Here are my top five Trader Joe’s items:

1) Tri-Tip: It’s already marinated. I brown it in a La Creuset pot, and then stick in the oven fat side up and uncovered for 40 minutes. Let it rest, and deglaze the pot with onions and red peppers for a topping.

2) Mahi Mahi. Frozen, but tastes like fresh fish. The marinade is delicious and can be used to deglaze the pan as a base for a sauce (FYI the frozen salmon and turbot, on the other hand, are not very good). The kids love this with a panko crust.

3) Pork Pot Stickers. The vegetable and the shrimp potstickers are also good, but not as good as the pork.

4) Beef Taquitos. Try it with the Trader Joe’s Tomatillo sauce. Just stick these beauties in the toaster oven and voila. The chicken version is not nearly as good.

5) Beef Chili. I don’t even like chili, but this stuff is delicious. The turkey version is good but not great.