With years of experience as a private chef and a longtime devotion to Trader Joe’s, Mila Furman has mastered the art of holiday hosting on a budget.
Furman, who is from the Chicago area, swapped her corporate career to pursue her passion for food, starting her own food blog and eventually her own catering and private-cheffing company.
She’s also been an avid Trader Joe’s shopper for over 20 years and says she uses the grocery chain “religiously” for entertaining and weekly grocery shopping for her clients and her own family.
From gourmet cheeses, crackers, and dips to frozen appetizers, Furman believes these 10 items will wow your guests without straining your wallet, which is especially important as grocery prices remain high this season.
Here are the Trader Joe’s products a private chef would recommend for any holiday celebration.
The cheese section at Trader Joe’s can be a one-stop shop for an epic charcuterie board.
For many holiday party hosts, a cheese or charcuterie board is a must-have, and Furman says it’s easy to build a show-stopping one using products from Trader Joe’s.
“The charcuterie board we build from Trader Joe’s, especially their dry goods section, is amazing,” Furman told Business Insider. “The cheese situation is epic.”
Furman said she tries every new cheese Trader Joe’s offers and that the Unexpected Cheddar cheese is one of her all-time favorites. She said she was shocked when she first tried it.
“I’ve never tasted anything like that in the sense that it was super mild but also so full of flavor,” she said. “They also have an amazing Saint-André, which is a triple cream cheese, so it’s basically Brie en crème and another soft cheese that has chile peppers in it.”
Trader Joe’s also has a variety of antipasto appetizers for entertaining.
Another item Furman picks up for holiday entertaining is the chain’s prosciutto-wrapped fresh mozzarella cheese.
“They have these ready antipasti apps, and it’s so easy,” she said. “You put them on a charcuterie board and you’re done. That’s it. There’s nothing else you have to do.”
You can also get dry goods like nuts and dried cranberries to spice up your board.
Furman touted the “much more affordable” selection of crackers, nuts, and other dried goods at Trader Joe’s compared to other grocery stores, and said it’s her go-to place to buy accouterments for her holiday charcuterie boards.
“The nuts, the dried cranberries, the figs,” she said, adding, “I see other places run out of figs way before their stores do.”
The chain’s pre-made tzatziki is fresh and versatile.
From pairing it with crudité like carrots, cucumbers, and radishes to using it to top mini turkey meatballs, tzatziki is a fresh addition to a holiday appetizer table.
“That one is awesome,” Furman said. “Very, very clean, and it tastes delicious. That’s one of my favorite go-to quick dips.”
Trader Joe’s classic hummus provides a perfect base for seasonal variations, such as a pumpkin-spice hummus.
“They have a hummus that is super neutral in terms of flavor,” Furman said. “It’s just a classic hummus, and you can add a ton of seasonings or put roasted red peppers into it, which is another amazing condiment that they have in their little dressing area.”
She also uses it to make pumpkin hummus, one of her go-to holiday recipes.
“Take that hummus and combine it with pumpkin from a can, which Trader Joe’s also has, at an incredibly affordable rate,” she said. “Add in some red pepper flakes, some cinnamon, some nutmeg, some cardamom, a little bit of chili oil, and just kind of make it your own and really give it that pumpkin spice flavor.”
Furman said she also likes to add a few drops of maple syrup, “because you’ve got this sweet heat going on” or even hot honey.
“It’s whatever our clients like,” she said. “And you have an amazing semi-homemade hummus that everybody is going to rave about.”
Trader Joe’s sells a citrus cranberry sauce that’s a must-have for holiday entertaining.
While the chain sells a traditional cranberry sauce with a few ingredients, Furman said she prefers the chain’s orange cranberry relish, which has simple ingredients like cranberries, orange, and lemon.
“You don’t need to make your own ever, ever,” she said.
“All you have to do is put it in a bowl,” she added.
The chain’s frozen pizzas and flatbreads make excellent appetizers.
Furman said that her favorite type of frozen pizza from Trader Joe’s is the Tarte D’Alsace, which is made with caramelized onions, ham, and Gruyere cheese.
“You pop that in the oven, and you throw some red pepper flakes on it, and then maybe you just add in a little bit more of an interesting Manchego cheese or some other kind of cheese, and you’re good to go,” Furman said, adding that she also loves buying the chain’s pizza dough for completely customizable pizzas and flatbreads.
The French puff pastry is another must-buy during the holiday season.
“It only comes out during the holidays, and then it’s gone, so stack up because it is the best puff pastry, and you can do thousands of things, both savory and sweet,” Furman said.
One of her favorite ways to use the frozen puff pastry is to add in a few dollops of one of Trader Joe’s Brie cheeses and tart cherry preserves.
“Wrap it up, bake it in the oven, and you have an amazing little beggar’s purse full of deliciousness,” she said.
The chain’s fresh ravioli help create an easy dinner party meal.
Furman said that rather than the ravioli that come in the frozen aisle, she prefers the refrigerated kind in Trader Joe’s fresh pasta section, especially the lobster and burrata varieties.
She said the chain’s pumpkin pasta sauce pairs well with its many pasta options for a seasonal dinner party menu.
You can find the essentials for an old-fashioned cocktail at Trader Joe’s.
“They introduced what are essentially Luxardo cherries, which are basically what a real old-fashioned is designed for. They’re in jars by the jams and stuff, and you don’t need much else except bourbon,” Furman said, adding that she even likes the Trader Joe’s bourbon sold in select stores.
“Add some bourbon, a squeeze of orange, a squeeze of lemon, put in a cinnamon stick in there, put a few of those cherries in there, throw in a big, big, big gorgeous ice cube, a sprig of thyme, and then use the cinnamon stick as your straw. And you have an amazing old-fashioned,” she said.
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