Know Joe’s

Caroline and I lived together in 2013-2014 while we taught at the same school. Caroline always had her Trader Joe’s stash, and I made fun of my “bougie” sister. Was she too good for a regular grocery store? Why would she go there when she’d inevitably have to go to another store? I didn’t get it. We had a bit of a Nick and Schmidt situation happening for that year. I’ll let you decide who was who.

My name is Kat, and I was wrong. It’s a magical place full of all the snacks you didn’t know you needed. Last March when it was officially announced that the world was ending, I went to Trader Joe’s.

I listen to the podcast “List It” with Jesse Carey, and he and his guest rank things in pop culture. So Caroline and I are taking a page from Jesse Carey’s book and are ranking our favorite TJ’s products.

Kat
Judge away, but I LOVE this yogurt and buy it every time I go in.

Kat
Confession time: that year that Caroline and I lived together and I chastised her for going to Trader Joe’s, I’d sneak eat these chips any time I was in the kitchen. I probably owe her like at least five bags.

Kat
These little seasonal delights are all the good things in the world in one cookie.

Kat
I’m going with another seasonal favorite. I always over buy and currently have an unopened container in my bathroom cabinet.

Kat
I almost always have a container of the dark chocolate peanut butter cups in my kitchen. They are perfect. They cannot be improved upon. Please note little Claire bear clutching them in her slumber.

Caroline
Yes, Kat did make fun of me and acted like I was Ina Garten heading off to purchase $100 wedges of gouda. She soon learned to eat her words…and her quinoa chips.

I’ve mentioned my love of this store before, and I’ll mention it again. It makes me happy. When I can go shop there alone, I’m basically on cloud nine, and that cloud is filled with cashiers that ring bells with gusto. Here’s my top 5. I know you’re dying to know.

This tastes homemade and will make all other store bought jams and jellies taste like fruity garbage. It’s a delight.

I don’t drink coffee, so this is my morning beverage. I will always have bottles of this stored away. I used to always have a bottle of this on my desk at school, and every single year, I’d have multiple students ask if I was drinking wine…

I couldn’t decide between these two, so they are both my #3. If you’ve never had the Unexpected Cheddar, give it a go. It’s the love child of cheddar and parmesan. A few bites of that with an apple make a lovely snack. And goat cheese in slice form? Mr. Trader Joe was obviously reading my diary.

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I echo everything Kat said.

I talked about these basically wrote a love song on our blog last summer. They are only in stores during the hot months, and it makes July a more tolerable month for me. There. Is. No. Better. Chip. Around. They are divine. I love chips. It’s my weakness. I can’t buy them because I would eat them, but I put all dignity aside for these. If they ever stop making them, then call me Taylor Swift because I’ll be writing the saddest breakup song there ever was. Go buy 47 bags this summer and hoard them like I do.

What’s your favorite item from TJs? What else should we add to our red carts?