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Blackburn & James, Paso Robles, Red Blend – 2009

Ok this Paso Robles rocks, and I wish I had saved it for Turkey Day. Nonetheless, I am enjoying it right now. It is lighter and dare I say fruiter than I remember when they were passing out samples at our Trader Joe’s. Yet I like it, even though it is not the usually heavy wine I typically like this time of year.

The bottle doesn’t brag about what grapes that make up the blend. But I recall the Sampler saying Zinfandel was one of the grapes, probably how it made it in the cart.  The wine offers strong blackberry flavor through and though, there is a spice but it is more of a finisher than a distracter. There is a nice wood, maybe oak, scent that brightens the whole experience. The finish is dryer but the whole experience rest easy on the tongue.

The bottle boasts that it would pair nicely with a wide range of dishes from Asian spiced to pasta to chocolate mousse. I paired it with Pizza and it was great. More importantly, I feel this wine would also pair nicely with a turkey and some mashed potatoes.

Cheers,

Apples At Trader Joe’s Kansas City

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,

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Almonds (With Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar)

WOW! Here is an amazing treat that we recently discovered at Trader Joe’s in Kansas City: Trader Joe’s Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds. You will enjoy how these bumpy and lumpy nuts just burst with flavor when you bite into each one.

We saw these and bought them as an impulse item just as we stepped into the checkout line at Trader Joe’s. We both love the flavors of dark chocolate and toasty almonds together and have had the combination from local chocolate stores (Kansas City has rather a lot of gourmet chocolate to choose from)

But this product caught our eye as each almond is sprinkled with sugar and salt! This combination intrigued our taste buds and we  both thought YIKES….A match made in heaven!

WOW! We were not disappointed with these snazzy Dark Chocolate Almonds!

OK the nuts are roasted/ toasted and coated with a nice thick layer of creamy dark chocolate. But here is the fun bit: You can taste the sea salt and the sugar as you take each bit. The sweet and salty flavors blend with the chocolate and the almond as you nibble each one.

Fantastic!

We were thinking they might make a fun desert -in -a –dish (we used a fancy Martini glass) that you can just place on the table when you have guests for dinner ~ OR for times when you want a couple of bits of rich creamy chocolate after your meal.

OK you should be warned…  Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Almonds with Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar are soooo good, you might not want to be home alone with the container… I know I am a bit worried….

Have you tried them? What did you think? Share below or on Facebook!

It’s Trader Joe’s For Dinner Tonight!

We wanted to share with you our first dinner purchased from Trader Joe’s new store in Kansas City!!

As the store was soo crowded, we decided not to brows and check out the store, but instead to just grab a few of our favorite items and then head to the checkout ~ which looked a bit scary but went rather fast, all things considered.  Even though it was super busy in the store ~ they even ran out of carts ~ everyone was soo happy and friendly 🙂 People (like us) were recommending their favorite items and folks  were taking pictures of many of the items. (Ok besides the two of us!)

So this is what we bought:

  • Pacific  Flounder– stuffed with crab meat stuffing- sooo yummy! 
  • Beans So Green 
  • Potatoes~ we tried something new…  there was a parting of the crowd and we grabbed a package of Garlic Potatoes with Parmesan Sauce to round out the meal 
  • Wine: A nice bubbly Prosecco
  • Flowers…. why not? We were celebrating, right??

Long story short, the meal was a FANTASTIC success! A great blend of two old favorites and the Garlic Potatoes are a new soon -to -be regular item that I am sure we will purchase again and again (just delish!).

This meal was soo easy to prepare and sooo yummy too! It was a perfect celebration- type meal that would be so quick to make, you could make it on a weeknight

What did you purchase when  Trader Joe’s in Kansas City opened? What have you enjoyed? Leave us a comment below or on Facebook or Twitter and share what you are buying!

Cheers,