More Trader Joe's Faves

I've been cooking in more than usual lately (and I'm happy about that), so I've been grocery shopping a lot more lately.  I've been hitting up my local Trader Joe's as much as I can, and I have a few more favorites to add to my TJ's list.  I mentioned the delicious awesomeness of TJs earlier this year, but here are a few more goodies that are MUSTS when visiting the best grocery store in the world:

• Chocolate Croissants: OMG.  These things are addictive! They're in the freezer section, and you need to let the dough proof overnight.  It's amazing how big they get as you let them sit at room temperature.  When they come out of the box, they're flat, tiny things.  By the morning, they're fully risen and just beautiful.  They cook up in 20 minutes, and they're flaky, chocolaty perfection for breakfast.  Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning!
• Almond Biscotti.  I don't usually care a whole lot about sweets...I'm much more of a salty-crunchy girl.  But these things?  So good!  They're crunchy biscotti with a nice almond kick...they pair up nicely with black coffee.
• Pumpkin Bread/Muffin Mix: TJ's has this mix only in the fall, but it's worth picking up.  You just add some eggs, oil and water, stir, and VIOLA!  Spicy, moist muffins or pumpkin bread that's good enough to whip up and give as a quick gift.
• Mini Baguettes: These are also in the frozen section and it's just a bag of small, frozen baguettes.  One little bread is enough for one person and they heat up super fast (better yet: no need to let them thaw--they go right from freezer to oven).  Because my hubby and I never get to eat together, frozen, single-serving items like this are ideal.  Plus they taste good!
• Butternut Squash: TJ's has pretty good (and inexpensive) produce.  I always seem to pick up a bag of cut up butternut squash.  You can just nuke it and then serve it up.  I like my squash mashed up with a tiny bit of butter and salt and pepper.  Yum!
• New things at TJs: On my latest trip, I picked up two new, intriguing items from the frozen section: Coq au Vin and Mushroom Ravioli with Braised Beef.  I'll let you know how they taste!

In other grocery store news, a WinCo Foods just opened up not far from where we live.  I hear that they're super cheap (which scares me, to be honest).  I think I'll let the hype (and crowds!) die down before venturing over to check it out.  Have any of you ever been to WinCo?  Is it a hit or a miss?

Food Tourism

Last week, my hubby and I took the entire week off of work to spend some time together.  It's something we try to do every year...some years we're able to get away, other years we stay put.  This year was a "stay-cation" year and it was just what we needed.  Every day we got up and went on a day trip around the Seattle area.  We visited the International District, Pt. Townsend, and Langley among other places.

Here in WA state, we have an extensive ferry system, and I love riding the ferries!  We made sure to get two roundtrip rides in over the week, with one of our day trips taking us to Pt. Townsend...one of my favorite little towns in the Puget Sound area.  Pt. Townsend is a funky place.  It has a bunch of Victorian-style buildings, a busy port area, and a downtown area filled with fun shops (including an occult bookstore!) and nice restaurants.

Pt. Townsend is also home to the two culinary treasures I'm going to tell you about today: Pane d'Amore and Mt. Townsend Creamery.

Pane d'Amore is located in the "uptown" section of Pt. Townsend (they also have locations in Sequim and Bainbridge Island).  They make the most amazing French bread that is crunchy on the outside and fluffy perfection on the inside.  Many restaurants in Pt. Townsend serve up the local baguettes, making for happy diners, I'm sure!  I've visited the bakery twice now.  Each time I snag a loaf of bread and at least one cheese straw.  This time we also picked up a chocolate croissant and a cinnamon twist.  Check out how yummy their food looks:

Cheese sticks from Pane d'Amore...a perfect snack for a ferry ride!

Pane d'Amore baguette (and butter, of course)

Breakfast: cinnamon twist and black coffee

Over at Mt. Townsend, they are passionate about cheese...and it shows!  Their products are available at many local grocery stores, but if you stop by their shop, you can try everything they make.  My hubby loves stinky cheese, so he was the official taster at the Mt. Townsend shop (I'm more of a cheese wimp...I like a nice sharp Cheddar, maybe some brie, etc.). 

