Posted May 12th, 2009 by Meg
Pleasantly Tart with active cultures
It is my latest find at Trader Joe’s. Well, it’s not really my latest find. I’ve been eating this for a few weeks now, but have been unable to post about it because I am so overcome with excitement and happiness about it that I forget to take a picture. Finally, after finishing my nightly bowl I remembered to take a picture of the aesthetically pleasing container. It’s tart. More tart than Pinkberry. It also has active cultures too (something Pinkberry doesn’t have). You can tell this when you bite into it because it tastes so similar to yogurt. However, it is almost custard like in texture. Not what I initially expected, but delicious. It’s this cat’s meow.
Posted November 19th, 2008 by Meg
My boyfriend recently was given a bottle of red wine (Kono Báru 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon) and some candles from a friend for his birthday. Although it sounds like a sweet and innocent gift, it is not. First, who gives their friends candles for their birthday or ever? (Bizarro). Second, everyone that is friends with my boyfriend knows that he does not like red wine. To add to this shadiness, his friend claims the wine came from Mel and Rose’s and was worth thirty dollars. However, I accidently found this upside down label selling at Trader Joe’s for $3.99! I also called Mel and Rose’s to confirm the price, but they told me they had never heard of the brand and did not sell it. Thus, confirming the sketchiness of the story. Even though all signs point to regifting and lying, it did work out to my benefit: I got a free bottle of wine.
The wine was better than expected. It was low complexity and sweet. It had a medium body, monotone flavor, and a short finish. No notes of dryness. It was inoffensive and uninteresting, but still palatable. Overall, a good buy lie.
Posted October 30th, 2008 by Meg
Trader Joe’s Sparkling Orange Mineral Water.
Posted October 18th, 2008 by Meg
I have found my palate is evolving in ways that surprise myself. Last night, I purchased my first bottle of whiskey. Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey to be exact. This is a huge change of pace for me because I haven’t bought a bottle of hard liquor for probably a year (I do however have a growing collection of wine). Even more incredible is that I bought whiskey. I don’t know really how to explain it, but the feeling is similar to the craving of a cup of coffee in the morning. I don’t drink much at home so this bottle will probably just be for celebrations or “emergency” situations. However, I’m very pleased to include it into the family that is my cabinet.
Knob Creek is Jim Beam’s small batch, high-end bourbon. 100 proof, aged for 9 years, comes in a chic rectangular bottle with the reassuring black wax-sealed top. Their website has a few interesting facts on Bourbon:
- At least 51% of the grain used in making bourbon must be corn. The rest of the ingredients are commonly wheat, rye, and malted barley.
- Straight bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years in new white oak barrels that have been charred.
- Nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor, add sweetness, or alter the color!
- Up to 3-4% of the bourbon in a barrel evaporates every year because of the againg process, so the longer the product is aged the less there is to sell. If a product is aged 7 to 9 years, the third that has evaporated is called the “angel’s share.”
- Bourbon began to be produced in the U.S. due to British blockades preventing importation of sugar and molasses needed to make rum. Because of the Revolutionary Army required spirit provisions, people began making bourbon (using rye as the predominant ingredient).
- For more than 30 years, 1876-1910, federal taxes on domestically produced distilled spirits (mostly bourbon) accounted for HALF of all U.S. government revenue.
- The federal personal income tax was adopted in part to replace revenue lost when the whiskey tax revenue dried up due to Prohibition.
- Bourbon was one of the first products to be sold using mass marketing techniques that set the foundation for modern advertising.
- America’s first consumer protection legislation, The Pure Food and Drug Act, was largely an effort to protect drinkers from adulterated bourbon.
- During Prohibition, bourbon was only legally available with a doctor’s prescription.
- “Ponying” a barrel is putting a few gallons of water into an empty used barrel and rolling it around for a day or two. The results tend not to be very good!
Viva la whiskey!
Posted October 15th, 2008 by Meg
No, it’s not a soap for STDs. It’s my latest find at Trader Joe’s! Lumpy Bumpy Bar is creamy caramel and peanut nougat drenched in dark chocolate. Yum. This lumpy bumpy bar is 290 calories (130 of the fat kind), 14g of fat, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber. Whatever that means, hah! It’s chewy, nice and nougat-y, and goes well with the dark chocolate. It had me at lumpy.
Three stages of L.B.B.
1. Uncut
Reaction: That’s not so lumpy OR bumpy.
2. First Cut
Reaction: Where’s the bumps and lumps at?
3. Second Cut
Reaction: Ohhhhh, I found the lumps and bumps!
This delicious Lumpy Bumpy Bar was bought at the Trader Joe’s in Santa Monica (the one where it is always ridiculously crowded, out of my favorite foods, and takes at least 10 minutes to check out; supposedly one of the busiest in the nation). I found this gem where the chocolate bars are normally located at TJ’s: near the cash register for last minute “oh I really absolutely need this” grabbing.
Trader Joe’s
3212 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 581-0253
