[Nham] Treats from Jars of Clay

Howdy! :)

My mom's office is being transferred to a place a bit far from the old one because of contract issues with the landlord and whatnot. Though its hard being uprooted, my mom said the transfer does have one BIG perk, and that is the fact that it is now closer to Jars of Clay!

Jars of Clay happens to be my FAVORITE cafe/pastry shop or whatever you call it. I think 'cafe' is more appropriate because they serve coffee and other treats. BUT my favorite would have to be the treats that they bake.

Months ago, my mom introduced me to this place when she bought some brownies that are TO DIE FOR. Seriously. Seriously. However, the shop had to close for renovations that took forever, so I sort o  forgot about it and went on to worship other shops. LOL.

Last week, she came home with a surprise. She gave us 2 take-away containers filled with brownies and chocolate chip bars from Jars of Clay, and guess who became a happy monkey? Moi! Who else?

Anyway, I was feeling blue today and I sort o  begged my mom to buy brownies. But she did not reply to my texts so I thought she was probably busy.

Lo and behold! When she arrived this afternoon, she came bearing gifts... *teehee* These may not be brownies, but it was something I did not try before.

Apricot Crumble and Raspberry Bar from Jars of Clay

Loved it! The Apricot Crumble was just soooo heavenly, and the Raspberry Bar was simply delicious. She kept asking me which one I preferred, and I could not choose. Both are are just drool-worthy. Yum! But my heart still belongs to their brownies. Hehehe

~~

Jars of Clay is a project from an NGO (Non-government Organization) that was formed in 1998. It is entirely run by Cambodian women who seek a chance to excel in life. Some of these women are those who have been rescued from trafficking and those who have had significant hardships in life. The profits of  this shop are used to help those in need such as children who need help with school fees, and more.

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Name that [this] Blog!

So many things happen to me whenever I run around the Internet. That is why for sure I can discover a lot of things that catch my interest and for some reason, today is a lucky day to share.

There is this Food Blog Name Generator that I stumbled upon a few hours ago that made me rethink about the name of this blog. It was such fun to keep generating this clever names that I am in fact considering a name change.

Here are some of the top names that I have come up with during my excessive reloading of the name generator:

• Oh My God, It's Full of Sugar!
• Total Bread
• Stealing Inclination
• Omnivorous Eggs
• Deadly Hankering
• A Fistful of Gastronomy
• Bottomless Sugar
• Street Eggs

I've realized that while I do post some inane stuff here, most of my posts focus on food and obviously its probably because I do love food. So a name change is probable, though the URL would remain the same. Besides, it gives this blog more focus, never mind the other things that are also included. But I figured that the names I fancied above can also work with a random blog that is not necessarily a dedicated food blog, but a blog of a food lover still.

What do you think?

Right now, I have a couple of favorites from my list. The runners-up would have to be the following: 1) Oh My God, It's Full of Sugar, 2) Deadly Hankering, 3) Omnivorous Eggs, 4) A Fistful of Gastronomy, and 5) Street Eggs.

Again, what do you think? :)

Check out this LINK to get to the Food Blog Name Generator at The Last Appetite.

DQ (Dairy Queen) mode

Some days I am content to just eat my packed lunch and wait for the rest of my lunch break to pass by. I eat like the wind, you see, and even when I try to eat slowly, time does crawl by when you are eating alone.

Last Friday, I had this intense craving for ice cream, so I asked one of my Khmer colleagues if she would like to step out onto the blistering heat and enjoy ice cream as well. My friend was feeling rather low as well, and incidentally had a craving for pints, nay gallons, of ice cream and so she agreed.

I suggested that we head over to the Dairy Queen shop along Riverside, which was recently opened, and although she was hesitant at first, I managed to get her to try something new.

After some adventure with myself attempting to drive a scooter, we reached Dairy Queen shop and stepped into the cool shop. The selections were not much, but it was enough. I was curious enough about the Blizzard ice cream, so I ordered the Chocolate Xtreme Blizzard. My friend, on the other hand got something else with bananas and apples. Unfortunately, I was too excited about my ice cream to care what she had. We even had a small Oreo Blizzard cup for free!

