Feisty Bento #268: Happy New Year!!!

Spicy pulled pork; flash cooked broccoli; roasted butternut squash; spinach sauteed in garlic.

Clearly, I have not mastered the art of cooking for only one.  Thankfully, I have no issues eating the same thing throughout the week, provided it was delicious to begin with (and mostly, since I began cooking for only one, everything is cooked exactly to my tastes, so this makes it even easier).  I really need to learn that it's okay to finish everything I make in one meal.  Not having leftovers is okay...

The view out the bus window this morning.  It's snowing.  Hard.  Fast.  Not sure if it's sticking yet, but it's been non-stop all day.  Sigh. 

Have a happy and SAFE new year, everyone!!!  Cheers to a new year full of laughter, happiness, and good food (optionally set in small portions inside cute little plastic boxes with accessories)!!! ;)

Feisty Bento #267: Spicy Pulled Pork

This picture hasn't much to do with today's bento, except... well, it doesn't.  It's just what I ate for dinner last night, I wanted to brag a little bit.  Can you blame me?  Look at that gorgeous bowl of noodles.  Nom nom NOM NOM NOM.  Turkey broth, a bit of miso paste, shiitake mushrooms, brought to a simmer, then I added some of that pulled pork (sauceless) to the broth to heat through and get some porky essence in there; added broccoli, then removed it quickly to prevent mush-ifying; then added the udon and let that cook.  I ladled it all over a bed of shredded red cabbage for added flavor and crunch.  Delicious.  I was very pleased last night.

Top:  spinach sauteed with garlic; spicy BBQ pulled pork
Bottom: sticky rice; roasted butternut squash; broccoli (cooked the same was as described above)

I don't have a recipe for the sticky rice, since I didn't make it... but I will hopefully have one soon from the girl who made it, because it was really delicious! 

Happy bento~!!!

Feisty Bento #266: Something... yummy

Bento'ing for the new year... Are you joining Just Bento's bento challenge?  I AM!!!

Spinach sauteed with lots of garlic; roasted butternut squash; pulled pork

HAPPY BENTO~!!!

Feisty Bento #265: Sandwich Yum

Top: green bean salad; cole slaw; pickle; potato salad
Bottom: homemade brownie bites (from a mix); corned beef on rye with mustard and mayo

Mostly store bought items - holiday season is stressful and running around led to a quick sandwich platter pick up, the leftovers seen here.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Feisty Bento #264: Repeat

Update on my green onions that I just stuck in dirt and started growing.  I killed one of them accidentally -I was pruning a dry papery piece and when I pulled on it, the inside was hollow, the whole thing collapsed, shriveled up and died.  I've never killed a plant actually so I feel really bad about it.  But look at the two that are still alive!  Pretty ridiculous growth, eh?  This window (taken at night, so you don't get a really good idea unfortunately) doesn't even get direct sunlight!  The mint is dying, though I didn't kill it... I'm not sure why it started drying up!  But basil is still going strong.  I just plucked off a ton of those basil leaves like a week or two ago and cooked with them :)

Same as yesterday's. 

Woorijip spicy chicken; miso mushrooms; sesame sauteed cabbage.

HAPPY BENTO!!!

Feisty Bento #263: Under 5 Minutes Bento

Miso mushrooms; sesame sauteed shredded cabbage; Woorijip spicy chicken

Can't wait for lunch...

HAPPY BENTO~!!!

Feisty Bento #262: Let it snow, I've got Japanese curry!

Dinner last night - I managed to get home closer to 6 than I'd ever thought possible, so I quickly made Japanese curry.  This was the apple curry by S&B that I adore, medium hot; at the last minute, I decided to be cute and add some sliced up Fuji apples.  I left them big, thinking that would be better, but after tasting, I think next time I'll grate them so instead of just smelling them in the sauce, I'll actually taste them... I actually ate two bowls of this, it was SOOO good!!!  *tears of joy*  I love when things come together properly :)

Of course that means I had to have some for lunch today...

Left cup: miso mushrooms; sesame sauteed cabbage with some sesame seeds sprinkled on for looks
Right cup: peeled and halved small navel orange - look, I actually have fruit today!!!
Jar: curry on the bottom, rice lid on top to keep it warm and not get soggy :)

Oh, that hit the spot.  Especially considering this, which was the view out the window while I ate my lunch:

Yes, it was snowing crazily and hard today, but doubtful it stuck.  Fluffy flakes coming down fast is all.  But hot Japanese curry while watching the snow fall?  AWESOME.

