Category Archives: Good Eats

An Ode to my boyfriend, Joe.

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Trader Joe’s. A magical place, to say the least.

There are so many things to like about TJ’s. For the majority of their items (not fresh produce), they are budget-friendly. I have a hard time spending more than $20 every shopping trip and that usually includes some wine and maybe some meat. Their employees are THE FRIENDLIEST (I say this as an extreme introvert), most helpful, and usually silly people. Also, food/juice/coffee samples, need I say more?

Growing up in West Michigan, Trader Joe’s was but a dream to me. The closest one was 2ish hours away in a part of the state I never frequented. It wasn’t until I started visiting St. Louis during our dating years that I ever got to venture inside one. I was overwhelmed and underprepared for what TJ’s had in store for me and my future as a grocery shopper.

Since securing my first full-time job and moving to the Lou, I’ve been lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s right on my way home. At this point, I stop in two or three times a week and do the bulk of my grocery shopping there. We’ve tried tons of their TJ brand goodies and have our favorites that are staples in our house.

  1. Hummus ($2)

Their hummus is hard to beat. The price and flavor options are incredible. My favorite is the roasted garlic, but also like the red pepper.

  1. Pita Chips ($2)

Little known fact about some of TJ’s goodies: many of their own label foods are actually name-brand but repackaged. The chips are one of those products. These are Stacy’s Pita Chips sold for half the price and the same quality and flavor options.

  1. Salsa Autentica ($2, are you sensing a trend??)

You know the salsa you get served on the table at a real Mexican restaurant? This comes pretty damn close to that. This classic salsa tastes fresh (surprising for a jar) and has a good amount of heat.

  1. Coconut Milk (99c)

In 2014, I’ve really gotten into making my own curry. This main ingredient costs twice as much at the regular grocery store and tastes just as good.

  1. Various oils ($4-$6ish)

TJ’s olive and coconut oils are fantastic. I’m not an oil snob, so it’s not hard to impress me, but I have read many fantastic things about how TJ’s organic coconut oil is cheaper than most and same quality.

  1. Tea ($2)

My absolute favorite tea, Candy Candy Green Tea (basically delicious minty-vanilla-holiday happiness), comes from here. They also offer many herb and black varieties. Everything I’ve tried is good. Full disclosure: I am not a tea snob that knows much about teas.

  1. Gluten-free offerings ($2+)

While I personally am not gluten-free, I have two loved ones who are. I sympathize with them when they grocery shop and have to pay double the price for most pastas/bread/whatever. TJ’s is great for GF shoppers. They carry flour, pancake mix, brownie mix, pastas, bread, crackers, what-have-you, all at affordable prices. They’re all decent quality (there are some high-quality GF products out there that blow these out of the water, but cost 3x the price), and definitely worth a try if you or someone you care about is GF. A lot of their GF products are also dairy- and soy-free, which is super great, because a lot of times those food allergies go hand-in-hand.

  1. Spices ($2)

Again, I’m not picky or a world-renowned chef, but their bottled spices are hard to beat. The same quality and less expensive than their name-brand counterparts.

  1. Pizza Dough ($1.19)

Jon and I have been into making cast iron skillet pizzas lately. With one dough ball from TJ’s, we can make two personal pizzas. Easy, cheap, and better for you than take-out! They have garlic herb, white, and whole wheat varieties.

 

There you have it. My favorite Trader Joe’s offerings. I would, however, be remiss if I didn’t also mention the items that we just don’t care for. The list is short.

  1. We have tried their various tortilla styles a few different types and just don’t care for it. Also, these are more expensive than the main grocery store.
  2. Ground beef. We’ve tried it several times in tacos and stuffed peppers and something is just off.
  3. Fresh Produce. While it’ll do if you’re there and don’t want to make another stop (guilty!), the prices aren’t great and they aren’t the freshest. Stick with their frozen or bagged veggies (their organic spinach is only $2!).

