November 13, 2007

Gingerbread Cake Mix

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #12: Gingerbread Cake Mix

The combo of these four main ingredients

made these wonderfully scrumptious babies (Gingerbread Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting)

I had to make cupcakes for a dinner party this Saturday. I figured I’d whip out some cupcakes with the box of Gingerbread cake mix I recently bought from Trader Joe’s. The directions on the box did not specify how long the baking time would be for cupcakes. I started with 15 minutes and worked my way up from there. I think the total baking time was in the 25 minute range.

Here they are fresh out of the oven. The mix made only 10 of them. Fortunately that was 4 more than I needed to bring:

While I was making my cream cheese frosting I got the idea to put pumpkin butter in the mix. That cute little jar was sitting there on my counter teasing me to use it. So I thought— why not??? I ended up putting like 5 heaping tablespoons in total. I had to add some pumpkin spice mix just cuz I’m waaaaay into spice. It is that time of year after all.

I think seeing bits of cinnamon and nutmeg is actually pretty. Kinda reminds me of vanilla bean specks:

Here’s my work in progress:

Because the pumpkin butter thinned the frosting out a bit, I had to play around with the powdered sugar level to make it thicker. I had every intention to write how many cups I used, but the shear stress of trying not to get powdered sugar everywhere distracted me.

I ended up having frosting that was slightly runny, but it made for a neat effect. I probably should have chilled it*slightly* before I frosted the cupcakes.

For the final touch, I topped them with the uncrystallized ginger……

They packed TONS of flavor 🙂 I’ll definitely make them again. Perhaps next time I’ll fill them with the pumpkin butter and just have plain cream cheese frosting……I still have some frosting left!!

around the home, Uncategorized

November 12, 2007

Hummus Dip & Pita Chips

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item Combo #12: Hummus Dip & Pita Chips (and some carrots too!)

+ = mmmmm

Every week when I’m shopping at Trader Joe’s, I always remember to buy some of their hummus dip. It’s a simple snack to whip up and not to bad for you as well! I think that it’s also great for last minute get-togethers & unexpected guests. Having a staple like this in your fridge means you can serve someone a delicious snack instantly. Always make sure you have some pita chips on hand too. Carrots & Tortilla chips are great with hummus too.

To jazz it up a little, I pour a little olive oil and sprinkle some smoked paprika on top:

Trader Joe’s pita chips are highly addictive though- just a little warning:

So that’s why I try to balance it out and put some carrots on my plate:

Red peppers, celery stalks, cucumber slices & cherry tomatoes are some of the other veggies I like dipping in the hummus. You can add cayenne pepper to the hummus to make it spicier (or just buy their spicy hummus dip). They have a lot of great flavors that won’t break the bank!

When you don’t have much time to put together an elaborate lunch for work, this will do just fine!

around the home, Uncategorized

November 11, 2007

European Style Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt

Favorite Trader Joes Item#11 : European Style Plain Yogurt

I’ve tried almost all of Trader Joe’s plain yogurts. I love their Total Greek yogurt (it’s so thick & creamy-and authentic!). This past week, I tried their European Style Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt. I’m happy to report that it’s wonderful. It’s very creamy and smooth.

I like to add their sliced almonds & raisins to mine. Top it off with some honey and you have a good breakfast/snack. It’s so good that I will sometimes make a dinner out of it. Oh! You should try putting a couple spoonfuls of pumpkin butter in! Oh lord….

I’ve used their yogurt in place of sour cream….I made a veggie dip with it….I’ve substituted it for buttermilk in baking recipes…. It’s been a very versatile staple in my fridge. And because of this, I haven’t bought a flavored/sweetened yogurt in years.

around the home, Uncategorized

November 10, 2007

Salt & Pepper Grinders

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item # 10: Sea Salt Crystal Grinder& Black Peppercorn Grinder (aka-Salt & Pepper) (sold separately)

When my husband & I were playing around with our wedding registry in early 2005, we could not agree on a good Salt & Peppermill. Because he felt so strongly about a particular one, I gave in and let him put it on the list. What do I really know about peppermills anyway? I know that I like fresh ground pepper-but that’s pretty much it. Fast forward to our wedding—no one fulfilled our Salt & Peppermill order *sniff sniff* Since I’m not the type to spend $40+ on an item that grinds pepper, these little babies have really come in handy!

