Convention Bento

My boyfriend and I are going to Anime Weekend Atlanta tomorrow, so I decided to pack us some lunches!

For lunch, Josh is having roast beef and cheddar on some home made pandesal that his mom made.  I also gave him some hard candies, a chewy bar, a cupcake,and some sun chips.  As you can see, there are no frills, just simple foods I know he'll eat.

My lunch however... Top left are sauteed greens (kale, chard, spinach) with carrot, asparagus, and a simple dressing made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and mirin. In the bottom are: 2 fig bars, sweet omelets wrapped in seaweed and garnished with a grape tomato, and a pandesal filled with pimento cheese, garnished with a spinach leaf and a grape tomato.  The top right is filled up with sweets: hard candies, a shortbread cookie, dried apricots, banana pudding, and sprinkles!

I'll be wearing lolita tomorrow so I wanted to pay homage to the film Kamikaze Girls that got me into the style.  I decided to do so via my bento.  Idk if it is clear in the picture, but for Ichigo's side (top left), I did a sort of grungy, messy looking food and even tried to cut the carrots in the shape of skulls.  And then on Momoko's side (top right), well I just copied her own philosophy on food:

For the bottom portion of my bento, it's just stuff that I personally like--no theme.  Unfortunately I think I put too much soy sauce in the little omelets so they are more salty than sweet... I'll have to try to make them again another day and adjust the seasonings.

I went kind of quick and did not measure anything again so i don't really have any recipes to offer.  Sorry!

dad lunch

i started to make my mom a lunch but then she said she was going to work from home tomorrow?  So this is what dad is having:

salad shaker w blueberry balsamic vinaigrette 

cupcake, kind bar, hijiki salad (not fully rehydrated yet in picture so it looks kinda yucky!)
ants on a log, carrot slices, celery sticks, pimento cheese, and hummus

i didn't really measure anything for the salad dressing or the hijiki salad and those were the only things i really made from scratch for this lunch, so i can't really provide recipes?? oops sorry.

Frittata, Cupcakes, and Sausage

Thursday's Lunches

The primary part of tomorrow's bento is the broccoli-and-cheese frittata left over from dinner.  To fill space around the slice of frittata, i put a little piece of leftover sausage on a toothpick with a grape tomato, and snuck a piece of coffee candy in the other corner.  For mom's lunch, she wanted two portions of salad, so I gave her a mix of chard, kale, and spinach, with some blueberries sprinkled throughout.  I also gave her half of a kind bar for dessert.  For dad's lunch, he has triscuits and hummus, and for dessert, a cupcake and the other half of the kind bar.

Recipe for the Frittata:
1 cup of cooked broccoli

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9" pie pan with butter, oil, or cooking spray.  Spread the broccoli and shredded cheese evenly across the bottom of the pan.  In a separate large bowl, combine eggs, cream, salt, and pepper.  Whisk it together until it's very well combined, then pour it over the broccoli and cheese.  Bake for 30-45 minutes or until you can stab it with a knife and have it come out clean.

I used this recipe for the cupcakes, subbing in a mushed up banana for 1/2 cup of applesauce (the recipe itself calls for 1 1/2 cups of applesauce and i only had 1 cup and a banana that needed to be eaten).  I also made my own frosting in lieu of the cream cheese one given in the recipe.  Here is the recipe for my frosting:

8oz tub of Marscapone cheese
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

Use the whisk attachment of a stand mixer.  Stir together the marscapone with half of the powdered sugar.  Gradually bring up the speed until it is just incorporated.  Reduce the speed and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Once again, gradually bring up the speed until you see soft peaks form on the end of the whisk when you lift it up.  Let the cupcakes cool completely before you frost them, and top with sprinkles, if desired.  This recipe should be enough for ~12 cupcakes, but you can prob stretch it to 16 if you're stingy with it.

