WINNERS IN THIS WEEK'S TRADER JOE'S TASTE TEST

In this week's Trader Joe's taste test, we review the NEW items that hit the shelves including battered crispy calamari, Norwegian sourdough rye chips, oven-dried red and yellow bell pepper crisps, slow roasted tomatoes, caramelized onion and bell pepper turkey patties, basil and garlic Monterey Jack sliced cheese and a Maison Barboulot rosé wine!
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[@Kimbobutterfly]

Katie, don’t throw out the bell peppers. Give them a good pulse in your food processor and add them to bread crumbs and it makes great flavor without the weird texture. You can use the breadcrumbs for fried green tomatoes or slice mozzarella and make homemade fried cheese and the peppers once pulsed give great flavor. You can take the fried tomatoes and add them to a grilled cheese using your new basil garlic slices with fresh spinach for a great sandwich.

[@candifeinberg3222]

Marinara is what is served with calamari😊

[@TheTerakitty]

I use lemon 🍋 as well

[@juanita_rocksteady2761]

My calamari was always served with a garlic aoli.

[@brt7721]

I usually eat it with chili sauce!

[@franweller1]

Marinara is my absolute favorite with calamari!

[@juliewood4501]

I love calamari. You're right: a squeeze of lemon makes all the difference. I've had it with different sauces...marinara, garlic aioli, and Thai chili...and it's delicious with each one. Enjoy!

[@suzannehamilton129]

I absolutely 💯 % love Urban Cowboy 🤠...I could watch that over and over again...love the B acting and the music...just love it 😀 ❤️

[@barbarasteinfeld1790]

I used pieces of the red and yellow pepper crisps as a salad topper. They added taste and crunch and were really enjoyable.

[@derekdurst9984]

Marinara is normal with Calamari! Hit it with a squirt of lemon first!

[@noragarcia6409]

So nice that you share with your neighbors. Nothing going to waste.

[@lorichambo7256]

I bet one of those rye crisps, a piece of that basil garlic cheese, and one of those fire roasted tomatoes... YUM. Thanks for the reviews. Lori

[@bobbiadams-lloyd1888]

Lemon aioli is the best with calamari. If you like garlic, add that. I’ve been known to use tarter sauce also.

[@mariahabercro]

Cocktail sauce goes good with calamari . It’s easy to make at home, ketchup, lemon juice, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. It’s great with fried shrimp or any fried seafood. Tartar sauce would be good too.

[@zeideerskine3462]

Just blitz up the dried peppers and add the powder to soups, sauces, or hummus.

[@marygrott8095]

I agree, especially since they liked the flavor!

[@l.chelseegobin7853]

Exactly! ❤

[@rosemarykochmar2656]

Classic movie favorites are Houseboat and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Others would be Under a Tuscan Sun., Sleepless in Seattle. I could go on and on. Love movies!

[@sheilasandoval2343]

Those are all good ones!

[@nancyt659]

Under the Tuscan Sun is my favorite movie. I've seen it at least 30 times.

[@booklover555]

One of my favorite family movies is “Rudy”. It’s a true story and very inspirational. A follow your dreams no matter what life lesson.

[@user-gc9gq7hk9c]

The Big Chill hands down… soundtrack is awesome

[@bdazzlefromage]

Ooh hard to pick a favorite movie... a few favorites would be the sound of music, mean girls, titanic, legally blonde, la la land, Harry Potter series, lord of the rings series, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some!

[@candyknutson4539]

Sound of Music, for sure

[@karenm449]

My Cousin Vinny and Best In Show. Being dog lover’s we bought the movie, but couldn’t sit down to watch the whole thing, we just couldn’t do it. We finally watched the movie through one time and keep watching years later. Turned out to be one of our favorites. Thanks for sharing your TJ’s hauls, we aren’t close to one and get overwhelmed when we do get a chance to go to one on what to buy and try.

[@zebraattastiic]

Fresh parm sprinkled on calamari, served with marinara and lemon to squeeze on top

[@kolbywilliams9302]

I’ve never tried the fresh parm but yes lemon squeeze is good. But the best calamari is going to be fresh not frozen

[@cayrab1]

😂 the music when you're feeding Tim the tomato lol so funny!

[@KatieHespe]

😂

[@leighims]

Movies I love: Notting Hill, Yesterday, That Thing You Do, The Dream Team, Groundhog Day, Erin Brockovich, Last Christmas

[@Kimunicator]

Erin Brokovich. Great one! “Oh you want my number? Which number do you want….”

