Pancakes for dinner

I don’t know what made me do it, but I made a large stack of buttermilk pancakes from Trader Joe’s last night and nearly died of bliss.

Get them, make them, eat them.

And just so you know, that beautiful photo of the lovely stack there on the left there isn’t mine, I just stole it from the internet somewhere.  Muahahaha.

Trust me, you wouldn’t want to see mine, they weren’t pretty. Just a delicious disaster of a pile, which is perhaps part of the reason I don’t take pictures of my food.

The other reason is that it doesn’t occur to me.  Food is for eating, no?

Also, I might as well tell you that last time I was there I grabbed one of these bad boys:

I know they aren’t much to look at, but as I just illustrated, it’s the beauty within food that counts.  These were the most flavor- rich tortilla chips I’ve ever tried, you could almost eat them on their own. I had mine with some tomato basil hummus, which I am never without.

Be careful with that stuff though, it’s very easy to go through it in one sitting if you’re not paying attention.  Which really isn’t a problem except that you won’t have any for tomorrow.

Happy Friday!

The Monday Monster

What is so bad about Monday that we consistently dread it like some oncoming disease that will cripple and damage us forever?

Monday. Dun dun DUN .

I have this moment every sunday evening, right around 5 or 6 o’clock, when I realize the weekend that I thought had just started is already about to come to a close, and monday is peering it’s annoying little head around the corner and staring at me, smiling.  I usually stare right back for a while and then cover my head with a nearby blanket and go into a deep seated denial and tell myself it’s Friday.

Take THAT, Monday.

For a person who loves her job, this ridiculous sense of Monday Dread is both unwarranted and comical, because by the next morning I’m as right as rain, more than fine with the fact that it’s the first day of the week, my aforementioned sense of impending doom entirely forgotten.

Until the following sunday, of course.

Monday is an impish little bugger, and you’ve got to be careful with him and his wily ways. He likes to make you think he’s a lot nastier than he is……much like a spider.  Yes, it’s true, mondays are like spiders.  They only really cause you problems if you let them scare you, but usually they’re harmless as long as you don’t panic.

And as long as you remember to check your shoes before putting them on.

The trick with Monday is to show him you’re not scared, look him dead in the eye and say, “Monday, I see you, and I’ll raise you……two espressos”

Ha!

Once you’ve shown him that he hasn’t gotten the better of you, that you’re onto his tricks and that he’s really not all that bad, he’ll leave you alone and pass you along to Tuesday, who, as you know, is quite mellow.

Monday is never the terrible badass he wants you to think he is, as long as you don’t let him get the better of you.  And hey, look, you survived it once again, because guess what? It’s Tuesday my friend 🙂

 

~This message was brought you by a monday survivor~

 

 

The Return of Trader Joe’s

Seeing how long it’s been since I have brought some Trader Joe’s treasures your way, and what an outright tragedy that is, I’ve decided to remedy that today.

I would like to blame the seductive and tantalizing Sprouts that was built on the corner, as it has lured me in with it’s home baked muffins and fresh fruit on the daily. Though I must admit it, it is no TJ’s.  So back to my old stomping grounds we go!

Hatch Fire Roasted & Chopped Chiles

First of all, I’d like to say, there is nothing like true New Mexico hatch chili.  I was brought up on the stuff as a staple ingredient, to the point where we’d actually be looking for something to go with the chili rather than the other way around.  That being said, I found this little gem in the frozen food aisle, and it comes pretty close to the real thing.

Now, the trick with this guy is to slow roast for at least an hour after thawing, preferably one and a half.  You don’t want to skimp on the time. Then just add a bit of seasoning and crushed garlic if it suits you, and you’ve got the most delicious perk to just about any meal.

Honey Butter Potato Chips 

These babies don’t need anything but your fingers to eat them. They seem to have the perfect pairing of sweet to salty, and sort of just melt when you eat them. I suppose I should give some sort of forewarning with these: If you don’t like the taste of butter, you probably won’t enjoy them. My husband took one bite and looked at me like I’d fed him dirt. But who doesn’t like the taste of butter??

Don’t let his non-buttered spirit stop you, go get yours 🙂

Sigh. Moving on.

Cruciferous Crunch Collection 

This may not look like much, but I promise it’s worth picking up a few bags.  I’ve never been a fan of what I call ‘flimsy greens’ or salad, which usually consists of a handful of ice berg lettuce and a few chopped up tomatoes. No, that sounds like turtle food to me.  This stuff is hearty and full of flavor, great cooked up with chicken or fish, or just used as a great salad mix.  (and added perk, no cilantro! High five to my fellow cilantro hating friends)

Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce 

I really don’t know what drew me to this little jar in the first place, but I’d like to believe it was the mustard fairy. This stuff is incredibly tasty, and good on just about anything. It’s like the queen of mustard. Ok, that sounds weird, but just try it. Put it on chicken, in a sandwich, dip for veggies, on a cheeseburger. Yum yum yum yum yum.

Boffo and Quasar Bars

And last but not least, I grabbed one of the boffo’s whilst waiting in line because, well, thats what you do when you’re staring at chocolate bars and it’s 6pm and you’re starving.

Ok I grabbed 3. I think they were only a dollar a piece, don’t judge me.

Until next time my friend, happy Trader Joe-ing!