Posts Tagged ‘review’
01/14/2017
January 14, 2017
These are very elegant mild dark chocolate truffles with a delicate amaretto flavor. Many many small pieces of nuts and Amoretti cookies inside the truffles give these a surprising, unique and good mouthfeel and taste.
One downside is that the very small pieces tend to stick between teeth and even between tooth and gum. That may leave a desire to brush or floss soon after eating. A second downside is that these are a seasonal item. It may not be until next December when we see them again.
The packaging is as elegant as the chocolate. Each truffle is individually wrapped in a shiny paper with a twisty flourish above the truffle. If put out on a tray, the wrapping helps reduce any concerns about how many people picked up and then put down the truffle.
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Tags:amaretto, calories, candy, chocolate, confection, food, italy, nuts, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's, truffles
Posted in cooking and related items, food, Trader Joe's | Leave a Comment »
01/14/2017
January 14, 2017
There’s a deep ruby-red color in the glass and a hint of vinegar on the cork. A strange wet wood aroma emanates from the glass on first pour. This aroma diminished after exposure to air. In the mouth the wine seemed to change with each sip. It was an interesting experience that I suspect would create much conversation around the table as each person might have a different taste experience. Most of those changes were neutral to slightly positive. One or two of the changes were slightly negative. While not the finest example of a Bordeaux wine and possibly not even a good example, overall, the wine was drinkable and enjoyable.
Day two, with the wine exposed to air from the original uncorking and an overnight stoppered storage in the refrigerator, the wine produced some fruity overtones – for a short time. Gone was the wet wood aroma. Still present was one of the negatives, a slight off-taste at the back of the throat.
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Tags:2014, bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, chateau mayne guyon, inexpensive wines, merlot, red wine, review, table wine, trader joe's, wine review
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 4 Comments »
01/14/2017
January 14, 2017
These are good without being overly exceptional. That’s an odd statement even for me.
There’s a nice bit of chocolate that lives somewhere between a milk and a dark chocolate at the heart of each truffle. There’s no WOW factor to them. They’re relatively inexpensive for the amount of chocolate in the box. And for that price should we expect a WOW factor? The texture in the mouth is smooth and melty. The dusting of cocoa powder adds a bit of taste contrast to the milder chocolate center. Overall these are a very competent chocolate if your chocolate tastes lean towards the milder side of dark chocolate. One won’t, but two or three should help satisfy your chocolate craving. Price $2.49 per box Calories 240 (1.41 oz/40 g serving size)
Tags:aldi, belgium, calories, candy, choceur, chocolate truffles, confection, food, price, review
Posted in ALDI, cooking and related items, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 6 Comments »
01/07/2017
January 7, 2016
Brandy, I knew her from the old neighborhood. That’s right Brandy Beans. She and Ben, her brother, lived with their parents in the apartment building down the street on the second floor. Right above them on the 3rd floor were the Shaws. You remember Charlie, now old Charles Shaw, don’t you?
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Tags:alcohol, brandy, calories, candy, confection, dark chocolate, food, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in cooking and related items, food, Trader Joe's | 4 Comments »
01/07/2017
January 7, 2017
This is the kind of product that used to be found at a local bakery. It’s too bad there aren’t more local bakeries anymore.
These are surprisingly light and fluffy. The cake is slightly firmer than a Twinkie. The center of each cake is filled with a fruit jam (1 each of: apricot, apple, cherry). The cakes have a rich not overly sweet buttery taste and feel in the mouth. Each cake comes in an individual thin cardboard baking tray. They’re a nice change from the usual cakes that fill supermarket freezer cases.
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Tags:aldi, calories, deutsche kuche, food, fruit pound cake, pound cake trio, price, review, reviews
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 2 Comments »
12/31/2016
December 31, 2016
Lets just say, your local Italian restaurant would be quickly out of business if it served this dish. The concept sounded good, the ingredients were there, but the execution didn’t work out – just like some Sunday NFL games. The tortelloni came out unevenly cooked, ranging between tough to mushy. The cheese filling was just okay. Read that as not very flavorful. The tomatoes varied from okay to mushy. The red pesto including bits of red pepper, zucchini and whatnot was the best part. There was very little liquid to the sauce, if that’s what you’re expecting.