Taco Tuesday and Pasta Salad Wednesday

Wednesday's lunch consists of blueberries, pili nuts, pasta salad, and a choice of frosted miniwheats or mixed greens.  The recipe for the pasta salad is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1 tbs olive oil

a drop of lemon flavored grape seed oil

4 stalks of asparagus, cut into small pieces

4 grape tomatoes, each cut in half

4 chunks of marinated artichoke hearts, broken up

1 tbs of balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, drain, and set aside.  Do not rinse.  Meanwhile, heat the oils in a small frying pan, and add the asparagus.  Add a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper then saute until the asparagus pieces are bright green.  Once proper color is achieved, add the tomatoes, and saute until they are a bit soft and can be squished easily with a wooden spoon.  Remove pan from heat and scrape everything in the pan into a medium sized bowl.  Add the artichoke hearts, pasta, and balsamic vinegar to the bowl.  Give it a good toss and taste it.  Add salt and pepper as you see fit.  Let chill before serving.

Taco Tuesday Pasta Bake

ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef

2 tbs of taco seasoning

1 lb of tricolor rotini

1 stick of butter

1 tbs of all purpose flour

3/4 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup pico de gallo, drained of liquid

4 slices of cheddar cheese

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Cook the rotini according to package directions, drain, and set aside.  Do not rinse.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat then add ground beef and taco seasoning.  As the meat browns, break up any chunks with a large cooking spoon.  Once mostly browned, add 1/2 cup of water and cover.  Let it finish cooking while you prepare the cheese sauce.

To make the cheese sauce, melt 1/2 stick of butter in a small sauce pan.  Whisk in the tablespoon of flour.  Once incorporated, add the cream.  Once incorporated, add the shredded cheese a little bit at a time.  Add a handful of cheese, whisk it until it's all melted and thoroughly incorporated.  Add more cream if it gets too thick. When the sauce appears homogeneous, stir in the pico de gallo.

In a large casserole dish, combine the sauce, meat, and pasta.  Stir it up to make sure it's all mixed together, then smooth the top so it will cook evenly.  For the topping, melt 1/2 stick of butter in the microwave and mix with 1/2 cup of panko.  Lay 4 slices of cheese down the center of the casserole, then sprinkle the panko mixture around it.  It should look like this:

Bake at 350F for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top has melted and the panko has browned a bit.

For a vegetarian option you could use some kind of meat substitute for the ground beef or just omit it completely.

Pierogies

Tuesday's Lunch

Tuesday's lunch consists of cheese-and-onion pierogies, grape tomatoes, a caramel sea salt Kind bar, and a salad mix of kale, chard, and spinach, topped with blueberries and grapes.

For the pierogies, I used this recipe for the dough, and for the inside I made a hella batch of mashed potatoes.  I made so many mashed potatoes.  I prob used 1/4 of the batch for the actual pierogies and I made hella pierogies with that dough recipe. I made a lot because I was going to serve the extra with dinner, but it still ended up being way too much mashed potatoes.  Like, I used 6 giant russet potatoes when 2 or 3 prob would have gotten the job done. I don't suggest using the measurements I used since it ended up being so much, but I will list the ingredients and directions in case you feel comfortable eyeballing it.

Ingredients:

diced onion

butter

salt to taste

potatoes, quartered

heavy cream

butter

sour cream

shredded cheese

pierogi dough 

Melt a small amnt of butter in a small frying pan and add diced onions. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown and caramelized.  In a separate pot, boil water and add lots of salt. Add in potatoes and boil until potatoes are v soft and easily punctured w a fork.  Drain and remove skins from the potatoes.  Put potatoes back in pot and add in the dairy ingredients.  Mash it all up, add more heavy cream, and whip the potatoes w a hand mixer.  Make sure the potatoes are already fairly smooth and very moist or you're hand mixer will start making weird noises and stop working.  Stir in your carmelized onions.

