Bento (105) - Beef Bowl!

Okay - maybe this doesn't exactly qualify as a bento - but while staring at the scraps in my fridge, it suddenly dawned on me that I had the ingredients to try making gyudon (beef bowl) - except for dashi. But since dashi generally makes me nauseous, I thought I could try substituting soup broth and see how it came out.

In went my leftover teriyaki sauce, 3/4 an onion, my substitute soup base, and some thinly cut rib-eye steak . . . and then I remembered the leftover carrot stars in the fridge. Tee hee!

Om nom nom!

Yes. I need professional help.

Bento (104) - Teriyaki Chicken - Complete with Yellow Monkey

Why yes - the golden raspberries and carrot/cucumber salad look awful familiar. . . .

But LOOK! Is that a monkey?! Squee! Seriously - nothing improves your day like opening your lunch and finding a cute yellow monkey staring back at you.

Right side was teriyaki chicken and rice with carrot toppers. The kiwi container had additional teriyaki sauce for the the rice.

Bento (103) - Ponyo Likes HAM!!!!!

Why yes, I did actually say "Ponyo Likes HAM!!!" when making this bento - which was fabulously tasty and super-easy! I highly recommend scribbling this one down for your 5 minutes or less bento list.

The top left is golden raspberries and a single cherry tomato. Top right is chopped up cucumber and carrots (I used the scraps from when I cut out stars earlier this week - I think I got three or four side salads out of 1 carrot and 1 cucumber >.<) I soaked them in a salad dressing that was mostly vinegar, mirin, and salt (if I remember) - so they had a slightly pickled flavor by lunch. YUM! Bottom was cubed ham and two cherry tomatoes, separated by lettuce leaves to make it prettier.

Bento (102) - Golden Raspberries

I was walking through the supermarket when a package of golden raspberries caught my eye. Squee! They had to come home with me.

Today's bento was beef with sweet soy broth (with spinach garnish), udon noodles, commercial jelly surrounded by golden raspberries, and a carrot/cucumber salad with vinegar dressing - on a bed of spinach.

Om nom nom!

Bento (101) - Egg Fu Yong

Bento experiment Egg Fu Yong . . . verdict . . . success! It may look a little odd, but more than made up for it's bizarre scrambled egg appearance in sheer tastiness! I shamelessly experimented on a co-worker, and the verdict was unanimous. Top level is imitation crab over avacado slices with a side of sweet potato/apple salad and ever cute blue kitty food picks. Bottom is egg fu yong over rice topped with fishie soy containers. What's in egg fu yong, you ask?

Glad you asked - gives me a good reason for the close-up! Egg, imitation crab, green onions, pea pods (sliced up), soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar. And don't forget to garnish with a green giraffe. It's hard to find a substitute if you don't have a green giraffe . . .

Bento (100) - HAPPY Fishcake Flower

It may not be spectacular - but somehow, I was VERY pleased with my 100th bento. It made me smile just after I created it . . . and when I opened my bento at lunch, I was suddenly transported to a place of supreme joy and tranquility. So it may not look like much . . . but I loved it anyway >.< YAY!

Left is a piece of naruto fishcake and a peapod, split in half, on rice. The three red items are cheese stuffed tomatos . . . although the little white chunks in the middle one are leftover naruto from a failed slice. Upper right is corn-drop eggs with one of the tomato tops and some leftover pea slices for leaves. Bottom right is grapes and a manufacture/store bought mini-jelly (JELLO).

Happy 100!

Bento (99) - Leftover Casserole

I mean really . . . there is no way to make casserole "cute" - so I went with "appetizing" instead. :P :P :P And then I dressed up my asparagus spears with two quail egg chickies. Tee hee! The chickies are sitting next to a mango/cherry salad (courtesy of my frozen fruit bag), and I used the remainder of the asparagus to add a little color to my leftover potato casserole. Add half a cherry tomato for garnish . . . and voila!

I've been racking my brain for what to do for my 100th bento (since it seems a tradition to do something spectacular) . . . . and sadly . . . I haven't been able to decide on anything. Bento 100 may not be all that spectacular . . . . but if so - a belated 100th bento will make an appearance - as soon as inspiration strikes. Jaa mata!

Bento (98) - Sweet Soy Beef - An Offering to Prevent Interoffice Conflict

I guess many folks have been wondering what my bentos taste like. When I gifted Coworker A with a bento on Wednesday, Coworker B was so excited for her, I had to surprise Coworker B with a bento on Friday. Of course . . . Coworker B got soy bunnies . . . . so now I think Coworker A is jealous. And thus, the vicious inner politics of bento-ing in the workplace. LOL!

Top level is strawberry yogurt topped with blueberries and soy bunnies sitting on carrot/daikon radish salad. (More about that below . . . ). Bottom level is udon noodles and sweet soy beef, with extra sweet soy sauce in the sauce holder. I topped the beef with half a grape tomato.


I kept wondering why my bento had so little room for the noodles - and then I realized I had messed up the order and filled the smaller top with beef and noodles instead of the bottom - which already had bunnies and yogurt. LOL.

Confession regarding the carrot and daikon radish salad . . . . this was my first time using a kinpira peeler - and I think I failed. For some reason, my vegetables came off in large square strips with "indents" that I could tear apart . . . but I had to separate them strand by strand. I think this is akin to someone being idiotic enough to fail using a carrot peeler. There really is no other way to do it . . . so I'm not sure why it didn't work. Or maybe it's supposed to work that way - only I have a hard time imagining professional restaurants producing mass quantities of veggies and pulling apart their strands one by one. Further experimentation will be necessary! Onward and downward!

Bento (97) - Teriyaki Beef

Gommenasai ne! I've decided to cancel Comcast and no longer have Internet at my residence - which means I am forced to make many trips to the local coffee shop and will have to update my blog in batches. >.<

Wednesday's lunch was teriyaki beef with fresh-made teriyaki sauce. I had enough leftovers to make two bentos - so I did! And bestowed my second bento upon a co-worker. She told me it was very tasty, but she could have eaten twelve of them. Lol! Guess I've just adjusted my stomach to bento-size portions. One is enough for me! Top level is sweet potato/apple salad accompanied by blueberry/strawberry salad. Bottom level is teriyaki beef, rice, asparagus, tomato, and teriyaki sauce (in the sauce holder).