Salmon Teriyaki Bento

Salmon Teriyaki Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

The kids got to pack Copper River Salmon in their bento today; I made a teriyaki glaze for them. I also roasted some quartered baby new potatoes in olive oil and a little black pepper. They really love those. There's more of the beautiful Okinawan sweet potato (which I love), steamed broccoli, and bicolor corn on the cob with the various fruit of summer: cantaloupe, strawberries, cherries, grapes. Oop, forgot the pluots. They'll definitely make it into the next set of bentos. Until next time!

Double Bears Bento

Char Siu Bear Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Yesterday in the Chinese deli both kids requested buns for their bentos. MisterMan asked for char siu bao and TinySprite wanted a hot dog bun. They both become bears with a little effort and some imagination. All I did for the bao bear is cut an oval for his muzzle and then cut that piece of brown bread (skin) in half for the two ears. The eyes and mouth are cut from nori and stuck on with honey. There's also some provolone cheese for the eyes.

The hot dog bear is made the same way, except he's snuggled up in a sleeping bag. Okay? My 4 year old seemed to buy it, but of course my 7 year old frowned, "It doesn't really look like a sleeping bag because there's no line to separate it." All right. I should have cut a sleeping bag slit. I'll try to remember that for next time. At least, he's got some butterflies that he's watching while asleep under the stars.

They have the usual sides: broccoli, carrot, tomato, corn on the cob, various berries, pluot and peach, and beautiful Okinawan purple sweet potato. This is the first kawaii bento I've made all month, since school let out. Oops! I thought I would have more time to make charaben in the summer but since the kids have been on break I've been preoccupied with other funstuffs :D Now that they're both back in organized summer programs I might start experimenting again. Or maybe I'll make a bento or two for myself for a change? ^_^

Triple Mochiko Chicken Pool Bento

Triple Mochiko Chicken Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Guess what? If you guessed another shared pool bento, you're right! Yes, I'm really getting hooked on these stacked stainless steel tiffins. I have this round tiffin in one-, two- and three- tier sets. What, overkill, you say? Pshaw! Actually, each has come in handy several times within the past year. There's also a four-tier version which I am wondering whether I should pick up too. After all, we are a four-person family!

Anyway, getting back to this three-tier one: the three bowls stack upon one another, with the bottom one slightly larger (mine!). They latch together tightly so that only the top tier needs a true lid, and it's a cinch to carry. Really thinking about using these tiffins throughout the entire summer so you may be seeing them quite a bit. Today I've given each of us some oven-baked mochiko chicken. The sides vary but include: steamed bi-color corn (surprisingly sweet!), steamed broccoli, crunchy carrot, Okinawan sweet potato, and summer fruit! White peach, nectarine, cherries, pluot, black velvet apricot, strawberry, cantaloupe and lychee!!

The best of the summer fruit, as far as I'm concerned, is lychee. This year's batch is sweet, juicy, and surprisingly small-seeded. Don't be put off by the greenish hue of the skin. I too was surprised by what I've always expected to be bright red, but the fruit inside is indeed ripe and tender. The skin is tougher and thicker (and harder to peel) than I'm used to, but nothing that my adept fingernails can't handle. So far I'm very pleased. I'll leave you with a couple pics of the bento eaters in action at the pool. We had a fantastic time hanging out together, swimming in the big pool, learning to sit-dive, and chowing down our grinds. MisterMan's summer program starts tomorrow so we won't be swimming together for awhile. Gonna miss him.. but he's looking forward to playing with his buddies!

 "Do you like my purple mouth?"

"Take a picture of me Mom, take a picture of me!"

Added to What's For Lunch!

A Bunch o' Pizza Bento

Pizza Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's bento is homemade pizza and summer-fresh fruit; a delightful combo that everyone loves. Three of us got a bento! TinySprite took her bento to preschool with her while MisterMan and I shared the two-tiered tiffin (again) after we spent the morning swimming and playing at the pool. Yes, I'm loving this summer routine so far :D The whole wheat pizza crust is topped with mushroom, onion, fresh tomato and chopped broccoli stalk (heh) with melted cheese on top. I've packed a variety of sides including: Okinawan sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, cherries, peaches, nectarines and my favorite dark red pluots. I have so many fresh fruit in the house it's ridiculously hard to choose how to pack each day's treats.

