we have a winner!

Alex Glueckler is the winner of the bagful of my Trader Joe’s favorites! ….. “Alex, here is what you have won” (be sure to say in an excited “game show host” voice!)…

One reusable “Arizona” Trader Joe’s bag (we love being GREEN), Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips (yummy and healthy), 1 liter Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (have to have it!), 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream (theirs’ is the best and the best bargain), Organic Blue Agave Nectar (healthier and just as tasty as honey), Roasted Piquillo Peppers (find recipes on this blog using them), TJ’s Dijon Mustard (so much better than Grey Poupon and actually made in Dijon France -unlike Grey), Light Coconut Milk (so versatile for desserts, Thai, and Caribbean cooking), Olive Tapenade Spread (good on Everything! – OK, not desserts, but Everything else!), TJ’s English Toffee (heaven on earth in a little plastic box- super scone recipe found here- use the cream for those too!), 1 pound Teeny Tiny Yellow Potatoes (oven roast them with just olive oil “I know you have that!”, salt, and pepper and thank me later!), 0% Fage Greek Yogurt (THE best fat-free yogurt known to man), and…. my all time favorite item… Frozen Crushed Garlic cubes (nothing I can say except – I love these!).

There you go, a dozen of my favorite items found amongst the aisles of your friendly Trader Joe’s store. I could have easily added another couple dozen… toasted pine nuts, fire-roasted bell peppers, julienned sun-dried tomatoes, TJ’s mayo, dried fruits, more nuts, wine, wine, and more wine… but I did not win the lottery, so buy that stuff yourself, greedy person, you! Oh, sorry – didn’t mean that! Congratulations Alex and a big thanks to all of you for your comments!

Now, since there is no recipe today, I did want to share something special. A couple of pictures from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The first, is a picture of my fabulous kids, Marissa and Connor, standing in front of Louie the Lumberjack, taken about 1 year ago when we went to do a campus visit before Connor decided to attend (he’s a freshman at NAU this year).

The second picture of Louie was taken after the record-setting snowfall in Flagstaff last month. (I snagged it from the NAU website). If they were standing there on this day, you might be able to see the very top of Marissa’s head. It makes me wonder if Connor would have decided to attend NAU if we had visited that day. Honestly, I think he would have. 🙂