Oh, Trader Joes

For better or worse, I find myself at Trader Joe's at least 3 or 4 days each week. Sometimes I think I'm there enough to pick up a few part time shifts. While I'm shopping. They wouldn't even need to train me -- I'm pretty sure I know all the secrets. Like that Thursday evenings are the quietest nights, and Wednesday around noon is the calm before the storm. Or that the fastest checkout line is always on the far right. Or that parking on the street is a good option if more than 5 cars are waiting at the side entrance -- unless it's street cleaning. Which is 11-1 on Friday. I know that TOS means Temporarily Out of Stock, and that too often the product that's TOS is exactly what I need. I know that they recently discontinued dried mushrooms, and that one year ago they stopped making a chocolate-hazelnut spread that beat Nutella at its own game. I know that fresh squeezed Florida orange juice for $2.99 is the best price you can find on quality orange juice, anywhere, that the $4.99 Pizza Parlano is the best way to fill your freezer for nights you absolutely can't cook, and that their St. Andre brie is a delicious bargain... so long as you don't eat it all on the car ride home.

My list could go on. And on. And on. My kitchen is a walking Trader Joe's. In fact, when I cash in my Skymiles this summer, I'll have Trader Joe's to thank. Exclusively. That's how many times my Amex is swiped at my favorite grocery store.

Ahh... the trials and tribulations of a cooking teacher and avid home-cook.

At any rate, thanks thumbbook, for sharing this video with me.

If you don't shop at Trader Joe's quite as often, this video may not excite you. You'll probably think it's a bit odd. My husband did. But for me, all to familiar with things "you can't find anymore"... the mini coffee samples before noon... the friendly staff... the "strange little snacks you end up buying instead"... the bananas for 19 cents,... and yes... "the cars that don't fit in the parking lot", for me, this video really made me chuckle. A lot.

"Point, Blast, and... Cook!?"

Here's a perfect case of "just because it's organic, doesn't mean I want to eat it."

In a recent dedicated email, Daily Candy recommended the next time my kids offer to help make breakfast, I "get [my] brood involved sans hassle with Organic Batter Blaster Pancake and Waffle Mix."

I'm usually pretty favorable towards the products and services Daily Candy recommends. But just because this pancake batter is organic, doesn't mean I can endorse a food product whose marketing slogan is "just point, blast, and cook!"

The promotional video really says it all: "for years and years, people have made pancakes and waffles the same old-fashioned way. With milk, eggs, flour, mixing bowls, measuring cups, and all that mess..."

WAIT just a minute! Since when weren't pancakes made with milk, eggs, and flour? Isn't that what makes a pancake a pancake? Sure, our grocery stores are filled with fake foods -- non-dairy cheese. Meatless hamburger patties -- but I'm a pretty big proponent of the "real thing". (Sorry soy.)

I'll admit, it does look like fun to squirt the CO2 cartridge. And it's true that the potential for mess is non-existent. In fact, the simple ingredients probably taste better than other store-bought pancake mixes. But if a child asks to help make breakfast, chances are they want to break the eggs. They're eager to show off some math skills and measure 1/3 cup flour. And they're literally starving to whisk it all together until it's smooth. So what if you have to wipe a little flour off the counter. That is precisely what cooking's all about!

Thanks Organic Batter Blaster, but I'll save my pointing and blasting for other things. Like paintball, perhaps.

Mark Bittman's Everyday Pancakes

(nb. I chose this recipe because he writes, "pancakes are made from a simple, forgiving batter...everyday pancake batter whips up in no time and can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days..." Preservative-free, it sounds like a better Batter Blaster to me.)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2-2 cups milk

2 tbsp melted butter, + more un-melted butter for pan

mix-ins (frozen blueberries, ripe bananas, chocolate chips, etc)

And, you guessed it, REAL maple syrup. (Even organic Aunt Jemima belongs with the Batter Blaster.)

Heat non-stick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1 1/2 cups milk. Stir in melted butter. Combine dry ingredients with milk mixture. Mix gently until flour is just moistened, adding more milk if batter seems too thick. Add desired mix-ins. Place a little butter on the skillet, and when it foams add a spoonful of pancake batter. Cook about 2-4 minutes each side, flipping when small bubbles appear in the center of the pancakes. Serve warm with syrup.