Everything In Our Trader Joe’s Haul This Week

I don’t know about you, but to me the most interesting part of a haul is knowing what other customers are drawn to when shopping in the first place. As for Trader Joe’s, they have a wide range of products with everything from household items to freezer meals. There’s a lot to be curious about. So much so that, especially with their rotating products, there’s an infinite array of new items to choose from every week.

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And you can’t get everything right when it’s released so there ends up being a constant flow of different products that whether new or not to the store, they’re new to you and your home. As for us here at Sporked, these are the five most interesting items that we saw in stores this week and what we think about them.

Corvelia Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles

This week saw the release of the seasonal Fearless Flyer magazine that Trader Joe’s releases. So naturally, we have to peruse its pages and see if there was anything that struck our fancy. Included this week was their wine recommendation of Corvelia Cabernet Sauvignon. We decided to take a chance on the company’s recommendation and see if this could be our new favorite affordable red. At just around $10 per bottle, I’d say that this is a pretty good buy. It’s dark, but not as dark in flavor as you would want during the later months of the year. I wouldn’t call it refreshing necessarily, but it feels more palatable to accompany meals during these transitional months. Yet, it’s not overly sour or tannic. Tasted blind, I would guess this comes from a much higher price point.

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Seasoned Lamb Shoulder Rack

Trader Joe’s usually does a pretty good job with their pre-seasoned meats. And, their pre-seasoned lamb rack is no different. The flavors were strong enough to actually be noticeable in each bite, yet didn’t overpower the expensive cut. The spiced savory herb coating was directly complementary to the meat’s natural flavor, and the lamb tasted of high-quality as well. Cooked correctly, it’s tender and juicy.

I would say that thing that bothered me most about this is that the marbling of fat in it was a bit excessive, and not what you would necessarily want in a cut of tender lamb. Save that for the ribeyes, please and thank you. Instead, it’d be much more preferable for the fat to be on the cap as it is traditionally, since it’s better for rendering that way. For anyone interested in learning how to cook a rack of meat or lamb in general, I’d say it’s a really good place to start because it takes the guess work out of seasoning and butchering. All you have to do is settle with how you like it cooked, and for around $15 for such an expensive cut, this is an easy introduction. 

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Tuna Salad Croissant Sandwich

Overall, I’d say that this sandwich was pretty far from ideal. Admittedly, I’d gone in to try out the brand new Homestyle Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich, but since they were all sold out we had to settle for the tuna variety instead. The reason I say settle is because I take distinct pride in my love for tuna salad. And honestly, it’s a great disappointment when tuna salad is less than exceptional. The tuna in this croissant is exceptionally bland. The only flavor you actually get through is the fish itself. It’s not even nice and creamy as you would want. And a cold croissant that is falling apart is always going to be disappointing. I would be interested in trying the chicken version of the sandwich still, but I’ll be steering clear of this one in the future. 

Rating:

4/10

Sporks

Chicken and Cheddar on Cranberry Seeded Bread

I’ll admit that I’ve fallen victim to some of the early teasing of seasonal changes and there’s something about cranberry bread that will always suck me in. As far as a grocery store prepared sandwich goes I would say this is among the better ones that I’ve tried (pub subs aside, of course).

The flavor of the chicken and the cheddar cheese are very nice and they have great textures. The bread itself has very pleasant flavor, although lacking some pungency from the cranberry. But its texture is very pillowy and soft, making it a really nice bite. My main discrepancy with the sandwich is that it just needs some kind of of bold flavor to really put it over the edge. Even a basic yellow mustard would take this to a whole other level.

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Teeny Tiny Apple Pies

Okay, well maybe I’ve fallen more into the autumnal spirit than I even realized because when I saw these Teeny Tiny Apple Pies on Trader Joe’s shelves I just couldn’t resist. I’m sure its miniature status had a lot to do with it, because anything big made tiny is almost always an automatic buy for me.

The flavor of the crust and crumble are very good for these little pies, as I would hope considering it’s the main thing you’re eating. That leads me to my next point in that if something is being marketed as an apple pie then I think there should maybe be a little bit more apple than one or two pieces. Assuming you like the flavor of brown sugar crumble, and a decent piecrust, then you’ll be a fan of these. But if you’re in it for a ton of delicious apple flavor, then you might be a bit disappointed.

Rating:

7/10

Sporks