I Couldn’t Find a Seasoning for Trader Joe’s Thanksgiving, so I Made It Myself.
As I type those words, I eat a bunch of fries that taste like the last Thursday in November. These are stuffed chips – great vibe – and they came without any help from one trader named Joe.
Let me go back. When Trader Joe’s announced a Thanksgiving-themed seasoning blend called “ Everything But Leftovers, ” I was in awe. I love this theme almost as much as I love salt powder shakers , so it was a natural coincidence.
I presented the flavoring as a ” Hack or Wack – Snack Edition ” video – and it was accepted! – but it was disastrous when neither me nor our video producer Joel Kahn could find it in our local Traders Joe. I checked mine three times once before Joel told me that his location would not be found until January, which is not the target, but oh well.
I, however, was still very keen on the idea of the Thanksgiving seasoning mix and decided to make my own. At the end of the day, Trader Joe’s version consisted mostly of onion powder, plus all the “regular” dried herbs associated with Thanksgiving, and I have access to all of that stuff.
But, being myself, I could not help but play with the formula. Rather than trying to guess the TJ ratios, I decided to create a condiment mix to suit my needs, and my needs a cube of poultry stock. (Trying to reproduce TJ’s mix would be a dumb idea anyway, since I can’t taste it.)
If you find turkey bouillon cubes, take them and tell me where you got them, because all I could find was chicken. (If you’re a vegetarian, you can use the vegetarian option or a cube of vegetable broth.) Luckily, chicken broth is very close to turkey broth, especially when ground with sage, thyme, rosemary, and a little celery seed. … Since I’m not a big celery fan, I only used a couple of pinches of the last ingredient; try it and add more if you think it’s necessary. The result is a piquant powder that will energize whatever you shake it with. To make yourself a batch of Thanksgiving seasoning, you will need:
- 1 cube of chicken stock (or turkey if available)
- 2 teaspoons of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon grated sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 pinches of celery
Mix everything in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and beat until fine powder remains. Try and add more sage or celery seeds as needed. Sprinkle popcorn over a bowl while watching Christmas movies, add popcorn to the filling to make it more “stuffed,” or use it to season any potato product. You can even use it to dust your dusters for a Thanksgiving themed cruise. Who doesn’t need a Thanksgiving cucumber?