Why Are People...Eating ​Cottage Cheese Again?

The Joe-Joe’s in question are none other than the Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s. They are currently sold in two iterations: regular and gluten-free. According to the Trader Joe’s website, a box of the gluten-free ones go for $4.49. The regular version isn’t currently listed online, but has been available in stores for $4 for a hot minute.

Seasoned Trader Joe’s shoppers truly don’t play around with their Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s. There are plenty of people who’ve truly granted this product cult status!

One super fan recently took to Reddit to share their love for the holiday cookies – they’ve been enjoying them for a whopping 16 years!

“My FB memories just showed me that 16 years ago today I fell in love with my favorite TJ's product, Candy Cane Joe Joe's,” they wrote in the thread. “Every year I buy at least 5 boxes, eat 1 during the holidays, and stash the rest for the rest of the year. I only have one box so far this year and I need to get more!”

“I've consumed at least 2 boxes of these every year since 2007,” another Reddit user wrote in a separate thread. I’m sold.

“I gain 3 lb every December because of these,” one more Redditor said.

The Candy Cane Joe Joe's are everything I love about the holidays. They have plenty of chocolate, but enough peppermint to balance out the bite. Plus, desserts are just huge in my household this time of year.

Whether I’m enjoying them solo with a cold glass of milk or adding them to my Christmas charcuterie board to share with the fam, I just know they’re going to be a hit.

As another Reddit user put it: ““They are so good. [It's] impossible to enjoy regular Oreos now.”

Cravings going crazy? Trader Joe’s most recent seasonal drop for the holidays includes so many more candy cane-themed items. Catch the Candy Cane Joe-Joe's Ice Cream (!), Candy Cane Green Tea,Candy Cane Baton Wafer Cookies, Dark Chocolate-Covered Peppermint Joe Joe’s, Dark Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Marshmallows, and even the Candy Cane Body Scrub (and more!) in stores for a limited time.

1. Get a good board.

Throughout the years, I’ve learned that your charcuterie is only as good as the board you use to craft it. I’ve had moments where I tried to use a single dinner plate or even a plastic cutting board for my creations, and, well, they just didn’t cut it.

The perfect charcuterie board is durable, easy to transport, and easy to clean once all the snacks are gone. Of course, the size of your board matters, too, but that really all depends on the amount of people you plan to serve.

I was lucky enough to be gifted this wonderful foldable charcuterie board ($87) from Uncommon Goods (thanks, mom!), and it’s my go-to for small gatherings (more typical than large parties, per my lifestyle).

I also really enjoy it because it’s easy to travel with if I’m setting up a snack spread at someone else’s place. The foldability also makes it a breeze to stow away in my kitchen cupboards between uses.

My only (very minor) complaint about it is that the nooks and crannies between the folding mechanisms can be hard to fully clean.

If you plan to take your charcuterie skills to a larger get-together, I recommend looking for a long board, like these ones from Amazon ($65) or Crate & Barrel (above, $70).

2. Variety is key.

Now that the board’s out of the way, it’s time to get into the fun stuff – the food!

My personal preference when it comes to charcuterie boards is that they have a ton of variety. Not just variety in flavors, but color, texture, and layout.

Having a wide range of different snacks will please the palette and the eyes, which is the number one key in impressing those people that hover around the snack table, leaving them with a lasting memory about your amazing charcuterie work.

As a quick guide, I always strive to have at least one item from each of these categories on my charcuterie board: meats, cheeses, crackers, nuts, olives, fruits, and chocolates (because who doesn’t like chocolate?!).

Bonus points for fancy picks like veggies, dips, breads, honeys, baked bries, cookies, pastries, and dipping oils.

Now, all of that is just for a regular-schmegular charcuterie moment. When it comes to a Christmas charcuterie board, you may want to stick to seasonal foods (like Christmas cookies, cheese balls, and rosemary crackers) and flavors (like cranberry, gingerbread, and peppermint) to really nail the theme. Using red and green foods is also welcome!

It’s no secret that I love to shop at Trader Joe’s for all of my charcuterie needs. They carry a ton of items in each of the aforementioned categories, and the best part is their products typically favor the more-elevated culinary palette (not to sound pretentious AF!).

Plus, their aisles change according to the seasons, so you’re bound to find the perfect items for your Christmas charcuterie board in a single trip. I can’t recommend TJ’s more!

