What a wonderful day indeed! Having met three of the four of you, I can attest that you all got on fabulously and had a lot to talk about! The closest Penzey's to me is about an hour, so I usually drive 7 hours and go to the one in Oak Park IL! Go figure... Love TJ's and Whole Foods, too but again, they're along way from my home in the "boonies". But they are opening a new TJ's this coming summer/fall only 1/2 mile from my work, so I see lots of paychecks being spent there in the near future! Glad you all could get together, and really glad you get to enjoy some sunshine. Not sure when I'll see the sun again around here! LOL Linda

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.

Yesterday I finally made it up to Trader Joe's. I went armed with a list compiled from the huge thread here of TJ favorites. Of the five or six "must haves" on my list, they were out of three---Rosemary ham, cooked lentils and scallion pancakes. I did get a tarte d'alsace for DH, organic tomato and roasted red pepper soup, and orange champagne vinegar from my list. I also purchased chicken and apple sausages, which we will have for dinner tonight with pasta, various crackers and other items. I forgot my cold food carrier so I bought one of their zippered, insulated totes which I will definitely use a lot for other purposes. When the checker asked why I was buying it and I told her I lived pretty far away and had never been there before, I became an instant celebrity. She rang a bell, welcomed me to the store, gave me a beachy patterned carryall for my groceries, a bag of plantain chips which she said was her favorite TJ snack, and a bouquet of flowers! We've tried the plantain chips and have sampled the roast beef, olive and fig crackers, some other kind of round pale yellow seasoned cracker., hummus and various other foods. They were all good except for the "organic vine ripened tomatoes," which were as hard as rocks, mealy, and did not taste anything like a tomato, and the plantain chips, which taste like I imagine chicken feed would taste. We've yet to try most of the things I bought, but except from the lovely warm welcome I was underwhelmed by the experience. On the up side, I now feel a bit less like I am missing out on a great culinary treasure trove living so far from civilization and I see that nothing can touch the home grown produce I am so lucky to be able to buy from pickup trucks that park around the courthouse on Saturdays. If anything we've bought proves a must have for me I will enlist my daughter to pick it up and bring it down, but I won't be making any more special trips.

This list is so odd. I shop at TJ's almost every week and I buy or like very few of the items on this list! I would be darned if I had to stand in line for 30 min to check out. Since TJ's began in the L.A. area, we have a goodly number of stores. Parking still stinks in most locations, however there are alternative stores and times to shop. Cathy, I'm thrilled that you don't have to drive all the way to Atlanta to find those fun food items!. Good way to make lemonade out of lemons! In addition to some of their produce ( the Kumatos are great!), their pricing on items like Lactaid milk and all dairy products is also very good. We buy cheeses (DH loves their Quatro Fromaggio blend and I use plenty the grated parmesan/romano cheese blend), the dairy products and some juices are definite winners. My grands like Hold the Cones and DH really likes their edamame hummus and their new pomegranate walnut hummus type dip. I buy their green Lindsay olives, marinated and unmarinated artichoke hearts, fresh bruschetta and 3 of their vinegar's. The white balsamic, the small square jar red balsamic and their delicious orange vinegar! Orchids and flowers are definite faves. My dad loved the same ginger thins, but DH prefers the dark chocolate lace cookies. I'm sad that the lost their supplier for meringues. I also discovered a new seltzer drink -- Spindrift Seltzer in grapefruit or raspberry-lime. They are delightful change from the usual sparkling water with lemon or lime. I could go on, but most of the items I like and buy are NOT on that list!