Gourmet Cooking in No Time Flat

Last week I spent a delightful evening at the Encinitas Libray, thanks to my friend Christie. She called to tell me they were having Deana Gunn, the author of a book called Cooking With All Things Trader Joes. She thought it was something I would enjoy, and was she ever right. Christie arranged for about ten of us to meet before the program, picnic dinner in hand, and socialize. Unfortunately it turned out to be the coldest, rainest night in a long time, so we picniced inside. Then we got to listen to Deana speak and demonstrate for about an hour, showing us how she has learned to use Trader Joe's products to prepare good, healthy gourment meals in no time. She had so much information to share, that I will write some now, then blog about this next another time with more of Dean's tips.

First, check out her website and blog, www.cookingwithtraderjoes.com. She has recipes every week and even some free giveaways. She's easy to read and full of great ideas. Deana also has two books out. The first one, Cooking With All Things Trader Joes, is a big, bulky book with over 130 recipes, color photos of each recipe and very beautiful to look at. The trouble is, lots of people making her recipes want to take the ingredient list with them to the store, so her second book is in a small, pocket sized format, with no pictures. It also has about 130 recipes.

One of Deana's favorite products is organic brown rice, ready in 3 minutes. Trader Joe's also has a white Jasmine rice. Both are delicious and a real time saver. Another product that she introduced me to is by Dorot. It is frozen cubes of garlic, in something like an icecube tray, that you just pop out as needed. Fantastic idea. Dorot also makes basil and cilantro in the same kind of packaging. I hate buying cilantro because I only use a little and end up throwing the rest away. This product may actually save me money. Another favorite of Deana's is the fresh bruschetta sauce in the refrigerated section. This tastes like homemade. Fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and and basil combined to make a fresh sauce for bread, or add to pasta with a little parmesean for a complete meal. Or, spread a little goat cheese on a cracker, then the bruschetta and you have a fancy hors d'oeuvre.

These are a few of her fabulous ideas and recipes. I will write another blog about this evening soon and give you more tips for becomming a gourmet and keeping within your budget.