April 13, 2018
This is a medium-bodied wine which seemed a little harsh at first, but smoothed out once opened for a while. Mild tannins leave a mild earthy feel in the mouth. Compared to the 2010 Grifone Chianti Riserva, this one is a little disappointing. However, while not as good as the 2010 vintage, this is still a good red table wine pairing well with food. It’s an acceptable sipper also, although there are more enjoyable ones, but not at this price point.
Price $5.99.
March 31, 2018
Little squares, that’s what quadratini means. But these are really little cubes. That would be six squares in a cube, if anyone’s counting.
These are just like sugar wafers in the US, except they’re different. The typical sugar wafer is a five layer combination of light wafer cookie and relatively sweet creamy filling, most often in the shape of a long rectangle.
The Quadratini are a similar layering of a light wafer cookie with a creamy filling between layers. Except in this case there are nine layers in the finished product. And instead of a rectangle, the cookies are cut so that the length and width of the cookie roughly equals the height of the layers leaving a nine layer cube of around 3/4 inches (19.05 mm) to a side. This creates a very bite-sized, very dainty and very light cookie.
The other difference between this and the US variation, is the sweetness. These are not very sweet. There’s a very European feel to the chocolate wafer and chocolate filling. The taste of high quality cocoa predominates, minus much of the sugar that makes cocoa into chocolate. Now, if this flavor isn’t for you, there are 10 other flavors available – but possibly not all at Trader Joe’s.
Price $3.69 per 8.8 oz. bag
Calories 150 per 8 cookie cubes
March 31, 2018
The heat takes a few seconds to kick in, and then builds for the next few minutes. This is going to be a little more heat than some people like. For heat lovers, it’s not a “call the fire department” kind of heat. Along with the heat comes the flavor of the ghost pepper, which is very earthy. Try a little paprika straight out of the spice jar on your tongue to get an idea of the earthy taste. That’s another thing some people may not like. It is a different flavor.
While all the TJ flavored cheddar combinations reviewed so far, e.g., caramelized onion cheddar, have been more than good, this one doesn’t work for me. The combination of the cheddar, and both the heat and flavor from the ghost pepper just doesn’t work well together. Aside from the ghost pepper overwhelming the cheese, the flavors just aren’t complementary. Perhaps as a topping for a burger, this may work better.
Price $7.99 per pound Calories 110 per ounce (28g)
March 27, 2018
This is a “vegetarian friendly”, certified organic, aged, sharp cheddar cheese. The texture of the cheese is firm, not hard, and not crumbly. There’s a touch of a non-cheddar flavor in the cheese. Regardless, this is a nice cheddar cheese, especially for someone looking for an organic cheese. Calories 110 per ounce, price $5.99 per pound
Roth cheeses can be found at other supermarkets also, click here to search near you.
One of my pet peeves about cheese labeling is the ambiguous references to “enzymes” in the labeling. Some enzymes (a minority now) come from animals – making them non-vegetarian. Animal enzymes are sometimes labeled as rennet (although even the word rennet can be used ambiguously). Other enzymes (many cheeses use these) are produced by bacterial cultures or are plant-based, and are vegetarian friendly. By not clearly labeling the type of enzymes used in making the cheese, the cheese makers make it more difficult for vegetarians to find cheeses which suit their dietary preferences. Even this one which is labeled “vegetarian friendly” – and I assume that means non-animal enzymes – doesn’t mention the source of the enzymes in the ingredient label. Here’s some additional reading.
March 5, 2018
Certified vegan, certified organic, non-GMO, dairy-free, gluten-free, family owned, 100% recycled paperboard carton and re-recyclable, Amy ticks off almost all the check boxes. It even tastes pretty good.
The green curry is medium spicy. More than the heat, it also a nice flavor. The flavor is not as complex as what can be found at a good Thai restaurant, but still nice by frozen box-food standards. The rice and vegetables are a bit softer than I like, but not overly so. Like many commercial products, the amount of sodium in the product is on the high side, 780 mg. At 360 calories per container, it’s a light lunch, but still filling. The$3.75 sale price is getting up there for a single portion frozen boxed meal. However if you need one of those check boxes listed above, this product could be for you.
Price $3.75 (on sale, Target) ($4.19 regular price)
Calories 360 per single serving container
March 5, 2018
This will bring a smile to your face. Perhaps not a Mona Lisa smile, but a smile nonetheless.
Today’s wine comes from a wine cooperative in the town of Vinci in the Chianti region of Tuscany.
While this is a nice wine with no bad characteristics, there are equally good wines at Trader Joe’s from Tuscany for the same or lower price. Now, a dollar or two or three isn’t much to quibble about. But if that’s a consideration, then look further on the shelves. Otherwise, if you haven’t tried this wine yet, here’s your chance to help the local economy and help support small local businesses as well as enjoy a very nice Chianti.
And if you’re not near a Trader Joe’s, there’s a “wine finder” on their website which will help locate another store near you that sells their wine. How nice! And why can’t other wine companies do the same? Price $9.99.
February 9, 2018
This is another grown-up mac & cheese. This has a nice earthy depth of flavor but less complex than the recently reviewed Truffle Mac & Cheese. This product adds Hatch Chiles to a classic cheddar cheese base. If you’re worried that the chiles make this mac & cheese spicy hot, no need for that. Only a very very mild heat can be detected in sporadic bites when a bit of the green chili actually finds its way to your fork. Mostly, the chiles just adds a secondary complementary flavor to the cheese adding to the depth of flavor.
Again, half the container was more than adequate as a side to dinner. While I prepared this in the microwave, using the oven, taking another 20 minutes or so, might add a nice browning to the top. But I leave that experiment for you.
What’s a Hatch Chili? Well it’s hard to say other than these chiles were grown in or around Hatch, New Mexico (according to information on the box). For those interested here’s the Wiki link.
Price $2.99 per frozen box (two servings per box)
Calories, 260 per serving (170g)
February 9, 2018
This is a nice cheese, a blend of parmesan and cheddar implied by the label. This cheese is mild with a gentle nutty sweet flavor. The texture is medium firm, and definitely not hard. The Syrah wine soak doesn’t add much to the flavor, but puts a pretty purple coating on the outside. The cheese slices nicely and is not crumbly. This is suitable for a cheese tray if you don’t mind some odd-shaped pieces as the cheese is sold as a wedge.
Now the interesting thing about using this on a cheese tray could be watching people try to decide if that purple coating on the outside is edible, or not. I’m not saying.
price $9.99 per pound calories, 120 per ounce (28g)
February 2, 2018
These are pretty good cookies. There’s a nice mint chocolate center sandwiched between two cookies. I suppose the nearest comparison would be to a Pepperidge Farms Milano. This cookie is firmer than the Milano. It’s not as dainty. While this may not be 100% as good as a Milano, it’s still good enough to eat the whole bag. And it will save a little money over a Milano.
Calories 170 per 2 cookies
Price – $1.99 per bag (12 cookies)
January 20, 2018
This is a medium-bodied, but still dry and earthy red wine. There are no negatives to this wine. It is an unpretentious red table wine. Pour it straight from the bottle and enjoy with food. Think red when selecting a food for pairing; red sauce, spicy red pepper, red meat. The lighter body makes this a good wine to help get the food down. There’s no dainty sipping at the dinner table.
I like this wine. However, it’s a different wine than most on the shelves today. The flavor profile or style is different from most of its neighbors. I’m going to call this old-school wine; earthy, dry and good.
Two things are of interest. One is the somewhat disjointed backstory on the bottle explaining how this wine got its name. There are mosquitos, birds, woods, a pond, a red goose, a zen master (?) and of course grape vines in the story. All this, I suppose, means the grapes are grown in harmony with nature. And the name? “Oca rossa” means red goose in Italian. Ocarossa is the red goose that lives in the pond.
The second noteworthy item is the cork. This is corkscrew-less cork. Just grab the top of the cork protruding from the bottle, twist and pull the cork until out. Everyone needs one of these for their cork collection.
Price $5.99.
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