Bento Corner

So I got this new bento book from, say it with me, Pal System!

I really like this book because it's a compilation of bentos for kindergartners from 26 different moms. I got the French toast presentation idea from the bento  book, but used my own recipe.

The recipe in the book calls for thick sandwich bread, milk, egg, and sugar. To this basic recipe I add vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. And I like to use french bread or some baguette but didn't have any on hand I used butter rolls which worked very nicely. Sometimes I have used whipping cream or half and half in place of milk -- this makes it a bit richer, but is really good. Fry the dipped bread in butter and when done, cut into heart shapes. If I were serving this at home I would serve it with a side of whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Bento also includes breakfast sausages on the left pick and a meatball on the pick on the right. And added broccoli and cauliflower to balance out the meal (read: so the teachers won't have to remind me that bentos need to be nutritionally balanced).

Been wanting to blog about Japanese pizza for quite some time now. In case you don't know the Japanese pizza experience is one that can take you by surprise if you do not know what to look for...and therefore what to avoid.

The pizza ordering process in our house goes something like this:

me: OK I think this one looks good! Look at the picture!

the mister: Don't even show me -- the picture is deceiving. Just read me the toppings.

me: OK, tomato sauce, camembert mix cheese, fried garlic...oh crap. It also has squid.

the mister: Next.

me: Ooooh! This one's good! Fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato, fresh basil, pimento, onion...oh crap. It's got corn...and mayo.

the mister: Next.

And so on until we finally find a more Americanized version of pizza that the husband can tolerate -- no seafood, no mayo, no corn is the rule of thumb.

The mister has been away for some time now and with all the cold snow I thought it the perfect opportunity to order take out pizza that daddy normally would not let us order.

The pizza I prefer is from Pizza-La but the husband insists it already has mayo mixed into the tomato sauce and therefore should totally be avoided. I called and found that they were not delivering anyway due to the snow. So I called Dominos and ordered the Quattro Giant -- chicken-teri (chicken teriyaki with mayo), Domino's deluxe, garlic master, mayo jaga (mayo and potatoes!). The pizza was OK but they were really heavy on the mayo so it was super rich. And I love mayo so you can just imagine just how much there was on top when even I thought it was a bit much.

So yeah, the Japanese pizza experience -- know what to look for and what to avoid before ordering.

Above bento is left over pizza cut into star shapes, strawberries, spinach tamagoyaki with a cheese heart on top.

My parents live about an hour's train ride away in Yokohama, so the kids and I visited them this past weekend. We knew it would be cold but had no idea it would snow like this on Sunday.

The kids walked home in their tennis shoes and me in my broken down Bass clogs -- the heel is broken off in parts. Still totally wearable, but only in good weather. And they look perfectly fine from the top, just are no longer skid proofed on the bottom...what's left of it anyway. It's hard for me to throw stuff away, especially comfortable shoes.

By the time we got home, my feet and legs were completely soaked.

The kicker is, I contemplated wearing my Ugg boots  for the trip, but my dad hates them. Well, he didn't say hate exactly, but when he saw my Dansko boots he immediately said, "Honey, these boots are really nice. I like these much better." So I'm not blaming my dad for this or anything, but somehow I think it's karmically connected and worth mentioning. 

My mom ended up helping me take the kids home part way -- my clogs were no match for the snow and I was sliding around all over the place and I could not handle 2 kids from slipping, let alone myself.

Note to self: must overcome boot insecurities

Nakayoshi (trans: friends) bento with umeboshi onigiri, edamame, meatballs, wakame and chirimen salad.

I meant this bento to be representative of my daughter's classmates. She's only been at this particular kinder for one month but she has managed to make friends and the kids are all super nice in helping her adjust to the new school. Not sure if it's just the cold winters here (cold compared to sunny California), but she has been a bit under the weather and generally lacking in genki-ness. Her teacher has also been telling me that she also likes to be able to speak English with some of the other bilingual kids. Maybe a bit of homesickness as well?

My daughter thought this bento was representative of her, her younger brother, and me. Dad is not included since he's been away for one month on business, but will return home shortly. Hopefully his presence (and presents!) will bring the girls spirits up. Last time the mister returned from a month long business trip, the girl said, "Hi, Daddy! Now where is my surprise!!!!!" Poor, poor, daddy. Completely underappreciated in our household sometimes...