Mt. Townsend Creamery: Even their labels are neat!

 The Mister loved everything he tried, but settled on two to take home: Trailhead, their award-winning tomme (a robust, nutty cheese) and Seastack, a soft-ripened cheese with a dusting of vegetable ash.  We shared our cheese loot with my parents and Greta.  I'm not sure if Greta's tried the cheese yet, but my dad had some and declared them delicious.  Take a look for yourself:

Top: Seastack; Bottom: Trailhead  Both: Yum!

It's fun to try out local food places like Pane d'Amore and Mt. Townsend.  They seem to have more heart--and better tasting products!--than their mass-manufactured competition.  Plus it feels good to support local businesses.  I'm looking forward to finding more local food treasurers like these places in my future travels.

Sustainable Eating

Organic food has been the rage for a while now, but lately a new trend in food is emerging: sustainable eating. I was flipping through the July edition of Whole Living (a terrific magazine filled with tips for healthy living and cooking) and they featured a whole section focused on 50 ways to eat sustainably.

I encourage you to pick up this magazine (or check out their website). I'm not going to list all their tips, but here are a handful of my favorite suggestions.

• Shop at farmers' markets...regularly! You'll be supporting local agriculture and getting fresher products. Check your local farmers' market for staples like onions and potatoes. Stock up on fruits and veggies that are in season and freeze any leftovers. Talk to vendors--ask questions and ask for samples!
  
• Follow advice from chef Alice Waters. She says, "local is always the priority, but the organic label really does mean something. If you can't buy local, buy organic--coffees, teas, jams, olive oils, honey, nuts, raisins, oatmeal, beans, grains. There's so much available across the country now." On a related note, be sure to check out the Environmental Working Group's website. They list the dirty dozen--fruits and veggies you should always buy organic, if possible.
  
• Buy local eggs and breads to eliminate unnecessary packaging, travel time for your food, and to get the freshest possible product. You'll also be supporting your local economy, which is satisfying.
  
• Be package conscious. Try to buy products that come in the least amount of packaging possible--or in containers that are easily recyclable.
• Eat safer seafood. This is a huge concern now that BP is destroying the Gulf of Mexico. According to Whole Living, just about any fish from Alaska is safe because (surprisingly), they have some of the most environmentally sound fishing practices in the US. Also safe to consume: anything in a shell (oysters, mussels, clams), wild American shrimp (not farm raised!), and local seafood (here in WA we have Dungeness crabs and an abundance of fresh, local seafood to pick from--we're lucky).
• Buy whole chickens. There was a period in my life that I had almost no money, and I bought whole chickens all the time. They're cheaper than buying already cut up and skinned chicken parts. You can get a ton of meat from a whole chicken that can be used in a variety of ways. And, if you know how to use a knife, it's easy to butcher a chicken to meet your needs. While you're at it, learn how to make your own chicken stock using scraps of chicken, bone, and vegetables you probably already have lying around your kitchen!
• Go plastic free. This is easier said than done. But go ahead and start small: instead of buying expensive Tupperware or cheap, throw away Gladware, opt for glass storage containers. They're safer to use for microwaving, they won't get stained if you store tomato based products in them, and--unless you drop and break them--they'll outlive your plastic storage containers by far. If you still need to use plastics, be sure to use safer products. Check the bottom of your plastic containers: if there is a number 2, 4, or 5 on there, you're product is less likely to release toxins when heated.
  

It's nice that we're thinking more about where our food comes from and how it is produced. While buying local/organic may be too expensive or inconvenient at times, I think it's good to do what you can. I'll try to incorporate some of these tips into my shopping/cooking routines. But wow! There's a lot to consider and it can be hard to keep track of it all.

Would a Mayo By Any Other Name Taste as Mayo-y?

I've been too busy to cook lately, and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I've been eating. Since I don't have much in the way of recipes to share this week, I thought I'd focus on shopping.

