Tiny Hippo Bento

I know, I haven't graduated to cutting out a hippo fro cheese or egg sheets yet, but using this container as a guide I might just be able to pull it off. I found this cute little container perfect for dips and dressings, so I filled it with Jason's Deli style fruit dip, you can get the fruit dip recipe here. I also tucked in some veggies, steamed romanesco, carrots, snow peas. A little arepa sandwich with salmon, cream cheese and dill. Sharing a little of my work place. Some of the kids artwork that is hanging in the office next to the health room door (where I work). I love these... ...it's painted on crumpled up brown paper bag paper. The colors are so vivid. I should take some more photos of it I was in a rush when these were taken. We have so much beautiful art that the kids do hanging around the school.

The colorful crazy socks of one of our regulars that we see each day. She comes in to check her blood sugar and to get some insulin after she eats lunch. When I first saw these I told her I wanted a picture of it...she giggled. I bring my camera quite often to work, so this time when she wore some crazy sock I was ready. She loved posing, I wish I could show you her cute smiling face!

Here is Marina Jacks at Sarasota Bay front, we like to go here and have breakfast, there is a park, fountains for the kids, beautiful view, and dogs are welcome to tag along with their owners. There are always plenty of dogs and it's so nice we can take him to breakfast at O' Learys. I think I've already posted picture of that before, if not I'll be sure to. It's so nice that in outdoor restaurants we can bring our dogs with us We do have to follow the rules, but of course our dog is well behaved. :D

Tucker met a new friend, she is just under a year old and very well behaved too. Tucker has mellowed in his old age. When we are finished eating breakfast we have to take him around a little bit more... ...after all there are so many good dog smells to check out.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

There will be more to come...

Arepa Riena Pepuada Bento~

I have been busy with family, taking classes and studying to pass this Paraprofessional test that I had to take to keep my job, or at least stay at the school that I now work in which is 3 blocks from my house, and with the economy the way it is I can walk to work and not get much gas in my Honda, but I only fill it up every other week as it is....

Okay enough run on sentences...on one of our ventures my daughter and I went up to Tampa to use her gift card that she got from my sister for Christmas. We don't have an Abercrombie and Fitch here is Sarasota, hence the trip north. I had to check out this spice shop which ended up not being too impressive, but on the way out I spotted the Sanrio store! Yipee! I was thrilled, at least if I drove an hour for Maranda I could maybe find a bento for myself...which will be used for her lunch too, anyway...

This is what I found, a cute hot pink Hello Kitty Bento...

I picked up these beautiful baby blue floral luncheon chopsticks and it came with a carry case too! What fun!

I do want to apologise for my bento. I had special made these mini arepas just for a bento so I wanted to use them and I wasn't happy. I felt like I just threw things together. I also got some cute picks from my sister, so I tried to fit them in too. Here is the balloon picks, I had some grapes with the flower stem picks, but it was too much so I took them out.

On the right under the lotus root I have some tabouleh, strawberry candy. On the bamboo pick from Jenn (thank you very much) red grapes and mini sour oranges we picked from our neighbor's house (with their okay to do so). Then some grape tomatoes, sugar crackers (I just love these) I picked up some more this weekend. Laughing cow wedge and finally my mini arepa riena pepiada (arepa sandwich with chicken and avocado) on top of a baby spring herb salad.

Now I do enjoy those post that others post when they have a failed recipe or something just didn't turn out the way they expected. It shows us what not to do or asks what we can do different. It all a learning thing!

We have been having outstanding weather lately and we still try to squeeze in watching the sunset.

It is more difficult to find a place to park this time of year with all the snow birds, out of state visitors and spring breakers. So if we time it right we are good to go...Or we just wait until they all leave. I had to share a photo of this resident that I just couldn't resist taking a photo of when we pulled up at Turtle Beach. After all he wanted to enjoy seeing the sunset too!

Interesting huh? It takes all kinds.