Peppi, a new Aldi's just went in about 30 miles from here, I like shopping there a lot. Elery went there yesterday and bought avocados, so far all the produce has been from the USA. I like that I can get Dubliner cheese there in small amounts and the kids like their snacks, about half the price of Meijer or our local Evil Empire. However, Mother bought something called "Winking Owl" wine. Why? Because Mother thinks owls are cute, LOL. She said the wine was possibly the worst she'd ever had. I asked her what she expected for $2.99. (grin) If I lived in Chicago and had your shopping available I probably wouldn't be that impressed with TJs either, but with no Trader Joe's, no Whole Foods, no Wegman's, few specialty stores, well, TJs is a fun stop. Annie

For those who didn't see the link, I divided up and listed what several posters on GW's Cooking Forum like to buy at Trader Joe's, separated by ----s ---- organic, vegetarian baked beans which we really liked (no HFCS). vegetarian low fat refried pinto beans "salsa style" Cuban style black beans which we have not tried yet cacciatore simmer sauce for chicken/pork breads beautiful orchid plants. Fage whole milk Greek yogurt ---- *Pistachios *Savory thin mini Crackers (a sesame cracker) they come in a larger cracker too, but I like the minis. *Sesame Sticks *Cambozola cheese (semi soft brie type veined with blue cheese) *Capers *Morella Cherries (next to the jams) *Creme Fraiche *Sun Dried Tomatoes *Rice Pilaf *Greek style Yoghurt *Saffron (great price) *Two Buck Chuck wines *Hand lotions *Yellow kitchen sponges (the kind that are thin until you wet them I could go on and on...I do most of my grocery shopping there and love to just browse up and down the aisles ---- Dried monmorency cherries Spices (cheap and good) Balsamic vinegar EVOO Grapeseed oil TJ Barbecue sauce Organic ketchup Artichoke hearts Joe-Joe's (TJ's healthier version of Oreos) Dark chocolate covered raisins Graham crackers Cereals-just tried Whole Grain Chocolatey-filled Cereal Bites Moka Java Coffee Semi-sweet chocolate chips ---- Sweet Potato Fries ---- Pound Plus Chocolate Cereals Tuscan Beans (in a can) Papadums (in the snack aisle) Grade B maple syrup usually cheaper than anyone Peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets Flavored pistachios Flax seed tortilla chips cookies shaped like cats, birds, various animals. ---- Candied ginger (yum!) dried fruits of all kinds grape seed oil olive oil - I like the Greek stuff Good price on McCann's Irish Oatmeal 3 buck chuck - my fave is the the rose simmer sauces - various types nice to have on hand for a quick dinner chicken gyoza - frozen - also nice for a quick dinner ---- New Mexico Piñon Coffee ---- ham steak (it's about a pound, from the Niman Ranch, & has excellent flavor frozen biscuits (six to a box stuffed pork chops & chicken breasts. good prices on nuts (cashews, pecans, almonds, peanuts, available, salted, non-salted, light salt, roasted & raw) & dried fruits, too. The lemon loaf is excellent, & good for morning coffee or dessert. They're also known for their wine selections & prices, & prices on selected liquor. ---- nuts blocks of chocolate for dipping organic sugar vanilla roasted red peppers Greek yogurt dried bananas low sodium deli turkey cheeses eggplant hummus Judy's Breadsticks (sunflower seed studded whole wheat bread) mini pita bread (so cute) 21 Seasoning Salute wine coffee beans truffle oil (seasonal) naan maple syrup graham crackers chocolate truffles cheese puffs ---- milk and eggs ---- Their flour tortillas are the closest to home made that I've ever found in a store. ---- I love the Trader Joe's Hummus quartet, and the fresh mozzarella is the cheapest around. ---- Bread Fresh-cut flowers, plants TJs Habanero Lime Salsa, TJs Vegetarian Chili, Cream Cheese, shredded cheese to make dip for Chips/Tortillas Wine -- NOT 2-buck Chuck Milk, Eggs, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Cheese Cereals Frozen: fish filets, Sweet Potato Fries, vegetables, Streudel, fruits and berries TJs Ice Cream -- especially their Mint Chip! Some frozen prepared foods -- as the whim suits me Tejava Ice Tea Lavander Sachet bags, Scrubbers, Dish Soap, shampoo ---- Yea - get all the stuff listed above..... And several cases of 2 Buck Chuck - we like the Merlot, Cab. and Chardonnay the best ---- orange champagne vinegar cheapest crumbled feta and goat cheese around orange cranberry scones mini challah kettle corn popcorn (it is addicting!!!) frozen creamed spinach (however, the calories will kill you! frozen juice bars...i love the mixed fruit ones My one hate is the frozen vege enchilladao ---- Picatta sauce - jar - great for a quick dinner w/ leftover grilled chicken breasts - I add a can of artichoke