When it comes to buying food at the grocery store, I always tend to gravitate towards certain brands. I have my favorites, as I'm sure you do. The funny thing about having favorite brands is that I get pretty snobbish about my purchases. I'd rather pay full price for what I really want than save a few pennies on a cheap imitation. And I also tend to think that if you don't like my brand, then it's obvious that you're lacking in the taste department (told you I was snobbish).

So here you have it: Lydia's favorite brands, by item:

Mayonnaise: Hands down--Best Foods (or Hellmans if you're on the East Coast). I like the regular and low-fat versions of Best Foods mayo, and could probably tolerate other brands (like Kraft). But never, ever, ever serve me Miracle Whip. What is that junk anyway? It's not good.

Butter: I'm not as passionate about any particular butter brands (though I tend to favor Land O'Lakes), but here's the deal: I never buy margarine. If you're going to use butter, use the real thing. I'll bend the rules and use the easy-to-spread Land O'Lakes spreadable butter with canola oil, but really? The real deal is so much better.

Sour Cream: Daisy. All the way. It's creamier and oh-so much better than the grocery store brand. Plus the annoying "Do a dollop of Daisy" jingle gets stuck in my head and makes me laugh.

Yogurt: I eat Tillamook yogurt almost every day for breakfast--not because I like it, but because it's easy. If I want to indulge myself or if I am cooking, I use Greek yogurt, especially from Fage. Their Greek yogurt with honey is so sinfully rich and good.

Cookies: I don't like boxed cookies as a rule. My only exceptions are Girl Scout Thin Mints and Tagalongs...and an occasional Oreo here or there. But my husband? Now he's a cookie fiend. And for him, there is none better than Chips Ahoy. I tried buying him the store brand once...yeah, that'll never happen again!

Bacon: I go back and forth on thick vs. regular bacon, but I almost always buy my bacon from Farmland Foods. I'm not big on Oscar Mayer bacon--it seems to be missing some flavor.

Cheddar Cheese: I lived in Vermont for awhile, so I have to say Cabot's Cheddar (and other products) are my sentimental favorite. But since I'm living in Washington state now, I use a lot of Tillamook Cheddar. And if you're in the market for already shredded cheddar, the Tillamook Classic Cheddar Blend actually tastes like Cheddar cheese (unlike the Kraft or store brands that taste like...nothing).

Peanut Butter: Here's a case where I almost don't care what I'm using as long as it isn't Adam's. I loathe the taste, texture, and layer of oil found in natural peanut butter. I know it sounds bad, but give me the processed stuff, whether it's Skippy or Jif!

Pop (or Soda): If you're going to drink sugar-laced crap, there's nothing better than a nice cold Coke Classic. Don't give me a diet soda (the fake sugar is disgusting), and don't make me settle for a Pepsi. There is a difference, and I'm a Coke girl.

What are your favorite food brands? Leave me a comment if I missed anything (or if you disagree and you happen to think Miracle Whip is the bomb).

Keep the Home Fires Burning

Valentine's Day was Sunday, and many people went out to celebrate the Hallmark holiday in fancy-schmancy restaurants. My husband and I are never ones to follow trends, so instead of eating out, we opted to spend the evening at home. We cooked a dinner together and had a lovely, quiet night.Not knowing what we wanted to have for dinner, we made a pit stop at the Safeway and wandered around aimlessly. We spotted a display of pre-measured, pre-packaged spices on recipe cards from McCormick (called McCormick Recipe Inspirations). My husband was intrigued, so we grabbed the packet for Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes (they also have packets for Quesadilla Casserole, Apple Sage Pork Chops, Garlic Lime Fajitas, Spanish Chicken Skillet, and Shrimp and Pasta Primavera). We also snagged some chicken and small red-skinned potatoes and headed for home.
My husband is not a cook. He amazing at many things, but cooking is not one of them and that's ok. But he decided that he wanted to help put dinner together. He diced up the potatoes and tossed together the chicken pieces and potatoes with the pre-measured spices and some oil. It was super easy and he had fun getting his hands dirty.
The dinner cooked up quickly and easily and resulted in moist chicken with crispy skin and tender but pleasantly crunchy potatoes. The seasoning was excellent and the meal was perfect. I know it's a gimmicky product, but I must say that the McCormick Recipe Inspirations card was a good find. The recipe on the back can be used over and over with the spices I have in my pantry. Sometimes when my hubby and I go on vacation, we rent a house at the beach. I could see packing one of these Recipe Inspiration cards with us to make for an easy but yummy meal on the fly.

While at the grocery, my husband requested that I make up a batch of Red Velvet cupcakes. Who am I to deny my husband something sweet on Valentine's Day? After we prepped the chicken, we whipped up Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert. I use a recipe from the food blogger at Vanilla Garlic. Click here to get the recipe for yourself. These cupcakes are super delicious, so I highly recommend you check it out.

I hope you all had as nice of a Valentine's Day as we did!

Turning Japanese (or Chinese, or Korean, or...)

Living in the moist Pacific Northwest, we're surrounded by some awesome international--Asia, specifically--grocery stores. Even though I am not entire sure how to cook with some of the ingredients found in these stores, it's still fun to take a trip to a more exotic place without ever leaving the state.
If you're ever in the greater Seattle area and are wanting to see something more unique than the Space Needle or Pike Place Market, check out these Asian grocery stores: UWAJIMAYAThis is the granddaddy of Asian grocery stores in the Seattle area. It's located in the International District in downtown Seattle and is a fun place to spend an afternoon. The produce section is filled with fresh, interesting, and inexpensive products like Japanese eggplants, gobo, nappa cabbage, lemongrass, and durian fruit--most of it grown locally. The seafood department is eye-opening. They have sea urchins, geoducks, and super-fresh fish (and fish parts). If you're a ramen noodle fan, Uwajimaya is your place! There's a full aisle devoted to the noodles. Every time we go, we try to find some intriguing new snack or sauce to try out back at home.

Geoducks!

As a bonus, the Seattle store also has a great variety of plates and bowls. The housewares section has been scaled back a bit over the years, but there are a lot of rice cookers, sake sets, tea sets, Asian personal care items, etc. to browse through.

Also attached to the Seattle store are an Asian bookstore and a good-sized food court. You really could spend a lot of time at Uwajimaya!

H MART
If you venture north of the city (closer to where we live!) you can visit the brand-spanking-new Hmart in Lynnwood, WA (right across from the Alderwood Mall). Hmart also boasts a food court, a large produce section, an extensive frozen food area, decent meat department, and fresh seafood.

Unlike Uwajimaya, Hmart offers a kimchi bar, a section of store-made entrees you can take home and eat, and a natural foods section. If you go on the weekends, there are several tables where women give out samples of noodles, soup, pork belly with various sauces, etc. The number of sample stations rivals Costco at times! There's even a guy inside who sells these yummy puffed rice cakes made fresh as you watch (and if you watch for a second, he'll give you a free cake--yum!). I've seen many "strange" ingredients for sale at Hmart. They even had balut eggs one day (not my taste, but whatever!).

There are plenty of other Asian markets around our area, but these are the two best that I know of. I love being able to take an international food journey without the need for a passport!

A Night Out

Tonight Lydia, Aidan and I went out for pizza at our favorite place - The Rock! We had our usual, brown sugar mozzarella sticks and a meatball pizza - super yum! After dinner, we all decided to do a little shopping - Aidan suggested Toys R Us and Lydia and I opted for Cost Plus World Market. As always, I walked out with a bag full of goodies!

Over the summer during one of my many stops at Cost Plus, I found that they sell my favorite pretzels - Utz Sourdough Hard Pretzels. I would buy these and my family would inhale them! Then one day, I went to pick up another container of them and they were gone - no longer an item! These are really hard to find and I have even looked at ordering them on-line at the Utz website, we were all dissappointed. Tonight, my son ran over to me and he was holding a large container of "his favorite pretzels" and both he and his Aunt had big smiles about the return of Utz Sourdoughs - we of course had to buy some!

I also really like the Sticky Finger's Scone mixes that they sell. Lydia turned me on to these mixes during one of our weekend stays at Seabrook, WA. You just need to add water and cook and you have warm, delicious scones! They make all sorts of flavors (Aidan is fond of the chocolate ones) - I like the plain ones and the cherry mix. It is a super easy breakfast and also a good way to get the kids to help out in the kitchen!

My original reason for going to Cost Plus was to pick up my favorite tea - Coconut Chai Black Tea by Zhena's Gypsy Tea. I love the way this smells and I always have a stash of this at work. I have turned my coworkers on to it too. It is spicy and aromatic and most importantly, caffeinated. I find it soothing and a nice break from working!

Lastly, I let Aidan pick out some treats. We always get a kick out of all the different types of candies, cookies and tins. Aidan completed a Mario Mushroom tin collection and has now discovered Yan Yan, Pocky, and Chocorooms. We also found 5 Stripe Zebra gum (I haven't had that since I was a kid)!

All-in-all, it was a fun night out. And yes, we stopped at Toys R Us too (we let him start looking for toys for his birthday list)!

The Land of Yum

One of my favorite places to shop for food is Trader Joe's. If you live in an area devoid of a TJs, I am so terribly sorry. I lived in Vermont for awhile where not only are there no Targets, there are no TJs in the entire state. Ugh. Then I moved to Washington and discovered the goodness of TJs.

Here's how TJs describes themselves:

Just what is this thing we call Trader Joe’s? Well, we’re a grocery store, sure, but really so much more. Our shelves are stocked full of delicious foods and beverages from the basics like milk, bread and butter to more exotic fare like imported cheeses, organic produce and hand-tossed pizza from Italy. We taste every product before we decide to sell it, and we guarantee you’ll like it.*

You might expect indulgences like these to come with unbecoming prices. But at Trader Joe’s, we’re as much about value as we are about great food. In other words, we keep our costs low, cut out the middleman whenever possible and pass our savings on to you in the form of terrific everyday prices. So you can afford to be adventurous without breaking the bank.

*Our Product Guarantee: We tried it! We liked it! If you don’t, bring it back for a full refund, no questions asked.

Every time I go to TJs, I seem to find something new to try out. If I go in for a gallon of milk, I typically leave with a bag full of stuff and at least $60 deducted from my checking account. I also noticed several Trader Joe's inspired cookbooks springing up during the holiday season. I have not yet purchased any of these cookbooks and don't have plans to do so, even though I am a TJs shopper.

Anyway...here are a few of my TJs favorites:

• Milk! Their milk is a great price and doesn't contain tons of hormones.
  
• Nuts. If you need a bag of salted or unsalted nuts of almost any variety, TJs has you covered and you're not going to spend a lot.
• Meats. Again, high quality; reasonable prices.
• Frozen pizzas. My husband loves their super thin-crusted European-style frozen cheese pizzas.
• Frozen rice. Sounds weird, but packets of frozen jasmine and brown rice save the day when I'm trying to cook a super fast dinner after working all day.
• Refried beans. Their beans are squishy and favorable. (And cheap!)
• Pita Chips and White Bean Hummus. A perfect combo. Snarf!
• Pita Crackers and Pub Cheese. The crackers are perfectly salty and crunchy and are especially yummy paired with pub cheese.
• Olive Oil. A big bottle won't break the bank.
• Cheese. TJs sells my beloved Cabot cheddar and they also have a very tasty, very affordable goat cheese log that I'm a big fan of.
• Wine. I don't drink a whole lot of wine (I leave that to my sister and mother!), but TJs has a great selection of wine and beer at very reasonable prices. They're known for their 2 Buck Chuck.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. And like I said, I tend to find something new each time. If you're a Trader Joe's shopper, let me know what you love. It's always good to add new items to my cart.