Agreed. They usually have a pretty respectable cheese selection. Given everything else of the meal was from scratch (including the ice cream) we took the short cut on the apps. We also tried the pastry wrapped steak filet bites with mushroom paste, turning them into mini wellingtons. My partner liked them fine. I was less impressed.
I was eyeing those steak bites exactly for that reason 
Re puff and brie wheels – stock up now, they will disappear soon.
Put some sauteed ‘rooms in there.
with cheese, don’t mess around…. go get some epoiss cheese …. stinks like old socks but great flavour (once you get used to it).
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And do mind the season. Epoisses in the spring is made with winter milk when the cows have been in barns all winter, so tends to be milder.
Epoisses in the fall is made when the cows come back down feom the meadows, so reflects a summer of grazing. It can be special
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I personally LOVE a good epoisses. If it doesn’t sting a little when you open it up, does it really even HAVE a smell?
My partner, however, has limits. A nice ripe Camembert is all good, but the epoisses and Limburger and Stinking Bishop (and, really, extra points on the name. It really couldn’t be more amusingly British) are beyond them. And I get it.
I’m allowed to get them, but them but with the following conditions:
-
must be double or triple wrapped, lest they spread not only throughout the cheese drawer, but to the whole fridge
-
10 days to finish them. These are not to linger, threatening to turn the whole fridge into a gym locker should the ziplock seal fail even half a centimeter.
I’m also the one eagerly ordering the uni at sushi places while she looks on with mild amusement and politely
contained disgust as I do a happy chair dance over “fishy jello”.
But, y’know, I’m the one that can’t abide cucumbers, full stop. Possibly the least offensive veg besides iceberg lettuce, and it’s kryptonite for me. Some weird texture thing. So we all have our quirks.
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Have you had Zimbro? It’s maybe my favorite cheese—a thistle rennet cheese from Portugal, probably about at the same level as epoisses (depending on their respective ripenesses). It’s about at my limit for cheese … potency? aggressiveness? … but I love it, and for whatever reason, I like it more than any of the other thistle rennet cheeses I’ve had (I see Torta del Casar more often, and it’s fine, but lacks something the Zimbro has).
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Okay, there are actually two fruited shortbread cookies right now. I got the all butter tart cherry and pecan cookies, which are a definite YEA!
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The pecan/cherry cookie is good, not great but the cranberry really suffers from bits of cranberry that will pull your fillings out. The chocolate covered butter cookie is a nice change and of course seasonal so if you want, grab them while available.
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How’s the ground lamb? Is it gamey? I’m not sure if mine carries it but I’m tempted to make @mig 's ragu for Christmas.
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Haven’t tried the ground, but all the lamb is Australian, which is usually less gamey than American. (I might use the leg/shoulder and shred it once it’s tender vs using the ground, which is often a lot fattier.)
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That was my idea as well. 
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I was in SSF Trader Joe today
YAY
There were more boxes of Harry & David Pears. Best to check them in box to make sure they aren’t too ripe. Keep in fridge.
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Oh, the French Onion Popcorn is really not for me. It’s just too sweet. Sweet is one thing, but sweet plus onion isn’t working for me. To be fair, I don’t like French onion dip nearly as much as green onion, and I’m fine with the soup but don’t go out of my way for it. (Wait, shouldn’t the popcorn have cheese too? Otherwise it’s just caramelized onion. Well, maybe I just can’t taste the cheese through the sweet.)
Haven’t tried the stuffing popcorn because I’m a little sick of those flavors right now!
My wife is really enjoying the double-chocolate chocolate-covered Joe Joes in the box of assorted holiday Joe Joes. I miss real chocolate-covered Oreos, like from that period when every mall had a little candy place that did their own (and chocolate-covered Ritz sandwiches), but the quality of chocolate coating in the Joe Joes is definitely much higher than in the storebought “fudge-covered” Oreos.
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The chocolate covered (French?) butter cookies are very good.
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La-La-La-La-Lahhhhhhhhhhh…I can’t hear/read youuuuu!!!
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Big YEA for these Irish Cashel blue cheese potato chips.
I saw them on last year’s thread (and stole the pic from there 
), but hadn’t seen them in any TJ’s stores until last week.
I wish they were slightly less salty, but good chips with excellent blue cheese flavor.
I can usually resist buying chips and having them in the house, but these are dangerous.
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Damn, I had these in my hand and put them down before I got to the checkout. Should’ve gone with my instinct!
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I couldn’t resist buying ONE BAG of the Hot Honey Popcorn.
I put a small (?) portion in a little bag, put big bag away, and eat no more than that amount in a day.
I really don’t like “normal” potato chips like Lay’s so am not tempted in grocery stores but TJ’s in aqua/yellow bag, used to be called Reduced Guilt, are so perfect , great crunch. I can usually resist buying them.
“excellent blue cheese flavor.”
Oh boy!!! I’m in trouble if those things are back. Although, on the positive side, my wife doesn’t like blue cheese, so I can keep them for myself. The last time they had them they weren’t available for very long.
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