Honorable Mentions:

Cookie Butter
Dog Treats (no artificial fillers!)
2-buck chuck (the cab sauv isn’t half bad for the price)
TJ’s brand beer
Various crackers
Tortilla chips
Chocolate bars
Peppermint Joe-Joes

The Great Becker Chili

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I love to cook. More than that, I love to cook food that my husband adores. There are 3 things that will always elicit a squeal of delight from him while eating: pizza, french onion soup, and chili. Specifically, this chili.

This chili is unlike any I’ve ever had. Before making this for the first time, I’d never had chili that used stew beef instead of ground beef, and I must say, it was a surprising delight. It becomes super tender the longer you cook it, and as time goes on, it keeps softening in your leftovers. Also, bacon and chorizo. Need I say more? The bacon adds a smoky, salty, tender bite, and the chorizo (at least the chorizo I use) gets creamy when cooked, not crumbly like sausage or ground beef, so it thickens things up nicely. Aaaand, now I will conclude my paragraph about different types of meat. Meeeaaaaaattttt.

The ingredient list looks scary and complicated, but for the most part, it’s things you probably have in your kitchen. Lots of spices. Standard veggies. Classic chili toppings of cheese and sour cream. Don’t get frightened off.

Here we go.

Start  by chopping up your stew beef. I got a little over 2 lbs and cut it into baby-appropriate sized pieces (don’t feed it to your baby, though. Raw meat is bad. Don’t tell my dog though.) and cooked it through over whatever temperature you feel like. It doesn’t matter. Drain and dump into your large stockpot. Do the same with your chorizo. I used beef chorizo this time. It doesn’t matter (in my opinion. I’m not a chorizo know-it-all).

beef and chorizo

Then I my veggies. The best part of chili is that you can kind of use whatever you want, so pick whatever veggies you like most. I went classic with peppers and onions and garlic and celery, but you could get seasonal and use some squash and root veggies if you wanted.

onion chopper

In the meantime, fry your bacon. Mmmmmm, bacon. Then save the grease. Sorry, I failed to mention that this recipe is not heart healthy. Just soul healthy.

grease

Because you’re gonna dump ALL YOUR VEGGIES INTO THE GREASE. Muaaahahahahahaah. This is the key to happiness in the Becker household. Bacon, or things fried in grease. Please take care of us when we are 60 and suffering from heart disease. We love you!

veggies in grease

Now the easy part comes. Dump the veggies into the pot, and then empty all the cans and the beer in after them. Look appetizing yet? No is the right answer. Also, about now is the time that you should be finished drinking your two beers. If you feel like you need another, go ahead. After all, it is [insert whatever day or time is currently is].

chili no seasonings

Then throw in the seasonings.

chili seasonings

And then cook on low for 2.5-3 hours. Stir and taste occasionally because you will go crazy if you don’t.

lunches4daze

Bonus: lunches for dayzzzzzzzzz. 10 containers of magical meaty meals.

Eat up, bitches.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds ground beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces (feel free to substitute with ground chuck beef)
1 pound chorizo
2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans in either medium or hot sauce
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Hatch green chile pepper
4 slices fried bacon plus the grease
4 cubes beef bouillon
3 beers (1 for the chili, 2 for consuming immediately yourself)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 bag Fritos or oyster crackers
1 package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 container sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the diced beef and chorizo until the beef is cooked through. Move to the stock pot
2.
Cook the bacon until crispy in the large pan. Crumble into the beef mixture, and keep the grease. Add the chopped peppers, onion, garlic and celery to the grease and sauté until soft.
3.
In the stock pot, add in the veggie mixture, chili beans, tomatoes and paste, bouillon cubes, and beer. Stir to combine. Next, add the spices: chili powder, oregano and basil, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, salt and pepper, hot sauce, paprika, cinnamon and sugar. Stir it well, cover and simmer on low for at least 2.5 hours.
4.
Give it a taste! Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately with the cheese/sour cream/crackers, or wait until the next day. The longer the flavors meld, the tastier it gets!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I ended up eating cookies for dinner. C’est la vie.