Mustard!

Yes, Adam, I've been away again, distracted from blogging by my lingering upper respiratory infection and my switch to the night shift. I promise I'm not dead. (I like the night shift, by the way. Unlike most people, I got my life back by working when I'd otherwise be sleeping.)

So the other night when I was stocking the grocery aisle, I screamed with delight when I opened a box and pulled out a short jar with a green lid. The Garlic Aioli Mustard Sauce is back on Trader Joe's shelves. I *heart* mustard, and I was mad as hell at Corporate for axing my two favorites. (No word on the also-departed Sake Wasabi Mustard, which found itself disco'd after getting a great write-up in the New York Times.)

The other guys on the night crew were not impressed at my gushing over the wonder that is the aioli mustard--"crazy white girl"-- but I think I convinced at least one of them to try it.

Other new stuff at TJ's includes a fantastic flourless chocolate cake, perfect for when you have to bring a dessert, or when a friend breaks up with her mate, priced at $6.99. The new Tarte Chocolate d'Amande is larger, but not as purely perfect as the plain chocolate. If I loved almonds, I'd probably like it more.

And then there's the frozen Mac and Cheese. Now, this doesn't sound like a good idea, but it really is. No crossing-guard orange powder to get all over the place when you open the packet, and if you're out of milk, you can still have your mac and cheese. It's not quite up to my homemade, but I use whatever cheese I happen to have, and sometimes that results in greatness. The frozen mac and cheese heats up in the microwave in about five minutes; put some pepper on it and go to town. I'm pretty sure it gives the most satisfaction $3.29 can buy.

Comments

[AdamH]

:) Glad you're back.

I love that aioli! I use it as a meat topping. It goes well with both pork chops and salmon.

Have you tried TJ's mayonnaise? I just opened a jar and it's great. I thought Hellmann's was the shiznit but I'm wrong.

[Amanda]

I use the aioli on sandwiches, and in salad dressings. It also works very nicely in a gravy for spiral-sliced ham, which also has vermouth and thyme. Got the recipe from Cook's Ilustrated. It's my top substitute for Dijon, which I don't like because the heat is unbalanced by any real flavor.

I love TJ's mayo. I think that made my first top ten list. At the price, it's especially good. When I started buying it, I think it was $1.79, but the price has gone up, just like the price of everything else.

[fedward]

Two things:

1) I went to dinner with my parents at a restaurant they've decided they like a lot, and the teenaged waitress pronounced aioli "eh-oh-lye" (primary stress on the first syllable, secondary stress on the third) and I didn't have the heart to correct her.

2) For loyal eyeroll.net readers who otherwise are out of the communications loop, Amanda's back in the hospital with a failure of her transplanted pancreas. Considering the circumstances, she sounded pretty upbeat when I talked to her.