The ginger thin taste test: Anna’s vs. Trader Joe’s

This morning it was time for me to make my monthly trip to Fargo, ND, for some necessary items.  You see, Carol Widman’s Candy Co. had called me to say that the humidity had dropped enough for them to make some dark chocolate covered sponge candy once again.  If it’s too humid out, the candy just flops.  I’ve been waiting three months for them to call and tell me my order was ready.

So off I went on my 140 mile round trip drive.  I generally take the same route each time and am able to enjoy the seasonal changes in the farm fields along the way.  Today was no exception.

The wheat fields, though planted late because of the rains, are turning golden once again.  As I zipped past this field, something different caught my attention.

I made a U turn and went back to see what had caught my eye.  Sure enough, there was a sandhill crane out in the middle of the field all by his lonesome.  Cool beans!

Then along US 10, I drove through a mile of gorgeous sunflowers.  It was like a sea of shining yellow faces pointed my way.  Lest you think I would drive 140 miles just for some candy, I’ll tell you that I also stopped at the Breadsmith store to stock up on their crusty breads.  Today I chose regular French, Rustic Italian, and a loaf of Sour Dough.  I also splurged on one of their tasty and sinful bars to have for breakfast tomorrow.  I will miss both of these specialty stores when I leave next month.

I also stopped at a vegetable stand on the way home to get some supplies for a cookout we were having tonight, but I’ll talk about that in a later post.  I couldn’t go past Mr. Smith’s house either without stopping to get some more tomatoes, and have another memorable chat with this character.  (Same outfit as usual. I wonder if he takes those sweats off when he goes to bed?)

Yesterday, I invited John and Bridget over for dinner after they had gotten off of working the VC.  We enjoyed a nice meal outside, and then they taught me how to play the game of Ten Penny.

I had never played this card game before.  It involves seven different hands, three decks of cards, and chips to buy needed cards with.  I needed the cheat sheet to keep track of the requirements of each hand, but believe it or not I smoked them!  Beginner’s luck, I guess.  It’s always fun when you win. 

Then it was time for a little desert.  What better time to have the taste test of Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Cookie Thins against Anna’s Swedish Ginger Thins?

Trader Joe’s on the left and Anna’s on the right.  I get the Anna’s (A) at the grocery store in Detroit Lakes, and I was sent the Trader Joe’s (TJ) by the Odd Essay  to compare.  Here are the results of the test.  Two out of three preferred A over TJ.  Both were thin and crisp, but TJ was crispier and had a much stronger ginger flavor.  A was voted not quite as crisp, but more comforting to eat.  I’ll let you guess who the crispy critter voter was.

But wait!  There’s more!

Anna’s also claim to be a Swedish wish cookie.  You put one in your palm, make a wish, and tap it with your index finger.  If it breaks into three pieces, your wish is granted.

                                               We all tried it, and no one got their wish. 

Trader Joe’s, on the other hand, claims to be a natural aphrodisiac.  Hmm…  I guess the jury’s still out on that as I didn’t have the ‘crispness’ to ask John and Bridget how their evening was…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy