I always enjoy these threads because there are always new products to share :)

I recently "discovered" TJ's Tuscan white bean hummus. It's so tasty and especially good as a spread on sandwiches.

Sue

Any of their hummas products are good. And they have a great selection of crackers to go with it. Their Naan is good with the hummus - I like to toast it first. I also like the Gyoza sauce. Meant for potstickers or other dumplings. I use it on cold pasta salads.

I always buy their Pound Plus chocolate and their flaxseed tortilla chips, the multi colored ones.

Elery likes their wine selection, including the "Three buck Chuck" (two buck chuck in other selected locations, LOL).

I always pick up a chunk of their Dubliner cheese, and their cheese selection is always good and always inexpensive, as cheese goes.

Oh, and the triple ginger gingersnaps are very good and grade B maple syrup is available for a reasonable price.

Have fun, I've not purchased frozen stuff because the nearest one is over an hour from Elery's and four hours from me!

Annie

TJ's near me isn't really NEAR me, but if I'm in that area, I always stop in. And it's small... parking lot small, too. There's a TJ's near SIL's house (in Media, PA) that's MUCH larger... may even have a deli counter, if I remember correctly??

Bought frozen yellow fin tuna steaks once. They were just OK IMO... actually a little "fishy" for me!?!

My advice you be to buy something you've never eaten before.

One time, I bought a box of quinoa... cuz it was there, inexpensive, and I'd seen it used on a cooking show.

Another purchase was a splurge... tuna in a jar. Also seen on a cooking show but never seen in a regular supermarket. Big "sticks" of tuna packed in olive oil. Was over $5 but well worth it. Now that I think about it... not such a splurge after all... probably twice as big as regular can of the good stuff.

TJ's extra virgin olive oil (HATE the phrase EVOO) is very nice and a very nice price. Same with maple syrup. Shelled nuts... walnuts for CCCs... excellent price. The dark chocolate covered raisins are addictive!

I have only been to the one 1.5 hours away from our house a few times. Last time I bought a fat free brownie mix called No Pudge. I found that for what it is it was great. No, it isn't like regular brownies. And for most people maybe this falls into the why-bother category. But I found I could make a pan Friday afternoon, graze on it over the course of the weekend, and not feel guilty about it this way.

Have great fun at Trader Joe's.

Here is a link that might be useful: No-Pudge

klseiverd reminded me - I bought frozen wild-caught salmon filets at TJs but haven't made them yet. Anyone have a suggestion for preparation?

Hey Sue - have you been to the TJs in Princeton yet? My neighbors keep raving how nice it is, but I have not made the effort yet. Anyway, I don;t like salmon, so I make every effort to hide it - this is one way it is palatable to me

Mustard Crusted

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Baked Salmon:
1 pound butter
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning (GAH I leave this out!)
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 cups panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs) Do not substitute regular bread crumbs
1 (3 to 4 pound) side of salmon, skin on, pin bones removed
Soften butter. Add the garlic, mustard, thyme, lemon juice, Old Bay, salt, pepper, and panko, and mix well. Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper or waxed paper and lay salmon, skin side down, on pan. Blot salmon with paper towels to remove any moisture. "Crust" the salmon while the butter is still soft, allowing a 1/4-inch crust. At this point, the salmon may be refrigerated (cover with plastic wrap after butter has hardened).
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes for a still slightly pink fish. Top should be brown - if it isn't - put salmon under the broiler for a minute or two until the topping browns. Use 2 long flat spatulas, coming in from either end, to lift the salmon off the paper and transfer to a serving platter.
Note: You can use this recipe with salmon filets and cut the recipe in half....although the topping freezes beautifully should you decide to make the whole recipe and freeze part of it.

Hey Caliloo - Yes! That's the one I go to now, although it's still an hour away. Very nice store. There's a Wegmans right down the road, but it's always a madhouse, so I tend to go to the one closer to home. The Wholefoods nearby is the biggest one I've ever seen. So, if there are specific items you like from any of those stores, you can stop along the way :)

Invariably, every time a TJ thread comes up I end up heading to one of the two that are within minutes of home. To be honest, I have yet to see the attraction. But one thing I did buy last time based on multiple recommendations here were the thousand layer crackers. Do yourself a favor and try these. If you can forget for a moment that they cost about 25 cents per cracker, and the environmental disaster of packaging crackers individually in foil, I can all but guarantee that you'll love them. They're incredibly awesome.

Woops my math on the price must obviously be grossly wrong. But suffice it to say I was shocked at how much a handful of crackers cost.

Okay Sue - I guess I need to make a trip up there soon then. I usually do stop by Wegmans and Joe Canals while I am up there. Want to make a day of it and meet for lunch in the area?

Alexa

For treats, here are 3 of our favorites - Dark Chocolate Covered Joe-Joe's cookies, milk chocolate covered peanut-butter-filled pretzel bites (I thought it was a bad combo when DH put them in the basket, but ended up eating most of the bag..) and my current constant craving, their Dried Baby Pineapple that comes in the foil bag with the small pineapple printed on it. They are moist and sweet and tart & tangy and chewy, and actually quite healthy, unlike the 1st two recommendations.

