Kiki's Bento

Here's my new Kiki's Delivery Service Bento (so colorful, I love it)! I was using up some foodstuffs we had around, so I made some pasta with a homemade quick-tomato sauce (crunchy garlic bits in the little blue container), a bit of vegan Caesar salad, a bunch of yummy fruit, a few ginger cookies and a little piece of chocolate. I am also VERY excited because I got a couple of very interesting books today on bento and sushi. Hopefully I will start posting masterpieces soon :op

Midweek Bentos

Well I started this evening making another round of super-quick bentos...then hubby got pouty so I took a bit more time :o) Result was pretty, I think. I made a Curried Tofu Salad with cashews and currants, broiled some new potatoes (mixed the hubby's potatoes in with his tofu), gave the hubby some fresh veggies with vegan ranch, put in some tangerines, kiwis, and strawberries, and then topped them both off with cookies and a chocolate (vegan ginger cookies for me, chocolate-filled koalas for him). I threw in a miso with my new Cinnamoroll bowl; might be too full for it after the rest of the bento tomorrow, though!

Leftovers "Bento"

So much for tons of bento-making time today! The hubby got home and decided he wanted to take me out. I, of course, thought this was a wonderful idea so we hopped in the car and headed down to Costa Mesa. First, we hit up the Mitsuwa where I got an uber-cute two tier Cinnamoroll bento, some onigiri wrappers, some colorful soy paper, and some little sweets (pocky, chocolates, etc.). Then we went to the BEST SANRIO EVER!!! I got a collapsible sandwich bento, a bento bag, a soup bowl, a fork, and a chopstick set with case--ALL CINNAMOROLL!!! Lastly, we went to Native Foods for dinner and so here I have my decorated take-out box with my leftover vegan pizza that I packed with some yummy almond/chocolate Pocky and a blood orange (my absolute FAVORITE citrus fruit). I really, really will have more time tomorrow....I know today hardly counts as a bento :op


Here's my "bento" all packed up in my new bag (accompanied by the Cinnamoroll water bottle I bought last week).

Holy Bentos Batman!

Well the hubby asked if he could have a "Batman bento" tomorrow so I added a nori batman to his lunch :o) He got saffron rice and edamame (tossed with a bit of sesame oil), some veggies and the little jellybean has a couple little cookies. One thing I learned from this bento, though: don't put nori designs on rice that is still warm. The nori stretched and curled a bit because I did that; but I still think it looks fun!



My bento was simple: a Mediterranean wrap with spinach, hummus, and tomatoes. I packed myself an orange and a bit of cashew/chocolate/goji berry trail mix. Rather quick bentos tonight but hopefully tomorrow I'll have a bit more time (and maybe another of my packages will arrive and I'll have new boxes, too! *crosses fingers*).

New Accessories, yay!

Well I've been traveling around to various stores the past couple weeks buying up any and all bento things I find, and wanted to share a couple new things I'm excited about.  You'll see some of my new stuff in my post for tomorrow's bento; but here are a few things I didn't use yet but wanted to share:

I was SO EXCITED to find the little ketchup and mayo bottles you see here!  I had almost ordered them from Japan for a considerable sum because I just LOVED them!  Then I went to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa on Friday (on my way to my birfday dinner in Newport Beach), and lo and behold, there they were!!!!  Simple minds, simple pleasures, I know.  Anyway, the little monkey containers were part of my package from Japan--they have little scoopers inside that have the banana handles you can see.  Uber-cute, huh??  I plan on packing the hubby some celery with a little monkey full of peanut butter :o)  Last but not least, I got some mini Cinnamoroll notecards and a packet of Badtz-Maru stickies so that I can start including sappy lunch notes in the hubby's lunch :op  THE FUN NEVER ENDS, hooray bento!!

Cinnamoroll Bento, Kawaii!

So yesterday I got my first in a series of packages I'm expecting from Japan.  This one contained the Cinnamoroll bento that two weeks ago I couldn't find ANYWHERE in California...of course a few days after I order it from Japan I find it at THREE different stores for much cheaper (and no postage, of course).  Oh well :o)  
I decided to make sushi for this bento, so I made some brown rice and seasoned it with sweetened cider vinegar, some plum rice seasoning, and some toasted black sesame seeds. I love my sushi rice! :o) I put carrots, avocado and spinach in my rolls (the hubby got some cucumber as well). I decided to make this a pan-asian bento so I included some Korean pickled vegetables and some Chinese black bean and garlic sauce (in the little yellow bear) to eat with the sushi. I also included a packet of soy sauce and a miso soup packet. For a side/dessert I cut up some kiwis and strawberries (one of the best things about cutting everything to look cute is I get to eat all the scraps as I go!) and put them in my new Cinnamoroll unicorn container (it's glittery!--from Sanrio in Little Tokyo). I'm also adding a picture of the containers all closed up so you can revel in the awesomeness that is Cinnamoroll :op Well that's all for tonight; more bento tomorrow!

Birfday Cupcake!

