Local: Slow Jams Slides on into SF

Have you heard of Slow Jams yet?

No, not music. We’re talking literal jams here. I forget how exactly I heard about Shakirah Simley’s jam business (I only know it was through Twitter), but I’m glad I discovered Slow Jams.

Yesterday, I met with Shakirah to pick up my order of three of her most popular (and most current) flavors. Here are my thoughts on each flavor:

1. Milk Jam – As Shakirah said, this was sweet like caramel; definitely a dessert jam. I had mine with some toast in the morning. Could have also gone well with a glass of milk as well. I think this one is dangerous for me since it's got an addicting flavor to it. Yum!

2. Onion Fennel Bacon Relish – Long name, great taste! This is a more savory jam, meant to top sandwiches or just eat straight out of the jar. The bits of bacon were a nice surprise inside.

3. Quince Butter – Out of the three flavors, this is the one that could be classified most as “traditional” jam with the consistency/texture. There’s a hint of cinnamon in the butter which makes me think of pumpkin butter. Delicious and smooth!

Overall, I love the jams. Each 8 oz. jar costs $10 with the exception of the Onion Fennel Bacon Relish. For the time being, Shakirah is selling her goods via Twitter and direct email. Check her out; you won’t regret it! She’ll be opening up a storefront soon, so I can’t wait for that.

Holidays: Dragon Boat Festival Eats & Memories

The Dragon Boat Festival was yesterday, which is a Chinese holiday I always remember by the food made/eaten: the doong, as my family calls it. I can never really remember the significance of the holiday (that's bad, yikes), but I always remember the food and the memories.

For the past couple of years, ever since I moved out to San Francisco, I haven't been able to eat my parents' home-made doong. I remember when my parents and my grandparents would make these treats for 1-2 days every summer; I'd watch them wash and soak the bamboo leaves and then, after the leaves were a little dry and ready for the fillings, I'd watch my parents stuff the intricately folded bamboo leaves with rice, peanuts, Chinese sausage, and other dried goods. It was always a meticulous and mesmerizing process to watch.

Nowadays, doong is much more accessible to me since I live in San Francisco; however, I don't find as much of a connection with these bakery-bought versions since I don't know the doong-makers personally. Of course, I have to make-do with my surroundings and, upon my parents' request, eat the doong that I am able to obtain here in the city. I hope one day I will be able to learn how to make doong from my parents so I may carry on the tradition.

Sweets: Cheesecake Bites in Santa Cruz

Today at work, we took a school-wide trip down to Santa Cruz as a fun day outside of San Francisco. The weather was unfortunately not so great (cloudy all day), but we still had fun at the Boardwalk down there. The rides were okay, the sights were fine, but I think in the end I was most intrigued by all the foods there.

Since the Boardwalk is just a permanent form of a county fair, the food was all fried and fattening; nothing really healthy there. I came across these interesting creations (pictured above), Cheesecake bites. They were advertised at one of the eateries as deep-fried cheesecake; gee whiz! There were a lot of other sweets there (e.g., deep-fried Twinkies, but the stand wasn't open today), but in the end I decided to go for these treats.

They're pricey for just two (around $4+), but they're worth every bit of fried morsel. Each "bite" has a slightly soft yet crispy shell, and inside is the cheesecake. I feel like I have tried this kind of sweet before, from somewhere in my past--can't quite place my finger on when and where I had it before though. Don't think it was referred to as a "deep-fried cheesecake" though.

I'm sure the treat is found elsewhere, but if you're in the area, why not try a Cheesecake Bite in Santa Cruz?

Cooking: "Easy" Chicken Burns (Slow Cooker, part 2)

Well...it looks like I didn't really fare too well in making a good slow-cooker chicken today. The recipe said it'd be easy to cook and that it'd be okay for it to sit in the slow cooker for quite some time. I popped the chicken and other ingredients in before work, and then, after work (roughly..10 hours later), this was the result of my dinner.

Sigh, well, now I've learned that I shouldn't leave the food in for so long, especially if it's not a stew/soup. Oh well; the chicken was still edible, but rather dry. Live and learn as always.

Miscellaneous: Slow Cooker Appears on the Horizon...

I had never really thought much about the method of slow cooking before; I actually don't know anyone (in person) who uses a slow cooker. I asked around at work and my co-workers said that most Californians don't use a slow cooker. I'm not sure if that is a true statement, of course, but it's something to think about at least.

My brother A had requested for a slow cooker for Christmas though, mainly because one of his co-workers back in Virginia had mentioned it to him. "Just toss food in before work, and after work, it's all cooked and ready for you." I guess that line hooked in my brother since, from living with him the past month or so, I do notice he rarely has time to cook. Luckily, he did have his slow cooker shipped over; brand new! He hadn't even taken it out of its packaging, so it seems I'm the first to start using the slow cooker.

Let's see what I can do with a slow cooker, now...