Finally A Bento!

Not much new in the bento, but I picked up this cute little pear, so I had to make sure it made it in a bento. I found some silicone scalloped cups in nice bright colors, I used purple for this one.
Look how the pear is half red and half green! A Cesar salad on the bottom and I sent along some dressing and croutons. Almonds and walnuts, grape tomatoes, steamed snow peas, and some crab stick that she can eat in her salad. Yaki soba noodles with dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, tahini, ginger-garlic sauce, and sesame oil topped with black sesame seeds.

I picked up some Durian candy at the Asian market because I have never tried durian before. I have heard plenty about it and really would like to try it. I am one who seems to like strong flavors or different things that many don't care for, like Marmite, Dutch salted licorice, strong Cuban coffee, and all types of blue cheese.

Some of those you either love it or hate it not much in-between. Well when I first opened the bag I was surprised at how bad the smell was even though I knew it smelled bad, but I thought in candy you might not get the bad smell. I did like the taste, and it reminded me of something even though I couldn't tell you what. I did keep tasting it throughout the day though. I would still like to try the real thing!

We've been having such clear dry weather lately, the sunset on Monday night was so peaceful and (they seems so early now). I couldn't get over all the gulls that were there watching it too! :D Every once in awhile we will see this.

Hope to see you soon!

Old Bento #3

I know it's pretty lame to post all my old bentos from my other blog, but the way my days have been lately I'm lucky to get this out. I have to now take some classes (forced to from where I work and don't get paid) after work for 2 hours 3 times a week for eight weeks! This is after I have worked all day, so if really digs into my cooking, bento making and blogging time. I sure miss it!
I made some Chicken Katsu last night for dinner and I had enough left over for Maranda and my lunch today. I packed my "tropical Bento box" it came with a cute cloth tote too. I love it. It's glittery too. This one you can even use in the microwave if you need to. Inside the large section I have rice with furikakae, chicken katsu, kumquat and green beans. The fruit side has pineapple, grapes and a strawberry.
I packed Maranda one too. I figured I was safe with it and she wouldn't mind eating it at school.

This is what came home, but in her defence I did pack her a chicken and cheese half sandwich too.

I made the chicken katsu a little different than usual, because I cut the chicken breasts up before frying them. I thought it would be easier. I don't know if that was the case though.

Panko bread crumbs with flour and grated parmesan cheese.

After dipping in egg beaten with spicy mustard and garlic ginger paste. Then dredge in the panko mix. I pan fried mine in a little grape seed oil. You can store extras in individual servings in ziplock bags and freeze. Pull them out when you need it for a lunch or snack.

When we went for sunset I saw these kids playing in the water. I just missed the shot earlier when they were both facing each other squatting down looking at the shells and treasures they found.

I couldn't resist. My daughter wears the same size shoe I do now!

It gives me a little peace just to look at these! Thanks for sticking with me!

Old Bento #2

Here is another bento I had posted on my other blog The Tiny Skillet . I will bring them over to The Tiny Bento here and there, or now and then!
This is probably as "cutsie" as Maranda would let me get(for now). I got a set of six flower cookie cutters that range smaller to bigger. The watermelon radish is the smallest. I tried to cut the pickled daikon radish in a small circle for the flower center, but just could find anything to do it with.
Under the radish flowers is some steamed rice with furikake sprinkled on it. To the right of that are fried spam and cucumber flowers, broccoli could of been placed a little better. Strawberries and red grapes with the only small pick I have (for now). Baby carrots with circles (flower buds) of daikon radish (the smallest circle I could do for now).



This was one of the first container that I got with just bento in mind.
It is so hard to get much bento anything around here. I got the idea to use this from Target thanks to Debra of hapa bento. I had also bought an all blue one for Maranda . They work quite well for a bento lunch, just leave the spoon out. Sometimes I will use the smaller container and sometimes not. So there you have it. Thanks for looking!

Tropical Bento

I know everyone is into Fall and Halloween right now, but since we don't see any color change in Florida I decided to do what is close to home! I have a lot of shells and flamingos and even some palm trees in my decor. Okay I know, but it is coastal living! Next I am working on incorporating shells into a bento, besides shell pasta!

I found these adorable glass picks at a Florida inspired store. I can find a use for these palm trees and flamingos in many things. Just picture them stuck in some tropical appetizers sitting out on the lanai next to the pool!
Or stuck in an olive or lychee in a martini!

I have snap peas, tiny clementines, starfruit, large grapes, natal plum, and smoked salmon cucumber and goat cheese on whole grain baguette!

Bottom layer is saffron rice, smoked salmon and gouda butterflies, (thank you so much Jenn for the beautiful butterfly cutters) and sugar snap peas.

How about this background?