So here I am with my delicious (2nd-day-of-my) birfday cupcake.  Felt like a classic so I did vegan vanilla cupcake with chocolate ganache and of course SPRINKLES yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!  (Notice VCTOTW on my counter, hehe) I also got my first package from Japan (Cinnamoroll bento and accessories!!) today.  I will have to post pictures tomorrow (errrr later today...up too late!)

Breakfast Bento

This is my birthday bento!!  Not quite the epic masterpiece I had planned, but the hubby and I both thought breakfast bentos sounded good.  I made kamut birthday pancakes with sprinkles, cooked up some veggie sausages and some organic tater tots, and made a little fruit cup (flowers, pretty, yay!).  The egg has ketchup for the tater tots.  It'll be a yummy birthday lunch!  I should have a cupcake post tomorrow, stay tuned.

Quick bento tonight.

Tonight I had to throw together a quick bento.  Vegan "Mac and Cheese" with corn and carrot hearts (yes, I love cutting things into hearts!), some sauteed spinach with pinenuts, a pear with a small bottle of maple syrup, and a couple of California dates :o)  Tomorrow I'm hoping to have more time and do something a little special for the bentos that are to be eaten on my birthday!

Totoro Bento Fun! :oD

Tonight I watched Tonari no Totoro while creating a Totoro bento for hubby!  I made him out of brown rice (seasoned with nori/sesame furikake, tamari, and a touch of mirin), and his belly is tofu.  He's in a forest of baby spinach, corn and carrot 'blossoms' (all organic, of course!).  I really wanted to add some radish mushrooms--but, alas, the little organic market across the way didn't have any radishes! :o(  I whipped up a simple tamari vinaigrette and included that in a little tupperware (not pictured).  I also packed hubby some orange slices, a trail mix of cashews, goji berries and chocolate chips, and his koala cookies :oD  Oh, and I couldn't resist adding the little cocktail umbrella for Totoro!  The silicone cupcake liners I bought today at a party store; they're the square type although in the picture they're squished and you can't really tell :op  Oh, and I must give credit where credit is due--I perused many Totoro bento designs for inspiration but have to say mine was heavily influenced by the one on www.cookingcute.com, which is a great bento site to check out for all things bento!  Well now I'm up too late doing bento again!  And for those wondering where the cupcakes come in to this blog (as if anyone's reading this :op)...I am making some Friday for my birthday!!  I'll be 25, yayyyyyyy! :oD  Now I just have to decide what flavor and design!  I'm currently leaning towards vegan vanilla cupcakes with chocolate ganache (my standard and alltime fave) and then making cute little gumpaste Cinnamorolls to go on top.  That would be uber-cute, heh.

The first few bentos

As a chef working around food all day, it's difficult to get really enthused about coming home and cooking dinner, or getting up and making breakfast.  And, try as I may, I have not been able to pack my poor starving husband a lunch more than perhaps a dozen times in the years we've been together.  Bento boxes, though, have changed this.  Last week, we purchased him a "My Neighbor Totoro" bento and I have lovingly crafted a total of FOUR lunches in as many work days!  I'm on a roll! :oD  So, just to catch the blog up, here are my first few attempts at packing a bento box...

Above is my first effort.  I packed my hubby some fried tofu (cut into hearts...awwwww, hehe) with dipping sauce in the little bottle.  Then I cut some carrots with a crinkle cutter and packed them and some cherry tomatoes with the little elephant full of vegan ranch dip.  Then I cut up a kiwi for a little 1-fruit-salad and tossed in a pack of koala cookies (not vegan).  First try, needed improvement, but was also done in a short amount of time rather late after getting back from buying the bento box and accessories!

Second day, packed him some brown rice with a Cajun tofu, red bean, and tomato salad (hot sauce in the bottle).  Filled up the other layer with vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache, some apples, goji berries, and cashews.

Third day was yummy (I've been packing bentos for myself as well...but I ordered my boxes off Ebay so until they arrive and my lunches look cuter I'm just posting his!)...loved this Mexi-bento!  Refried beans and brown rice with avocado...packed with mini organic corn chips for dipping.  Frosted another few of my little cupcakes (I make a batch and freeze them to use as needed), and included them with an orange,some cashews and some goji berries.

Tonight I packed him some noodles with a ginger-sesame-peanut sauce, a few crisp veggies to nibble on, some apricot applesauce, a kiwi, a cashew/goji mix, and a couple Anpanman cookies.  The noodles didn't photograph well, but I previewed them and was very pleased!  I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow!  :o)

The first cupcake shot :o)

My favorite cupcake shot.  Sweet and simple, a classic swirl with rainbow sprinkles (my absolute favorite rainbow sprinkles, I might add.  Perfect color complement, perfect size, perfect crunch factor.).  The cupcake is Mexican Cocoa, the frosting is Cinnamon Buttercream.  This particular cupcake was the crowning cupcake in a display I did a few years back for my Nana's 80th birthday.  

The Beginning

Cupcakes make me happy, as do tidy little lunchboxes! :o)  This is a blog devoted to the compartmentalized, miniaturized forms of edible art I love so much.