Friday Favorites: Trader Joe's Edition (Party Favorites!)

I'm linking up with Momfessionals, Grace and Love, and A Little Bit of Everything to share my Friday favorites!  

I can't believe it has been 2 years since they opened Trader Joe's in Dallas and I discovered all the wonderful things they sell there!  In my previous Trader Joe's favorites post, I was all about the basics - coconut oil, frozen brown rice, and pizza dough.  

While I only shop at Trader Joe's once or twice a month, I have discovered several go-to items for parties or get togethers.  Since I can also buy beer or wine there, it is a one-stop shop for hosting people in our home!  Here are my party favorites:

Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese

Via

This is a go-to for anytime I need a quick appetizer!  It definitely perks up a cheese board through the sweet-and-tangy combination of blueberries and goat cheese!  

Savory Thins Crackers

These crackers go great with the goat cheese above - they are super thin, crispy, and (randomly) gluten free!  I always have a few packages of these crackers in my pantry for unexpected guests!

Rosemary Asiago Cheese

This cheese is amazing - a salty, semi-dry asiago with rosemary!  The rosemary on one side of the wedge makes this cheese look extra fancy on a cheese board, but the price is SO much better than you'd pay at Central Market or Whole Foods!  

Kettle Corn

A little sweet, a little salty - this kettle corn is delicious! It's perfect for casual get-togethers to have for people to snack on!  Or to eat for dinner when your husband is out of town!  Whatever!

Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip

This dip is similar to a classic spinach/artichoke dip but lighter in calories and fat!  It is another quick go-to for parties - just grab a bag of tortilla chips and you're set!

What am I missing?  I get so stuck on my favorites that I don't branch out and try new things at Trader Joe's!

From the Kitchen: Homemade Salsa (Vitamix!)

I am embarrassed to admit how many "meals" Blair and I have made out of tortilla chips and homemade salsa in the last week.  Fresh salsa is just SO good, and screams summer time to me!  The recipe below makes a ton, so you can share it with neighbors and take it to pool parties to become the most popular person around :)  

Homemade Salsa

Yield: a LOT....approximately 8 cups

Ingredients:

1 white onion, quartered
2 red bell peppers, stem and seeds removed
2 jalapeno peppers, stem removed (for medium spicy; less if you want a milder salsa)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 bunch cilantro
8 large tomatoes, quartered (I think the on-the-vine variety give the best flavor)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Note: I used my Vitamix blender to make this salsa, which powerful enough to blend the ingredients without me chopping them first, and large enough to blend the salsa in one batch.  If you use a regular blender, or a food processor, you may have to pre-chop and/or process in batches and mix together at the end in a large mixing bowl.  The directions below are for the Vitamix.

Directions:

Place, in this order, the quartered onion, 2 bell peppers, 2 jalapenos, 6 cloves garlic, 1/2 bunch cilantro, and 4 quartered tomatoes, into the blender.  Add the spices and lime juice. Blend at a speed of variable 5, using the tamper to press down on the ingredients, until everything is well blended.  

Add the remaining 4 quartered tomatoes and blend at a speed of variable 3 until the salsa is blended but still chunky (don't go overboard or your salsa will be totally liquid).  

Store refrigerated in mason jars or other airtight containers.  Eat within a week or 2 - unless you properly can it, it won't last as long as store bought salsas due to the lack of preservatives!

From the Kitchen: 2-Ingredient Creamy Salsa Verde Dip

I love dips that you can make on 5 minutes' notice with things that are easy to keep on hand, and everyone wants the recipe after.  I made this and spicy black bean dip when I was co-hosting the neighborhood moms' bunco group this month and they were both a hit - and SO easy (this one is only 2 ingredients!!)  This dip resembles a queso (if you're from Texas, that will mean something to you) that is slightly sweet with a small kick from the salsa verde.

2-Ingredient Creamy Salsa Verde Dip

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce block cream cheese (I use the "1/3 less fat" neufchatel cheese so I can pretend this is healthy)
1 cup jarred salsa verde (I used the La Costena brand - found in the "international" aisle at the grocery store with the Mexican ingredients)

Directions:

Put the cream cheese and salsa verde in a microwave-safe bowl.  Cover and microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring after each minute until well blended and the cream cheese is fully melted (this usually takes 3 minutes in my microwave).  Yep.....that's it.  

Serve with tortilla chips and act like it was a lot more effort than it was.  This is good both warm or at room temperature.  If you're feeling fancy, add a can of corn :)

From the Kitchen: Spicy Black Bean Dip

This spicy black bean dip is great with tortilla chips for an appetizer at a party....we are addicted!  And it is SO EASY.  Like, embarrassingly easy when people ask you how to make it (which they often do)!  And, I almost always have the ingredients on hand, so it's simple to whip it up on short notice!

Spicy Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can black beans
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice (lime juice works too)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 jalapeno, including seeds (you can remove them if you want a milder dip)
1/4 bunch cilantro

Directions:

Throw everything in a blender and blend away.  That's pretty much it :)  I don't even chop the jalapeno or remove the cilantro leaves from the stems...I just throw it all in and blend it up.  I use my Vitamix which is super powerful and blends it easily; if you're using a normal blender, you may have to blend it for a while to get the super-smooth texture (which is key - the dip is much less appetizing when it's chunky from the bean skins not being fully blended).  The color of the dip is not that exciting, so I normally garnish it with some cilantro leaves or some piped sour cream drizzled on top.