Good morning from rainy but very green New York City! I’m up to my eyeballs in a couple different creative projects that I’m really enjoying—and per my last post, being finally unstuck is basically the best feeling in the world.
I know most of the country is in their last days and last weeks of school, but we have SIX MORE WEEKS. Yikes! This morning when my alarm went off, I definitely had that make-it-stop-I-can’t-wait-for-summer feeling.
Speaking of summer—or at least my favorite place to be in the summer—we’re going to Michigan this weekend and I absolutely can’t wait for some sunset-watching, farmstand-wandering, and lots of time with cousins and grandparents.
We’re celebrating the release of Jonathan’s lovely children’s book tonight, and I did what I always do: I figured I probably have something to wear, didn’t give it any thought for weeks…and then yesterday realized, no, I definitely do not have the right thing to wear. I spent the afternoon striking out at store after store until finally I found a dress I really love—phew! It will surprise no one that it is, in fact, blue and white striped, like basically every single thing I own…I’m nothing if not consistent :)
Okay, yes, on to the topic at hand—you didn’t think I could stop at only TEN favorites from Trader Joe’s, did you?
Also, for what it’s worth, here’s why I write about things like groceries: because I have conversations all the time with people who want to cook and host and gather, but they feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the food part of it—what should I buy? How much? What goes with what? What if I’m not a great cook? What if I don’t have the time or the skills for hours of food prep?
There are sooooo many parts of my daily life that I’m not particularly great at—you’ll never find me giving a how-to-deep-clean-your-bathroom tutorial or a get-ready-with-me makeup thing. I’ll never offer you my expertise on running a small business (I’m an absolute disaster!) or how to parallel park. I can’t hang a gallery wall to save my life.
But I really love all the different parts of feeding, hosting and gathering, especially doing it in a way that feels doable in a normal, full life. If I can help someone learn just a few new skills or find a couple things they can pop into their cart that make hosting and gathering a little easier, that means a lot to me. That feels useful to me.
So here you go—ten more things we love and pick up every time we got to Trader Joe’s:
And if you missed it, here are the original ten favorites…
1. Hash Browns
These, like the chicken sausages in the first post, are an absolutely mainstay in our house. Perfect for a lazy Saturday morning, also perfect for breakfast for dinner, which is another mainstay in our house. I do make diner-style breakfast potatoes sometimes, and also roasted steak wedges, but here’s the truth: these little hashbrown patties are better than all of them: perfectly crispy, especially with an over-easy egg on it, extra points for a crumble of goat cheese or feta and a few shakes of hot sauce.
2. Flank Steak
Flank steak is my favorite cut of steak to prepare at home—lean, economical, simple to prepare. I try to marinate if I remember, but it’s still delicious just with salt and pepper. Best on the grill, but also good on the stove in a cast iron skillet or under the broiler. Slice thinly (against the grain!) for tacos or with roasted broccoli and rice and a little soy sauce.
3. Frozen Roasted Corn
I especially like having a bag of these on hand for esquites or warm Mexican street corn dip in a skillet—there’s a char on the corn kernels already, so they’re the perfect thing if buying/shucking/roasting fresh ears of corn isn’t going to fit into the schedule.
4. Squishers
File under: any way to get a little more fruit into my kids’ mouths. Pro-tip: put them in the freezer.
5. Thai Vegetable Gyoza
Okay: same file but vegetable version—these are a pretty great way to get our kids to eat some vegetables. Usually I pan-fry then steam them for a couple minutes and serve them with soy sauce, but sometimes I throw them in a soup with lots of ginger, garlic, onions, peppers and carrots.
6. Salt & Pepper Pistachios
Pistachios are both a snack and an activity, and people are always happy to have a fiddly little activity on the table. These have the perfect amount of spice—perfect for last-minute guests, with beer or cocktails.
7. Sri Lankan Mango Chutney
My dependence on mango chutney is…significant. I love it, and it’s the key ingredient in my go-to chutney cheeseball, and also the secret sauce (literally!) in the little hot ham and cheddar buns that are in very heavy rotation at happy hour around here. I always, always have a jar of this in the fridge—and an extra in the cupboard just in case. If you’re really in a rush, put a block of cream cheese on a little saucer, cover it with mango chutney, serve with Triscuits—perfect!
8. Strawberry Bars
Henry has loved these since he was little, and he still goes straight for them in the snack drawer after school—a classic.
9. Dorot Frozen Ginger and Garlic cubes
Of course, fresh will always taste best, but for most purposes, these are a great replacement, and I always, always make sure we have them. Perfect in a curry or a soup.
10. ABC Bars
Somehow these are new to me, and I am into them. Leave to my friend Brannon, who has been one step ahead of me for decades, to introduce a me to a new favorite when she was visiting last month. She handed me one of these from her purse (solid mom move!) when we were waiting in a long line (a long line to hear Meryl Streep in conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda! Best night ever!), and now they have a permanent spot on the list.