as well, right?) But they would be just as tasty during, say a baseball game as well.

Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers are delicious for the above mentioned reasons and so much more! We used to get Potstickers when we would go out to eat in Kansas City at one of our favorite Restaurants, Bo Lings. So you can imagine how excited we were to see a package of Potstickers in the freezer case at Trader Joe’s.

These are so easy to make, you just won’t believe it!

Heat a large non-stick pan with a lid over medium heat until hot. Then pour in a little olive oil and add the potstickers ( maybe 5 or so per person?). Let them brown up in the oil, say 5 minutes or so until the color on the flat side is nice and golden.

Trader Joe's Potstickers browning in the Pan

Trader Joe's Potstickers browning in the Pan

Next, add about ¼ cup of hot water to the pan and cover with the lid. Allow the potstickers to cook in the steam until fully heated, say 5 more minutes. (You might need to add more water if it evaporates before the potstickers are heated up, so pay attention the first time you cook these, just to make sure)

Yep! That is it! Now they are ready to serve.

We like to sprinkle the Potstickers with soy sauce or when we are feeling really creative, we make a little dipping sauce with soy sauce, sesame oil and some sliced green onions. YUM!

We hope you get a chance to try Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers soon and not wait to discover them in the frozen case like we did.

Have you tried these Potstickers? What did you think?

Trader Joe’s Macadamias mix Gingerly with Cranberries & Almonds

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Trader Joe's Macadamia Mix Gingerly with Cranberries & Almonds

Trader Joe's Macadamia Mix Gingerly with Cranberries & Almonds

Now, I know that this name is a bit strange. I actually did not notice how weird it was until I stopped to type it down for this post. You know how much we LOVE to eat trail mix and all kinds of nuts, right? Well I  guess I was only seeing the great ingredients when I picked up this package.

I mean, any nut lover would grab fast for a mixture that had macadamias, cranberries and almonds, right? But Trader Joe’s always goes the extra mile, and well, they added chunks of ginger to this mix!

Yes, you read that right! I think this is the first time I have purchased a Trail Mix/ Trek Mix that had chunks of spicy-sweet candied ginger in the package. YUMMZ!

As you can see from the photos (I am so amazed that we remembered to even take photos of this wonderful stuff 🙂 Trader Joe’s did not skimp on the ginger- there are tons of real large chunks of ginger in this mix. (the ginger was about the same size as the macadamia nuts- eeks!)

Trader Joe's Trek Mix

Trader Joe's Trek Mix

So anyway we wanted to alert you all to a wonderful nibble that is available right now at your local Trader Joe’s store. This will be one of our favorite snacks to enjoy over the summer and we hope that you all get a chance to enjoy it as well.

Don’t forget: This snack is Wheat Free too!

Let us know what you thought of this mixture. Please leave a comment in the space below.