Found something new to us at TJ's

[clifffaith]

Picked these "pizzas" up at Trader Joe's this week. They are both excellent. Today I moved the baking rack up a notch higher and that made 13 minutes just perfect (yesterday's 13 minutes left it a bit cool in the center, although the crust looked perfect). They make a great light meal for two (although I would have loved a third piece, but had to make due with a brownie sundae)! Just watch, now they will discontinue them!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Yes - we have had those on occassion.

I miss going to TJs since we're not venturing into stores. Will probably be the first go to after DW feels comfortable having one of venture out of the house.

 

[Panina]

Picked these "pizzas" up at Trader Joe's this week. They are both excellent. Today I moved the baking rack up a notch higher and that made 13 minutes just perfect (yesterday's 13 minutes left it a bit cool in the center, although the crust looked perfect). They make a great light meal for two (although I would have love a third piece, but had to make due with a brownie sundae)! Just watch, now they will discontinue them!View attachment 19304

They were in TJ many years ago before I realized I could not eat gluten. I believe the label had a different name. I remember the onion and gruyere one was the best. I remember because it was one of the foods I was saddened I could no longer have.

 

[VacationForever]

They were in TJ many years ago before I realized I could not eat gluten. I believe the label had a different name. I remember the onion and gruyere one was the best. I remember because it was one of the foods I was saddened I could no longer have.

Have you ordered from Cali'flour? We just ordered 6 frozen pizzas - all vegetarian variety, 24 packs of flatbread orginal and with jalapeno. They are being shipped to us next week. We have bought their cauliflower pizza crust in the past. They were not great but when we needed low carb gluten-free pizza they were it.

Low-Carb Cauliflower-Based Comfort Foods

Cali’flour Foods’ always low-carb, keto-friendly entrees, pizzas, crusts and flatbreads make switching your favorite foods for healthier alternatives easy.

www.califlourfoods.com

 

[Panina]

Have you ordered from Cali'flour? We just ordered 6 frozen pizzas - all vegetarian variety, 24 packs of flatbread orginal and with jalapeno. They are being shipped to us next week. We have bought their cauliflower pizza crust in the past. They were not great but when we needed low carb gluten-free pizza they were it.

Low-Carb Cauliflower-Based Comfort Foods

Cali’flour Foods’ always low-carb, keto-friendly entrees, pizzas, crusts and flatbreads make switching your favorite foods for healthier alternatives easy.

www.califlourfoods.com

No, haven’t tried it. If I am having pizza I want dough. I actually make pizza using gf domata pizza crust mix. I make it very thin and it is the best I have found. My other half loves it too.

https://www.domataglutenfree.com/products/glutenn-free-pizza-crust-mix-4-lbs

The best ready made frozen gluten free I like is the Digiorno thin but not as good as the Domata I make.

 

[VacationForever]

No, haven’t tried it. If I am having pizza I want dough. I actually make pizza using gf domata pizza crust mix. I make it very thin and it is the best I have found. My other half loves it too.

https://www.domataglutenfree.com/products/glutenn-free-pizza-crust-mix-4-lbs

The best ready made frozen gluten free I like is the Digiorno thin but not as good as the Domata I make.

My husband being a diabetic cannot go with dough made with grains because of the carb content. We love thin crust too. I will check out the website.

 

[Panina]

My husband being a diabetic cannot go with dough made with grains because of the carb content. We love think crust too. I will check out the website.

Maybe you can mix cauliflower into the mix to bring down the carbs or it can be a treat just for you.

 

[VacationForever]

Maybe you can mix cauliflower into the mix to bring down the carbs or it can be a treat just for you.

Possibly as a treat for me. I do cook very low carb meals at home and then I snack on stuff with carbs either after a meal or in-between meals because I need more carbs.

 

[Wyominguy]

TJ’s has pizza dough in a bag and you can buy a container of pizza sauce nearby. Both are located near the cheese area. Some stores even have a cauliflower and garlic flavored version in addition to plain. We love this and then add our own ingredients. This is something we make at home and at every timeshare. We even have a couple of cheap pizza pans we take in our luggage just for this purpose.

 

[SteelerGal]

I miss going to TJ.

 

[klpca]

TJ's pizza dough, pesto, marinated mozzarella balls cut in half, and mushrooms. Bake, let cool for 5 min then top with arugula. Fabulous!

 

[melissy123]

We don’t have a TJ’s close to us, but may have to make a trip there in the future to get their chili onion crunch. You could put that on shoe leather and it would taste good. A friend got us a jar and now we’re addicted.

