Trader Joe’s Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies

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Trader Joe's Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies

Trader Joe's Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies

Here is an incredible new find (well, at least to us) from Trader Joe’s- Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookes!

We found these yummy treats in the bakery area near all the breads and muffins. We both were so surprised to see these treats!

We both love carrot cake- The spicy cake part and all those sweet raisins and bits of carrot.  And what can we say about cream cheese frosting! Eeks! Just delicious.

Now truthfully, we don’t usually take the time to make a carrot cake just on a random whim. Too much time, energy, special ingredients and then the results: who wants to be at home with a carrot cake?

Carrot Cake cookies- Up close!

Carrot Cake cookies- Up close!

So we were delighted to see these cookies at Trader Joe’s. The cookies are similar to a Whoopee Pie, with two soft cookies that are “glued” together with a frosting center. In this case the cookies are made from yummy carrot cake batter, with big raisins and long strings of carrot in the spicy dough. In the center these cookies have a thick layer of rich delicious cream cheese frosting. WOW!!

Just so you know, these cookies are BIG and rich and Sweet- simply wonderful. We enjoyed them with a strong cup of black tea (Trader Joe’s of course) and savored every last crumb…

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Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo

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Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo

Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo

Here is one of our secrets to dinner-on-the-table FAST success!

You know when you have having one of those busy days… The kind where you feel as if you have rushed around all day without a minute to just stop and think?  And then on the way home you think to yourself ,  a bowl of cereal is an OK dinner, right?

Well, cereal be gone! Here is the perfect answer to that troublesome dinner question after a long and busy day:

Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo.

We like to have one package of these noodles tucked away in the freezer to save us from the “cereal dinner”. This is quick and easy to heat up and it is also tasty by its self, or when you add some “extras” to it.  We like to think of it as Italian comfort food – a bowl of noodles in a creamy Alfredo sauce….. yummz!

When we say it is easy to prepare, the package contains frozen noodles and sauce “chunks” that you just heat up gently on the stove, or microwave, and Ta Da! Dinner is served in about 10 minutes.

Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo - Ready to heat up

Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo - Ready to heat up

Now we like the “comfort food” style of this dish of creamy noodles and sauce, but you can also think of it as a base to jazz up with a variety of other items.

Suggestions:

  • Leftover cooked veggies (we have used broccoli and peas)
  • Cooked shrimp or cooked flaked fish of any type
  • Sun-dried tomatoes  (in oil, sliced thin)
  • Mushrooms
  • Diced chicken

Use your imagination and check your fridge for ideas. You will be surprised at all the different and delicious meals you will be  able to create starting with Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo as a base.

Have you tried this product?

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Trader Joe’s Wine: Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat, 2008

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Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, 2008

Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, 2008

A Wine Moment with Delaina, the sipping continues….

There are a number of reasons that I choose to purchase a wine. Sometimes it is a recommendation, sometimes because of a tasting (ohhh thanks Trader Joe’s), but there is one more, slightly odd reason…

Sometimes wines call to me and make me purchase because of their labels. If they have a cool label that I like, then somehow I feel that the wine inside will also be to my liking. Another, less glamorous reason that pushes me to buy a particular bottle is based on if the bottle has a cork or screw top. Yes, this makes me really sound like a boozer, but I had a good reason, really!

Here is the full story: We were visiting some friends who are not wine drinkers and I forgot my wine opener.  I remembered this as we were heading off to Trader Joe’s to pick up some appetizers (and wine) to nibble on before dinner. Ugh!

So as you can imagine I bought this wine because it had a screw top. I must admit that I stood and contemplated this purchase for a minute. See, once upon a time I thought wines with screw tops wines were crap!  But now I admit that this is no longer the case. The second reason that made me stop and think about my purchase was that this wine was Australian, and again, once upon a time, Australian wines were too sweet for my tastes.  But that personal myth has recently been overturned, and so I took the plunge and purchased wine that had both a screw top and a “cool” lable.

The wine I purchased was:  Penfolds’s 2008 Rawson’s Retreat, which was a blend of a Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. WOW, this wine was a pleasant surprise. It is no back alley twist-top yucky sweet wine. This red has a great blend of boldness and only cost 5.99 at Trader Joes.  Such a deal!

Now to be truthful, this is not a wine that I would drink alone, but it pairs nicely with roasted chicken and potatoes. Or if you are having a “tapas night”  it pairs nicely with a sharp cheese such as  Kerrygold Dubliner cheese imported from Ireland sold at Trader Joes and Trader Joe’s Pitted Kalamata Olives- yes we tried it:)   In fact I think this wine would pair nicely with almost anything.

However, having said that, I would not recommend having it with Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken – and yes, I tried it 🙁   The sweet Oriental flavors were not the best match for this bold and dare I say dryish wine, by Australian standards.

Nonetheless, is a great wine that will complement most foods,  but might be a bit too complex for beginning wine drinkers.

If you enjoyed this Wine Moment with Delaina, please take a minute to leave us a comment below. Even if you just want to say hello we just love to hear from all of you!

Trader Joe’s Wine: Vola Trebbiano Pinot Grigio

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A Wine Moment with Delaina, the sipping continues….This wine moment with Delaina, is featuring a wine from Trader Joe’s May 2010 Frequent Flyer, Vola Trebbiano Pinot Grigio.

Trader Joes featured quite a few wines in their recent Frequent Flyer, so of course I had to try two of them.  I am, at all times, open to trying new wines, and I especially like to try those that Trader Joe’s promotes in the store and in their advertising.

The first one I tried is a Pinot Grigio blend that offers a refreshing taste. For those of you that do not know, Trader Joes is featuring this great wine for only$1.99. WOW-  Vola which is a happy blend of Trebbiano and Pinot Grigio grapes.

I usually like Pinot Grigio grapes and wines’  in general, but I have to say that this one is just fabulous. This wine has an almost fruity-pine taste to me which pairs nicely with salads, and strong cheeses like the Dubliner or smoke Gouda, both of which can also be found at Trader Joes.

And let’s not forget the value! For the price of $1.99 I can even imagine myself buying a case of this wine and then sharing it with friends on a warm summer evening on my patio. Oh wait I don’t have a patio. Well then I would give some bottles away as “just thinking of you summer gifts.” And hope that my friends will invite me to their patios to sit under the stars and enjoy this wine (Hey I will bring the cheese and crackers, OK?)

So if you were curious about Vola Trebbiano Pinot Grigio and wondered what it was like, or if this wine was any good, we say relax and buy a bottle today ( or actually,  the next time you are at Trader Joe’s).

Cheers!