Trader Joe's

I love all the unique products and interesting food finds at Trader Joe's. My wish is that there was one closer to the house. I make treks every few weeks to three different locations depending on the day and what other errands I have to run. The location on Eastern in Henderson is the newest, largest and nicest. I hit the one on Decatur most often, it's older and parking is always tight. My least favorite store is on Washington, it's the closest to Summerlin, it's always crowded. The parking lot is a cluster, the store itself is worse with traffic jams in every aisle, the store is small and items are often sold out - talk about underestimating the market. However, the goodies are worth the hassle. Everytime I go I find something new. I took my mom for her first visit yesterday, she wasn't too enthused. She didn't appreciate the variety. She's very basic - meat and potatoes are her thing. She doesn't step outside her comfort zone much. Still, I always encourage her to try new things.

My fun finds yesterday were dark chocolate chipotle covered hazelnuts and sweet potato chips. The nuts were very good, I love how the heat sneaks up after the slightly sweet bite. I haven't dug into the chips yet, but I enjoy sweet potato fries; I imagine chips should be tasty, too.

Here's a list of tried and true items, most have become staples in our house:

Prosecco
Contadino Pinot Grigio
Riesling – name escapes me
Carta Nevada Brut

Produce: asparagus, broccolini, squash, zucchini, brussels sprouts, apples, onions, lemons, green peppers…

Fire roasted corn

Cinnamon raisin bread
Sourdough bread

Flattened bananas
Dried pineapple rings

Honey sesame cashews
Pistachios – lightly salted - all varieties
Pecan – unsalted - all varieties
Walnuts – all varieties
Hazelnuts – all varieties
Macadamia nuts – unsalted
Peanuts – lightly salted and honey roasted
Lemon and Tabasco almonds
Hot and sweet mixed nuts – pecan, cashew and pistachio
Marcona almonds with rosemary

Jalapeno cheese baked crunchies
Macadamia toffee popcorn clusters

Dark chocolate covered mixed nuts
Dark chocolate covered macadamia nuts
Dark chocolate covered raisins

Peruvian whole coffee beans
El Savador whole coffee beans