This is a good overview
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But will it get me thrown out of TJās?
YEA My beloved son brought me a box of dark chocolate cherries on mothersā day. I made them last as long as I could, which was just over a week. The container is a good keeper for other things, too.
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mediterranean hummus: nay!
so disappointed. been getting cedarās original hummus at the supermarket for a while now, but decided to treat myself to tjās mediterranean, donāt know what happened since the last time i had it: donāt remember the chopped herbs on top, and thereās a real kick of heat that didnāt used to be there. bought 2 containers, but back they go (well, the one i havenāt opened).
You can return both. TJās GENUINELY wants to know when and why customers donāt like an item and wonāt disdain you for returning an open package. My habit has been to return only things that are spoiled, not those that simply donāt appeal to my palate. But a few years ago I came close to an argument with a wine department staffer. They didnāt have what I wanted but he recommended something similar, with the assurance that it could be returned. I replied that if I didnāt like it Iād use it for cooking because one manās mead, etc. He almost demanded I return it because of how important it was that they discontinue whatever doesnāt sell well, for whatever reason. They must keep very close tabs on how quickly each item moves.
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planning to get refunds for both (have the receipt), thought they could sell the unopened one. but i checked the dates and both expire on wednesday. so iāll just put the hummus in my compost bucket and return the empty containers.
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Itās my understanding that markets always discard returned items, even if never opened.
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then composting and just returning the empty comtainers makes even more sense.
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Live on the edge 
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Meanwhile, this is the only one we get since they stopped doing the shallow large diameter tubs in multiflavors. We used to get that shallow one in cilantro/jalapeno. Now we only get the med and really enjoy it. We oopsed and got the same shape container except āhummus dipā and it was pretty bad. Some weird lingering aftertaste there.
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Nay - Sfogliatella. A pastry from Naples, Italy. Their version is frozen and you bake them. We found them to be pretty greasy and not as good as ones we had in Naples and can buy in Italian pastry shops here. Not awful, but not worth a repurchase.
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My friend bought a box, 4 inside, had never had them before, loved it. His son loved so much he ate 3!
I have a box in the freezer I havenāt tried yet. For people here on West Coast, maybe this is all thatās possible.
YEA for the Bucatini, and another one for the new Mafalda Corta pasta. Another of my favorite shapes, hope they keep it around!
MEH for the Tapas grilled artichokes. The outer leaves can be fibrous, not usually the case in the bottled artichokes.
If weāre going for pasta shapes, a big YEA for the TJās version of Cascatelli, the āwaterfallā pasta Dan Pashman came up with. Is it quite as toothsome as Sfogliniās version? No. But it IS about 2/3ās the price of the Sfoglini and I donāt have to order it online. All the plusses of the shape (the sauce retention, easy āforkabilityā.
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Iām not much of a TJās shopper these days but we stopped in the other day and spouse picked up Gluten-Free Organic Rolled Oats thinking it was some kind of granola. The package says it contains oats, amaranth, chia seeds, quinoa flakes, and ground flax. Once spouse rejected it because it was in fact not granola, I gave it a try. Very good! I normally make steel cut oats but this product can be easily prepared in the microwave and tastes 200% better than the horrible little individual instant oatmeal packages you usually find on hotel breakfast bars.
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Thanks. I am a big Shfoyadell fan and have been wondering if these are even close to fresh.
Iām glad they loved them! Perhaps Iāve been spoiled by the fresh-from-the-bakery ones.
We enjoyed the Mafalda Corta, too. It worked very nicely in this recipe: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/lemon-butter-shrimp-scampi/
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