Trader Joe's

Have you ever heard of Trader Joe's? I had not heard of the mystical Trader Joe's before last week. Since then, I have heard about it numerous times. Honestly, the first time I heard the name I seriously thought it would be something akin to, oh say something like Smith and Edwards. I couldn't have been further from the truth. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity, Trader Joe's is a grocery store that caters to couples and singles who are not cooking for large amounts of people.

Needless to say, after hearing all about Trader Joe's, the different items they carry on different days, how wonderful it is for families with no children etc. I expected a mecca of delicious items packaged beautifully with fancy names and such. Turns out, the place is just like any other grocery store, it just has an entire portion of it dedicated to wines. I will give it the Martha Stewart stamp of approval for cleanliness and order. Everything was stacked perfectly with all of the cans facing the same way and no shelves looking like tornadoes had hit them. This was a stark contrast to my old friend Wally World.

While I didn't quite find the place I had envisioned, there were two items that I really like and will visit Trader Joe's again for nothing else but for these:

Pineapple Salsa - Trader Joe's brand



This stuff was delicious. Notice how small this bottle is??? This was gone in about 2 dinners and 1 breakfast. Truly, it was great on a tortilla and cheese (breakfast) and went well with my pita chips (the 2 dinners).

Garlic Hummus - Trader Joe's brand



Even if you're not a hummus fan, I think that you would find this yummy. This stuff is so good that I have found myself slapping it on a piece of bread with sandwich meat. I have also dipped my salt and pepper chips into it and found it just as good. In short, I would eat this stuff with just about anything.

In fact, I think tonight is another Trader Joe's night! I can't go too long without my salsa. :)