Longing

[Editor's Note: I would like to thank you all for your warm support of my awesome (idiotic) artistic depictions. Don't worry... there's plenty more where that came from!!]

Sigh. My heart has been aching lately. Y'know what I really, really, DESPERATELY miss? Well, I was going to list one thing, but now that I think about it, there are really several things:

-Disneyland. Not a day goes by that Tim and I don't forlornly say to one another, "I miss Disneyland." I'm not kidding. Any time we hear Disney music, any time we watch Disney characters, any time we visit the Disney store, any time we think of trains or gorillas or holidays or parades or laughter or happiness, it always pulls our heartstrings in that Anaheim-ish direction. ... Well, in sort of a sad way, because we don't exactly have any concrete plans to vacation or return to CA (yet). Prior to leaving Pasadena, I had no way to anticipate that we would miss Disneyland THIS MUCH. It is so hard to be away from there.

-Cafe Rio. We fell in love with Cafe Rio during our ol' Utah days, so naturally I was ecstatic-beyond-reason when it came to California. However, Cafe Rio had been in California for a mere five months before Tim and I were whisked away to Heaven-Knows-Where, USA. I guess it was a huge blessing that I enjoyed a brief reprieve from my geographically-imposed Cafe Rio fast, but... still. I miss my Cafe Rio salad fiercely. (Not nearly as badly as Disneyland, though.)

-In-N-Out. Even though I wasn't a hardcore In-N-Out lover in California, I sure am now. I think I just took it for granted. It was always there; it's good, but so is Carl's Jr. Then, as our moving date approached last May, I realized how much I was going to miss their perfect, fresh burgers. And even more so, their MILKSHAKES. I have never had quite as delicious a milkshake as In-N-Out's in my LIFE. And now that In-N-Out is gone, I'm not sure I'll ever find a suitable replacement. Every time I think about California, I crave an In-N-Out chocolate milkshake. Craaaaaaaave.

And finally, the original purpose of this post...

-Trader Joe's. Okay, I miss Disneyland more than Trader Joe's even. But I REALLY MISS TRADER JOE'S. Prior to living in CA, I used to chuckle at all those crazy TJ's fanatics who would drive hours to buy their favorite products. One time, I met a lady in Hawaii who said that every time she visits the Mainland, she stocks up at Trader Joe's and lugs everything back in her suitcases.

But then I went to Trader Joe's. It took a few visits for it to capture me, but capture me it did. And of course, my TJ's bliss was short-lived. Nowadays, our pantry contains only a few, sad survivors of our pre-move stock-up: a container of animal crackers, a can of organic black bean soup, a jar of almond butter with flax, a bottle of organic mustard, and a bottle of Goddess salad dressing. That's it. That's all that remains now.

Every now and then, Tim and I will remember that joy that was Trader Joe's, and for a brief, fleeting moment, get a warm feeling inside. We'll say something like, "Remember orange chicken?" Or, "Remember Indian feast?" (That's where we'd buy a variety of Indian foods and chow down with some garlic naan.) Already, I'm starting to forget my favorite TJ's products. But here's a rundown of what I remember that I miss the most:

-Orange chicken (of course). It was $4.99, plentiful, and restaurant-quality.
-Tempura chicken. $5.99, I think, and again - really good.
-Frozen garlic naan. Heat it up in the oven and spread some melted garlic butter over it. Ohhhh heaven.
-Mini quiches. They were less than $2, and the crust was to die for.
-Asparagus risotto (also frozen). I could eat the whole bag.
-Chicken drumettes and Italian meatballs. These were staples for the kid.
-Mini 12-grain crackers. So yummy and just right for Weston.
-Basically, all the TJ's versions of name-brand crackers. They never disappoint.
-Animal crackers and "letter cookies." Yummy, and not overly sweet.
-Mini cheese cracker sandwiches. Weston loved these, but here we have to buy the Ritz version. Blah.
-Bulk chocolate. Sooooo luscious, sooooo cheap.
-Frozen pizzas. Awesome.
-Frozen fish. As a TJ's customer, I actually started buying fish regularly (salmon, mahi mahi, crab cakes, etc.). The thought of buying fish at Walmart makes me unhappy for some reason.
-Joe Joe's - the TJ's version of Oreos, yet SO much better. An employee told me once that it's because they use a real cream filling instead of lard. Now whenever I see Oreos (which I used to adore), I think of lard. Oh, and the Candy Cane Joe Joe's are even better. Those I will definitely find a way to get this holiday season. Somehow!!
-Frozen pie crust. Spectacular.
-Brie cheese. Brie, FYI, is ridiculously expensive at regular grocery stores. Tim and I would always buy it at either TJ's or Costco (if we thought we were going to eat an especially large amount). Neither place is here in Tulsa, so Brie is temporarily out of our diets. Although I really, really love it...
-The huge box of fresh basil. Buy it, and go nuts with basil.
-All the millions of trail mixes. At TJ's, trail mix never gets boring.
-Mac & cheese - totally cheap-o. Just like all the pastas, even if they're whole wheat and/or organic.
-Garlic basil linguine. Add some tomatoes, olive oil, and cheese, and you're in pasta heaven.
-Pesto tortellini and cheese ravioli. These bags were less than $2 each, but they made SO much, and Weston LOVED them. Our big stock-up supply of them (which now in retrospect seems small) is all gone.
-Baked cheese crunchies. I loved these, and I didn't feel like I was being quite so unhealthy (as if, say, I were eating Cheetos instead).
-Cereal bars, especially the fig. Really fruity and tasty, and not all full of HFCS like Nutra-Grain bars.
-Brown rice krispie treats. Not exactly healthy, but it's probably the only time that Weston has ingested brown rice.
-Sweet potato chips. Yum, and unique to boot.
-Yogurt. Fruit on the bottom, low-fat, AND missing the HCFS.
-Joe's O's - the TJ's Cheerios. Such a big box for so cheap.
-All the par-baked breads - especially the filone. Ohhhh I miss this. I have discovered an incredible boulangerie here in Tulsa, but still... it was really nice and convenient to have such delicious, fresh, hot, crusty bread for dinner.
-Hummus & pita chips. I don't even know where to find hummus at Walmart.
-The produce. There were certain types of produce that I would always buy at TJ's, but I'm forgetting now. I know I used to get tomatoes and bananas, and some pre-cut varieties like green beans (so fast and easy). And the edamame.
-Dried fruit, like dried cherries and the raisin mix. Mmmm.
-Mixed berry applesauce in convenient little cups. Weston looooved it.
-Canned artichokes - way cheap. Chop them up, throw them in pasta - done.

Well, I know there are other things that I'm forgetting, but that's what I could think of during this little brainstorm. AHH!! I'm forgetting!! NOOOOOOO!!!! So, I really miss Trader Joe's. All our food presently comes from Walmart and Target, so I feel like we're just eating a lot of boring, standard, name-brand chemical concoctions right now. All-natural... what's that? Organic... you hippie!! Sigh. I know, I could just do a better job of cooking with fresh, healthy ingredients. But TJ's absence is a major chink in the design of our nutrition/meal planning/household/lifestyles. And I really miss the unique products that it offers -- stuff you can't find anywhere else. Sniff sniff.

Trader Jooooooooeeeee's....................!