Lynninnewmexico, That's a great price on the wreaths. We don't have a Trader Joe's around here, but I sure wish we did. Can't wait to see your finished pics.

My dh' favorite dessert is cherry pie, and I have made dozens of pies in the 22 years we've been together--high school sweethearts. Fresh sour cherries are difficult to find and also very expensive. Even frozen sour cherries are scarce. We lived in the Detroit area for a few years and even then it was difficult to find pie cherries. We were young newlyweds, so it wasn't possible to afford to stock up on cherries for more than a couple of pies. We were fortunate enough to have a few friends who introduced us to Trader Joes and Zingermanns. Then we moved to Chicago and discovered Richard Walker's Pancake House in Crystal Lake. We fell in love with the Montmorrency cherry Belgian waffles. A friend mentioned that Trader Joe's Monchello cherries were similar and made a wonderful waffle and crepes topping. I then tried making a pie filling with them, which my dh loved. I agree with those that say tapioca makes the best thickener. My key for the best filling is cooking it on the stovetop to ensure the correct thickness and flavour. I take the filling off the stove when it's still a bit too runny because it will continue to cook in the oven. I've also made pies with sweet cherries-- fresh and frozen. I add a bit more lemon for tartness and less sugar. I'm not a fan of a lot of almond extract. A few drops of real almond extract in the lemon juice for making filling with sweet cherries gives it a little j'en n'aise pas although I prefer a little splash of Amaretto in all my pie fillings if possible.

I don't buy anything frozen at TJs or premade - I go there for inexpensive organic fresh vegetables and fruit, breads & tortillas, cold cuts and cheeses, and dried fruit and nuts. I buy chocolate there as well. I don't like their ice cream, and I don't like their mayonnaise, but those are the only two things that I prefer to buy elsewhere that I can think of. There are many things they do not have, such as grits and cornmeal, and I do not remember seeing frozen juices, but their bottled cranberry juice is the best and a great price. I think I got blueberry juice there also. I don't buy anything from the above list either. Lars

Like Gina, I am surrounded by TJ's, and I've started going there more often. My previous complaints were the long lines and crowded aisles, but I've gotten over that. As for bread, I'm very impressed with what I get there. It's not La Brea Bakery, but they have some very interesting choices. Last Saturday I bought WW Nan bread in addition to WW tortillas, both of which are excellent. In fact, TJ's by far has the best flour tortillas of any market I've been to lately, although I do plan to visit a small local tortilla place if I can remember to go there before 3:00 PM. Tortillas from TJ's must be refrigerated after opening because they have no preservatives, and I store them in vacuum sealed bags with a small piece of parchment paper between them so that they don't stick. They stay very fresh this way. BTW, I used the nan bread for garlic toast on the grill. Each piece was about the size and shape of a shoe sole insert, and they were fairly thick - at least thick enough to grill. Lars