HAPPY BENTO~!!!

Feisty Bento #261: NOM NOM NOM

NOM NOM NOM!!!

Top tier: miso mushrooms; homemade cole slaw; sesame sauteed shredded cabbage
Bottom tier: Shepherd's pie

Sooooooo good~!!!  I promise, recipes for these items are forthcoming :)

HAPPY BENTO!!!

Feisty Bentos #258, 259 and 260

Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been eating... I hadn't intended for my mini-hiatus to also apply to my bento site, but I guess it did!  Anyway, here are the 3 bentos I ate during this period.

Feisty Bento #258
Top tier: pork fried rice; celery sauteed with chorizo
Bottom tier: pork belly with bean sauce; chicken & broccoli

Ummm... yeah.  I don't really go to take-out Chinese places, but BF wanted Chinese food, and lord knows I don't cook Chinese food often... so I picked a place nearby that looked more authentic Chinese than takeout, but they did takeout as well.  Review will come after I've eaten there a few more times, but these are the leftovers (we ordered WAY too much food).  Yes: the fried rice and chicken with broccoli were his orders.  Hahaha.

Feisty Bento #259
Top tier: homemade cole slaw (recipe to come after I tweak it a little bit); celery sauteed with chorizo; carrots sauteed with basil butter
Bottom tier: waffle fries and chicken fingers
(not pictured: honey mustard for dipping)

Feisty Bento #260
Top tier: chicken & broccoli; shepherd's pie (upcoming Recipe Friday... ooh)
Bottom tier: pork belly with veggies

My gosh, I'm hungry!  Time to eat! 

HAPPY BENTO and have a LOVELY weekend, all!!!

Feisty Bento #257: Ghetto Fabulous Leftovers

What is that, you might ask.  Well, I would tell you, yesterday was National Brownie Day, and as such, Treats Truck was out in the Financial District celebrating in full force!  I stupidly did not take a photo of the full offerings, but walked away $3 lighter with this caramel brownie in a white paper bag clutched in my freezing cold hand.  Yesterday's temps of low20s is NO JOKE.  I wouldn't have gone out if I weren't lured by this... and next week, Cupcake Day?  I'll be there again, hoping to sample my first conecake... *drool 

(That top oozy layer? was super oozy while I bit into it, almost dripping down the sides as I came away with a bite of the rich, dense, chocolatey dessert.  Less caramel-y than I'd like, and still not the best brownie I've eaten, but... it was nice to eat while watching HIMYM last night.)

Yums! Yeah, I know, another sandwich.  I like sandwiches -- is that a bad thing?!

Top: carrots sauteed in basil butter; homemade cole slaw (recipe forthcoming after I tweak it); celery sauteed with chorizo
Bottom: roast beef sandwich on slider roll with tomato & arugula

Hey, times are hard.  A meeting in the conference room next to where I sit at work ended, and someone came by to tell me there was a ton of food left.  It looked like half the food hadn't been touched!  So I took a couple of sandwiches for dinner, and this one made it out alive.  I like the roast beef sandwiches here, though usually they put something besides arugula on them. 

Happy bento~!!!

Feisty Bento #256: The Last Turkey Sandwich

The last turkey sandwich.  Sniff.  It's the same sandwich, cranberry sauce, turkey breast, stuffing, gravy.  But.

That's the sandwich from the top, before I put the dressing and the other slice of bread on top.  See the bottom right?  The little red peeping out?  That's the slice of toast with cranberry sauce.  Hahahaha.  The very bottom slice of turkey in my container was this ginormous piece.  How else would you have eaten this?!

How else better to spend a super chilly Sunday afternoon except half a ciabatta roll with veggie cream cheese, bacon bits (homemade), a big cup of milk tea (or lai cha as my fellow Asian Americans might call it, holla!), and a book (I can't say good yet, I'm a little disturbed by it so far)... curled up on my couch with a blanket and the dog laying on my lap snoozing???  If there's a better way, tell me... 

(Well, except for the having to go out to get that cup of milk tea, a 10 minute walk each way: I went out to buy duck breast for Sunday night's dinner, but the store - which promised me on Wednesday that they'd have by Friday - did not have it, told me to check back Tuesday - so I took a little walking tour of Forest Hills, going to the Japanese supermarket, then the organic store (which is where they didn't have duck breast - they asked if I wanted a whole duck instead!), then the Chinese bakery, then another grocery store... I like grocery stores, ok?...)

Also a lovely way to spend Sunday afternoon: cooking.

