Archive for the ‘Recipes, food, cooking and related items’ Category
11/12/2016
November 12, 2016
I needed to buy two bags of these chips to do this review. The first bag had very little seasoning. The second bag had more seasoning, but still on the light side. In other words, there wasn’t very much of that sour cream and onion flavor in either bag. Other than the seasoning, these are nicely done chips – thin, cooked perfectly, and not very salty. At $1.39 per bag they’re not much more than a 1 ounce bag from a vending machine. But if you’re looking for that sour cream and onion flavor, you may be disappointed with these chips. Calories 150/1 ounce (about 13 chips) Price $1.39 per 9.5 ounce bag
Tags:aldi, calories, clancy's, food, potato chips, price, review, reviews, snacks, sour cream and onion
Posted in ALDI, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 6 Comments »
11/12/2016
11/12/2016
Can single origin, 2 ounces less, 30 cents more, and a map of South America make a better cup of coffee? In short, yes if you follow directions.
There’s not much aroma coming from the bag when first opened. There’s not much aroma coming from the cup when brewed. There’s not a horrible taste coming from the cup, but not much of a coffee taste either. There’s a strange earthy/woody taste on first sip ending in a slightly bitter taste on the tongue and a little bit of acid feel in the stomach. It’s not the best cup of coffee on the planet, but it’s entirely drinkable especially when taken with food. Based on memory, compared to the other ALDI coffees reviewed here this is a better cup of coffee. Price: $4.29
About directions: I used too much coffee brewing my initial cups. When I cut the amount down to just a little more than what’s recommended on the bag, the coffee was much better as reviewed above.
Tags:aldi, coffee, colombian, food, ground, popayan, price, review
Posted in ALDI, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | Leave a Comment »
11/08/2016
November 8, 2016
A tale of two Goudas. Yes, this is not the way Charles Dickens started.
Here we compare two Gouda cheeses, not two cities. We’ll compare this cheese and the more mature (aged) Gouda cheese here.
But first, this is a nice mild soft cheese. It’s good by itself. I’ve also tried it melted with cheddar cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich and melted on onion soup. Both worked well. But if you’re looking for a stronger more mature cheese taste, this is not what you’ll want.
This cheese is soft, has little or no rind, is very mild in taste, has no crystals, is aged around 6 months, and has a red wax covering which helps tell its age. Our older Gouda has much more flavor, is semi-hard, has a noticeable rind, contains calcium lactate crystals, is aged probably twice or thrice as long, and has a black wax covering indicating a more aged cheese.
In a nutshell, the difference between the two is the taste and texture which changes the same cheese over months of controlled aging from a soft mild cheese (this cheese) to a harder tastier cheese (here). Oh, and, the older cheese is twice the price. That’s the story of a tale of two Goudas.
Price 5.99 per pound Calories 110 per ounce (28g)
Tags:calories, cheese, food, gouda, gouda cheese, price, red wax, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's, young gouda
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | Leave a Comment »
11/08/2016
November 8, 2016
This cheese has a creamy, but not soft, texture in the mouth. There’s a nice nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness. There’s some crystallization in the cheese which you can feel as the crystals come in contact with the teeth. That’s typical of an aged Gouda. This is a very good cheese.
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Tags:aged gouda, calories, cheese, food, gouda, gouda cheese, old amsterdam, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 2 Comments »
10/29/2016
October 29, 2016
Thick, creamy, sweet swirls – this couldn’t be better. Rather than a whole cheese cake which takes up a considerable amount of space in the freezer, there are two cheesecake slices in this much smaller packaging. The slices may seem to be on the small side, but when considering the 310 calories per slice and the feeling of satisfaction after eating, the size is just about perfect.
The cheesecake part is slightly tart, as cheesecake should be. The nice tasting strawberry swirls add some sweetness when encountered. The cheesecake sits on a graham cracker crust. At a dollar per slice this is more than worth the extra time spent at the gym to work off those calories.
Price $1.99 (2 slices) Calories 310 per slice
Tags:aldi, belmont, calories, cheesecake, cooking, food, price, review, strawberry swirl
Posted in ALDI, cooking and related items, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | Leave a Comment »
10/23/2016
October 23, 2016
The microwave has never smelled this good. If this was just a big bowl of the sauce, I’d be perfectly happy. Complex flavors in the sauce kept the mouth happy. Little bits of seasoning were like Easter eggs in video games, pleasant surprises that made each bite a slightly different adventure. Be aware, this is not for the squeamish. Along with the flavor is a medium heat in the mouth changing to a hotter burn in the throat.