To make the pierogies, bring another pot of salty water to a rolling boil.  Cover a cutting board with flour and have a small cup of water nearby.  Grab a small chunk of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands, then, using a rolling pin, roll it out flat on the floured surface. Roll it out to a small oval.  Put about a tablespoon amount of the mashed potato mixture into the center of your oval, wet the edges of the oval, then fold it over and pinch the edges together to form a little dumpling.  Drop it in the pot and star tthe next one.  You'll know the pierogi is cooked when it floats to the top of the water.  It doesn't take long, maybe 3 minutes. When it starts to float scoop it out with a slotted spoon and put it in a bowl.  You can serve them hot and or cold, or fry em up later in a pan with butter.

Pierogies are a bit labor intensive and take a long time, but they are a good crowd pleaser and make great snacks for later.

Breakfast-- Saffron Rice

Saffron Rice w Salmon Furikake

Saffron Rice:
1 tbs of butter

1 tsp turmeric

2-3 threads saffron

salt to taste

cayenne pepper* to taste

1 cup of basmati rice

In a tiny cup or ramekin, soak the saffron threads in a tablespoon of hot or boiling water. Rinse the rice a few times and then drain as much water from it as possible. Melt butter in a small sauce pan.  Add in turmeric, salt, and pepper and let cook until fragrant.  Add rice and give it a good stir, letting it saute for a minute or two.  Add 1 cup of water and the saffron. Stir. Cover and let cook over medium heat, undisturbed, for 7-10 minutes or until water is completely absorbed.  Top with furikake before serving.  A fried egg might also be good but i'm too hungry to wait~

Ham & Cheese

Monday's lunch consists of soybean salad, coffee shortbread, and ham sandwiches.

For the sandwiches, I used sliced cheddar cheese, sliced deli-style ham, rosemary mayo, and onion bread.  To make the rosemary mayo I simply chopped up some fresh rosemary and mixed it into some mayonnaise.  I used to volunteer at a vegetarian restaurant that made the best sandwiches with rosemary mayo so I wanted to try to make some at home.  The onion rolls are from my sister's work but the cheese and ham are just from the grocery store.  I cut the edges off so they would fit in the bento box.

For the soybean salad, I thawed frozen soybeans and then made a dressing with soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds.

You can find the recipe for the cookies here.

A quick, simple lunch!

Oops

such a valuable bread

sooooo i never went to the store and i had to rewrite my menu for next week?  good news is, now it includes dinner.  I won't post it in case I end up having to change it again though.

I did try my hand at yakisoba bread, as seen above.  It is OK, would have been better if I had proper noodles and some cabbage and real sauce.  This is made with ramen noodles, carrot shreds, green onions, and mushrooms.  I also didn't have oyster sauce so I put a drop of fish sauce in with some (probably anicent) hoisin sauce i found in the refrigerator.  The bread is ciabatta that my sister brought home from her work.  I cut a slit into it, rubbed some butter on the inside, and then toasted it before stuffing it with noodles.

It looks good, though right?

Bento Recipes shall resume Sunday

should he take or refuse such a valuable bread?

I'm going to start making lunches for my parents again next week.  My projected menu is:

MONDAY:
vegetarian scotch egg, soy bean salad, fresh fruit
TUESDAY:
yakisoba bread, greens salad in a mason jar, brownies
WEDNESDAY:
soft pretzel, carrot salad, muffin
THURSDAY:
mini calzone, pasta salad, fresh fruit
FRIDAY: 

veggie sandwich, homemade potato chips, yogurt parfait in a mason jar

but I haven't gone to the store yet so this all could be subject to change!

Spiced Coffee

My sister got me a french press for my birthday and I use it at minimum twice, maybe 3x a day.

this is the general set up by my desk.  French Press and a giant mug.

spice blends

Lately I've been trying to "spice things up".  I like to put a few pods of cardamom and other goodies that I pick out of Penzey's mulling spice blend in with the grounds and let it brew together then add milk and sugar.  It's very nice.  I'd like to buy a jar of just whole cardamom to use bc that is the best part.

