Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 30

Foodie Friday: Ragu Bread Bowl

Want pasta but in a different way? Try out a ragu bread bowl like I did!

Ragu bread bowl: ragu in a sourdough bowl

Ragu is a savory meat sauce filled with spices. Check out this recipe for the sauce. I like the idea of putting the ragu into a bowl. The sourdough is baked fresh and lends a nice crust to sop up the juices. This version was a bit too salty for me, but it was rich with flavor and very hearty.

Buon Appetito!

Wordless Wednesday: Winning 3rd Place

Foodie Friday: Sticky Candy

Sticky candy: handmade Malaysian candies

My Malaysian relatives got the kiddos some handmade candy. They come in a cute jar and have various designs. These hard candies feature smiling happy faces as well as some more intricate designs of animals. The flavors offered range from regular fruits, like strawberry and watermelon, to more unique ones like lychee and passionfruit.

I wasn’t there in person to see the store, but I hear that they make the candy in front of you. They even offer more customized services, like personalizing their treats and putting your name on them.

P.S. Love their motto! “Traditional hand-made yummy”

What unique candies have you tasted?

5 Ways to Instagram

“You have a captivating style all your own.”

I used to carry about a proper camera. It was one of my most prized possessions as a child. Unfortunately, I was horrible at taking pictures. In those days you had to develop film, and I’d get maybe one or two usable shots. With digital nowadays, I just delete the ones I don’t like.

Instagram takes photography up a notch, since people get to share their photos with the public.

Here are 5 ways to Instagram:

Raw. Take all your shots, but don’t process them. Everything goes unfiltered. This is actually a side note in Sophie Kinsella’s My Not So Perfect Life.


Filter. Do the opposite. Filter all your photos. However, pick one theme and stick with it. This way, every picture has the same recognizable style.


Specialize. Do you enjoy books? Bees? Bears? Whatever your heart’s desire, snap shots of it. One of my fave accounts? https://www.instagram.com/matcha_bae/ That’s right…for all things matcha!


Words. Sometimes a change is needed. I often see quotes—whether personal or famous—as graphics on Instagram. Use sentences to inspire Instagrammers around you.


Visual. Instagram thrives on visual flair. If you’ve got that artistic touch, go all in and create lovely shots. Here’s a pic from @imagery.in.pages, who features book covers on her account:

(Recognize the title?)

Please share your Instagram tips! And follow me at https://www.instagram.com/jenjchow

Foodie Friday: Siu Mai

Siu mai: dim sum dumplings, usually filled with meat

These were filled with crab meat.

I can’t believe I haven’t food blogged about this before. Siu mai is a staple of the dim sum cart. The dumplings are quite distinctive because of the pleated edges that decorate their tops.

Usually, these dumplings are filled with ground pork, and possibly shrimp. A few other ingredients like mushrooms and scallions round out the flavor. Like other steamed dumplings, the layer of dough is very thin, so it’s the taste of the filling that dominates.

Hint: A lot of people enjoy these dumplings with hot sauce or chili oil.

Fun fact: In Indonesia, siu mai can be dipped into a spicy peanut sauce.

#BookReview: Starswept

“Romance will come your way soon.”

Starswept by Mary Fan

4.5 stars

Pros:

An invented language!
Unique world-building
Focus on the arts

Cons:

Too much mystery in the beginning

Starswept is a wonderful book. I love the premise of the situation, where the arts are adored by an alien race. There are also interesting underlying themes of prejudice, xenophobia, and the value of human lives in the novel.

I’m able to really identify with the main character, Iris. I love how she’s not always the damsel in distress, waiting for the guys around her to rescue her. However, she’s still real and has emotions of wanting to belong and to have a fairytale life that make her a complex and conflicted individual. I also respect Iris for being a proper violist and not a supergirl when it comes to breaking out of her comfort zone and trying to do physical feats.

The love story is beautiful, but I did take off a .5 star because I felt like I couldn’t really understand the strong attraction to the Adryil boy since he was always so mysterious about who he was and about relaying particular facts. It does all work out in the end, in a very interesting way, but I remember feeling like I should have known more about him to really understand and fall in love with his character earlier .

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this futuristic world with its deep and timely themes. It’s a very intriguing start to a new series.  And I adore learning the invented alien language!

Find more of my book ratings and reviews here.

 

Foodie Friday: Cevapi

A new try…

Cevapi: minced meat sausages

Confession: I am not a huge sausage person. Give me bacon instead any day.

However, I stumbled into a Bosnian restaurant recently and had to taste their cevapi. Cevapi is a type of skinless sausage that consists of grilled meat. It’s super delicious due to the combination of umami flavor and roasted flare. Kinda like a mix of satay and gyro.

Cevapi is the sausage meat in the middle of the skewer (the upside-down heart shape).

Fun fact: The food is traditionally found in the Balkans; there are often grill shops that sell cevapi.

Dragonfly Dreams Highly Recommended!

“You will be the guest of a gracious host.”

“I highly recommend Dragonfly Dreams not only to its intended young adult audience, but also to those interested in exploring acculturation across generations.” ~ Lisbeth Coiman

Today’s post is a quick peek at a very kind review of my novel from Lisbeth Coiman, a bilingual writer: https://lisbethcoiman.com/review-dragonfly-dreams-by-jennifer-chow/

Keep an eye out for her forthcoming raw and moving memoir, I Asked The Blue Heron.

 

Foodie Friday: Panda Cake

Panda cake: an animal-shaped moon cake

I’ve written about mooncakes before. If you want to know their historical significance, check out my past blog post.

Yes, it’s time once more for the mid-Autumn Festival. This year it’s happening on October 4th.

I couldn’t resist tasting this animal-shaped panda cake, though. It’s got a traditional filling of lotus seed paste but in a super cute shape!

Fun fact: I grabbed my box from a nearby Costco. That’s right, now you can stock up!

 

Yellowstone trip

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Our major summer vacation destination was Yellowstone! This trip crisscrossed across four different states: Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

In Yellowstone, we got to see animals up close and personal! This bison was waiting for me outside my window. We also experienced several stops because of bison crossings.

The park is known for its geothermal features. Since the Earth’s internal temperature is super hot, it creates bubbling results, like geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles. Old Faithful, of course, is one of the most famous geysers there.

Unknown to me, the geographic area also has a deep affinity for huckleberries. I found everything from huckleberry lemonade to pies. I also tried huckleberry popcorn:

Since we were also near Grand Teton National Park, we stopped by there as well. It’s known for a great display of the major peaks in the 40-mile long Teton Range.

It’s also got a lot of water sources, including one named after me–Jenny Lake ;)

And for the kiddos, they can complete activities in their Junior Ranger books. After that, they’re rewarded with some awesome patches!

It was a great trip to the first national park in the U.S.!