Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Mac, Cheese and Christmas Tree Bento

I love mac and cheese. I love making it, I love eating it, and I love the way it's always an instant hit with everyone in the family. It's also a one-dish meal, which is my specialty (quick, easy, minimal thinking involved)! The great thing about mac and cheese is that it's a forgiving dish. You can make it pretty much any way you want, and it still turns out okay, to me anyway. I don't even really measure the cheese and milk and flour. Just put in what you have and keep adding until it looks good to you. Then, bake until everything meshes together and finish under the broiler for a crunchy top. Today I used mini penne pasta, two kinds of cheese, plus I chopped and added ham, spinach, some whole wheat bread slices and even... my favorite squash du jour: kabocha! I steamed it lightly, then grated it coarsely right into the mix. You could also puree it, but I like to see the little bits of kabocha. I don't remember if I even told the kids everything I put in it. It wouldn't matter anyway. They could eat the whole casserole quite happily. Good thing I reserved some for their bento. I don't show TinySprite's bento, but I made one for her too. Along with the mac and cheese, I squeezed in some carrots and peapods, a bunch of grapes, a satsuma mandarin, and a steamed broccoli Christmas tree with radish ornaments. I have a feeling I made this exact same tree last year, which I didn't realize until after I took the picture. Well, except for the star skewer, which completes the effect nicely, right?

9 comments:

  1. very nice tree, Sheri, love it
    quick making of mac and cheese too...yumm..

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  2. Mac and cheese always safe my day too.
    Love the Christmas tree ... you're an awesome bento artist, always full of great ideas .. love it!

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  3. That's so sweet, thank you so much Lina :)

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  4. Mmm, I love mac n cheese made this way too! Too bad my kiddo only prefers mac n cheese the KD way. Ah well.. The broccoli xmas tree is brilliant!!

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  5. I am so envious!! My girl won't eat mac and cheese, it makes me so sad :( Yours looks delicious and healthy too! And another great idea for using kabocha :)

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  6. I've heard that many kids only like the box brand mac & cheese -- some adults too! Ah well, to each her own. Thanks Chantale!

    Thanks Natakiya.
    Really? Aw. I know some kids don't like so much cheesy cheese. I love kabocha in here! It's just the right color and the taste goes well. Don't know why I never thought of pumpkin and cheese before.

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  7. So creative with the Xmas tree! The star pick is a special touch ^_^. That Mac´n cheese there is really tempting... would love to find pieces of kabocha in mine too!

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  8. Thank you karaimame! Not much I won't try to put kabocha in :)

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