And since it is basically Autumn now, I thought I'd try my hand at making my own PSL homebrew. For the PS I did not measure anything but used the following ground spices for my blend:
allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.  Supposedly there is a v specific ratio you are supposed to do but i did mostly cinnamon and then a few good shakes of the rest.  For the L I put about half a teaspoon of the spice blend in with coffee grounds and let it brew.  Then I add milk and sugar.  Not really a latte (cafe au lait maybe?), but good enough to keep me away from Starbucks.

Coffee Bean Shortbread and Cottage Pie

coffee bean shortbread

ingredients:

2 sticks of salted butter

1/2 cup of sugar

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon of very finely ground coffee (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F and line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment.  Cream the sugar and butter in a stand mixer.  Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir in coffee, if using. To form the coffee bean shape, take a small lump of dough and use your hands to roll it into an oblong shape.  Press the thicker end of a chopstick down the center of the cookie.  Place cookies about 2 inches apart from eachother.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before serving.

Cottage Pie

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 stalks of green onion, sliced thinly
3 stalks of celery, diced small
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small bag of some sort of frozen vegetable medley, thawed
1 small bag of frozen peas, thawed
1 lb ground beef
2 small cans of V8 (original flavor or low sodium)
1/2 cup of chicken broth
3 large potatoes, large dice
salt to taste

about 1/2 teaspoon each of the following ground spices:
cardamom
coriander
pepper
fennel
sage
turmeric
black pepper
paprika

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, medium heat.  Add the onion and celery and saute until clear. Add spices and garlic and cook until fragrant (abt 1 minute).  Add the vegetables and saute for a bit.  If your blend includes cauliflower, pick it out after it has absorbed some of the spices and set it aside (the cauliflower will go into the mashed potatoes).  Add the ground beef to the skillet and break it up as it browns.  Once it is browned, taste a small piece.  Add salt and more spices if needed.  Add the V8 and chicken broth. Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer while you make the potatoes.
Bring water to boil in a large pot with lots of salt.  Once a rolling boil is achieved, add in potatoes.  Allow to cook until potatoes are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.  Drain the water and put the potatoes back into the pot.  You can remove the skins from the potatoes now if you'd like, i prefer to leave them on.  Add in 1/2 stick of butter, cauliflower (if using), 1/4 cup of milk, salt and pepper to taste, and about 1/4 teaspoon each of turmeric and garam masala.  Mash everything up until mostly smooth and everything is a uniform yellow color.  Pour the meat mixture into the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Spread the potato mixture over the top of the meat.  Use a fork to make a hatch design across the top of the potatoes.  Bake, uncovered, at 350F until the top is crispy and golden, about 25-30 minutes.  Allow to cool a little (at least until it's stopped bubbling) before serving.

Hot Dogs and Rice

This is (inspired by) something my boyfriend's mom makes.  It's traditionally made with ketchup and onions but I think that's gross so I just use garlic and barbecue sauce.  I usually make it for lunch or as a snack.  This recipe is for 2 servings.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 hotdogs*, sliced
2-3 tablespoons of barbecue sauce

Directions:
Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and let it cook for about 1 minute.  Add the hotdogs and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes or until done.  You'll know they are done when they are heated thoroughly and start to get dark and curl up, like this:

Now add the barbecue sauce and stir it up until the oil and sauce are thoroughly combined.  Serve immediately over white rice.

Note:  This might not be very good in a bento as it tastes best when it's hot.  It keeps well and tastes fine reheated though.  It could probably last up to 3 days in the refrigerator but I've never had it stick around long enough to find out (it usually gets eaten up within the day it's made.)

*For a vegetarian option, you could maybe use some type of veggie dog. I've never tried it so I can't say I recommend it. I've only ever had Smart Dog brand, which tend to have a very subtle flavor that i imagine would get overpowered by the strong flavor of the barbecue sauce. Also I feel the texture/consistency would not lend itself well to browning properly.  For those two reasons I don't think a vegetarian version of this dish would be very palatable. If I ever get a chance to experiment with it I will post my results.  Until then, heed my warning: it might be gross.

My Sister's Baby Shower

here are some pictures of things I made for my sister's woodland themed baby shower!