Oh, and it was Father's Day yesterday! Did you celebrate? The things that I treasure most about mine: the beachcombing walks together, the salt water aquarium he helped me set up to watch the creatures we collected, watching him catch, gut and clean fish, the trips to Tamashiro Market... but what I hold dearest is the sweet, tangible love he had for me, for my kids, and for my mom. I love you Dad!

Sushi Bento and P-Patch Flowers

Sushi Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Got home late from a family field trip to San Francisco, and forgot that TinySprite has school tomorrow, so I'm giving her two (store-bought) sushi pieces. Along with those are the usual rainbow of sides: steamed broccoli, sweet potato, Okinawan sweet potato, strawberry, and chopped cara cara oranges. I think I'll pack some tofu bread in her tote too, since she's so curious about tasting it. I'll leave you with a few photos of the pea-patch we visited today. It's right on the bay and it has loads of paths and lovely blossoms. We always have lots of fun seeing what's in bloom. Short post today; have a great weekend everyone!

Double Pool Bento

Double Pool Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

We're baaaack! We spent some time in Hawaii with family, vacationing and unwinding, and getting our fill of much-needed sunshine and heat. We left the bay area in a thunderstorm, and returned to fantastic 77 degree summery weather. Such a nice transition, I must say. We've spent every single day of our summer break so far at the pool, and tomorrow will be no exception. I've been packing light, cool bento for the kids and me, and finally got around to taking a photo of one. I've used my two-tier stainless steel tiffin, which I seem to do every year around this time: see the previous Pool Bento here. I've also used this bento for road trips (see Harajuku Bento). This time I packed leftover meatloaf which I chopped into small pieces and tucked into a silicon cup with a smaller cup of homemade barbeque sauce (tomato sauce, molasses, apple cider vinegar). This meatloaf is packed full of good stuff: shredded carrot and spinach, quick oats and wheat germ -- all mixed together with egg, milk, Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard and even stuffed with cheddar. The kids loved it. I was able to squeeze a half orange, donut peach, strawberries, carrot and steamed Okinawan sweet potato into each tier as well. I'm really happy with this twin bento set! If I were more ambitious I would have packed a layer for me (yes, I do have a three-tier version), but ah well. I'll bring my musubi and fruit in another bento.
See you later; we're going for a swim... ^_^

School's Out!

No bento today; just a quick post to let you know about a fun interview I did with Stuart Donald on his Wannabe TV Chef website. You can take a look at it here: 7 Questions with Sheri Chen. To see some other places Happy Little Bento has been featured, you can scan the list over there in the right margin, just below our "Hello" picture (Find Me on the Web and In the News!).

Thanks to all of you for following along on our bentomaking journey this past school year. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed "meeting" some of you for the first time. We had many exciting and interesting experiences this year, and look forward to more challenges coming up in the next year. There's always something new to learn, whether you're still in school or not. ^_^ Today was the last day of school for MisterMan. He's a 3rd-grader now! After a short break, we'll be back to making bento again since he'll be enrolled in summer programs. Also, TinySprite will be attending preschool year-round, as usual. But for now, school's out for summer! Woohoo!

Wonton Tulips Panda Bento

Another TinySprite bento today: homemade pork scallion wontons (see my method here) scattered with Okinawan purple sweet potato tulips and peapod leaves on the bottom tier, with the most delicious summer hybrid fruit ever in the top: dark red pluots and deep orange apriums. They're both apricot-plum variants, but very different in appearance and flavor. I'm not a huge apricot fan, but these are fantastic. I'm looking forward to more as the summer goes on! Yippee! Happy panda bento! ^_^

Taro Bread Rollups Bento

Taro Bread Rollups Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Here's a bento I make quite often for TinySprite, in several variations. She likes finger foods, and rollups are a favorite of hers. Sometimes I use tortillas, sometimes sushi, and sometimes -- as here -- I use flattened bread. I've posted a tutorial of how I make the bread rollups here. The purple color of this taro bread is so pretty that I decided to use it today. It's also a nice bread to use because it's soft and fluffy. Whole grain breads are often on the dry side (it can still be used though, like I did here). After rolling the bread flat with a rolling pin, I smeared cream cheese and lay some smoked salmon on top before rolling and pressing to seal. If I had arugula I would have rolled some in there as well. I also added a golden beet-dyed hen egg decorated with a face made of carrot and nori. (Been on a kind of yellow egg roll these days. Of sorts.) There's some satsumaimo (underneath) and regular sweet potato flowers as well as steamed broccoli tucked in there. Finally, I gave her some sliced yellow peaches as a sweet treat. Cheep cheep! ^_^

