Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 41
June 17, 2016
Foodie Friday First: Santa Maria Beans
Santa Maria beans: small pink beans found as an accompaniment to their famous barbecue
On a road trip through California, we decided to check out the famous Santa Maria tri tip. (Supposedly, the meat is grilled over special red oak to add to its flavor.) Anyway, a usual side dish is composed of these pinquito beans found only in the Santa Maria Valley.
They’re cute little guys that are spiced up with chili flavor. Here’s one recipe on how to make them. Now, I’m not much of a bean fan myself, but it was a nice side treat.
Fun tip: We satisfied our barbecue craving by going to Old San Luis BBQ.
June 13, 2016
Book Parties!
“You are a true friend.”
Book celebrations are fun. There’s nothing more exciting than launching your first book. (The parallel in parenting is the extravagant party given for your first-born at one year old.)
I was super stoked to go to Sarah M. Chen‘s book launch yesterday. After years of fantastic short stories, she’s penned a novella, Cleaning Up Finn. Knowing her, it’ll be a gritty but mesmerizing read. Congrats, Sarah!
P.S. Writing conferences are like book parties writ large. In fact, I’ll be going to this summer’s SCBWI event. Find out all the things I’m doing and my musings on aging and Asians by signing up for my quarterly e-newsletter.
June 10, 2016
Foodie Friday: Grapefruit Green Tea
Grapefruit green tea: yep, grapefruit juice mixed with tea
Let me tell you. On a beautiful summer day (first day of summer = June 20th), there’s nothing more desired than a glass of something refreshing. My latest fave? Green tea mixed with grapefruit juice. It’s a great combo of tart and sweet. I guess it’s a bit like an Arnold Palmer–but more Asian-style.
Cheers!
June 6, 2016
Real Asian Faces
“A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved.”
I’m sure you’ve heard of #oscarssowhite. We need diversity, folks. Media should be at the forefront of actually representing what our population looks like. Unfortunately, they’re not. Which is why I’m so grateful for posts like HomeMadeMimi’s “Correcting Yellowface.” It’s one artist’s method of fighting back in a clever way. Go ahead and enjoy her pics!
June 3, 2016
Foodie Friday: Japanese Curry
Japanese curry: stew-like curry with meat and vegetables
Salmon curry
I heart Japanese curry. There’s something about the savory flavor mixed with a sweetness that gets to me. It’s also not too spicy, so even a hotness wimp like me can handle it. The best curry I ate was probably the homemade version that someone ladled out to me in Little Tokyo. However, I’m also a big fan of the Curry House chain.
I do make J-curry at home using those pre-packaged blocks (usually the House Foods brand) from the local Asian store. Somehow, though, it’s always missing the addictive quality that I find at restaurants.
Fun fact: I requested katsu curry as one of my last meals before delivering my first child.
June 1, 2016
Dragonfly Dreams Relaunched
As promised, with the closure of Booktrope and the reversion of my rights, I’ve relaunched my latest young adult novel, DRAGONFLY DREAMS. In celebration, I’m offering a sale price of 99 cents until June 17th. If you’d like to, feel free to pick up a copy for you or a friend!
https://www.amazon.com/Dragonfly-Dreams-Jennifer-Chow-ebook/dp/B01GFJ89BQ/
May 30, 2016
Eating as we Age
“Fortune cookie say: You will find happiness in mind and heart.”
I grew up with the food pyramid, which morphed into MyPlate (2011). This is a plate symbol that’s divided into unequal quadrants and shows a healthy diet.
Now, this chart has been revised for older adults. It still encourages variety in foods (easy rule: make sure to dine on plenty of colors!). Here a few interesting highlights for eating as we age:
Use frozen veggies (they’re convenient and have an equivalent nutritional value)
Spice it up! (taste buds change, but instead of using salt for flavor, substitute in spices and herbs)
Drink a lot (thirst becomes less of an indicator as our bodies get older, so make sure we consciously stay hydrated)
Happy eating!
May 27, 2016
Foodie Friday First: Fried Chicken
Fried chicken: chicken fried up (aka “delicious”)
Okay, okay, so I’ve had fried chicken before. But not a secret-family-recipe-guarded-for-generations version. Thanks to my kind friend Rickey, I got to have some tasty homemade chicken. Though not too bready, it also had a good amount of crunch and spice to entice me for seconds. A generous heart, Rickey, does chicken feasts for his friends and supporters of the marathons he runs for clean water through World Vision. Next up? I’m waiting for the family fried chicken showdown: mother versus sister versus brother.
May 23, 2016
June 1st Relaunch
“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.”
After the sudden and shocking news of my publisher closing, I’ve finally regrouped. I ended up compensating all my team members with flat fees and am moving ahead with self-publishing. Dragonfly Dreams will be relaunching June 1st, so please remember to support me then. Here’s to moving forward and onward!
May 20, 2016
Foodie Friday: Winter melon tea
Winter melon tea: sweet tea made with winter melon
Sometimes it’s nice to have a delicious drink. In Taiwan, we were given a homemade brew of winter melon tea. The winter melon is a common gourd with white flesh inside it. It has a long shelf life and can be stored in a cool place, lasting well through the winter months (thus, its name). The vegetable is often eaten during the summer because of its cooling properties. Winter melon is also supposed to detoxify our bodies.
The taste of winter melon tea is very particular. It’s not really bitter like tea and not so sweet as juice. The addition of caramel and sugar to the winter melon extract makes for a semi-sweet refreshing drink, though.
