We had dog heads for lunch!

Okay, so maybe they're not REAL dog heads, but as you can see they are onigiri and made quite a delightful lunch, along with egg rolls and stir fry veggies. This was my first attempt at making onigiri (white rice balls with filling) and I can see how they can become addictive, if only for the joy of rolling and playing with hot sticky rice! The dogs were stuffed with tuna and mayo (surprisingly yummy, I wasn't sure how tuna would taste with rice) while the chickens (yes, those are chickens) held scrambled egg (which reminded me of Loco Moco, a hawaiian dish made with rice, egg, and gravy). I also made egg rolls-my second try- and nearly smothered my dad (as he joked, I hope!) with smoke from the deep frying. (A few open windows remedied this within a few minutes.)

I got carried away and made rather a lot of food, but I figured, what could be better for bento making than having leftovers on hand? It didn't matter though, we neatly polished everything off (my mom, dad, and myself). It was a winwinwin situation: my dad didn't have to take us out in order to eat asian cuisine, my mom didn't have to cook or clean, and I got to do whatever I wanted in the kitchen and call it art! :) Hee hee

BBQ Pic

Here's the meat in all its glory---almost ready to be dinner! (It was yummy, too!)

Bentos and BBQ

Last week I took a much needed trip to Japantown in San Francisco, making a beeline for Ichinbankan (first time shopper :)) and picking up a few bento supplies! I’d been obsessed with pictures online for a few weeks, but had yet to create something of my own. Here I nervously present my first bento arrangement: yesterday’s lunch. I used my cherry pink sandwich box which has a collapsible top layer, which I show unclipped here for viewing purposes. The top layer is lettace, ham and nori wraps, cheese cut into scottie dogs, homemade cone and "island". Bottom layer houses bear shaped pancakes and frosted strawberries on a bed of peaches.

I nibbled on the odds and ends and "cutaways" from my bento prep, so by the time the box was complete, I found myself positively stuffed! (Someone had to finish off the strawberries and frosting, after all. It wouldn't do to let the stuff harden in their bowls.) Luckily, my family swarmed the kitchen and eagerly descended upon my humble artwork, exclaiming happily all the while and boosting my self esteem. :)

Later that night we had barbeque, and I took the liberty of snapping a pic of that as well when my dad lifted the lid on the grill.