Enjoy your shopping trip!

I appreciate all your ideas. I will make a list before I go from this thread.

Olive oil. Absolutely. Nowhere else.

I like the Charles Shaw cheap wine. Pretty good. 3 bucks.

Refrigerated-Bagged baby spinach salad with dried cranberries, blue cheese like cheese crumbles, candied walnuts and delicious dressing $4.69. Excellent. You can add chicken, or more greens. I think it is delicious and not everyday, not at this house. IMHO, a company salad.

Artichokes in water, canned. about $2. I use in omelettes. Great. Oil packed would taste better but I watch fat and calories, ergo, water pack. Great enough taste/price.

Spices- Organic oregano. $2. great-very green-lately everything has oregano! Bought another bottle today.

Other spices look good and fresh and tasty. Already bought French thyme.

Frozen- Lots look good. Haven't bought any for a long time. Enjoyed prepared dinners in the past.

Fresh mozzarella. Yes- Other cheeses? sure, if the fussolas here will eat them and they are not too pricey. I won't be happy tossing $8 lb. cheese because it's not Kraft Singles. And yet my lovely collegian says I should buy a greater variety of cheese(like Co-jack). Well, that is a departure from our weekly Swiss, Parmesan, crumbles, lacey, moooooz, purchase. I buy a lot of cheese and they eat a lot of cheese.

I trust TJ's and Buy whatever I can there.

I go up and down the aisles and just grab everything that I can't normally get up here in hodunkville - which is a lot! Love their olive oil, kalamatas, jams, chocolate bars, cheeses - love their double cream brie, asian sauces - they had a really good mandarin orange one that I forgot to look for last weekend.

foodonastump - I remembered to look for the thousand layer crackers, since I always read about them here . . . and guess what? . . . nada! I asked about them and the clerk looked at me like I was from Mars, but she went in the back to check with someone 'in the know'. Came back and told me they've been discontinued! She told me to tell everyone who loves them to write in on the TJ website and demand their return!

pine nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter with toasted flax seeds, kalamata olive oil, enchilada sauce, jarred cherries, mini-frozen croissants, frozen puff pastry sheets, cheeses, soy vey, soba noodles...

Contrary to many, I really dislike 2 or 3 buck chuck. But there are many reasonably priced wines, champagnes and spirits.

They definitely have the best whole wheat tortillas, but you must refrigerate them after opening - they are not made with preservatives.

Nuts are less expensive there, especially pine nuts. I bought a basil plant there the last time I was there and then planted it in a pot, and so now I have plenty of basil that will keep for a good time. Their brie cheese is much cheaper than at other markets, but I think the best advise is to go down each aisle and see what you find. I had stopped going there for a while until I realized that they have many of the items that I normally buy but at much lower prices. I recently switched drug stores, and the one I go to now is three doors down from a TJs, and so I'll be going there much more often now.

Lars

I am such a Trader Joe's fan! I love it all!!! Maybe a better question should be "what do you NOT buy at Trader Joe's?" I can't think of a thing--even if you don't drink it, the Two Buck Chuck is good for cooking and marinating.

FOAS & pixiestix, I had the same experience as you with the thousand layer crackers! Drat and darn! Time to start a writing campaign to bring them back, as they sound soooooo delish!!!

My fave "staple" to buy is their lovely, thick whipping cream--it whips up quickly and I don't even have to chill the beaters or the bowl!

Smiles,
Sooz

Their Pita Bite crackers - wonderful!! Mobier cheese. Three-buck Chuck - an excellent wine for a really great price. Their prices on nuts are fantastic. Love their olive oil. Mache. Frozen puff pastry. Last time I was there I sampled (and bought) an incredible macaroni and cheese - it was in the freezer section. Soooo good. LOVE Trader Joe's!

I have 2 unopened boxes of 1000 Layer Crackers!!! Must think of a good hiding place........

Well of course they would have discontinued a favorite for everyone, now that I'm so close to getting one.

This isn't food related, but I discovered their Make-up Remover Cloths for Sensitive Skin, which I think are wonderful. I always stock up whenever I can. They're great for removing make-up before washing your face.

During the fall holidays, they have tins of T.Joes Sipping Chocolate. I've given it as gifts and it is very well received.
Their Chocolate Covered Bing Cheeries are very good. I always get them and friends just rave about them.

I also enjoy their $3.00 Charles Shaw Shiraz. Very good!

I can't believe that no one has suggested their balsamic vinegar. It's a great blend--not too sharp or too sweet. We use their spray olive and their canola oils all the time. Their prices are great on cottage cheese, greek yogurt (fage), cheeses, deli meat w/o nitrites, chicken with spinach and feta sausages, vitamins, there's too much to mention individually but DH adores their pita crackers!

