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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Just a Smidge Shy of a Miracle

Today’s “To Do” list involved lots of out and about errands. That included a stop at Trader Joe’s in Framingham. Grocery shopping in advance of a trip involves a lot of higher math. One head of romaine lettuce at home, plus one tomato, minus the number of meals until we head for the airport, divided by the square root of pre-existing leftovers equals - - - Aw heck, the romaine only comes in three head packs! But bless their hearts, TJ’s in Framingham was awarded one of the chain’s precious few Massachusetts liquor licenses. One reason that matters is because after the cheerful staff person hands you your taste of Indian Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice (yum), you mosey over to try the Merlot and cheese. All worries of grocery algebra just fade away.

But that wasn’t the miracle. We were in search of the apparently discontinued TJ’s Mojito sauce. (Yes, we are the kiss of death. Yes, Trader Joe’s does help us to learn to deal with change and loss!) So as we continued west along Route 9 we stopped at TJ’s in Shrewsbury. I wanted to check in with my Mom via cell phone, so Chuck ran in. He emerged just a few minutes later with something in our reusable TJ’s bag. Because he was beaming, I assumed he had scored some Mojito sauce. Nope. He had Trader Joe’s Pomegranate Glaze!!! Yes, thE, fabled in story and song, TJ’s pomegranate glaze. Chuck was sufficiently excited, he headed over to the manager’s desk. They told him that the hue and cry had been so great over TJ’s discontinuing the glaze, they actually brought it back! I know many of you live a continent or two away from here, so all my glee over Trader Joe’s lies somewhere between boring and cruel, but this is an extremely rare occurrence.

And it’s the little things that mean so much!

6 comments:

Sue said...

I really should try making some of my own glaze with the pomegranates in our garden. They're beautiful and ripe at the moment. But in all honesty, the thought of getting the juice out of them seems like a massive job and it would be so much easier if they sold it ready made...

Trish said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am not familiar with TJs but that pomegranate glaze sounds divine. will you post just how you use it?

barbie2be said...

Mmmmm YUM!

Pink Granite said...

Hi Sue -
I love the idea that you have fresh, ripe pomegranates in your garden right now! I know that the glaze is a simple reduction of the juice, but it has been so handy to have the bottle of glaze on hand.
I looked up juicing a pomegranate and apparently, even with all the little seeds, it can be done just as you would any citrus fruit. Who knew?
;o)
- Lee


Hi Trish -
The pomegranate glaze is both sweet and tart.
It can be used in many ways. The simplest is just to drizzle a bit over steamed vegetables (peas or carrots or...), add a bit of butter and toss.

I also like using it as an ingredient in sauces. When I pan sear tuna steaks (which I've often dusted with cajun spice), I deglaze the pan with a little sherry. I then add a couple of drops of sesame oil, some crushed garlic, a splash of orange juice, some pomegranate glaze and some sesame seeds. I let the sauce simmer and reduce. I usually serve it on the side in a tiny stainless steel sauce cup.

The sky's the limit!
;o)
- Lee


Hi B2B -
Yum indeed!
;o)
- Lee

Roo said...

Sue - you grow pomegranates...hmmmm (I love them, therefore I am jealous)

Lee - I also agree with Trish, about posting - that is, you should post some glaze to all of us ;o)

Right must dash, off out for dinner.. I know,it's hard having a hectic social life.. yeah right ;o)

Catch up with you all over the weekend (Trish, I will pop over and say hi)

Pink Granite said...

Hi Roo -
I must be tired - "post" took me a second!
;o)
- Lee