[@aimeeparrott9204]

Another fun taste test! It's hard to pick just one favorite movie, but the one I've watched the most is The Princess Bride. It holds a special place in my heart and it's what I turn to when I need comfort.

[@phyll67]

I can watch that movie over and over also!

[@connie6410]

That was my choice too!

[@candyknutson4539]

Great movie

[@TheTerakitty]

Marinara and a squeeze of lemon for the Calamari!!!

[@kirstenskog7809]

Hi! Going to Trader Joe's Monday. Looking for those roasted tomatoes and cheese. That will be delicious on toasted sourdough.

[@Kimunicator]

A few favorites are Almost Famous (based on Cameron Crow’s life; he’s the writer/director) The King’s Speech Sex Drive (comedy) Wedding Crashers Bride Wars Goosebumps series (New) Cruella (New) New Spider-Man movies (2022/23) I love the comic book style animation

[@candyknutson4539]

Love Almost Famous

[@audramettler4471]

The original The Color Purple, it still moves me after watching probably 50 times 😊. I also love Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, and Notting Hill. All top notch!

[@christinamagri2248]

If you haven’t seen any of the Wes Andersons movies start there. The Grand Budapest Hotel is my favorite movie!

[@umasubbiah9635]

Some of my favorites include Arrival which is one of the best sci if movies I have ever seen, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Atonement, Rear Window, All About Eve, The Godfather series, Seven, etc

[@radtech71]

Love Father of the Bride 1 and 2 for comfort movies. And all horror movies, too!!!

[@sheilasandoval2343]

Favorite film is "One flew over the cuckoo nest"

[@candyknutson4539]

I love the original Father of the Bride and the sequel Fathers little dividend

[@radtech71]

@@candyknutson4539 I've never seen it, but it was on the other night so I recorded it!! I will watch it this weekend!

[@dmledger6974]

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies AND 5th Element!!! 🚕 tfs the taste test & rose' . Katie & Tim never disappoint! I hope your neck gets better Katie!❤

[@user-vc5wx9fj8c]

Try serving the calamari on angel hair pasta with a tomato pasta sauce. Simple sauce made with canned 24 oz San Marino tomatoes + 1 stick butter and 1 sweet onion , salt and pepper. Yummy!

[@sheilasandoval2343]

Mmm good!

[@TheTerakitty]

Breakfast at Tiffany’s ❤❤

[@debcollingwood3153]

I make my own taziki to go with calamari, just grate a cucumber squeeze the water out add 1/4 cup Mayo and yogurt sprinkle of cumin, salt pepper lemon and crushed garlic very delicious with calamari. Great job as always, you two!

[@irener1111]

My fav movie is the original Mary Poppins. It holds so many great memories for me.

[@candyknutson4539]

Loved that movie as a child, had the album and learned all the songs on the piano

[@rosemarykochmar2656]

The sweet chili sauce is great to dip calamari in.

[@franweller1]

I’m going to try that although I normally use it for Asian dishes

[@vickim5339]

Favorite movie? I love the classic "Charade" with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. It's got mystery, suspense, and romance. I can't even imagine how many times I've watched it.

[@SFMeredith]

That is a such a great movie!!

[@debbuller1492]

Anything with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn i love the old movies

[@janere5427]

Definitely marinara with the calamari.

[@penneywoods1812]

I have never seen either movie- will look those up. My fav movie is Guys and Dolls with Marlon Brando. Grab that cheese & tomatoes and make a pizza for a movie night 😊 One trick for turkey burgers I use is to cook them with Worcestershire sauce. It does something to flavor and everyone loves them.

[@terryulmer969]

All of the Guardians of the Galaxy, especially the the opening scene where baby Groot dances and both Mama Mia.

[@stephanieschmidt3987]

I would dip the calamari in a garlic aioli

[@MsSpike5]

That build up to trying the bell pepper snack....I just wanted to scream "Just try it!!!" Too funny! I have a tie when it comes to favorite movies...The English Patient and American Beauty. When I want a "good" cry...Terms of Endearment.

[@franweller1]

Both good movies

[@sheilasandoval2343]

Love "Terms... & the performances, writing everything about it, not so much "The English Patient " I'm more with Elaine in Seinfeld regarding it but more are in agreeance with you so maybe ill give it another shot. It's been years

[@cjdouglass1339]

“Knights Tale” with Heath ledger, 🍿 🎥 One of my many favorite movies of all time!

