The name "Shrimp Boom Bah" made complete sense to me until I started thinking about it. I couldn't even think of the phrase that it was mimicking at first. Then it dawned on me: "sis boom bah." And then I couldn't even recall what that phrase meant or in what context I'd heard it. Wiktionary says it's a phrase of encouragement synonymous with "hooray" commonly used in US cheerleading. Oh. Duh. "Rah, rah, sis boom bah." That's clever...I guess.
The spice level of Trader Joe's Shrimp Boom Bah is right in that sweet spot where there's plenty of kick but it doesn't interfere with the other flavors or your enjoyment of the meal. It has quite a bit of heat, but not to the point of pain. Both the breading on the shrimp and the bright orange boom boom sauce contain some spice but I think most of it is coming from the condiment.
There's a nice thick, high-quality breading that contains rice, corn, and wheat elements. It's like a cross between traditional American fried shrimp batter and an Asian tempura type coating. The shrimp are big enough that you can taste and feel them quite readily even despite the heavy batter.
Both the mouthfeel and flavor of the shrimp are on point, and I'm a tough grader when it comes to shrimp. Sonia loves that the sauce is simultaneously creamy, sweet, and spicy...and that they actually give you a generous amount of it.
$8.99 for the box, which is honestly pretty inexpensive for any type of shrimp these days, let alone this restaurant-quality product that actually comes with its own delicious dipping sauce. We would absolutely buy Trader Joe's Shrimp Boom Bah again. What could possibly make it better? Make it with jumbo shrimp next time. Both Sonia and Nathan give the same score once again.
We've never reviewed the original Joe's O's cereal on this blog. We have, however, reviewed the Honey Nut O's, the Organic High Fiber O's, the Fruity O's, the Triple Berry O's, the Pumpkin O's, and the Hot Cocoa O's. Joe's O's and their derivatives share some obvious similarities with classic Cheerios cereal, namely: whole grain oat-based morsels in little "O" shapes.
These cereal bars are nothing but Joe's O's, peanuts, and peanut butter all smooshed together into individually-wrapped bars. There's a really nice balance of sweetness and rich, creamy peanut butter flavor. The oats are filling and wholesome but they don't overshadow the dessert-ish aspects of the bars. Both the beautiful wifey and I were pleasantly surprised with the flavor.
Despite their overall softness, there's a crispness to them that's nice, too. I was thinking there was some rice in there somewhere, but nope. It's all just oat cereal and peanut stuff.
The serving size is adequate to grab a breakfast on the run or to curb your mid-day sweet tooth. The fat, calories, and carbs aren't too bad, considering how relatively indulgent they taste.
They're a little messy, particularly in the heat, but thankfully you can keep them in the wrapper while you eat them to avoid getting oily peanut butter all over your hands.
$2.99 for five bars. Kosher. Yet another product of Canada. Would buy again. Sonia and I are both on board for the same score: 8 out of 10 stars for Trader Joe's Joe's O's Peanut Butter Cereal Bars.
Like many young Latinas, Sonia grew up eating corn tortillas on a regular basis. Quesadillas were go-to snacks in her household. The occasional flour tortilla wasn't unheard of, but "Sonora style" was unfamiliar even to my Mexican-American wife...until now.
Sonora is a state in "El Norte" or Northern Mexico, just south of the US state of Arizona. Their tortillas are known for being stretchy and soft and for puffing up a bit when heated on a griddle. Sonia swears they were puffing up way more right until the moment I entered the kitchen with my camera. Just like photons of light, flour tortillas apparently behave differently when being observed.
And they taste different raw compared to when they're toasted. Heating these tortillas really woke up the nutty, wheaty flavors of the flour. At room temperature, I felt they were somewhat bland. They got crispy after a minute on the griddle, too, but there was still a pleasant, soft chewiness to them.
In short, we found they made great quesadillas and they'd be perfect as a shell for grilled burritos. Personally, we felt like they weren't fantastic when served raw as a soft taco shell, for example, but this is our first time at the Sonora style tortilla rodeo.
If you're familiar with Sonora style tortillas, let us know how authentic this Trader Joe's offering is. Compared to other tortillas, we both think they're interesting, tasty, and fairly versatile.
$2.99 for the 12 serving resealable pack. Would buy again. Sonia's score: 9 out of 10. Nathan's score: 8 out of 10 for Trader Joe's Sonora Style Flour Tortillas.
