Cherry Cinnamon Jam

These cherries were very sweet, but I had a batch of not-so sweet cherries that I made into a jam. I was inspired by Tongue in Cheek's post, except I drastically cut down on the amount of sugar used. If you've always wanted to try making your own jams and preserves, it's really very simple. You don't need to make enough to last through the winter like days of yore or whatever, just enough for you to enjoy. And you don't need to buy any special pectin or preservatives. Simmering the fruit for a long while will release its natural fruit pectin.

Cherry Cinnamon Jam
Adapted from Tongue in Cheek

For 1 small jar of jam, you'll need:
1 cup of cherries, pitted
1 heaping tblsp sugar, or 2 tblsps if you like sweeter jam
1 tsp cinnamon

Wash and pit cherries. Add 1 heaping tblsp of sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture sit for an hour or so to dissolve the sugar.

Add mixture to a heavy pan, I used my enameled cast iron pot for this. Turn heat to medium-high and let it gently come to a boil. Give it a quick stir and let it simmer on medium-low to low until the mixture thickens to your liking. Sporadically check up on it and give it a stir every once in a while. This should take another hour or so if you like the cherries to still remain mostly whole like this. Simmer longer if you want them more jam-like.

When the cherries are the consistency you like, spoon them hot into a jar, close the lid tightly, then flip it upside-down. The heat will cause the lid top to "pop," thus sealing the jam. Store until ready to eat.


Serve spread on toast, or however you like jam.

I made this back in June and it lasted for several months in the fridge just fine. It could probably go longer but I've eaten it all up by now. That's also why I made a small batch, just enough for eating one jar at a time.

Enjoy!

I Only Bought the Lychee Drink for the Marble Inside

While we're on the subject of lychees... We are? Have you so quickly forgotten? So while, lychees are still on top of your mind, look what I saw during a recent visit to the San Gabriel Superstore.


The $.79 mangosteen drink will not replace real mangosteens, or offer any of its health benefits. It didn't even taste like mangosteens. No wonder since it only had 10% mangosteen juice. :(

But the $1.19 lychee carbonated drink does taste like lychee and it's fun! There's a marble resting at the top of the drink, where the blue cap is, and you push the marble down into the bottle with the pink top to open it.

The marble then drops down inside.

Pinkberry - Pasadena (Old Town)

So what did lil' sis have her eye on for dessert after our dinner at Mi Piace? Pinkberry! I know, surely you're sick of reading about Pinkberry by now. If you missed the whole fro-yo craze, read my post on Pinkberry - Los Angeles (Koreatown). In case you didn't know, the Pasadena location is now open on Fair Oaks Avenue, just around the corner from Cheesecake Factory. There's just two tables inside so it's really not a good location for lingering. But that's fine because most people would probably opt to walk around Old Town with their fro-yo anyway. Lil' sis got a medium original with mochi, raspberries, and kiwi for $4.95. I got the medium original with mochi, mango, and lychee. Yup, lychee is their new ingredient available just this summer. Although, I only got three lychees, and they were canned, and they looked like sushi. Don't know what a lychee is? This is what fresh lychees look like. My oldest uncle's sister-in-law has a lychee tree and she shared with his family, and he shared with the rest of us. I had forgotten how firm, white, and sweet freshly picked lychees could taste. Most of the ones you get at the market here are picked before ripeness and they're not nearly as vibrant in color or taste. Other posts about Old Town Pasadena: Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant - Pasadena (Old Town) Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining - Pasadena (Old Town) Mi Piace - Pasadena (Old Town) Old Pasadena Film Festival - Pasadena (Old Town) Pinkberry 19 S. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, CA 91105 626-744-0505