[@susanmolnar9606]

Great tasting. My all time favorite movie is The Great Escape. It has action, funny parts and the best cast you would want in a movie.

[@eyesee1509]

Fried calamari goes really well with cocktail sauce

[@Novemberbaby333]

I forgot my all time favorite is The Way We Were. Also Aldi has a block cheese (not in with the regular block cheeses) but is Aged White Cheddar. Sooo good. Think you would like. I so enjoy & appreciate all of your vlogs.

[@candyknutson4539]

Love the Way We Were

[@barbaraforbes1836]

Not a fan of the calamari. Bought two packages🙁 but our local restaurant makes it lightly battered with lightly battered jalapeños so it’s hard to beat how good they are. I could have over-cooked and over-crowded ours in the air fryer so I may try less time and more space between them or use the convection oven. We have a small Trader Joes so we don’t have the variety of items you have. We tried the shrimp scampi, which needed extra lemon juice and garlic for our tastes, but when I went to buy another bag they were out. Most of the adult beverages you try are not carried in our store. We are IPA fans and love wine. Love that you feature these beverages. 🙂

[@bethneedel2674]

Rye crisps would be good with corned beef and cabbage dip.

[@SFMeredith]

I love so many movies and have a hard time choosing a favorite (many mentioned already in the comments), but Tim’s pick made me say “that WAS a great movie!” out loud, so now I’m going to go try and find it to watch again! 😀

[@leahweitzman8290]

My favorite is the coca-cola kid with Eric Robert’s

[@lucillecarnevaletourville8014]

I love the calamari air fried and on top of my salad in place of croutons.

[@spiritedreviewexc]

im a 90s girlie so i love Clueless. I got to see the cast of Clueless talk and it was just so reliving my childhood. oh also Pretty In Pink I enjoyed at some point down the road too.

[@phyll67]

My favorite movie since I was 10 yrs old in 1976 Is Rocky, love the cast and the scenes in Philadelphia

[@kimmachette5024]

2 favorite movies here, both oldies 😉 The Lost Boys and Stand By Me. Clearly I was a teenager in the 80’s 🤣

[@KatieHespe]

Lost Boys is one of my top favs too! I’ve seen that movie more times than I can count.

[@candyknutson4539]

Stand by Me.Great movie and soundtrack

[@aimeeyork6319]

Hmmm... My favorite movie is Frankie and Johnny with Michelle Pfeiffer (love her!🩷!) I also love Celeste and Jesse Forever (hilarious) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower - so so SO good. Oh! And Doris Day😍 Love her spunk love her hair and covet her wardrobe🌷🎉

[@candyknutson4539]

Please don't eat the Daisy's with Doris Day and David Niven ❤

[@Lisa-Tahiti]

The peppers are one of my favorite new items. I cannot wait to purchase more. My favorite movie is “Charlie Chan at treasure Island”. It is a very old movie.

[@RWCLtd3]

My favorite movies are Ghost and Dirty Dancing. Surprisingly, not because Patrick Swayze is in both - although he does give me the shivers. I lost my dad when I was very young, and Ghost made me believe for a minute that I can get him back. Dirty Dancing is my childhood going to the Borscht Belt resorts in the Poconos, although not that dramatic most of the time. Ah...memories.

[@candyknutson4539]

I love both of those and Roadhouse

[@jordanvincent5476]

One of my favorites is Madagascar

[@kobeeight8244]

Just picked up the turkey patties this morning, looking forward to eating them today. I appreciate Tim’s review as I usually don’t like turkey burgers either BUT I do like caramelized onions. Thanks for the video and great tips! Have a great weekend UPDATE….. we just had the turkey burgers. They were absolutely delicious. I’m so glad I bought them.

[@beaglenglund]

My favorite movie is Annie Hall, which resonated with that time in my life.

[@robvla]

I like the sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe’s as a dipping sauce.

[@KatieHespe]

Great idea!

[@pamwilkinson366]

You and Tim are my husband and I but switched when it comes to movies. My husband LOVES 5th Element and do not! I happened to pick up the sourdough rye chips this week and decided to try them while I was watching your taste test video and I loved them too. I’m going to get another bag to have on hand when I do charcuterie boards. I have the cheese and tomatoes on my next Trader Joe’s list. Thanks for all you do! Love your videos!