Top tier: homemade cole slaw (recipe forthcoming, I need to tweak a bit); Romaine lettuce leaf liner topped with chili
Bottom tier: chili; celery sauteed with chorizo; carrots sauteed with basil butter

HAPPY BENTO!!!

PS SkippyMom, regarding my chili: click through to the recipe :P

Feisty Bento #255: Green Onions & Scallions

Ahhh, my stove is so dirty! 

I actually have more turkey to eat, but this morning I was in such a frantic rush, this seemed to be the easy way out. 

Left cup: sour cream with cayenne pepper sprinkled on top for color - I didn't think this would make a difference, but it added a nice spicy kick to the cool sour cream
Jar: chili with cheese on top (I tweaked the recipe a little bit; instead of using a package of taco seasoning, I added ground cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne until it smelled, looked, and most of all, tasted the way I thought it should taste.)

Not pictured is the baggie of corn chips I brought along to eat with this.  And it was soooooooo good~!!!

Oh, and I thought this was interesting.

You see those three green onions/scallions?  Ummm... they were in my fridge for a couple of weeks before I took them out, rinsed off the yucky leaves, chopped the tops off for stock, and then decided to throw the roots into dirt in the windowbox I have for my basil (see it in the background, thriving?). 

Bear in mind, I did this on Sunday, and took that pic this morning.  I had cut them down to the white part.  That darker green part is all new growth.  From Sunday.  How ridiculous is that?!  (I know, the one closest to the window is struggling, but I looked at it this morning, and up close, you can see something is growing a bit, it's just having trouble since I got dirt on the cut part before planting it.) 

Now I don't have to buy scallions at the store anymore!!!  :D  Well, I may go buy some to plant some more, but basically... how cool is that?!  :D

HAPPY BENTO and have a great weekend!!!

Feisty Bento #254: More delicious

Like I said I would, I am using the new box!

It's the same thing basically as well.

Top: lonely sweet potato; brussels sprouts; carrots
Bottom: toasted white bread with schmear of cranberry sauce, roasted turkey breast slices, stuffing, and gravy

Holy deliciousness.  That's all I can really say. 

(I forgot my camera at home yesterday, sorry this is late!)

HAPPY BENTO~!

Feisty Bento #253: Thanksgiving in a Jar

Please ignore my messy/dirty stove... It's been a crazy hectic week...

I am in love with my Thanksgiving, can you tell?

Left box: Brussels sprouts with bacon; carrots sauteed in butter
Right box: Sweet potato with marshmallow topping; sauteed mushrooms
Jar: Mashed potatoes on the bottom; dark meat turkey shredded on top; gravy slathered all over that

Oh my gosh, I'm so happy that lunch is shortly, because I am starving and this lunch is going to be sooo good.  I know it.  I'm happy about it.  <3  Happy squeal.

Happy bento~!!!

Feisty Bento #252: Thanksgiving again, yes

Another Thanksgiving based bento... and boy, was this one DELICIOUS.

Toasted white bread, a smear of homemade cranberry sauce, slices of roasted turkey breast, scoop of stuffing pushed down on top, and then gravy spread across that.  Don't mind the uneven cut, I was cutting between the turkey slices so no little pieces would fall out later when I ate it.

On the side, I lined the box with plastic wrap because I was in a hurry and in no mood to look for food cups - sauteed mushrooms, brussels sprouts with bacon, and the last of the butternut squash I roasted. 

I probably could have or should have used this new box, but I was rushing around and this box was on top, so this one it was.  Not sure the other one would have fit my sandwich anyway :)

A better picture of this sandwich is forthcoming on Feisty Foodie (Monday), when I post about my Thanksgiving in great detail...

HAPPY BENTO~!!!

Feisty Bento #251: Thanksgiving Redux

Not that much to look at, but oh boy was that delicious.  Good eatin' on the first day back after a 4 day weekend :)

I had a glorious Thanksgiving, and will be posting it in great detail on Feisty Foodie, but for now, here's just a little taste:

Top tier: butternut squash roasted with pancetta, maple syrup, and whole garlic cloves; brussels sprouts sauteed with bacon; carrots sauteed with butter
Bottom tier: slices of turkey, mashed potatoes, smothered in mushroom giblet gravy

Dude.  So.  Awesome.  The only thing I'll change for tomorrow is probably cutting up the turkey meat a bit further - it was a little annoying to fork, bite a piece, then remove the piece from my fork so I could scoop some mashed potatoes up to eat with it - I left the pieces a little too large to just eat.  Ah well.

HAPPY BENTO~!!!