Trader Joe’s Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

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Trader Joes Beef, Bean and Cheese Dip

Trader Joes Beef, Bean and Cheese Dip

When you think of bean dip, do you think hot or cold?

Well, we usually serve this  dip  cold, made with beans, cheese, salsa and if it’s a “special” occasion, maybe sour cream or guacamole on top. This is fantastic during a hot summer, but eeks! it’s cold out folks!

So we were pleased to find this product at Trader Joe’s:  Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip.

We were looking for something new, to devour at 5pm as we waited for the rest of our group to assemble for a late night birthday dinner.   Also the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics would be on that night, and nothing says “Party Food” like watching the Olympics. So we were searching for something rich and delicious to help us celebrate our many events that evening.

Now ironically we found this lovely item mixed in with the frozen snacks and appetizers.  We were looking for something new and different that would heat up easy/quick and be a little more filling than some that we usually purchase.

This item lived up to all our hopes…

We warmed it up from frozen and it was very quick in the microwave (only 4 minutes).  The contents of the tray were not a big blob of  “stuff” either. You could see the cheese, the green onions and sour cream patches. It actually looked very good and home made-ish…. Not exactly as beautiful as the package leads you to believe, but still presentable….

OK it would have looked more home made if we had placed the dip into a glass container, and not used  the little plastic tray….

As far as taste, it was wonderful. Everyone in our group agreed that it was in fact a “winner” and several people said that they would purchase this in the future.  In fact the only “problem” we had was to remember to take a  picture before we finished the entire tray!

Trader Joe's Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

Trader Joe's Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

So two thumbs up for Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

View from a fridge

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Trader Joe's in the fridge

Some friends were over last night, and over the course of dinner, peeked into the fridge. Now we normally tidy up the fridge when we have company over, as a rule. But this time, we were not prepared for the reaction.

Our friends were shocked!

We really did have stuff from Trader Joe’s in our fridge. And more than just one item. In fact, there were plenty of goodies from Trader Joe’s on the first shelf alone…

OK here is a list of our favorite things that are in the fridge right now:

Creamy Peanut Butter

Dijon Mustard

Salsa Authentica

Sour Cream

Pesto

Butter

Blackberry Jam

Lemon Curd

The last item, the Lemon Curd, is not a normal purchase, but rather an experiment or splurge. An item to brighten up a cold winter’s day. However, it is soo good, it is  well on its way to becoming a “regular” purchase. It is THICK and tangy and just delish.   We have tried it a number of different ways and each way is better than the last.  The best way so far,  was when we made crepes with the Trader Joe’s pancake mix (just added extra water to the regular recipe on the box until the batter was THIN and made the crepes in a small, 8 inch pan).

Once all the crepes were made, we just spread them thinly with the lemon curd, and folded them in half and then in half again.  The were rich and just amazing… We also tried the crepes with a lemon curd/ blackberry jam center. They too were good, but were a little sweet overall.

Next time we are planning to try some unsweetened whip cream to the lemon curd and use that mixture in the crepes.

We hope you have enjoyed this voyage into the fridge too see all the Trader Joe’s products we use.

An Easy & Tasty Lunch Idea

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Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb chicken sausages

Today’s tasty lunch idea came directly from Trader Joe’s!

After the great taste of those Mango Sausages, we checked out the chicken sausage section to see what other great sausages were available.  We chose this package: Trader Joe’s Garlic and Herb Chicken Sausages.

These are fully cooked sausages that only took about 10 minutes to heat up in a pan on the stove.  Our guess is that you could heat them in the microwave even quicker.  They would also be a great lunch to take to work, as they are “Break Room OK” meaning they heat up quick and do not have a strong smell.

Anyway we just heated them up and browned them a little in a pan and served them with Trader Joe’s Dijon mustard, and a little side salad with a fresh lemon-Dijon mustard dressing.

Here is the recipe for the side salad:

Salad stuff that you like such as:  Baby spinach leaves, sliced baby carrots, sliced cucumbers or zucchini (we used zucchini as they just looked better at Trader Joe’s), cherry tomatoes and red onion slices.  Use amounts that make sense for the number of people you are serving. Or try…. We were just making lunch for the two of us, and we still have way to much salad. Oh well, perhaps it is a start towards tonight’s dinner?

Fresh Lemon-Dijon salad dressing:

In a  bowl squeeze out the juice from one small or 1/2 of a large lemon. Remove any seeds that come with the juice.  This should be about two tablespoons of lemon juice. Then add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (or more if you like) and a little salt and pepper. Wisk together. Add olive oil, about 4 Tablespoons in a thin stream while you are whisking at the same time.   Taste the dressing on a piece of spinach or a carrot and see if you need more oil. Add more oil, until the dressing has a nice balance, and you enjoy the taste.

Toss the salad with about 1/2 the dressing and then see if you need more. If you still have some dry leafs, then add another spoonful of dressing and re-toss.

These were a nice mild sausage, that had good flavor without being super-strong flavored.

And like we already said, we served the salad and the sausage with a little extra mustard on the side…. Yum!

Have you tried these sausages? What did you think?

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Cranberries

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Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Cranberries

Go ahead, we dare you!

These are just fantastic, chocolaty treats from Trader Joe’s. We first spotted them during the holidays but they are still available in the stores now. They look like a chocolate covered peanut or raisin, all different shapes and shiny on the outside.

But it is for the insides that you will love these little treats.

Each bite of dark chocolate is wrapped around a dried cranberry, making a wonderful mixture between the sweet rich dark chocolate, and the tangy and chewy texture of the cranberries.

We have used them in a number of ways, but our favorite is straight out of the package!

But be warned…. You may find yourself returning again and again to have “just one more”!