[@susanyencer1320]

One of my favorite movie is Big fat Greek wedding. And Bridemaids. So funny.

[@kristinmarie331]

Tim could try mixing some Sriracha and mayo for a slightly spicy calamari dip. My favourite movies....Jaws, top gun(both now), Twister. I could watch them over and over again. I recently have enjoyed Its Complicated and have watched a few times when it has been on.

[@candyknutson4539]

Love both Top Guns and the music in both

[@PattisPurse]

Being on the East Coast we LOVE calamari :) .. great video - fav movie, A Few Good Men! with tom cruise & jack nicholson

[@trisha3338]

Yes, calamari is mostly served with a marinara. We love it with an aioli sauce, which is a mayo/garlic sauce. Some restaurants will serve it with an aioli sauce of their own. We love calamari so I certainly hope our T.J.'s carries it! We moved from O.C., Calif. to Boise, Idaho and lots of times they say that the California stores get a lot of items that we never get 😒or we get them later.

[@kimmurray9905]

Marinara is traditionally paired with calamari!

[@user-hg2iu3tx8r]

Raiders of the Lost Ark. I never caught my breath for the first 15 minutes!! Never saw that movie coming. There were no vcrs or dvds in those days. My movie gang went to the theater to see it 14 times before it disappeared that fall. I saved up for the first vcr but you still couldn’t buy many titles. Then right before Christmas one of my friends showed up with a pirate copy for my present. My parents were sure we were going to be raided by the FBI. The day the title was released my Dad bought me one and traded me the pirate copy for new release. So obsessed I collected movie memorabilia for years. But what fun I had that summer!!! My favorite was a sexy shot of Harrison Ford on a huge movie poster. Was on my bedroom wall for years until my husband asked if he could move it to the hallway outside bedroom!!! LOL

[@carmelcornr1715]

Great taste test, thank you! My movies are The Sound of Music and Moonstruck!

[@trisha3338]

I shop at Trader Joe's every week and I quickly bought the calamari as we love it. We do not own an air fryer, so I roasted them in the oven, which was the second way to cook these. I cooked them exactly as stated on the package, but they almost all came out chewy. Anyone else have this experience?

[@theowlscage705]

Forest Gump is one of my top movies.

[@carylcastro1304]

I liked the pepper crisps but understand what you mean about the texture. Also there are very few yellow peppers

[@laurettaberger442]

I’m going to try those roasted tomatoes….yum! Hard to pick one favorite movie but I will say I love all of Quentin Tarantino’s movies!! 😁

[@jolenemudra4971]

I grew up eating calamari with warm marinara sauce. Also, mozzarella sticks are good with marinara sauce as well.

[@JulyMoon82]

That calamari and the garlic basil cheese looks delicious. Calamari is typically served with a side of marinara and a few wedges of lemon, which pair very nicely together. But for those who don't care for marinara, a squeeze of lemon on Calamari is also very good just by itself. By the way, just trying to be helpful, but Maison is pronounced "maze-on" not "may-son". Thanks for reviewing that wine, I have a friend visiting and wanted to get some wine for us to sip on. By the way, have you ever tried the Honey Moon wine at Trader Joe's? I was looking at the Viognier and wasn't sure if it would be any good. Could you maybe include that in one of your future taste tests?

[@arthrodea]

They turkey burgers have no added salt.... just the onion, peppers and turkey meat. I thought they tastes lousy until I realized that and salted them after cooking. I feel like they need more seasoning mixed into the meat because I didn't like them very much, but I'm going to try to doctor them up a bit.

[@KatieHespe]

Thank you for mentioning this. I don’t think Tim even realized. I’ll let him know to add salt for better flavor.

[@suzannehamilton129]

Fra Diavlo sauce is great for fried calamari! It is a little spicy though!

[@karencristobal4999]

Now not for the dried ones but I have started peeling my peppers. It sounds like a lot but I promise it’s quick n easy and really elevates the dish.

[@wbee6381]

I think the problem with the peppers is that you are conceiving them as “chips” to snack on out of the bag rather than as an ingredient. They might be good with a dip or as a crunchy topping on a salad. If ground into a powder then it could be used to flavor food in recipes like a spice.

[@KatieHespe]

I agree with you but that is how Trader Joe’s is marketing them, “as a snack”. It says on the bag to just eat them straight out of the bag 🤢

[@wbee6381]

@@KatieHespe 100%! They are limiting their own product with a lack of imagination!

