And the promise of "double lemon" was especially exciting. Next time you're baking for someone with or without dietary restrictions, try making a batch of this lemon cake. Here's what the research says about this nutritious and versatile type of food. In the morning, fold it into a baguette shape, let it rise for another hour . "I'm serving it cold, but you know what? All you need is 5 ingredientsaside from pantry staples like salt, pepper and oilto make one of these delicious meals. This cake mix was so" Both she and Matt called out citrus options, like TJs key lime cookies, as good freezer bets. Like it or not, dozens of Trader Joe's food and recipe hacks have been dominating various social media platforms in recent months, which is why a recent episode of the Inside Trader Joe's podcast is all about tricks and hacks that TJ's employees love. Per another employee in Minnesota, simply sprinkling some of the seasoning on vanilla ice cream yields a dessert with an interesting and delicious flavor profile. Hack on a hack: For an easy release of the popsicle from the cup, poke a small hole in the bottom of the container. Coating raw chicken in anything crunchy and salty is always a recipe for success. The cake had a lovely soft texture and a nice, sturdy crumb that made it very easy to slice. Turn ready-to-bake pizza dough into outrageously good garlic knots. Cold Front. After you try it once, you won't be able to enjoy a sandwich without it. The result is a surprising fusion that the hosts couldn't get enough of. Combine 1 cups brown sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon in another small bowl. All Rights Reserved. Grab a six-pack of yogurt cups and some craft sticks (aka popsicle sticks, typically found at craft stores) and, as Tara explains, just stick one into each of the yogurt cups and put em in the freezer overnight. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. You can find everything you need in such an efficient manner! Sprinkle the Green Goddess seasoning on sour cream, and chill it for at least a half hour in the fridge. Its great because its quick (and tasty!) #lemon #meyerlemon #blueberry #traderjoes #lynnapproved #bake #baking". Frozen Yogurt Pops. Duncan Hines is one of the most accessible and reliable brands for cake mix as long as you don't include their lemon cake. Its not super spicy, but it does have a kick, she adds. With that being said, you could serve this cake at a kid's birthday party and not get any complaints. Lemon Basil Cake Ingredients. Trader Joe's has a solid track record with its boxed cake mixes. Here are 15 awesome tricks to take your favorite Trader Joe's foods to the next level. To create this sweet treat, which is the brainchild of a Trader Joe's employee in New Jersey, all you need is a package of TJ's Crescent Rolls and some powdered sugar. You don't get hit with an overwhelming sweetness and you can actually taste the butter. Dont forget toshare your thoughtsby going to the user review at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below. Just about any kind of melty, gooey cheese would be phenomenal, says Matt. It makes the absolute best spicy mayo. In fact, it doesn't have much of a taste at all. To freeze it thoroughly, pop it in the freezer overnight and simply eat it by the spoonful when you're in the mood for a chocolatey dessert. Trader Joe's has such a calm environment, and everything is so organized. If you want to take it a step further, add some chopped veggies like tomato and cucumber plus a drizzle of olive oil and lemon. From a textural standpoint, it's one of the better options on this list. While the dampness of the tenders should be enough to get the coating to stick, you could always use an egg or a little buttermilk brine to get your tenders in frying shape. The end result is light, moist, and fluffy, and that's where the positives end. History and food are a source of empowerment to change the narrative regarding nutrition and health across the African diaspora. The cake mix is naturally gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free, all while using ingredients you can pronounce. Ambitious Kitchen / Via ambitiouskitchen.com. Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joesfor asearchablelist. [Cook one in a skillet to] crisp up a little bit on both sides," and use as a taco shell or tortilla swap. All it takes is four-ish ingredients: pizza dough, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted salted butter, and an optional but recommended teaspoon of vanilla extract. Related: 7 Trader Joe's Ingredients You'll Want to Put on "Just About Anything," According to Employees. They listed off a wide range of favorite hacks and products in the half-hour episode including the age-old trick of wetting store-bought bread before baking to get a crispy crust and . Heat up Trader Joe's frozen Mandarin orange chicken, but leave out the sauce. Thats it. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess, and can bring a brightness to an otherwise plain cake. Your email address will not be published. They aren't available year-round sadly. She flips her Ghost Pepper Potato Chips bag upside down and opens it from the bottom. 