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Friday, February 14, 2020

Trader Joe's Honey Baguette


Valentine's Day. Bread is a way more appropriate gift than chocolates or jewelry for Sonia. She's just a bread and butter kind of gal. And French things are always fitting when it comes to romancey stuff, right? Oui. We don't really call each other "honey," but if we did, this product would be even more relevant for V.D.

Confession: we ate this yesterday, a day before Valentine's, just so we could have the review up for you all today. You're welcome.

Sonia's had many baguettes before, including a few during her visit to Paris. This one doesn't quite compare to those, but for $1.79 and the convenience of not having to travel across the Atlantic Ocean, it's not too shabby.

There's just a hint of honey sweetness and lots of rich, dense doughiness. We both feel like this loaf might be a tad denser than other baguettes we've tried. It wants to crumble a lot, too.


We picked up two loaves, because why not? For the first one we just ripped off pieces straight out of the bag. We tried it plain, with butter, and with some provolone cheese slices. But this bread really only shines after being warmed up. I nuked a few small pieces of the bread for 10-15 seconds, and they came out soft and just warm enough to melt a pat of butter on each little square of bread.

When heeding the preparation instructions on the bag, 400° for 4-6 minutes, it yields a crispy outer crust, which we did with our second loaf. The heating really releases the flavors of the bread, and the texture becomes a bit more appetizing.

Honestly, though, I think I preferred the my improvised microwave heating method over the oven. The soft outer crust might not be as authentically baguette-ish as a crispier crust, but it worked for me.

Found in Trader Joe's bakery section, this honey baguette is certainly more interesting than Wonder Bread, and it's well worth a try for less than two bucks. We didn't make any sandwiches with ours, but it could definitely serve that purpose. If you've got a bread-loving S.O., it's still not too late to swing by TJ's on the way home from work to pick up one of these, some exotic cheese, and maybe some flowers, too. 

Bottom line: 7.5 out of 10.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Trader Joe's Coconut Crispy Rolls Wafer Cookies

You'll have to pardon me, I've had Combos on my mind.

Past couple months have been brutal at the day job. Terrible. Busy. Terribly busy and busily terrible. Comes with the territory of what I do sometimes. It's been enough that I've made a somewhat regular habit of working my full normal shift, coming home for a few hours to have dinner, run kids to dance class, and get them in bed....just to go back in for a few night owl hours. When I do that, I encounter the late night crew, who are about as equally stressed out, so a few times I've stopped on the way in to buy a small package of cookies, a Mt Dew Kickstart or two for me since I'm running on fumes...then a few times a little baggie of Combos too.

Cracker shell ones are boring. Pretzel ones will do. The tortilla shells? A revelation, especially with the 7 Layer Dip filling. Delish.

You know what else would make a good Combo shell? Trader Joe's Coconut Crispy Roll Wafer Cookies, that's what.

I was actually kinda disappointed at first that these weren't a Combo style snack with a filling. There's nothing on the box or packaging or description that really overtly implies they would be...except I saw that the holes from the sideview shots were darkened. I hoped it was chocolate or something. Nah, just shadow.

But then I actually tasted the cookies. There's a lot here at crispety-crunchety play. There's a mild, pleasant coconuttiness accentuated by some black sesame seeds that play into a sweet-savory taste. This is even enhanced by the structure of the cookie - thin, multi-layered dough that's not quite phyllo but in the same family, rolled up then either baked or fried - I'd go with fried, since there is a slight, pleasant greasiness to them, though I am open to correction. The crunch really makes the cookie here.

Nice thing is, for whatever reason, I can enjoy them and not eat too many of them. A serving is 10 of them, and routinely I'm good at five. Not sure why. Not full. Not overwhelmed. I like them. But at 5, I'm done...hey that sounds like a lovely work motto now doesn't it?

Good cookies, and pretty inexpensive - maybe $3? Maybe you can match them up with a small dip of some type of a DIY Combo, or you can get over that as I did and enjoy as is. Decent chance at a rebuy. My lovely bride and I don't need to quarrel over who gives them a 3 and who gives them half a spoon more, so here's a 6.5 from us - not bad, not bad at all.

Bottom line: Trader Joe's Coconut Crispy Rolls Wafer Cookies: 6.5 out of 10 Golden Spoons

Monday, February 10, 2020

Trader Joe's Dark Russet Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips

During our RV travels, few states stood out to Sonia and me like Idaho did. Other than a friendly acquaintance I'd met in Los Angeles and one childhood friends' sister relocating to the Boise area, neither of us had ever even known anyone from the state. 

Between the two of us, Sonia and I have either passed through or visited 40 of the 50 states at this point—and we've spent at least a week in 35 of them. I've even been a resident of five different states thus far.  Idaho would definitely be at the very top of our underrated states list, with the Boise area in particular standing out as probably the most livable city in America that we've visited.

Over the weekend, not even thinking about the fact we were eating these dark russet chips at the time, a recommended video from a channel we frequently visit started auto-playing on YouTube. It was about a woman with a very unique house just outside Boise. 

As the wife and I debated the pros and cons of living in a giant potato, we recollected our 2019 adventures out west, and it suddenly occurred to me that these chips might very well be from the great state of Idaho. Although there's no official info on the packaging asserting that the potatoes within are, in fact, sourced from the Gem State, apparently "Russet potatoes" are synonymous with "Idaho potatoes" according to Wikipedia.


Whether they're from ID or not, they're pretty good. I've never been a plain potato chip kinda guy, but these darker kettle-cooked chips are a bit more interesting than their pale cousins. There's more richness and earthiness in chips like these. The peanut oil lends an essence I'd almost describe as "buttery." 

There's just a tad more saltiness than I'd care for, but I'd probably go ahead and say that about the vast majority of—not just potato chips—but chips in general, including things like tortilla and pita, as well. Still, they didn't go completely overboard, and Sonia would say the salt level is just about perfect. 

I've had other brands of dark russet chips, most notably Utz and Herr's. It's been a hot minute, but I'd say this Trader Joe's offering is on par with either of those classic makes of potato chips. At $2.29 for the bag, it's a comparable price point, if not a little cheaper, and I love the fact there are only three ingredients. 

As the bag itself points out, these chips are great for dunking in stuff like spinach dip or for simply snacking straight out of the bag. Trader Joe's Dark Russet Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips will get four stars each from Sonia and me.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

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