I rely exclusively on their toothpaste with xylitol, propolis and myrrh. Stock up on their dried fruits and nuts, good variety and prices. Love their breads also. Have fun.

The Mac 'n Cheese! It's the best I've ever had.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the chocolate chips. They taste great and are slightly larger than Nestle, so that is nice to find in your cookies. Best of all, they are processed in a nut-free facility, so no allergy concerns.

Nicole

A fellow ginger lover in California sent me some of TJ's dark chocolate covered crystalized ginger that was out of this world. Once she sent some forgetting that in Alabama it gets pretty hot at that particular time of year, and the whole thing was just one big blob, but now that TJs is in Atlanta my son can easily bring some lest I go into withdrawal. It's wonderful!

With the explosion of new stores opening I hope that one manages to plant a bit nearer to me.

They sometimes have truffle oil for a reasonable price. Their frozen edamame and potstickers are a staple. Always have the Charles Shaw on hand for cooking, which means drinking, since you always drink the cooking wine. Don't you? I mean, we're not getting paid to cook.

The local TJ's is about 1 mile from us. SWMBO loves it. I like it quite well.

For staples, look at the frozen fish. There are assorted items like sole, or stuffed salmon or salmon or other things. We keep a couple of these in the freezer for whatever times it's convenient.

Many (30???) years ago, we used to get little 1 pound block of frozen sole at Safeway. Then they changed to an inferior fish (for the same price) and then there was none to be had. This sort of frozen fish has been missing in the grocery store until TJ's came to town. It's a handy whatever to pull out of the freezer.

Fire Roasted Corn - TJ's seems to be the only place to have it. It's in frozen foods section. I don't live anywhere near a TJ's now and that's what I miss most. Great in Tortilla Soup and just about everything else.

Be sure to stop by the sample kitchen and talk to the cooks. Find out what's new. Get their recommendations.

Most of all, have a great time. Buy several of items you like, the selection changes so it may not be there next time.

More ideas

Soy Vey
TJ BBQ Sauce
Sesame Crackers

Sweet Potato Frites
Haricot Vertes

(both in the frozen food aisle)I'll keep thinking!

I'm going to have to bring several coolers, so many interesting items to buy.

The store opens on October 22. I won't go to the grand opening though.

BB, I stay away from all grand openings, they're just too crazy and I figure the store will still be there a couple of weeks later.

I also buy orange vinegar there, it's good for salad dressings.

Annie

frozen mushroom ravioli. Delicious and easy!

Mizsusan, have you tried the ricotta and lemon zest ravioli? Light, lemony deliciousness! It's seasonal and will disappear soon.

Unfortunately, for my wallet and figure, I just discovered their Truffle Marcona Almonds and the Rosemary Marcona Almonds. I take them to gatherings or serve them when I have guests, so I don't eat the whole package. They are exquisitely good! I love a few on a salad, but they are just delicious eaten out of hand (esp the truffle).

I keep forgetting to try the rosemary marcona almonds. Dh always grabs the dry roasted unsalted almonds. I'll have to put the marconas on my list.

I had some wonderful lightly roasted whole almonds seasoned with some kind of oil, salt and rosemary from Trader Joe's at a 4th BBQ. I need to get myself over there to buy some.

Fun facts about Trader Joe's. Have you (or your child) ever seen the toy? Or the Lobster?

Sheilajoyce, those are the marcona rosemary almonds. If you like truffles, try that version, too. They are my favorites, but I'm crazy for truffles.

Bought 'em. The flavor reminds me of Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/the-union-square-cafes-bar-nuts-recipe.html

I know this is an older thread that keeps being revived...not sure whether to keep adding to it or start a new one? Probably many of the favorites here are no longer available, as is Tj's habit of moving onto something new.

This weekend, I needed to take a little snack assortment for my book club and didn't have time to bake anything to go with the fresh strawberries I was able to get from the farmer's market. I found these: Trader Joe's Black & White Diamond Cocktail Cookies. They are a shortbread type cookie with black sesame seeds on the top - a tiny bit salty. Delicious!

Santa Maria Tri Tip

Pollo Asado

Sunflower Seed Butter

Olive Oil

Lavender Dryer Bags- smell so good!

Spouted Bread ( Hot pink label) best bread ever and low carb!

Lunch meats and Cheese

Chicken Tika Samosas

Frozen Brown Rice and Frozen Quinoa

Frozen Riced Cauliflower

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Bananas- very inexpensive at TJ'S

Frozen Korean Beef Ribs

Amck2, I wonder what your crackers would sell for on eBay.

TJ's are at least an hour away from our house but I do stop in when I'm on my way to somewhere nearby. I stock up on some of their private label basics -white balsamic vinegar, seafood cocktail sauce, reduced sodium soy sauce, and whole grain mustard. I don't remember the brand (not TJ) but I buy frozen pizzas with a very thin crust and unusual toppings.

My true favorite Trader Joe's item is their canoe shaped shopping bags.