Trader Joe's Cranberry & Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs

Following in the footsteps of other tasty products like Trader Joe's Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs and Trader Joe's Buffalo Style Chicken Meatballs, here we have Trader Joe's Cranberry & Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs. They're fully cooked and gluten free like their predecessors. They heat up the same way, and they're the same shape, size, and price: $4.29.

Texture-wise, they come out of the air fryer nice and juicy, soft, and meaty. It's an extremely similar mouthfeel to the other flavors if you're familiar with those. Flavor-wise, there's only a subtle sweet-tart tang from the cranberry and an even subtler spicy flavor from the jalapeño pepper pieces. Both the fruit and pepper bits are very small and unintrusive.

I wish they were a good bit more prevalent in the flavor profile. I don't necessarily want beaten over the head with super sour cranberry and flaming hot jalapeño, but as it is, these are pretty much on par with a typical chicken sausage—good quality chicken meat with just a hint of tang and spice.

There's a pleasant sweetness to the meatballs, too, as the dried cranberries used in the ingredients are made with cane sugar. There's also some maple sugar in the less than 2% section. Still, I think I prefer the other two flavors of chicken meatballs just slightly more than this variety.

I looked up ways to serve these and found a bunch of ideas. I opted for a makeshift Thanksgiving theme. I read they went well with any kind of cranberry glaze or cranberry sauce, so that's what I paired them with. I went out on a limb and guessed they'd do fine with good old mashed potatoes, as well. All three mixed together made a very tasty forkful. I suppose I could have gone the whole nine yards and added stuffing and gravy to the mix for a full on Thanksgiving style chicken meatball dinner, but I was pretty pleased with the simpler three item spread.

For an easy party appetizer, toss them in a slow cooker with a splash of cranberry juice or apple cider and a extra dollop of hot honey to keep them glazed and warm. If you’re pulling together a quick weeknight dinner, they’re fantastic served over a bed of buttery, fluffy rice or rich polenta, letting the sweet and spicy pan juices double as a sauce. You can also skewer them with charred bell peppers and red onion for fun festive kebabs, or slice them up to toss into a cozy autumn salad with roasted sweet potatoes, kale, and goat cheese.

$4.29 for about 24 meatballs. Gluten free. Antibiotic free. Precooked. Would buy again. Like I said, I like these just a shade less than the other two flavors. If they amped up the jalapeño a lot and the cranberry just a bit, these might have been my favorite. Eight out of ten stars from Sonia for Trader Joe's Cranberry & Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs. Seven and a half stars from me.

Bottom line: 7.75 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Hot Fudge Sundae Almonds

These have been out for a few months now and the beautiful wifey and I thought they might be a nice pick-me-up on this gloomy autumn morning drenched in November rain. Ah, November Rain is such a good song, isn't it? GNR was never even really my thing, but that track is just classic. Did I ever tell you guys about the time I saw Velvet Revolver do a free show in a parking lot in Hollyweird right after work? It was pretty cool...but I'm getting off topic now. Some of you want to hear about food.

Trader Joe's Hot Fudge Sundae In a Handful Almonds are quite good. High quality, plump, meaty almonds are the base for this sweet snack. They're covered in a white confectionery coating. It really does vaguely capture the essence of a hot fudge sundae. There are notes of vanilla and cocoa, and there's even some cherry flavor.

In fact, there are two varieties of nuts in the bag: brown ones that taste primarily like cocoa and red ones that taste like maraschino cherries. I think the red ones kinda look like kidney beans. The brown ones outnumber the reds by a pretty good margin. That makes sense. It's not like you're getting a cherry in every single bite of a hot fudge sundae. 

By that same token, I would have been even more impressed if they'd done three flavors of almonds. One could be white and taste like vanilla to represent the ice cream. Then they'd also have brown for chocolate and red for cherries. But hey, now I'm nitpicking. There is a vanilla essence underneath everything and it tastes pretty darn good.

I wouldn't exactly call myself a huge candy coated nut aficionado, but there's something delightfully nostalgic about taking a classic ice cream parlor staple and translating it into a portable, crunchable snack. You pop a couple into your mouth while watching the mist roll over the lawn, and suddenly the day feels just a tiny bit brighter—or at least a little more indulgent.

$4.29 for the 8 oz resealable bag. Kosher. Available for a limited time only. Would buy again. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Hot Fudge Sundae in a handful! Confectionery Coated Almonds eight and a half out of ten stars. I'll go with eight yet again.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.