Just a glimpse, of what my husband picked up this weekend. He can fix most any watercraft. It's in rough shape, but he figured why not? For that price he couldn't pass it up. He is playing redneck with his brother (in the back) and good friend drinking beer in a boat that is now a lawn ornament. No offence to anyone!

I first caught them standing around our friend's vintage Bronco engine with the hood up! I had to laugh, because we would always drive by this house where they were always leaning over the bed of a pick up truck drinking beer...like every time we drove by they were out there doing this! I thought it was funny...
Ya'll have a wonderful weekend...ya hear!

Old Bento #1

I decided to bring over all my old bento lunches that I posted on my food blog The Tiny Skillet.


This is one I posted when I was still toying with the idea of making bentos. I had a lot of color to play with, but no real bento box yet. As you can see it was all fruit and veggie and I sent it along with a wrap for my husbands lunch.

Top row: kumquat, and watermelon radish
next row: strawberries on a wooden skewer
next row: cantaloupe, edamame, quick steamed asparagus, and broccoli
All on a bed of fresh spinach!

Bento, Thrift Shop, and Farmer's Market

Our farmer's market is downtown Sarasota, and it's not too far for us to drive, but we don't go downtown too often. When we do go we like to stop at other places downtown, like Whole Foods and The Women's Exchange. So I will share my bento that has some of our farmer's market, and Whole Foods finds, (but not the thrift shop's)

The sandwich is wrapped in a black and white checkered deli wrapper, and fried rice in the pink cup, and carrots(my go to always have on hand color splash). All the rest is fruit. The tiny tangerines were so good and no seeds what-so-ever and the raspberries are almost as big! I have quenepa and muscadine grapes tucked in, all on a bed of green leaf lettuce!

The Women's Exchange is a large thrift shop that is non-profit. All the proceeds go to charities, and the workers are volunteers. Needless to say the shelves are loaded for a great cause.

All sorts of knick knacks, chotchkies, and trash to treasures colorful finds.

These two dishes are for baking apples. Clever huh? I've never seen this before and I grew up in apple country!

I love vintage dishes. I have a few sets of some from the fifties that I love to use. My mom gave me the set that we had when I was a kid, it has little aqua star bursts on it. Anyway a lot of these are just good china or basic everyday, nothing too exciting this time that I was interested in.

I like to see if I can spot a little piece here or there that I might be able to use as a prop for one of my blogs! I didn't have that much time because of the fruit in the car.

My farmer's market find!

I was thrilled to see some quenepa, or mamoncillo, also called Spanish lime.

You don't always see the dark muscadine grapes, mostly it's the green ones. I have never eaten one fresh before (they use it in wine a lot). You eat it sort of like you would a concord grape. It reminds me of the flavor but more earthy and not as tart. You don't eat the skins, they are a lot tougher, but I liked to chew all the goodness out of it.

Thanks for tagging along with me. More fun to come!

Every Day Bento ~ for real ~

I am so impressed with all you creative super bento moms that can have everything all organized and planed out enough where you can make 3 bento box lunches with all the cute details and artistic flair! Then photograph it beautifully! I thought I could do that, but I'm not 100% on the planing ahead. I often have a lot on hand for my bentos, but sometimes when I get a nice looking tiny fruit, or an interesting color vegetable...my lettuce is wilted...or the bread is moldy :( or everything ends up the same color! Then try to get a good photo when it is still dark out so you just have to use the flash on the counter in front of you not having the time to set it up to look nice...

But I trudge on trying to get a lunch together that they will at least eat and put it in a nice, if not pretty reusable "green" container or bento.

This is often what I will end up with for the everyday...I have to get up at 5:30 and make 3 lunches bento.
In one I have some Spinach Alfredo pizza, babybel cheese, some really nice cheddar, and cauliflower. The other one is Genoa salami, Champagne grape, and cauliflower. Easy peasy...sometimes the best I can do on a busy weekday morning. I'm not making excuses because my daughter is fine with a sandwich of her choosing and some little snacks and tidbits, and she is happy with her lunch!

Show and Tell Time again!
I don't know if you remember my cactus flower buds here. The cactus is called Stapelia and I believe is originally from South Africa. It is also call the Starfish plant, Carrion Flower and a few other names. Well here they are when the blooms are open...
It is an interesting plant because it is considered a "stinky" flower. The flower is about 8-10 inches at it's widest part and smells like meat (I never smelled it). It is hairy and attracts flies for pollination. The lizards love hanging out around the flowers when it's dinner time! It is an easy plant to care for, it like sandy soil and you can pretty much ignore it. It spreads but it is easy to control. It works well for a house plant because the plant it's self doesn't get very tall, not like my San Pedro Cactus. It can bloom even if it's in a planter.