Bento (112) - Halloween Cupcakes

Okay - these probably don't qualify as bento . . . but I wanted to show them off anyway. I managed to scrape together enough energy to make some cupcakes for the potluck at work. I'm glad I didn't try the werewolf cupcakes I was thinking of - I would have been up until 2 am instead of 11 pm :P :P :P


Close up of the bat:

The bats would have been much cuter if I could "notch" their wings. However, the type of cookie I was using crumbled with alarming frequency . . . so after destroying 14 sets of wings by trying to add further detail, I gave up and settled for cutting the cookies in half.

Close up of the spider:

The spiders were fun and easy to make . . . except for applying 8 little sprinkle legs to each. Yikes!

Close up of the starry sky (with full moon!):


Easy to make - and great as a background for other things (like bats!). I bought blue decorative sugar and a shaker of "pearls" - mixed the two together in a bowl, and gently rolled a frosted cupcake in the mixture. Press on a yellow M&M for the moon and - voila! starry sky!!

Unfortunately, this has been a bad year for the fuzzies . . . much of my absence from blogging is due to caring for sick kitties. My apologies and hope to be back on schedule within a few months. I miss my bentos more than anyone else! LOL! So does my middle - I think I've gained a few pounds :P :P :P

Bento (111) - Mama Bunny and Radish Flowers!!

I always thought that radish flowers would be difficult. Turns out, they're one of the easiest things ever!! You simply cross-hatch the top with a paring knife and then make two straight slices on each side (all four corners . . . if radishes had corners . . . ) then soak in cold salted water until they open. Whee!

I also decided to try the usual treatment I give my miniature quail eggs on a full-size chicken egg - which is how I got Mama Bunny. Mama Bunny was delicious - but also took half a cup of soy sauce :P Might have to figure out some use for slightly contaminated soy so I'm not throwing out all the sauce . . . hmmmmm.

Bottom level was fried noodles with sauteed onions and carrot flowers. And the lettuce garnishes provided a perfect salad at the end of my meal!

Om nom nom.

Bento (110) - Panko Chicken!

What is panko? Panko is breadcrumbs. Just breadcrumbs. But super-nummy-fluffy-crunch-fried chicken breadcrumbs. I will now always have a box of panko hiding somewhere on my shelves.

I decided to add more veggies to my diet, so a forest of stir-fry veggies replaced some of the space I normally use for rice. And I used leftover veggies to separate the fried chicken pieces. Fruit is strawberries with cheese stars. I brought my teriyaki sauce in a separate container, since I like more of a teriyaki soup, and the standard sauce holders weren't quite big enough.