 

I designed and drew the signage, made the punch, and the hedgehog cheeseball.

The punch ended up being a big hit, and it was very easy to make but takes some preparation. The recipe is as follows:
ingredients:

1 gallon of unfiltered apple juice
1-2 tablespoons of whole mulling spices
2 liter of ginger ale

A day ahead, pour the unfiltered apple juice into a large pot, cover, and let it come to a light simmer (doesn't need to boil). You can make a small pouch with some cheese cloth to keep the spices contained, or use a large tea bag, tea ball, other similar contraption.  When the apple juice is nice and hot you can add the spices, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and let the spices steep for an hour or two (longer is better).  Remove the spices, remove the pan from the heat source.  Let the liquid cool down, transfer to a plastic container, and let it chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.  Shortly before serving, transfer the juice to a punch bowl, and top off the bowl with the ginger ale, however much it takes to fill your punch bowl.  If you have extra gingerale leftover from the first pour, you can add more whenever the bowl starts to look low.

Hedgehog Cheese Ball

You see these all over pinterest and some definitely look better than others.  I think mine is pretty successful because I made the face small and used slivered almonds for the quills instead of sliced/whole. The recipe I used for the cheese ball itself I modified from Amy Sedaris's book, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence", which is one of my go-to books when I need party help.  I rewrote the directions in my own words because I found hers to be a bit too vague.

Cheese Ball (base):
1 stick of butter*
1 8-oz package of cream cheese*
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar*
2 tablespoons grated onion
fresh ground black pepper to taste

first combine the butter and cream cheese.  if you decide to use a standmixer (recommended), use the paddle attachment. if you like to live life on the edge, you can probably get away with a spoon but it will a lot more work.  After the butter and cream cheese are thoroughly combined, add in the shredded cheese, grated onion, and pepper and stir until everything appears to be evenly distributed throughout the cheese.

To make the hedgehog, you'll need:
serving platter
cheese ball base (recipe above)
plastic wrap
3 whole black peppercorns
hella slivered almonds
fresh ground black pepper to taste
a few sprigs of rosemary

1. Get out the dish you intend to serve the cheeseball on.  Choose wisely because you can't change your mind later.
2. Dump your cheese mixture into the middle of the plate, forming a mound.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl so nothing goes to waste.
3. Drape a small sheet of plastic wrap over the cheese mound and shape it into a short, fat teardrop. Make sure it's all smooth, no cracks or dips.  Once you've got it shaped up nice you can discard the plastic wrap.
4. On the pointed end of the teardrop, arrange the three peppercorns to make the eyes and nose (see picture).
5. About an inch back from the eyes, start sticking in the slivered almonds.  Try to use just the longer pieces of almond and stick them in about half-way so they're sturdy. It's easy if you go in rows and then go back to fill in the gaps with any extra slivers.
6. Grind some pepper over the top of the cheese ball, but make sure not to get any on the face.
7. Use a paper towel or napkin to wipe up any mess around the plate. Place the rosemary on the plate, however you like it.
8. Get a new sheet of plastic wrap and lightly drape it over the plate (don't make it tight against the quills or they'll get messed up.)
9. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
10. When ready to serve, put out some crackers and/or vegetables cut into matchsticks either around the edge of the serving plate or on another plate to be placed nearby. Be sure to have a cheese knife near or on the platter as well.

TIPS:
~don't make the face or body too flat or long or it will look like a gross rat.
~try to place the slivered almonds close together and use as many as possible.  sparse quills will look lazy.
~keep in mind that, if you do it right, it will take a very long time to make so don't put it off until the last minute or you'll still be putting in quills while your guests arrive.
~don't just leave the cheese knife stabbed into the cheese ball when you go to serve it. unless ritual animal slaughter is part of your party theme, then go ahead.  but otherwise, leave the knife on the side of the plate.

***Good brands for nondairy substitutes: Earth Balance (butter), Tofutti (cream cheese), Daiya (cheddar cheese).***