Honeybees Bento

Honeybees Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

A couple more days of school, and a couple more bentos to make. Here's one from last week, which I forgot to post in the craziness. It contains shoyu chicken and furikake rice, which used to be my ultimate favorite meal when I was a kid. I always requested it if my mom asked what I wanted, and I always chose the drumsticks. I don't usually pack rice for my boy since it's not his favorite, but it would be nice to start adding it. He didn't object to it here, and of course it was completely consumed, so maybe he'll come around to loving it as much as I do. Rice in bento also provides a nice backdrop for decorative details.

In this one I dyed two quail eggs in golden beet juice before adding strips of nori and cute tiny faces. The heart picks make perfect little wings. The other section contains regular and Okinawan sweet potatoes, a cup of edamame, some sliced (super sweet) white peaches and a strawberry. I personally love this bento. Gonna make one just like it for myself one of these days ^_^
Posted at What's For Lunch!

Totoro and Catbus Bentos

Totoro and Soot Sprites Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

MisterMan and TinySprite get matching Studio Ghibli bentos today; and they're both almost totally non-cook. I initially wanted to do these for a roadtrip, because wouldn't it be fun for them to eat together and chat about the movie (My Neighbor Totoro)? But I couldn't wait. I really wanted to make another Totoro, and after bento numbers one and two, I think this one looks pretty neat and sharp (if I may say so myself).

It helps to have a very smooth bun to work with. I used my small paring knife to slice off just the top brown layer for his belly, and after pre-scoring his chevron stripes I actually cut around them. They are still connected to the bun, and that way I didn't have to worry about sticking them back on. His eyes are cheese and nori, and his nori nose is stuck on with a bit of honey. I cut his ears from part of the belly and stuck them into slits I cut at the top of the bun. The eyes are secured with rice sticks to the bun.

Okinawan purple potato, when steamed and refrigerated overnight, turn a very dark shade of purple the next day, which makes them quite suitable for soot sprites. Their eyes are also cheese and nori. The rest of his bento contains the usual: broccoli, carrots, strawberry, cherries, grape tomatoes and orange slices.

TinySprite's Catbus is made from a hot dog-in-a-blanket with a potato bread face. All the facial features (Okinawan purple potato, regular sweet potato, cheese and radish) were secured with rice sticks. I hand-cut thin strips of nori for the teeth and eyes, and used bits of spaghetti for whiskers. She got a piece of corn, steamed broccoli, carrots, strawberry, cherries, and rasp-, black- and blueberries. This turned out to be too much for her and she brought the corn home to finish. They loved them!

Cooking Channel Bentos

Cooking Channel Bentos, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Here are two of the bentos I made for the shoot on Sunday. (See the finished commecial here!) There was another one but that was the one TinySprite grabbed and scarfed up in addition to the heaping one she made herself. Each kid made their own bento and then ate it. There wasn't any way I could take a picture of theirs. I should have taken a photo of these bentos before all the activity, but I didn't think of it, which is why these had to be shot in bad (artificial) light. Both feature Korean chicken in a lettuce leaf along with steamed broccoli, carrots and carved cucumbers; and varied berries for dessert. I added steamed corn and a shoyu bear egg to one, and a rice section (which I rarely do but which provides a very nice backdrop for a charaben design) with a matryoshka made of Okinawan purple potatoes, cheese, sweet potato and nori to the other. Some cute picks add color and whimsy.

I was surprised to find that making three bento at once wasn't much more work than one (or two, which is the most I ever make at a time for my two kids). And even though the third bento contained totally different ingredients (rollups), it still was pretty manageable. The key is to be prepared and have everything you need at hand, which saves time. MisterMan and TinySprite took these to school the next day, with furikake sprinkled on the rice. I'm thinking in addition to making their own bento, they can soon begin to cook the food for me too... ^_^

Added to What's For Lunch!