Cooking with Trader Joe's

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THANKSGIVING SHOPPING LIST
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Trader Joe's is your one stop shop for Thanksgiving.  The trick to
avoiding stress on Thanksgiving is planning a good shopping list in
advance, and taking advantage of great time-saving products at
Trader Joe's.  Here are our favorite Thanksgiving buys -- and it
was tough to keep this list short!  

Turkeys: Turkeys are already here!  Last year, we tried the brined
turkeys and they were juicy and delicious, receiving raves from all
our guests.  The best part is that the turkeys are always fresh,
never frozen.  Look for Trader Joe's All Natural Turkeys and Kosher
Turkeys. If you're keeping Thanksgiving dinner intimate for just a
few guests, consider pre-stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Apple
Stuffing (photo and recipe below).  Vegetarian? Look no further for
Tofurky. 

Turkey Gravy: Trader Joe's all-natural boxed turkey gravy is thick,
rich and savory, and ultra convenient.  Perfect for pouring over
juicy turkey and stuffing. Good news for those who have wheat
sensitivity - no wheat ingredients used in this gravy.  

Cornbread Stuffing Mix: Hearty croutons bursting with savory
flavor.  Serve as prepared, or add your own selections of
cranberries, nuts, mushrooms, or diced sausage. We like to sauté
one chopped trimmed leek and one container sliced crimini mushrooms
in olive oil, and add them to the prepared stuffing. 

Spiced Apple Cider:  For the best smelling kitchen in the
neighborhood, simmer cider in a pot with cinnamon sticks or your
favorite mulling spices.  Serve warm.  

In the mashed potato department, you're minutes away from fluffy
white peaks of  buttery potatoes.  Try frozen Mashed Potatoes or
boxed instant Garlic Mashed Potatoes. 

Fried Onion Pieces:  Perk up that boring green bean casserole or
vegetable gratin with these crispy toppings.  If you make a green
salad or a soup, top with some fried onion pieces.  

Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix:  Don't forget breakfast! This
delicious mix, perfect for Thanksgiving day, has been getting
cheers across the country.  Serve with maple syrup and pumpkin
butter. 

Pumpkin Butter:  Use this sweet pumpkin blend to fill little tarts,
stir into soups, serve on scones, add to ice cream or yogurt, fold
into puff pastry turnovers, or spread on pumpkin pancakes.  For an
easy side dish, use in Harvest Glazed Carrots (recipe below).

Adorable Vegetables:  Who can resist Teeny Tiny Potatoes, Tri Color
Pearl Onions, or Organic Baby Sweet Potatoes.  Almost too cute to
eat.  

Pie Crust:  These convenient frozen gourmet crusts bake up flakey
and delicious.  Each package contains 2 crusts and this year they
are boxed so that there is no unfolding involved.  Fill with your
own pumpkin filling using Organic Canned Pumpkin. See below for a
no-bake pumpkin chesecake recipe.  Or for a zero-fuss ready-made
dessert, try Trader Joe's Pumpkin Tart, Honey Pecan Tart, or Baked
Apple Pie. 

Fill out your recipes withFree Range Chicken Broth, TJ's Whole
Kernel Corn in the famous yellow can, Cornbread Mix, Pumpkin Bread
and Muffin Mix, Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk, ready-to-use Wild
Rice, fresh whole cranberries and pomegranates (Cranberry
Pomegranate recipe below).

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EASY THANKSGIVING RECIPES
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STUFFED TURKEY BREAST

If you're cooking for a smaller gathering, pre-stuffed turkey
breasts are just perfect.  They can easily feed 6 people and make a
gorgeous, impressive presentation with cranberry-jeweled stuffing
in the center.  Grab this turkey, add a side of vegetables, and
dinner is done!  If you go this route, we demand that you sear the
outside first.  Do not just toss it in the oven like the package
instructions say, or you'll end up with a dried-out hunk of meat. 
Please follow our simple searing method below. 
 
1 (~3 lb) Turkey Breast with Cranberry Apple Stuffing
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high
heat.  Place turkey breast in skillet (leaving trussing yarn on)
and sear each side for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.  Taking
this important step will lock juices in the meat.
3. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes per pound (total cooking time
will depend on the size of the turkey breast).
4. Let meat rest under a sheet of foil for 10+ minutes before you
slice it. 
 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Hands-off cooking time: 60-90 minutes (varies)
Serves 6-8
 
HARVEST GLAZED CARROTS

This tasty carrot dish is full of wonderful autumn and Thanksgiving
flavors of pumpkin and spices mingling with sweet tender carrots. 
Raisins and pecans add  texture and color.  Make this an easy
addition to your holiday meals.  Pumpkin butter goes great with
other harvest vegetables such as butternut squash or sweet potato. 
 
3 cups coined carrots (cut into disks) or 1 bag baby carrots
2 Tbsp Pumpkin Butter
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup whole pecans 
 
1. Steam carrots until crisp-tender.
2. Stir in pumpkin butter, raisins and pecans. 
 
Prep and cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves 4 
  
CRANBERRY POMEGRANATE FRESCA

This raw relish is a tasty contrast to traditional cooked cranberry 
sauce.  It's great with a turkey feast or spooned onto a grilled 
chicken breast.  The pomegranate is the perfect sweet "crunch" in 
every bite.  We love it.  If you like it sweeter, sprinkle a little 
extra sugar.  Don't add more lemon curd or it will get too gooey.   
 
1 (12-oz) pkg whole cranberries
3 Tbsp Lemon Curd (or substitute 1/3 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp lemon
juice)
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (seeds from half a pomegranate) 

1. Chop cranberries in a food processor or a blender (be careful to
pulse and only chop roughly).
2. Add lemon curd (or sugar and lemon), stirring to distribute
evenly.
3. Stir in pomegranate seeds.
4. If using sugar, let it sit for an hour before serving. 
 
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves 8  
 
NO-BAKE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Gingersnap cookies meet creamy pumpkin in this no-bake and light
version of pumpkin cheesecake.  It's an easy and delicious option
for people who don't have multiple ovens to use on Thanksgiving
day.  Just prepare the crust in advance as it does need to be baked
for a few minutes, and then the rest is a cinch!  Or use a
store-bought graham cracker crust for a truly no-bake option.

Filling: 
1 jar Pumpkin Butter
1 (8-oz) block cream cheese, softened at room temp
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
 
Crust:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies or graham crackers
(crush cookies in a bag with a rolling pin, or use a blender to
pulverize) 
6 Tbsp butter, melted 
 
Optional topping: 
Whipped cream
Extra gingersnaps/graham crackers or pecans
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (this is just for the crust).
2. Mix crushed cookies and butter to make crust.  Press into a 9"
pie pan, pressing up the sides to form a crust. If you don't have
enough crust mixture, add more crushed cookies.

3. Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn oven off, as the
rest of the pie isn't baked.
4. Mix pumpkin butter, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and sour cream
until well combined.  Pour into pie crust.
5. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.  If desired, top with
whipped cream and extra crushed gingersnap cookies or candied
pecans.  For an even more luscious topping, make maple whipped
cream by whipping 1 cup heavy cream + 1/4 cup maple syrup. 
 
Prep time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves 8