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Frozen
Bag of Trader Joe's Penne Arrabbiata
Trader Joe's Penne Arrabbiata

I tried some Penne Arrabbiata pasta from Trader Joe's. It comes frozen with little frozen discs of sauce on top of the pasta.

Trader Joe's Penne Arrabbiata frozen discs of sauce

We prepared the frozen pasta by just warming it up in the microwave following the cooking instructions on the back of the bag. We also added some shredded Parmesan cheese to the pasta after microwaving it.

This pasta was definitely better than the usual frozen pastas, and one thing I really liked was that the sauce wasn't too sweet. The sauce was more savory and only a tiny bit spicy. I also liked the taste of this sauce more than the Trader Joe's Arrabbiata sauce that comes in a jar. The penne pasta didn't come out underdone or super mushy, either. Overall, it was pretty delicious.

Overall Rating:
Delicious
Food: Trader Giotto's Penne Arrabbiata from Trader Joe's
Source: Trader Joe's, Tucson, AZ
Rating: Delicious
from Trader Joes

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Bag of Trader Joe's French Green Beans / Haricot Vert
Trader Joe's French Green Beans / Haricot Vert

For the frozen Trader Joe's French Green Beans / Haricot Vert, we usually microwave all 24 oz of the green beans in a bowl on high for a total of 6 minutes (stirring them a little bit after 4 minutes).

We also spray a little PAM butter flavor spray on them. They come out tasting slightly sweet, crunchy, and delicious! They are probably the best frozen green beans I've had!

Overall Rating:
Delicious
Food: Extra Fine French Green Beans (Haricot Vert)
Source: Trader Joe's, Tucson, AZ
Price: $1.99 per bag (24 oz)
Rating: Delicious
from Trader Joes

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Cup of Butterball Gravy
Butterball Gravy in Gravy Boat

Below is how my boyfriend and I cook a 4.75-pound Butterball Boneless Turkey Breast Roast on a gas grill... as stated in my review, we usually cook it for Thanksgiving dinner for four of us, and it turns out delicious!

I also added how we cook the Butterball gravy packet in the microwave + oven at the bottom of this post.

How We Cook a 4.75-5 lb Boneless Turkey Breast:

Main items needed:

  • Grill
  • 4.75-5 lb Turkey Breast (we use frozen Butterball turkey breast)
  • Dish, Foil pan, spatula, meat thermometer
  • Olive oil or sunflower oil
  • Pam / butter spray
  • 1. If the turkey breast is frozen, thaw it (unopened) in the refrigerator for 36 - 48 hours beforehand.

    2. Preheat grill to maximum (all burners) for 10 minutes or so, so that the grill heat is high (higher than 550 degrees).

    3. Cut open the turkey packaging (leaving the netting on the turkey), put gravy packet off to the side.

    4. Rinse turkey with cool water.

    5. Put the turkey in a dish (we use a glass Pyrex dish) and pat the turkey dry with a paper towel on all sides.

    6. Pour olive oil or sunflower oil on the back of the turkey and pat the oil all around.

    7. Spray Pam or a butter spray on bottom of a foil pan & place turkey in it.

    8. While grill is at high temperature, place the foil pan (with the turkey fatty side down) on the grill to sear in the moisture.

    9. Turn off the middle burner and reduce heat on the left and right burners to minimum heat.

    10. Until the internal grill temperature becomes a steady 330-350 degrees Fahrenheit, move turkey around with spatulas for one minute every 3 minutes or so (may take 15-20 minutes).

    11. Once it reaches the steady 330-350 degrees F, rotate the turkey so that the fatty side is on the top, and close the grill lid.

    12. Check on the grill and the turkey every half hour or so -- maybe make some sides or gravy while waiting.

    13. If you place a meat thermometer in the middle of the turkey, the turkey's temperature should be around 85 degrees F or so after 1 hour.

    14. After approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes when the turkey's temperature is at 160 degrees F, the turkey should be done! (If you have a 5lb turkey rather than a 4.75lb one, it may take longer)

    15. Put the turkey on a plate and shortly before eating, slice it with a sharp knife with the grain of the turkey -- you shouldn't have to use much force because the Butterball turkeys are very tender!

    16. If there are any parts that look pinkish or look like they might not be cooked all the way, place those parts in the oven at 325 degrees for a few minutes.

    17. Enjoy your turkey!

    How We Cook the Butterball Turkey Gravy Packet (using a microwave - then placed in the oven)

    Cup of Butterball Gravy
    Butterball Gravy in Gravy Boat

    Main items needed:

  • Gravy packet
  • Water
  • Measuring cup
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • 1. If you thawed the turkey in the refrigerator, the gravy should be thawed, too. If it's still frozen and not in a liquid state, run it under warm water first.

    2. Pour gravy packet ("turkey juices") into a measuring cup

    3. Add water to make a total of 1 3/4 cup of liquid

    4. Mix it up

    5. Warm up in microwave for 5-6 minutes to get it to a boil

    6. Place the gravy in oven for 20-30 minutes at 325 degrees F

    7. Mix it again

    8. Set it out for everyone to enjoy!


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