 

[VacationForever]

We don’t have a TJ’s close to us, but may have to make a trip there in the future to get their chili onion crunch. You could put that on shoe leather and it would taste good. A friend got us a jar and now we’re addicted.

I have never known about it and I will certainly get some when we no longer SIP and head out to TJ. I love everything spicy.

 

[jlp879]

I have been loving those TJ's Alsatian tarts for years. I feel like I have been buying them for 20 years or more. They are an absolute staple in my house. My favorite is the ham and cheese one. A classic. I have tried to make my own tart similar to this one for years, but TJs does the job so well I no longer bother trying.

For me, they are a light dinner with a salad. For my teenagers, two of them are an afternoon snack! They are much better than any of the frozen pizzas they sell. Believe me, I have tried them all!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The TJ's things that I'm missing most:

• Gyozu. Theirs is wonderful. A lunch staple for me years has been chicken flavor ramen noodles, with two or three chicken gyozu added to the mix, along with a good dollop of Sriracha sauce. Just before we sheltered in I scored a couple of cases of ramen at Costco. But I don't have my gyozu to add to it. So the ramen just existentially sits there in the back of the pantry, waiting for gyozu, but gyozu never comes.
• BBQ pork buns. Their pork buns are wonderful - almost identical from the ones I bought from street vendors when I worked in downtown Berkeley. But you have to ignore the preparation instructions, and put them in a steamer. Do not microwave pork buns - they need to be steamed.
• Oyster crackers. TJ's oyster crackers are the best I've found, and there is a huge gap between them and everything else I've had, including almost any restaurant that touts their chowdah. I usually buy five or six of them at a time, and did load up shortly before we isolated, but we're down to our last half box.
• Seafood blend. Marvelous mix of shrimp, scallops, calamari. A comfort food for us is pasta with seafood blend and alfredo sauce. Or with pesto instead of alfredo. Or in seafood tacos. Or seafood enchiladas with salsa verde. Sigh ..... The only thing to be careful of with seafood blend is that they don't all cook at the same rate if you have them in a skillet.
• Bolognese sauce. Another wonderful pasta option. And leftovers to die for. I make enough pasta for two meals for two of us (almost any pasta will do, but I like farfarele or ffusilli) with ground beef or ground sausage. Generally about half a jar is adequate for the first meal. But when you put the leftovers in the refrigerator, the pasta begins soaking up the sauce, so the next day it comes out needing sauce. So I add the rest of the jar, before it goes in the refrigerator or the next day during reheat. Soooooo good the second day. There's something about their Bolognese that just hits me better as compared with marinara.
• The cheese selection ...............
• The salsa selection ...............
• Red chili and pork tamales from the refrigerated section. For a long time I bought their frozen tamales, which are quite decent. Then I discovered the tamales in the refrigerated section. OMG!!! I get a couple of packages. I put about four in the refrigerator, then the rest are packaged in fours in ZipLoc bags and go in the freezer. I put them in the steamer (the same one I use for the pork buns). Put whatever sauce you would like on the top - I like TJs red enchilada
• The fun of just going in to TJs, going up and down the aisle, and grabbing things that you would like to try. I try to be disciplined when I go to TJ's. I make a list of the theings I'm going to buy, and keep the total bill below $50. And then as I course the aisles, I start thinking, "Do we have enough Bolognese? Are we OK on marinated artichokes? That frozen dim sum looks great! Etc., etc." Next thing I know, I'm signing a receipt for something well north of $100.

 

[Passepartout]

Yes - we have had those on occassion.

I miss going to TJs since we're not venturing into stores. Will probably be the first go to after DW feels comfortable having one of venture out of the house.

So Steve, get up a little early. Mask/hat/glove up. Get to TJs as they're opening and freshly stocked and before the mob arrives. Make a targeted strike, and head home with the spoils. Maybe go alone. Unload, wipe down, then shower, change clothes. Celebrate!

Jim

 

[clifffaith]

So Steve, get up a little early. Mask/hat/glove up. Get to TJs as they're opening and freshly stocked and before the mob arrives. Make a targeted strike, and head home with the spoils. Maybe go alone. Unload, wipe down, then shower, change clothes. Celebrate!