hearts-serve over angel hair pasta Sweet Potato fries - frozen Wasabi peas Sesame sticks Gorgonzola roasted crackers Roasted Red pepper soup - in a carton - add nothing - just heat. Stuffed Olives - 2 kinds - garlic & blue cheese - jars Marinara sauce - jar Alfredo sauce - jar Sour cream - can't remember the name - Red & wht container - cheap & thick ---- TJ's Gourmet Fried Onion pieces. Ingredients are onions, vegetable oil (canola and palm), wheat flour and salt. ---- Greek yogurt -- not TJ's Greek style, but the real Greek stuff "soft whole wheat bread". Monte Pollino olive oil canned beans beef broth concentrate in little packets Havarti cheese whipping cream that's not ultra-pasteurized triple gingersnaps ---- I looked over many of the fresh beef labels yesteday, and I couldn't find one that didn't say 'natural, no anti-biotics, no hormones, vegetarian diet'. All of them. I could have missed a package, but my impression is all of their beef was 'clean'. I have seen grass fed product on the shelves. ---- White balsamic vinegar TJ fat free Balsamic Vinegarette, Eggplant Garlic Spread, Honey Wheat Pretzel sticks, Sun Dried Tomato Brushetta, Swiss Almond crunch Cookies, TJ Mini Chocolate Chips, Fruit sticks (like roll-ups), Vegetable Fried Rice, Chicken Shu Mai, Ground Buffalo STeak Burgers, Vegetable Egg Rolls, Tri Sampler Goat Cheese, Corn and Chile Tomato-Less Salsa, Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa, All frozen Vegetables, Pumpkin Butter, Red Pepper Spread w/Eggplant & Garlic, Trader Giotto's Spaghetti Lunghi (extra long spaghetti) ---- I like their Salsa Verde, and their Double Roasted Salsa is one of the best jarred salsa's I've had. If you get this, make sure it's the Double Roasted and not the Fire Roasted. Their Chimichurri Rice is fabulous! It's in a bag in the frozen section ---- Dried fruits, nuts spices jarred Indian simmer sauces Plugra butter (cheapest around!) Frozen veggies (green beans are the BEST) Jarred marinated mushrooms (the only ones I can find w/out peppers) pasta varietal rice (wild, brown, jasmine, basmati, etc) oils gluten free products (with flavor, thank you!) seasonal stuff (this year it was Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies) Chocolate covered, peanut butter filled pretzels! ---- Triple Ginger cookie thins (really delish) Cheeses-Port Salut, Compozola,most of their blue cheeses are good, mascarpone Creme Fraiche Spicey hummus capers Dijon mustard Roasted unsalted nuts DH likes Chas Shaw merlot (3$ here) most of their organic dairy products are good ---- Multigrain vegetable lasagna (frozen) Chicken burritos (frozen) Brown basmati rice Parmesan cheese, grated Meyer lemons (in season, the only place I can get them locally) Flaxseed and soy tortilla chips Whole wheat pitas Nutty Chocolate breakfast bars (kids love 'em) Marinara sauce Whole wheat pastas Smoked salmon (fresh) Ak-Mak crackers - Stone ground whole wheat sesame flats Menage a trois sliced sweet peppers (frozen) Marinated tuna or mahi mahi steaks (frozen) Canned beans and tomatoes Fage Greek yogurt Harvest grains blend Orange champagne vinegar Makes a wonderful dressing Sweet & Spicy Pecans - Serve on a salad w/ above dressing and strawberries! ---- GLUTEN FREE chocolate cake! It is yummy and worry free! A special treat for me. They also carry a variety of other products that make life easier -- pizza that doesn't taste like cardboard and GF tortilla (rice flour). ---- frozen Pineapple... Almond Meal... General Tso's sauce... Chamomile/Lavender hand soap. Envirokidz cereal Ketchup. Pad Thai Brown Rice Pasta Italian chopped salad ---- blue cheese, crumbled feta and fresh mozzarella. I love their caponata. Unsweetened vanilla almond breeze (great for low-carbers). I also use their soaps - body - clothes and dishes.

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.

Have to say that the "1000 layer crackers" are so very good! They don't look very fancy but have just the best texture and a grainy/nutty flavor that complements, but doesn't overpower, a good cheese. They are my new favorite cracker. I'm not crazy for pretzels and generally choose other snacks over them, but those chocolate covered, peanut butter filled pretzels are something else. The filling has bits of nut and the chocolate is smooth and fine. The texture and little hint of salt from the pretzel makes it all sing. We didn't end up using the frozen appetizers. DH made a run to his favorite cheese place and got such a nice assortment that with bread, crackers, grapes, sliced pears & apples and nuts we were good to go for the number of people we had. I'll report on how I like them when we try them. Thanks to everyone who keeps posting their favorites. My list of "must try" items is growing!