Tapenizza: A new taste sensation

Last winter, I brought Trader Joe’s killer tapenade to a party. The jar was emptied in about 15 minutes. It was that delicious.

Dazed in an appetizer stupor, little minced olives danced in my head until somehow they found their way tapping across a field of dough and an idea was born. What if you had a whole pizza topped with tapenade?

How would it taste? Unbelievably delicious.

What would you call it? Tapenizza.

And a few months later, topped with a little Parmesan, voila …

A Tapenizza is born: Warm and ready to devour.

It was just like I imagined, after combining the key ingredients:

Tapenizza’s tasty trio.

Thank you for fulfilling my dream, Trader Joe’s.

And thank you for visiting Things I Love at Trader Joe’s!

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you tried the tapenade? What did you think?

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Related Links:

How to pronounce tapenade

Kalamata olive recipe (AllRecipes)

Tapenade with figs recipe (Saveur)

Delicious, demi-sized and unexpected from Trader Joe’s

Things happen for a reason, right? A series of fortunate events proved that point.

Last weekend included a series of impromptu gatherings, one of those rare occasions where open schedule meets spur-of-the-moment invitation. The subject of this post came together on Sunday.

In the morning, a friend called pleading me to help her out that night with an overabundance of ham-and-bean soup.  I was happy to be of assistance.

Shortly after that call, another friend texted to join her for lunch and a TJ’s shopping trip. Loyal friend that I am, I obliged.

Then, while at TJ’s, there was a special mid-store temporary tasting station by the cheese section, sampling a new dairy item: Unexpected Cheddar Cheese.

In the words of Monty Python: No one expects the Parmesan cheese!

What’s unexpected is the Parmesan cheese that laces the cheddar. SO delicious!

Then I walked a few steps and saw the cutest demi-baguette of olive bread ever:

Cutest little olive bread ever!

Everything came together at that moment! The cheese and bread would be my contribution to the soup dinner. And, voila, I made that happen with Trader Joe’s help.

Thanks so much, Trader Joe’s!

And thank you so much for visiting Things I Love at Trader Joe’s! If you love cheese, bread and olives, you have GOT to try these! Let us know what you think when you do.

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Related Links:

Nutrition info – olive demi-baguette

Nutrition info – Unexpected cheddar cheese

Spicy pumpkin grits with bacon and cheddar

Trader Giotto’s: How to make frozen vegetable lasagne good

With lasagne, it’s all about the cheese and the sauce. Additional fillings are a bonus, but if the cheese is too bulky or thin and the sauce is too spicy or bland, you’re sunk. In Goldie Lock’s terms, TJ’s Garden Vegetable Lasagne is just right.

Trader Joe’s Garden Vegetable Lasagne

This is another in my line up of hot-meal/cool-kitchen food. In 100-degree Midwestern heat, microwaving has reached mantra levels this summer. It’s a little heavy to make a staple right now, but I’ll definitely be considering this lasagne one of my cold weather go-to dinners. Bonus points for all the organic ingredients, too.

Gracie, Trader Giotto’s!

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Related Links:

Nutrition information

D.C. Girl in Pearls review

WebMD’s Best Tasting Vegetarian Foods