We Tried Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe Gnocchi

So I made the new Trader Joe's Cacio e Pepe Gnocchi for lunch today. It's one of those dishes that's pretty simple to make from scratch, just Pecorino, butter, pasta water and black pepper. But the convenience factor is huge here. While you can cook TJ's gnocchi in a pan in under 10 minutes. You…

ByMichelleJuly 18, 20220Comments

Product Review

We Tried Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe Puffs

We finally finally got Trader Joe's Cacio e Pepe Puffs. Made with corn and rice like the Jalapeño seasoned version, I think these might actually be crunchier and less airy. They're definitely less styrofoam-like than the jalapeño. And I thought I was gonna love them. The cheese isn't too in your face, and some…

ByMichelleMarch 1, 20220Comments

Product Review

Trader Joe’s Spicy Buffalo Cheddar Makes Some Tasty Chips ‘n Cheese

Trader Joe's Spicy Buffalo Cheddar is the cheese I needed for Super Bowl Sunday. (Then again, I probably would have knocked the bowl over dancing during the half time show. :D ) This cheese lives somewhere between Velveeta and standard cheddar. And with jalapeños and habaneros in the mix, it's got a good kick. …

ByMichelleFebruary 16, 20220Comments

Product Review

Yay or Nay on 3 New Trader Joe’s Items (Not Pumpkin Edition)

Now that the initial wave of excitement over Pumpkinpalooza has died down a little bit, I thought we'd do a quick Yay or Nay on three new not pumpkin/maple Trader Joe's items. NAY -- I fully expected to like Trader Joe's Cheesy Seasoning blend. It seemed like the perfect thing for popcorn, but you'll…

ByMichelleOctober 5, 20211Comment

Product Review

We Tried Trader Joe’s Corn and Cheese Arepas

Trader Joe's Corn and Cheese Arepas. They come two to a box, individually wrapped, and I opted to bake them in the oven. I should have gone the stovetop route to get that nice browning on them. And I know you're gonna ask...yes, you can probably throw these in the air fryer and get better…

ByMichelleJune 24, 20210Comments

Product Review

We Tried Trader Joe’s Cheese Bites with Tomato and Chili

Trader Joe's is bringing a third option to it's line up of oven-baked cheese bites. Moon Cheese lovers everywhere must be thrilled. It started with the basic cheddar and parm, moved on to truffle, and now we've got Trader Joe's Cheese Bites with Tomato and Chili. When Matt and Tara were talking about them on…

ByMichelleMarch 25, 20210Comments

Food News

6 New Spring Products to Be on the Lookout for at Trader Joe’s

On the latest episode of Inside Trader Joes, Tara and Matt spotlighted six new Trader Joe's products to put on your shopping list, and highlighted a few other recent additions to TJ's shelves. I stopped in to my local store yesterday and spotted two of the new items. First up, Trader Joe's newest Spotlight…

ByMichelleMarch 11, 20210Comments

Events Restaurants

Say Cheese: Get to Know Pecorino Toscano DOP

Pecorino Toscano, a sheep's milk cheese, is produced as the name suggests, in Tuscany. But it's not just where it's made. With Pecorino Toscano DOP, all elements must come from the region as well. The DOP mark confirms the milk and production process meet the consortium's standards and help ensure a unique, high-quality product. Cheesemaking…

ByMichelleNovember 14, 20190Comments

Main Course Recipes

Grilled Asparagus and Halloumi Sandwiches

Asparagus is in: Grill 'em if you Got 'em For lunch earlier this week, I started where I often start around this time of year. I pulled some asparagus out of the crisper drawer and started to prep them. Conventional wisdom about snapping them where they naturally snap is out, so I cut off the…

ByMichelleMay 10, 20180Comments

Appetizers Recipes

Brazilian Cheese Bread Is a Perfect New Year’s Eve Appetizer

Inspired by Acacia Santos, the heroine in Sylvain Reynard's new romantic suspense novel, The Man in the Black Suit, I made pão de queijo, or Brazilian cheese bread. Authentically made with sour cassava flour, the best I could do on short notice was tapioca flour from Bob's Red Mill, and still the result is pretty…

ByMichelleDecember 19, 20170Comments

We Tried Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe Gnocchi

We Tried Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe Puffs

Trader Joe’s Spicy Buffalo Cheddar Makes Some Tasty Chips ‘n Cheese

Yay or Nay on 3 New Trader Joe’s Items (Not Pumpkin Edition)

We Tried Trader Joe’s Corn and Cheese Arepas

We Tried Trader Joe’s Cheese Bites with Tomato and Chili

6 New Spring Products to Be on the Lookout for at Trader Joe’s

Say Cheese: Get to Know Pecorino Toscano DOP

Grilled Asparagus and Halloumi Sandwiches

Brazilian Cheese Bread Is a Perfect New Year’s Eve Appetizer

Book Review: A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang

26 New Asian and Pacific Islander Books for your 2026 TBR