The fish was firm and not oily. It’s hard to tell if the fish added any flavor to the dish because the sauce overwhelmed it. My dinner contained a nice large thick piece of fish. The basmati rice was also nice having separate dry grains of rice with a firm texture. The rice had a slightly different taste, most likely due to the seasoning in the rice. A bite of the rice also mediates some of the heat from the sauce.
For anyone liking good spicy food, this should be at the top of your list to try.
Calories 380 per package Price $3.49
Tags:box lunch, calories, curry, exotic, indian food, korma fish curry, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 10 Comments »
10/18/2016
October 18, 2016
The very bottom line on both these drinks is, they’re very similar sparkling sucralose sweetened flavored water with a few vitamins thrown in. For me ICE has a slightly better flavor. However there’s not enough difference between the two that I buy one over the other. When in ALDI I’ll throw a few Frost bottles in my basket and when in another store I’ll throw a few ICE bottles in my basket.
There is a considerable difference in price per bottle, 49 cents for Frost and generally around $1 for ICE. While that’s a 100% difference, the relatively low cost for either and the few bottles I purchase doesn’t break or make my food budget either way. Sparkling Frost, I assume, is ALDI’s store brand under the PurAqua product line. Sparkling ICE is a national brand available in many retail outlets.
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Tags:aldi, beverage, calories, drinks, food, price, review, sparkling frost, sparkling ice, sucralose
Posted in ALDI, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 2 Comments »
10/01/2016
September 30, 2016
The large dark brown oily beans produce a bitter and somewhat watery cup of coffee. The bitterness has a short delay before hitting the sensory input of the brain. The initial bitterness subsides quickly after the first sip or two. However that’s replaced by a less noticeable lingering general bitterness in the whole mouth. It’s not a horrible coffee, it’s just not my cup of tea.
Of note is the new packaging. At least this is new to Trader Joe’s. The outside of the bag is a semi shiny paper. At the top is a resealable “zipper” style slot which allows access to the beans inside. However the zipper isn’t located on the top seam so the bag can’t be opened wide. The zipper placement makes it more difficult to get a scoop in and out to extract the beans. As the bag empties, the difficulty increases. Small hands are an asset here. Inside, the bag is lined with the usual plastic coated shiny foil. The bag is larger than a “normal” 12 ounce coffee bag. It’s somewhat surprising that TJ didn’t take some space on the bag to describe in their usual flowery language the new bag. Price $7.99 (12 ounce bag).
Tags:coffee, dark roast, food, price, review, tanzania coffee, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in coffee, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 4 Comments »
10/01/2016
September 30, 2016
There’s nothing very special going on here. These were on the shelf for what used to be ALDI’s Oktoberfest, but in September. That generally means they won’t be around until next spring (Mayfest?) and next autumn. As stated on the label these are shortbread cookies. They’re a little on the sweetish side for shortbread. Additionally, as you can see, they’re half coated with coconut sprinkled milk chocolate. If you like shortbread cookies, and shortbread crumbs on your shirt, blouse or sweater, these will suffice just as well as any.
Price $1.99 per box (12 cookies) Calories 140 per cookie
Tags:aldi, calories, coconut spritz, cookies, food, price, review, shortbread
Posted in ALDI, cooking and related items, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 19 Comments »
09/20/2016
September 20, 2016
No, the label has not been photoshopped. The cheese has a strange taste to be sure. There’s a little bit of apple taste at first followed by a mild cheese taste followed by a little bit of sting on the tongue. The consistency is similar to a Muenster cheese, semi-soft and somewhat crumbly. This is not unpleasant overall and certainly very interesting. In fact after getting over expectations of what a cheese should be, it’s hard to stop eating. This is sure to be a conversation starter at any gathering. And if you’re by yourself, it’s likely to start a self-conversation.
Calories 110 per ounce (28g) Price $9.99 per pound
Tags:apple pie cheddar, calories, cheddar, cheese, food, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 2 Comments »
November 12, 2016
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 