However, considering the price of $1.99, it’s competitive in quality with other frozen entrées in this range. If the pasta and tomatoes could be cooked more evenly, this would be a much better dish. Maybe all it needs is a quick stir in the middle of cooking?
Calories: 460, Serving: Size 1 container Price: $1.99
Tags:calories, food, frozen box lunches, price, review, reviews, ricotta spinach tortelloni, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 8 Comments »
12/31/2016
December 31, 2016
This was a gift. Really this was a re-gift, which was probably a re-gift again from someone who picked up the bag and didn’t notice it was whole beans. Whatever the tortuous path, it eventually ended with me as I have a coffee grinder. I’m not proud.
The coffee has a mild but nice aroma in the bag. The brown colored beans and oil are consistent with the indicated medium roast. Brewed, the coffee has a fairly strong earthy flavor with a noticeable lingering bitterness. There’s some acid feel and tartness, especially as the coffee cools, eventually settling (and unsettling) in the stomach.
This is a milder version of a typical Starbucks coffee. For those who like Starbucks, this should be a familiar taste. It’s drinkable black. Personally, I’d drink this with some half and half as I normally do the few times I’m in a Starbucks. Price ?? – it was a gift
Tags:breakfast blend, coffee, medium roast, review, reviews, starbucks, whole bean
Posted in coffee, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | Leave a Comment »
12/24/2016
December 24, 2016
Gingerbread on first bite, but there’s much more here. Second bite, read the ingredient label. This is a mini fruit cake without the bad reputation. It’s like eating a puzzle as you try to match the flavors in your mouth with the ingredients. Third bite, this cookie has history. It was created by 13th century monks in its present form. Where would foodies be without monks? Think about it. But before the monks the history goes back to the Roman legions. Where would men in short skirts be without the Legions? Maybe, don’t think about it.
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Tags:calories, cookies, food, germany, gingerbread, lebkuchen, nuts, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | Leave a Comment »
12/24/2016
December 24, 2016
Can organic grapes make an inexpensive California wine good? On first opening, the cork had a fairly strong scent of vinegar reminding me of our first-generation next-door neighbor when I was growing up, who used to press his own grapes and make large barrels of wine in his backyard. He’d give my parents some bottles which generally turned to vinegar in a few weeks. But man, those few weeks were fun.
I doubt this one will turn to vinegar even if it has no sulfites added. And that, no added sulfites, is another reason I picked this up off the shelf. How many wines do you see with no, added sulfites?
Being a blend per the label, the wine is non-vintage and non-varietal (although a 2015 Trader Joe ad claims this is 100% Merlot). Umm, well, if we go with the label, that leaves out cutting and pasting from some Merlot review. But that’s another reason this wine reminds me of that backyard brew so many years ago. There’s no telling exactly what went into the bottle
What came out of the bottle is a fairly smooth mildly dry red table wine that’s very drinkable once you realize that red wines don’t really have to taste the same. This one will puzzle your taste buds into saying, what is that? When they give up trying to answer that question they’ll say, I like it. The only possible negative is a strange earthy taste that’s really not very objectionable once you get used to it. Maybe the taste is a bit of young tannins or maybe they do ferment in old wooden barrels? I don’t know if being organic had anything to do with it, but this inexpensive wine is good.
Growing up, we ate a lot of pasta with a thick red sauce that started as canned whole tomatoes and olive oil in tins, both from the old country, washed down with the backyard wine. This wine brings back pleasant memories. Price $5.99.
Tags:california, inexpensive wines, red wine, review, roule rouge, table wine, trader joe's, wine review
Posted in food, Trader Joe's, Wine | 4 Comments »
12/16/2016
December 16, 2016
Aside from the fairly recent rise of the craft beer industry, most beers consumed in America are lagers. Coming from Belgium this ALDI beer of the month is also a lager, but with the usual European flavor. Generally European beers have more of everything when compared with American beers; flavor, calories, alcohol and bitterness. This lager is somewhat of a transition between the two. The bitterness is reduced making it closer, but still different, from an American lager. For Americans desiring more from their beer, this is a way to take a step in that direction. Price $6.49 – 6 pack, Calories – unspecified
Tags:aldi, beer, belgium, food, lager, price, review
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | Leave a Comment »
January 14, 2017
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 