Dairy Queen has this test with Blizzard that before it is served, it is held upside down and the ice cream should not fall off. If it does, I think you get ice cream for free.

So the dude giving us our ice cream upturned our Blizzards and I was amazed at how the ice cream did not fall off!!

Kewl.

Overall, I had a blast that day. It satisfied my hankering, cooled off my friend's depression, and we had a cool lunch break.

I hope to return to DQ again sometime. When the time is right. ;)

**The Dairy Queen ice cream shop is located along Riverside (Preah Sisowath Quay) next to Pizza Company.

Apples and Ton Lob (Persimmons)

Everybody, I believe, needs to start eating healthier these days. With all the processed food that we consume, it is no surprise that most people are now becoming slower, more sluggish, and just plain unhealthy.

I've taken it upon myself to eat healthier and since Phnom Penh is not known for its abundance of seafood - the kind I happen to like - I have resorted to eating fruits and vegetables. Still working on decreasing the amount of rice intake though.

Today, while munching on an apple, one of my Khmer friends dared me to try a fruit called ton lob (tolep). They said its one of the fruits common to their country, and a definite 'MUST TRY' for a foreigner such as myself. I tried asking them for the English name of the fruit, but they said they believe this is a Khmer fruit - thus possessing a Khmer name only.

After further investigation (read: Google-ing), I discovered that ton lob (tolep) is also known in English as a persimmon.

Persimmons are fruits I've read about in books and I think I've seen pictures as well, but I have never seen in real life. Not sure if this fruit is available in the Philippines, but I would have tasted it if it were.

The persimmon I had on hand looked very much like those plump red tomatoes - only it was orange  - which prompted me to ask if my friends were attempting to fool me by making me eat a tomato disguised as a fruit. But when I held it, it was actually heavier than a tomato, and definitely more solid. After my friend cut it up and set it next to my apple, I had no choice but to try.

I guess you could say, good things come to those who try. harhar because it was delicious! Really, really delicious. Albeit it was not THAT sweet, but it was fulfilling. Yum!

I hear you can purchase persimmons around Phnom Penh in any of their markets. I might as well ask my friends to buy more for me. Or at least point me to the right direction!

Food Trip Friday: The Art of Salad Layering

One of the things that I have learned during my transfer to Phnom Penh is how to do salad layering.

Though I am not a pro, I am proud to say that I have learned this art and it is quite useful, especially if you and your friends are presented with an awesome salad bar.

If I may, I'd like to share with you the Art of Salad Layering so that you may reap the rewards of maximizing your servings at the salad bar.

Before we begin, I feel the need to inform you that one needs practice before perfecting this art. Also, we only use this secret weapon when faced with a salad bar at a restaurant that does not allow guests to have second, third or fourth helpings.

Stage 1.

1. Retrieve bowl to use. Note: Please see how small the bowl is in the picture.
2. Fill bottom portion of the bowl with coleslaw to create a foundation.
3. Line rim of the bowl with carrot sticks as shown in the image above.
4. Line the bowl with lettuce leaves to mimic a bigger bowl.
5. Fill with delights from the salad bar, preferably the ones that are pasta, corn kernels, and seafood bits.

Stage 2.

1. Line rim of the bowl with carrot sticks or cucumber sticks. Carrot sticks are often imperative during stage one.
2. Line the bowl once more with lettuce leaves, extending the bowl further.
3. Add salad delights that you want.

These are the two basic stages of salad layering. Stage 2 is often repeated again and again as long as the bowl manages to hold up. Proceed with caution!!!

In the past, I've seen some people reach as far as 5 layers. How they have managed to do that without spilling this way and that, escapes me.

I tell you, it is definitely art! Go ahead and give it a try!

And remember, TRY AND TRY UNTIL YOU SUCCEED!

Have a Happy Friday everyone!!

Food Trip Friday: Kraing

Since I transferred to Cambodia, you could say that I have indulged in food that may not often grace my plate.

While the Philippines does have its own fair share shellfish recipes which I love, here is one that I have encountered only in Cambodia so far.

Kraing.

I believe this is raw shellfish (but I could be wrong!) eaten with some chili and the Khmer red salt (salt + MSG + chili).