I saw this idea on the internets and it was so cute I thought I'd give it a try. I used a regular hen egg sliced crosswise to make the bun, and just cut smaller portions of the fillings (cheese, ham, lettuce, onions, avocado, pickles, tomato and ketchup. The "fries" are carrot sticks. You could make a super cute miniature version with a quail egg. Have a great Thursday ..read more

  TinySprite gets a peaceful toast today: hopefully it helps her wind down after a long hard week at school. I was inspired by the food artist Manami Sasaki. She's so creative. We love toast over here so it seems like fun to use the bread as a canvas for imagination and beauty. And I always love a miniature!  Happy Friday friends ..read more

  This jewel-toned egg. The garnet hue. But the color goes all the way through the white, and into the yolk too! This is what happens when you let the egg hang out in the beet juice for a few days. If only overnight, you get a nice red rim around the inside edge when you slice it open. What should I make with this beauty ..read more

  Today TinySprite's snack is on the plate because we have a little time before we have to take off for activities. This sandwich might seem unusual to some people. Is it? But maybe not. I'm trying to load as much nutrition on the toast (her favorite means of caloric intake) as possible. I already mentioned the dill pickle hummus; it has an extra tang. The split pea and quinoa I cooked on the stovetop and kept it on the spreadable consistency side. I added curry to it for flavor. The egg is sprinkled with turmeric and paprika, and the Sichuan pickles condiment I found at the Asian marke ..read more

 Nothing like a fresh cold salad on a hot summery fall day, right? This is my take on the Nancy's Chopped Salad, of Pizzeria Mozza fame. I've eaten it many times and it's so satisfying I think because it doesn't feel like you're eating a salad so much as having an italian sub sandwich minus the bread, a thought smitten kitchen put into my head. I didn't add the radicchio but otherwise it's pretty much on the money. Just add what you see here, plus whatever else you want, in the proportions you like. Add your favorite red wine vinaigrette and it's ready to eat. This salad will be a hit ..read more

  This one may be vegetarian but it's substantial and flavorful. I wanted to make a snack for TinySprite using some random ingredients I had from salads this week. So here's what I did: First I put the rice (this one is a mix of black, brown, and white), then I placed some baby kale leaves to keep the sliced beets from making the rice soggy. Then I layered sliced tofu, avocado, pickled red cabbage and red onion, then topped with baby spinach leaves to protect the rice again. To the bento I added sliced pluots, raspberries and yellow pear tomatoes.  All packed up for TinySprite whe ..read more

Had a craving for some spicy noods so did a quick search for a garlicky chili oil sauce to go with my new batch of knife-cut noodles. Have you tried these before? I bought mine dried, and after you boil them you can see they have a frilly edge which is thinner than the center. They are cut using a special tool to create this unique shape. I admit I bought them because of their delicate beauty. But also I heard that they hold onto the sauce well. Big plus. I sort of followed a general recipe but took a few liberties. The basic gist is shoyu, dark shoyu, black vinegar, chili oil (I used Lao G ..read more

Throughout the pandemic while the kids were distance learning at home, they handled their own lunches and snacks. Since they were on completely different schedules and the kitchen is steps away from their workstations it was easy for them. One of TinySprite's favorites was toast. Toast with all kinds of various toppings. So today I will copy one of her standards...  Sardines on toast! Now before you make a face, did you know that sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and selenium, and much lower in mercury than your usual tuna? They are high in protein and very good for you ..read more

TinySprite is in high school now, can you believe it? Time flies; seems like only yesterday she was in preschool and enjoying her little snack bento at home. After school these days she has only a short break before extracurricular activities so I decided to make her a little snack bento to tide her over. This one is onigirazu, which is a handheld rice ball filled with various proteins and veggies. Today I made a filling with the ingredients of our chicken salad from yesterday. First thing I did is lay out all tools and foods I'll be using. I scoop the rice into a small ramekin for two rea ..read more

I've made a lot of mac and cheese throughout my bentomaking years (I just went back and did a search through the website via the search box on the top right -->). But today I had to find a way to make it without milk. As usual, I also added veggies. This time I used minced broccoli, chopped zucchini, and chopped kuri squash. You're probably saying, but you need milk! It has to be creamy! Well, I happened to not have milk in the house so I had to find a way to make do. I previously always made a roux with milk and flour but this time I just added shredded cheddar and parmesan to the cooked ..read more