3. Get creative with presentation.

The presentation of your charcuterie is the part that people will remember the most, which is why I fully lean into my creativity to create an eye-catching snack spread.

My best advice is to simply be patient and don’t rush this step! It should be pure fun – sometimes it’s even more fun for me than actually eating the charcuterie!

You really can’t mess up the presentation, and if you do, everything is easily rearrangeable.

Meat roses – it sounds so silly, but making meat roses was the first thing that really leveled up my boards’ presentations. You can create them by layering slices of cured meats (like salami) around the rim of a glass. I watched a quick TikTok tutorial to learn how (thank you, internet!). This YouTube video also has some really helpful and clear tips!

I also enjoy employing methods like alternating and layering different cheeses, stylishly folding meats onto toothpicks, stuffing olives, creatively cutting berries, and more.

The next tip kind of goes hand-in-hand with my notes about using a good board, but it definitely plays into presentation: using small bowls to section out things like olives, baked bries (my fave), jellies, and dips. Tiny bowls like this set of 6 from Amazon ($23) not only look cute, but they help in separating charcuterie items that shouldn’t touch other things (AKA oily olives or piping-hot baked cheeses).

You’ll learn more and more about your charcuterie presentation preferences through practice. Plus, no two boards are the same, so you really have free reign on each one!

4. Scale your charcuterie appropriately for the occasion.

If you’re going to serve a big Christmas party, you’ll want to up the ante with the size of your charcuterie spread. As I noted with the size of your board, you’ll want to have enough snacks to fill the blank space on it.

The real key with this is just being prepared – make sure you get a solid head count ahead of your charcuterie shopping trip, and you’ll know exactly how much to buy!

If you’re only feeding a few mouths, it’s okay to keep it small! For reference, between two people, I only need to grab one of each item. For larger gatherings above 10 people, I might be extra cautious and grab 3 or 4 of each.

I’ve found that meats, cheeses, and crackers are typically what’s gone from my boards first, so I’d recommend focusing on having enough options there for your own creation.

Another important thing to take into consideration is if your guests have any special dietary needs like allergies. That way, you can know what to avoid (or set out separately from the main charcuterie board if you’re up to making a couple of options).

If you’ve committed to the charcuterie for a function at someone else’s house, make sure you arrive in advance with all the components packaged. Building the board beforehand opens up the possibility of it getting messed up during travel.

I’d tow along my board, a bag full of the snacks, and some necessary prep items like knives and bowls. Bringing your own paper plates to coordinate could also be helpful to the host!

Sydney Sweeney's video of training for her Christy Martin biopic totally speaks for itself.

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A post shared by Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney)

Sydney Sweeney's new Instagram video features the actress boxing and training for her new role, and it doesn't even have a caption — she doesn't need it! The video and photo montage speaks for itself, but that didn't stop her friends from showing her major support in the comments.

"You’re such a bad—ss. This movie is gonna be 🔥," Sydney's Anyone But You costar Glen Powell commented, while Outer Banks' Madelyn Cline simply said, "I truly love it here."

"The thing is these people would never say it in person," Isabela Merced, who starred with Sydney in Madame Web, said. "Too scared. But if they ever did? best believe it’s hands 😘" while Lili Reinhart commented, "It’s always wild to see people publicly out-themselves as pieces of sh—t with comments like that. You look incredible and your dedication to your project is very inspiring 💪🏻❤️."

Quinta Brunson simply left a fire emoji in the comments. (Which, TBH, is exactly how I feel about this whole scenario.)

And Sydney can't wait for fans to see the movie.

Sydney Sweeney has already teased what to expect from the Christy Martin biopic, and can't wait for movie lovers to see how she rose to the self-proclaimed "challenge."

“I grappled and did kickboxing from 12-19 years old," Sydney told Deadlinein May. "I’ve been itching to get back into the ring, train, and transform my body. Christy’s story isn’t a light one, it’s physically and emotionally demanding, there’s a lot of weight to carry. But I love challenging myself.”

That challenge definitely includes physical workouts (did you SEE the video above?!) but it also expands to emotional work too. “Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman — a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring," Sydney writes in another Instagram post. "Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I’m honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story with you all. more to come soon."

We can't wait to see you kick butt Syd! In the Christy Martin movie AND in The Housemaid ;).