[@samrose9912]

Sound of music and beauty and the beast❤

[@candyknutson4539]

The Sound of Music is spectacular

[@rosemarykochmar2656]

Best International film (Italian) -Life Is Beautiful. It is emotional, moving, and will break your heart at the same time.

[@jolenemudra4971]

I like a lot of old movies because I'm OLD! hahaha But some of my favorite movies are The Gay Divorcee (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers), Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Little Big Man, The Big Chill, all of the Disney movies and LaLa Land.

[@kellypeers1]

Yes to marinara but my fave w calamari is hot honey!

[@annemunoz4407]

I don’t think I could pick a favorite movie, but the ones I’ve seen most are probably Clueless and Devil Wears Prada

[@yvettewhite828]

I love the footloose movie with Kevin bacon . Good feel good movie . Pulp fiction is a great one . Great question .

[@sonjacroft3016]

I love The Proposal, and The Soy. Also, dry rose is my go to. Upstate NY has some great ones! Hoping I can find this one at our wine store as our TJ’s doesn’t carry wine. 😢

[@robingriffith4615]

Use the dried pepper in soup or stir fry to use up

[@debbuller1492]

I went to TJ on Sunday and was told the banana pudding ice cream is gone for the year. I really wanted to try it

[@LisaM-mi5su]

Some of my favorite movies, way too many to list lol. The Lost Boys, Constantine, Die Hard all the Marvel movies too. My kids and I love the underrated family movie Rise of the Guardians too.

[@lisadeleo2830]

Yes, Marinara is what is usually served with Calamari!

[@BakunaMatada]

My favorite movie is Disney’s Enchanted ❤ Great taste test guys - I too love the rye crisps! I wish we could get the wine here in NY but sadly we can’t - Katie we need more vegetarian content - as a fellow veggie I’d love more cook with me or dinner and lunch ideas 😃

[@catmama54]

I love calamari and I haven’t had it since I moved to North Carolina cause there’s no Italian restaurants here. But good to know that if I get to Trader Joe’s, I’m gonna pick this up with a nice marinara sauce and a little lemon. I love it. I think one of the greatest scary movies is an old one and it is the original the fog. I can’t watch that living alone now without my husband. It’s still terrifies me. I think it’s one of the best scary movies.

[@SallyLanger-rd6ew]

I love a small movie with Justin Timberlake (of all people…who knew?) called Palmer, came out several years ago. And for a classic we love the Homeward Bound or Cocoon

[@KatieHespe]

Love Cocoon!

[@candyknutson4539]

Love Homeward Bound

[@lynnduke8700]

I like cocktail sauce with fried calamari and shrimp

[@TheJennie1202]

Slow roasted tomatoes & basil cheese sounds delicious! A try for me!

[@sfviris5582]

Favorite movies (oldies): #1 Moulin Rouge #2 Moon Struck

[@KatieHespe]

Ugh Moulin Rouge is a tear jerker. Absolutely love that movie. The Elton John’s “Your Song” in that movie became Tim and my song and was the song we danced to at our wedding all because of this movie ❤️

[@user-wm6iy4op9y]

Great taste test. Marinara is the classic for going with calamari.

[@MO_que31]

Singing in the rain, Spirited Away, Romeo + Juliet (1996), Steel Magnolias, Princess Bride, Love Rosie, A Werewolf Boy (KDrama), Eat Pray Love, The Greatest Showman and Moulin Rouge.

[@erinuber2881]

Hi Katie and Tim! I was surprised about the dried red peppers. I think dogs can eat red peppers. They might work as a dog treat! As for the new basil garlic cheese slices, I wonder if they would be good with a grilled vegetable panini sandwich? I really good Italian restaurant near me used to have a wonderful vegetable panini with grilled planks of zucchini and eggplant, along with grilled onion, mushrooms, tomatoes. I loved this sandwich! I bet it would be fun to try something like that with this cheese melted on top. Thanks for your great videos, and enjoy the weekend! PS. My favorite movie is "It's a Wonderful Life." Always and forever.

[@elizabethw.454]

Some dip ideas for calamari - marinara, spicy mayo, or sweet Thai chili sauce 😊

[@adoptingjoseph]

I love calimari. Serve with marinara or the sweet chili sauce that TJ's sells.

[@theresaduffy8222]

Or aioli

[@patriciaelms5340]

Calamari with lemon on a baguette - my favorite Spanish bocadillo!!