I think they price at $2.00 or less. Here’s what the result they produce:

I’ll admit that they might not be pretty enough to be set on the table for a fancy dinner party. In the kitchen next to my stove is the perfect home for them. If I had the nice stainless steel ones, I’d be very anal-retentive with the marks my messy cooking hands would make on them.

Maybe one day we’ll get those grinders… So I will have something to put on the table for fancy schmancy dinners!

But for now…these will suffice!

Learn these labels, my friend:

around the home, Uncategorized

November 9, 2007

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item#9 : Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels (salted)

This really needs no explanation. Peanut Butter + Pretzels = a match made in heaven.

Buy a bag. Hoard them. You can try sharing…but I understand if you don’t. They are just that good! Sometimes I like to eat all the pretzel parts and save the peanut butter fillings. Then I have pile of little peanut butter nuggets and I eat them one at a time….savoring the peanut-buttery goodness. Woah. I can’t believe I just admitted that. Anyways…you’ll love them. How could you not?

Happy Friday!

recipes, Uncategorized

November 8, 2007

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #8: Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix

So Tuesday night I was trying to figure out what a Trader Joe’s product was called, and I ended up finding this website thru Google: www.traderjoesfan.com

After spending a short amount of time searching through the recipes, I found this one for Chewy Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread. I read the recipe and got excited because I had all the exact ingredients in my pantry. Don’t you just love when that happens? It’s like the stars aligned just for me. And I thanked those stars by whipping out something delicious from my oven.

Two of the main ingredients needed from Trader Joe’s are:

A box of Pumpkin Spiced Bread & Muffin Mix:

A can of pumpkin puree (only 1 cup is needed though):

Here’s the work in progress:

I immediately whipped it out and tada!! The only part that takes awhile is the baking time. I guarantee that it will make your house smell like Thanksgiving!

I’ve had it for breakfast the past two mornings. The oatmeal makes it a very hearty bread with a nice crunchy/chewy crust. I think tomorrow I might toast a slice, put some cream cheese on top and then a dollop of my Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter. Wait- maybe I’ll do that tonight?

Here’s their recipe in case you don’t feel like moving

Chewy Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

1 package of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix
2 Eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Trader Joe’s Organic Canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar (you might want a bit more)
1 1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup raisins (i made my 1/4 cup a HEAPING 1/4 cup)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, oil, eggs & pumpkin puree. Stir in the Pumpkin Bread mix. Add the oats & raisins. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes. You might want to cover the top with foil (I did this when there was 30 minutes left) to prevent the top from burning.

recipes, Uncategorized

November 7, 2007

Sausage Soup with Spinach & Beans

Favorite Trader Joes Item #7: Sweet Italian Sausage (or any of their sausages for that matter)

Meat is usually what makes my grocery bills sooo high. This package of sausage was only $2.99 for six sausages. We got about 2 1/2 meals out of this soup between my husband and I. Not to shabby!

Here’s one of my favorite sausage soups:

Sausage Soup with Spinach & Beans

inspired by this recipe from Everyday Food

1 package (12 ounces) sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 16oz. bag of frozen spinach from trader joe’s (item not pictured-sorry!)
2 cans Trader Joe’s cannellini beans
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic smashed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large pinch of red pepper
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 32oz. container of chicken stock

Place chopped onion & mashed garlic in soup pot & sautee in olive oil. Take sausage out of its casings and break off bite sized *meatballs* Add this to onion mixture. Cook sausages on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Your goal is to make sure there’s no pink left on the outside of the meat. Now add chicken stock, beans & frozen spinach. Simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes. Make sure there’s a very low boil going on. Before you serve, add the red-wine vinegar (it will give it that extra zing!). Season with salt & pepper. Enjoy.

I’m actually eating a bowl of this soup as I write this post. It’s really good for a cold autumn afternoon. I recommend making it on a Sunday afternoon while your spouse is watching football. Not only will make your house smell wonderful, you will be sneaking a heaping portion of vegetables into someone else’s diet. I like to pair it with crusty pieces of bread and butter…mmmmmmm…….. My husband & I like to save the sausage til the end. It’s the best part!

Sometimes I use the following Trader Joe’s Sausages for this recipe:

Garlic Sausage

Wine & Cheese Sausage

Hot Italian Sausage

(All of them produce a great result)

See closeup if you don’t have any meat aversion: