A Trader Joe's Care Package
I've a dear friend who is a great cook in her own right and is an adventurous (though vegetarian) eater. She is located far, far away in a land where there are no Trader Joe's to be found. I'd like to send her a care package of shelf-stable favorites from TJ's and am curious as to what you'd include in the box.
So far, my shopping list includes:
* Triple Ginger Gingersnaps
* Speculoos
* Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries
* Peanut-butter Filled Pretzels
Please help me fill out this "must send" list with your recommendations.
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cellophane_star
May 30, 2012 05:58 PM
I've only been to TJs once... No stores in Canada.
I loved their dark chocolate edamame and requested them in a package once.
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coney with everything
May 30, 2012 05:58 AM
I like the freeze dried strawberries and raspberries, especially this time of year when fresh fruit isn't a great option yet.
They have good prices (at least they did last time I looked) on pine nuts although not everyone likes theirs. And Chili Lime whatever nuts they have.
Rosemary Raisin Crisps
Do you mean speculoos spread or their cookies?
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I love their butternut squash soup in the shelf stable box. I dress it up with a little cayenne or smoked Spanish paprika and a good dollop of sour cream.
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re: justalex
Try blending it with carmelized onions, a can or two of coconut milk, and a teaspoon of green curry, some salt and pepper. Get some good shrimp (TJ's frozen will do in a pinch), blend half of it in with the soup, save the other half to serve with the soup. Garnish with their fried onions in a can.
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I recently did something similar for friends in the midwest. Some of my items were chosen to be kid-friendly, but for a grown-up I'd include the Habanero Hot Sauce if they like spicy foods, some interesting nuts, something ridiculous and chocolatey (I chose the Chocolate Covered Toffee Popcorn), and maybe one of the jarred tapenades or spreads.
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biondanonima
May 26, 2012 11:58 PM
I love their chili lime cashews and their dark chocolate covered ginger-I can't have them in the house or I will inhale them within 2 hours. If your friend is a baker, she might appreciate a couple of Pound Plus chocolate bars-Callebaut chocolate, repackaged for TJ's, at an incredible price.
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TJ's carries a fair amount of nut butters. Don't know what your friend's tastes are, but you might look over this section, particularly since she's a vegetarian. We regularly eat the almond butters. The salted roasted has the most flavor, the raw unsalted seems healthier. I can't remember if they still carry cashew butter, but that was very good. But the Valencia peanut butter with flaxseeds has a nice roasted peanut flavor and the roasted flaxseeds add another nice nutty dimension in flavor and texture.
TJ's carries at least three different dark chocolate almond products that I get regularly. The one with sea salt is very nice and even vegan friendly. But if you think you package will be going to an area with a lot of heat, reconsider these products or any others with melty things...
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pamf
May 25, 2012 10:48 AM
Since your friend cooks, add in some items from TJ's spice aisle. They have different spice blends and salt in the container with a built-in grinder among other things. Some of those things might be hard to find and/or very expensive where she lives.
It's a lot of fun to put together a personalized box. Reminds of when I used to bring TJ's packages to my friends in the Midwest when I visited from California. But time marches on and they now have a local TJ's of their own.
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