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).

Bento (96) - Turkey Rolls Accompanied by Green Giraffe

The giraffe was probably overkill, but I couldn't resist since I finally found a bento where he seemed to fit in. Tee hee. Today's bento was peach yogurt with blueberries, tomato and turkey skewers, apple and sweet potato salad (nommy!), and rice with pickled plum. Green is a lettuce separator. I ran out of honey and used maple syrup on the apple/sweet potato salad for an American touch. It worked out quite well. I will definitely do that again!

Bento (95) - Fishcake Bunnies!!

Another five minute bento! Top left is kamaboko bunnies with black sesame seed eyes. The orange sauce container is holding soy for the rice and bunnies. Top right is frozen mango and cherry salad (I've found using the frozen fruit helps keep them "in stock" - and as they thaw, the juices flow down and mingle the flavors.) The rice is topped with cheese flowers and peas for some quick decoration.