Jim

Several weeks ago we went for the "senior hour" --tough getting anywhere early for us, but separate line for seniors and we were second in line. Last week's trip, at 2ish, involved 20+minutes standing in line to get in, then almost 15 minutes standing in one line snaking through the store to get up to the registers. There was a guy at the back of the line with a sign on a staff that said "back of the line", and then a gal up front directing people to registers. Organized, but much worse shopping experience than regular grocery stores have been lately. Our next trip (with "pizza tarts" at the top of my list and many of the other goodies others have recommended) we'll drag ourselves out early. I also bought frozen cioppino, and something else frozen and new to me, so should plan those for dinner soon to see if I want to buy more.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Rick loves the cookies at TJ's. He especially misses the one that tastes like the Girl Scouts' Samoas. He bought a bunch when we were in CA and packed into the suitcase. We would have to drive like 20 miles to get them here in CO.

 

[lockewong]

Picked these "pizzas" up at Trader Joe's this week. They are both excellent. Today I moved the baking rack up a notch higher and that made 13 minutes just perfect (yesterday's 13 minutes left it a bit cool in the center, although the crust looked perfect). They make a great light meal for two (although I would have loved a third piece, but had to make due with a brownie sundae)! Just watch, now they will discontinue them!View attachment 19304

My son loves the Tarte D'Alsace. Every time I find them, I have to grab two because the teenager eats one all by himself. I put them on a pizza stone so they get crisp. Really tasty. We have had it for a while in the Bay Area TJ's and it always sells out.

 

[clifffaith]

Tonight we had pulled pork from TJ's refrigerated section. Excellent! Had bought it on our early morning trip several weeks ago. We'd never had it before, and knowing we'd be cooking more we gave it a try. It claimed to have three servings in the package, but I knew I had small buns and large buns, so I used the small buns and we have leftovers for tomorrow. Served them with a half a bag of TJ's sweet potato fries -- great meal.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

So Steve, get up a little early. Mask/hat/glove up. Get to TJs as they're opening and freshly stocked and before the mob arrives. Make a targeted strike, and head home with the spoils. Maybe go alone. Unload, wipe down, then shower, change clothes. Celebrate!

Jim

A couple of weeks I had to do some field work at a client facility. I finished much earlier than anticipated, and the route back took me right past a TJs. So I decided to drive by and take a look. There wasn't any line, and I could see a guy out front disinfecting carts. Since I already had my mask and other protective gear, (e..g, safety glasses with side shields and fresh nitrile gloves), I want in.

$250 later I emerged, having restocked on all kinds of items.

It was quite a pleasant experience - so different from the last time I ventured into our local Safeway. A completely different vibe. People were being respectful and keeping distances. The store was clean. At least 80% of the people were wearing masks. It was a joy to wander the aisles.

By the time I exited a line had formed outside the door - about 20 people waiting for a turn to enter.

So this morning I did the senior citizen hour at the local TJs in Bellevue. Equally if not more pleasant. So for awhile, TJs is probably going to be our primary grocery store. So much more pleasant and convenient than doing the Safeway on-line order and curbside pick-up routine.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Tonight we had pulled pork from TJ's refrigerated section. Excellent! Had bought it on our early morning trip several weeks ago. We'd never had it before, and knowing we'd be cooking more we gave it a try. It claimed to have three servings in the package, but I knew I had small buns and large buns, so I used the small buns and we have leftovers for tomorrow. Served them with a half a bag of TJ's sweet potato fries -- great meal.

A simple way to make great pulled pork is to just put some large pork cuts in a crock pot, along with some abodo sauce, and let it cook overnight. Keep it going until the pork reaches your desired texture.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

Picked these "pizzas" up at Trader Joe's this week. They are both excellent. Today I moved the baking rack up a notch higher and that made 13 minutes just perfect (yesterday's 13 minutes left it a bit cool in the center, although the crust looked perfect). They make a great light meal for two (although I would have loved a third piece, but had to make due with a brownie sundae)! Just watch, now they will discontinue them!View attachment 19304

I wanted to let you know that I picked up the ham onion and cheese pizza last weekend and that’s what I’m having for lunch tomorrow

 

[Passepartout]

We are in the 'Big City' condo this weekend, and decided to make a quick 'targeted ' stop at TJ's. They recently opened a 2nd store here, which took a lot of pressure off the original one. People were masked. The floor was marked off for spacing. There was ample parking for a change. I am seeing it as our primary market here instead of the large Albertson's flagship store.

Sadly it was a spur of the moment stop so I hadn't made a list or pre-read this thread for TUG recommendations. We got out for under $50 so it was hardly a major provisioning. But, hey, we can go back later with more preparation. Win-win!

Cookie batter ice cream for dessert! We ordered take-out Mediterranean for dinner anyway.

Jim

 

[tshd]

Just watch, now they will discontinue them.

Ha Ha, you too!! Been boycotting TJs for a bit because of this annoying trend. So hard to find something yummy only to find it's been "TDC" and then never comes back again. :^(