1 Package Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake & Baking Mix (requires 2 eggs, 1 stick melted butter or 1/2 cup oil, and 1 cup cold milk) Zest of 2 lemons . This final trick helps prevent that mess that can occur when the oil separates in a jar of natural peanut butter. It's not dense in a good way, like a pound cake would be. In the mood for waffles instead of pancakes? Your email address will not be published. This next pizza hack comes from Chris at store 619 in Ashburn, Virginia. after your first sip of "healthy Coke," there's no denying that the internet can't stop buzzing over the bubbly TikTok trend. 1. He heats it in the oven at 450F directly on the rack for a few minutes to create a shatteringly crusty crust with a still-tender, soft crumb inside. Trader Joes sells truckloads of instant coffee, according to Tara, and what she loves is that people are using [it] for things that are not [a cup of] coffee. She recommends adding it to a chocolate cake orchocolate chip cookie batter, or anywhere you want to amplify the flavor of chocolate. Offers may be subject to change without notice. In a greased brownie pan, drop in a few cookie dough pucks from a package of Trader Joe's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, then pour the brownie batter over the cookies and bake using the instructions on the box. When the chicken and rice are ready, combine them in the skillet with the sauce from the chicken, then build burritos using large flour tortillas. 2023 EatingWell.com is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. Samantha is the senior food editor at RealSimple and previously launched the US Weekly food vertical, where she wrote about the intersection of food and pop culture. Taste Value Worthy of Repurchasing Pros Trader Joe's Meyer Lemon Cake Mix with Lemon Icing is a very well done seasonal cake mix variety. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. I'm an avid home baker, but I can't help but stock up on this cake mix every year. Ditch the Mandarin orange chicken sauce, and do this instead. Keep reading for some employee-approved Trader Joe's food and recipe hacks you're going to want to try tonight, if not sooner! Mara is the Groceries Editor at Kitchn. Boston Trader Joe's employee Meredith swears by popping a tub of chocolate hummus into the freezer for a sweet treat whenever you need it. Yes you can. Follow the baking instructions, then cut the baked cake in half horizontally. Ben, a crew member in New Jersey, turns crescent rolls into makeshift beignets. Combine Artichoke Jalapeo Dip, half a jar of corn and chile salsa, and Elote seasoning to taste for a perfect spicy, savory, and sweet party dip. Food is fresh and delicious, and I was even inspired to cook more and create new recipes . Pit a peach in seconds, transform grain salads with a simple step, keep leftover cake from drying out with a single sheet of parchment paper a good hack never gets old. Melt a stick of butter in a small bowl. She's fascinated with how we eat and what it says about our society. And now, they've brought us Trader Joe's Blood Orange Cake Mix. Then, pour the brownie batter on top and you've got an easy brookie! They don't seem to be ideal for squeezing over say seafood because as they taste like a mix of lemon and a mandarin orange. The word "chantilly" sounds bougie, but it's really just rich person speak for sweetened whipped cream.This delicious vanilla bean cake is topped with fluffy cream and is the perfect size for that small dinner party you've been trying to have since 2019. . You'll spend about 5-10 minutes in actually getting this ready, but most of the time will be spent either baking or cooling this. I'm gonna try this cooked because I've never cooked it. In the latest episode of the Inside Trader Joes podcast, they spoke with several employees about their favorite product hacks and even shared a few of their own. Why? Do you have a Trader Joes grocery hack? Turn TJ's Butternut Squash Soup into the best miso noodle soup ever Degree of difficulty (0-10): 5 How it works: TJ's butternut squash soup may be a healthy fix, but it can get to be a real bore. Add Trader Joes tzatziki to Trader Joes middle eastern bread (or pita), lettuce, and thinly sliced red onion and tomatoes. While youre at it, youll want to make room in your fridge, too. 3. Add 2 cups of berries over the top, and then sprinkle sugar over the berries. This hack is apparently also great if you're in need of a strawberry shortcake shortcut. category. (It should be just damp on the outside, not soaking wet, he advises.) This hack may be a little more complicated, but you'll get a complete dinner out of it. Price: $3.29 3.5 Summary Trader Joe's Meyer Lemon Cake Mix is a seasonal favorite on store shelves. All you need is 5 ingredientsaside from pantry staples like salt, pepper and oilto make one of these delicious meals. Here youll find the delicious and approachable recipes that I develop for my clients, and just for you! The dry mix contains dried lemon and orange peels, as well as powdered lemon juice. Just like they monitor sales trends to determine what deserves a precious spot on their curated shelves and do market research to try to predict the latest food trends to test at their tasting panels, Trader Joe's higher-ups apparently keep a keen eye on listener statistics for their branded podcast. and air fry them until