Trader Joes Product Love – Part Two

If you read my first Trader Joes review, you know how much I love their products. I took a recent trip and bought a whole bunch of great new things.

First up, Chocolatey Cats Cookies.

I love these cute little treats. They are crunchy and have a great chocolate flavor. They remind me of Teddy Grahams, but better! Plus, they’re low fat. Meow!

Next we have the Roasted Gorgonzola Crackers.

If you like Gorgonzola cheese, you will like these crackers. They are teeny tiny, so you will want to eat a million, but be warned, the flavor is quite pungent. To be honest, I don’t love these. I mostly enjoyed them dipped in sour cream spinach dip (which was delicious), but they are too strong for me on their own.

I may not love the crackers, but I adore this next item!

Pretzel Rolls. Soft, chewy, carby pretzel rolls! I fell in love with pretzel rolls when I had a burger served on one at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, MN. These rolls are excellent, but definitely just a treat for me, as they have over 300 calories each. My husband and I made roast beef and cheddar sandwiches on these, and smothered them with this next product.

Yum! This hummus is perfect. It has just the right amount of kick to it, so it made a perfect sandwich spread. It’s also excellent on crackers and raw veggies.

Finally we have Soyaki.

The name says it all for this one. It’s the perfect combination of soy and teriyaki sauces. I’ve used this sauce as a marinade and in stir fry. It’s sweet, savory and a great mix of Asian flavors.

I could go on and on about all the other great TJs products I love, but I won’t. I’ll save that for part three. 😉

Cherry Breeze No-Bake Dessert

I’m back! And I have a super easy no-bake dessert for you lovely folks. Since most of my readers are my family members (Hi, Mom!), y’all already know this recipe, as it has been a family favorite for years. This dessert has shown up at every family holiday celebration since I was a little girl. Made famous by my mom’s Aunt Aida, this dessert is definitely the most requested treat in her arsenal. Aunt Aida and her daughters are known for their rich, interesting and always delicious desserts, so I always assumed Cherry Breeze was an Aida original, but guess what? Go ahead and Google Cherry Breeze. Seriously, go ahead, I’ll wait.

The first result you see is Aunt Aida’s exact recipe! Not such a family secret after all. Oh well, no worries, this is still the best!

I made this Cherry Breeze today for Scott’s dad’s birthday dinner. I introduced Cherry Breeze to my other family, and it has quickly become a family favorite on their side as well! And why shouldn’t it? It’s basically a quick and easy version of cheesecake without the springform pan and hours of work.

Start by beating an eight ounce block of softened cream cheese until light and fluffy. Be sure you take the time to soften your cream cheese, or you WILL have lumps.

 

Next, add in the sweetened condensed milk and beat until well combined. The filling will be really sweet and sticky.

Add in the lemon juice and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Mix on a low speed at first so you don’t splash juice all over the place. Once the filling is ready, it should look like this. Creamy, smooth, no lumps. If you are using a KitchenAid, make sure you scrape the cream cheese that’s stuck to the bottom.

Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Finally, pour the cherry pie filling on top and refrigerate for our hour. This step isn’t necessary, but I prefer the cherries to be cold.

Cherry Breeze
From Aunt Aida

Ingredients

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 9 inch graham cracker pie crust
1 can cherry pie filling

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Pour in sweetened condensed milk and beat until combined.
3. Add lemon juice and vanilla, blend until ingredients are smooth.
4. Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
5. Pour the cherry pie filling on top, using almost the entire can. Chill for one hour.

The filling will firm up a bit, but it will still be a looser, messy-ish pie. Don’t worry about the appearance, it will still be tart, creamy, sweet and delicious!