#2464 thankful: Trader Joe's!

You know I love me some Trader Joe's. I decided to go there today because, well, I love it, and also because I saw a list of 53 Thanksgiving items on Buzzfeed so I had to get some of them. Here's a quick rundown of what I got from the list.

47 - Roasted Potatoes with Peppers and Onions - these are a staple at my house. We had them for dinner, with eggs, tonight. Lizzie says the potatoes are too soft for her, but I love them.

21 - Mini Brie en Croute - looking forward to trying these. I don't know that it will be on Thanksgiving, since it really doesn't fit in with our menu plan, but sometime in the next week these appetizers will be eaten.

15 - Mac & Cheese - this is another staple. T loves it and eats it coated in sriracha.  I prefer to splash some Marie Sharp's hot sauce on it, but either was is awesome.

5 - Cornbread Bites with Pepper Jack Cheese and Serrano Chile Peppers - I haven't had these before and like the brie (21), I am eager to give these a try.

1 - Scallopini Potatoes - we haven't had this before and I think they will be delicious. We won't have them on Thursday, but sometime soon.

Going back through the list, I see a couple of items I missed:

20 - Herbaceous Cheesy Bites - how did I miss this? Hopefully these little fellers will be around for a bit longer. I think I would like them a lot.

2 - Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese - I can tell you that this is delicious. I have a box in my freezer and would have been glad to add another box or two to the stash, but my TJ's was sold out of this product.

I did get myself a pecan pie for dessert on Thursday. My dad always made pecan pies from scratch and they were incredible. I have had mixed results when I've made the pie. The TJ's version is good and I'm happy to have it. My guys and I have different ideas about good desserts. They like ice cream. I don't. I like pecan pie. They don't. I'll pick them up an ice cream cake on Monday probably, and I've got my pie and we'll all be happy.

While I was there, I picked up a wreath for my door and a couple of Kringles - one for now and one that I freeze in portion-controlled packets. I don't think I got anything else that was new to me. I did go with a list of about half a dozen items, but I left with three bags of groceries and a sizable receipt. That place has a spell on me!

I am so glad we have Trader Joe's stores here in Salt Lake. I am joyful every time I go there, even when I have to wait it a long line to get in and it's cold, as happened today. I leave feeling happy, and I don't know if I can say that about shopping at my regular grocery store.