crispy for a droolworthy, two-ingredient party app. Co-hosts Tara Miller, marketing director, and Matt Sloan, vice president of marketing, dished about their own hackswhich Sloan defines as "solutions or workarounds or in this case, Trader Joe's product hacks"then tapped fans and fellow employees to pack 25 minutes full of tricks. Over medium-high heat, cook the cauliflower rice in a skillet until it's piping hot and fragrantour hosts suggest using a high heat to get more of the moisture out of the cauliflower so you get a better texture, but be wary of burning your rice. Turn TJ's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies and dark chocolate frozen "Gone Bananas" into the most delicious mini ice cream sandwiches. Its great because the trick is to leave out an ingredient (and also because doing so results in a vanilla version of a brownie, says Tara.) If you're nervous about adding sour cream to your cake, don't be. Layer one half with a "big glob" of raspberry jam, peach jam or lemon curd, then use a spatula or knife to spread the jam evenly on top, edge to edge. According to an employee in Minnesota, if you prepare the cake by following the package instructions but you omit the milk, you're left with a denser, chewy cake that "feels like a vanilla brownie," per Miller. If you are looking for the fruit then you'll see them appear mostly from November to January. The first: If you want to make great brookies, combine them with the grocer's Brownie Truffle Baking Mix. Pan-fry, air-fry or bake on a wire-rack-topped baking sheet until the chicken is cooked through. Orange Creamsicle Baked Oatmeal. Heat up Trader Joe's frozen Mandarin orange chicken, but leave out the sauce. Lets take a look! Tara said using them straight from the fridge is super refreshing and extraordinary and a nice little refreshment in the middle of the day. The limit of TJs freezer cases does not exist. Rather than enjoy it as a dip, use Island Salsa to marinate anything from chicken to fish (like mahi mahi) for a main dish with some Hawaiian flare. For a lighter, more unexpected option, toss together four ingredients: Organic Broccoli Slaw, lightly salted peanuts, raisins and spicy peanut vinaigrette. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Tara thinks this hack is really, really cool. (Pun intended?) Matt has also heard of people using chilled-but-not-frozen chocolate hummus to frost cupcakes or cakes. For such a high price, this cake tastes worse than your standard supermarket offerings. The flax seeds sprinkled throughout add a strange texture without contributing any flavor. Jenny, the creator of the hack, spreads a layer of jam in between the cake layers she suggests raspberry, peach, or a mix of raspberry jam and lemon curd before covering the cake with whipped cream. When Meredith, in the Boston office, wants a frozen dessert, she grabs the tub of chocolate hummus from the freezer and just eats it out of the tub with a spoon like its a carton of ice cream. Strawberry Negroni with Strawberry-Infused Campari. These are a fruit that is a hybrid between two citruses: lemons and mandarin oranges. This next dessert hack comes from Cynthia at store 715 in Woodbury, Minnesota. Set your air fryer to whatever temperature is listed for the oven instructions, and assume you can reduce the cooking time by about 25%. In Lieu of Pizza. Best of all, there are minimal ingredients required to make this. Dont put that pan away just yet. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! If you havent had TJs Mandarin Orange Chicken in burrito form, youre going to want to hear what James from store 460 in Tulsa, Oklahoma has to say. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. For this sweet and spicy hack, you only need two ingredientsTrader Joe's Chile Lime Seasoning Blend and some vanilla ice cream. Grab a container of Trader Joe's Zhoug Sauce, mix it with bread crumbs, and use it as a crust for anything from pork chops to lamb. Try an unstuffed pepper casserole with ground beef, taco casserole, or best of all, grilled cheese and tomato soup casserole. Tara and Matt tried this riff on cola with two different vinegars: the classic balsamic vinegar and a new Agrodolce White Wine Vinegar that recently hit shelves. Product Name: Trader Joe's Meyer Lemon Cake Mix with Lemon Icing. It gets much crispier. So they aren't quite as acidic as most lemons and are best saved for sweet applications. Secondly, we wanted more flavor. (ICYMI, we tried "healthy Coke"here's what we thought.) "It's kind of a treat, but also like a little on the healthier side, maybe." If you want to give this a go with Trader Joe's items, Sloan and Miller agree that this works particularly well with the facial mists and gel moisturizing cream. You simply add the pucks to the bottom of the 9-inch pan before pouring the brownie batter on top. Stir fry. Turn Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough into a French baguette. Not everyone has buttermilk on hand, and the steps are almost as complicated as making a cake from scratch. Weve been conditioned to think that traditional Black food is not nutritious, but that couldnt be further from the truth. That's why we put eight store-bought lemon cake mixes to the test, and ranked them from our least to most favorite.