Bentobloggy

Bento #236 - Three's Company! (Teacher Lunches)

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

...aaand I'm spent. Maybe this should be titled Bento #236-7-8? I happily volunteered to do our teacher appreciation lunch yesterday. I wasn't initially going to do bento boxes, but I remembered I had recently picked up these two large snap-style boxes which are really cool. I cracked them out of their packages and went to town. I didn't want to make them too cutesy, but I also wanted them to be a little fun. :-)

First, Ella's lunch. I gave her chicken teriyaki pineapple and jasmine rice leftover from dinner, as well as a jasmine flower onigiri.

Flower cucumber centers! And grapes!

The teacher lunches were both the same, with jasmine rice, (and a flower onigiri each) sauteed spicy Italian chicken sausage, roasted mixed veggies in balsamic butter sauce, and fresh grapes. The three savory ingredients were meant to be able to be mixed with any one of the other items, if desired. I gave them each a couple of deco picks to keep if they wanted. The boxes were also theirs to take home!

There was also lemon creme cake for dessert. I was at a loss as to what to pack it in, so I channeled my inner [misfit] Martha Stewart and used some large cello bags, and tied them with ribbon. I also added a pink fork to each bow, but I didn't get a pic of that (of course.) Probably not the most practical way to eat cake...but it's cake!

All together now!

I LOVE the carrying handles on these! I hope I can find more the next time I go back to Super H Mart. Before anyone asks me where to buy them...I looked everywhere on Google and could not find anyone who sells this particular box. It's a Korean brand called KumHo Chemistry/Komicomo Wellbeing Brand and the box is called Quarter Lock. Do let me know if you come across it!

All packed up in an Easy Lunch Box cooler. Fit both of them PERFECTLY! I can't get over how roomy they are.

Anyway, I hand-delivered the boxes that morning. Hope they enjoyed them! Ella got a kick out of having almost the same lunch as her teachers. :-)

Bento #236 - [Ella] Aidell's teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs, jasmine rice and caramelized onions, grapes, and cucumber flowers. Snack - Clemetine (not shown.) [Teachers] Spicy Italian chicken sausage, jasmine rice, grapes and roasted veggies in balsamic butter. Dessert - Lemon creme cake.

Bento #235 - Hello Kitty Onigiri & Cucumber Rounds

2012-02-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

Here is my very non heart-sy February 14th lunch. Why not? I've already done a few hearts in recent bento boxes. Also the fact that we don't celebrate, so there's that. However, if you are looking for some really cute heart-sy bento lunches, here is a link where you can hop from one bento blog to the next for some heart-stoppingly adorable creations. All together now {awwww!}

Why Miss Hello Kitty, why do you look so mean and mad? Poor girl. She must be upset that her favorite bow accessory is not showing up all that well in her mug shot.

More [novice] Baby Bel carvings and some sliced cucumbers.

Grapes and TJ's yogurt stars.

Bento #235 - Jasmine rice onigiri, Baby Bel cheese, cucumbers, grapes, dip and yogurt star biscuits. Snack - Apple-banana spice muffin (not shown.)

Bento #234 - Puppy House Ham Sandwich

2012-02-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

The weather has been really nice here lately and the days are starting to get longer. I had the tiniest bit of energy and daylight left yesterday and quickly made lunch so I could photograph in some natural light. E adores this LunchPunch puppy inside-out sandwich! Ham and cheese.

The last of the cucumber flowers I did the day before with a cute koala bear peering out.

And a mound of juicy grapes.

Check out my new Easy Lunch Box! Founder and CEO Kelly Lester sent me one of these kits, and I'm in love with the deep compartments, and the large and roomy carrying bag. If you're still looking for a top-style carry bag, go and get yourselves one of these!

Bento #234 - Ham & cheese sandwich, pretzel sticks, grapes and cucumbers. Snack - Clementine & Baby Bel cheese (not shown.)

Bento #233 - Ham Rolls, Baby Bel & Cucumber Flowers

2012-02-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

I did a crazy amount of grocery shopping this week. I think I need to start watching one of those extreme couponing shows to get some tips. I had heart palpitations when I added it all up. Don't tell my husband. ;)

Okay, so today we have ham rolls with adorable puppy and kitty picks, and a couple of Baby Bels in the main box.

In the side box there are cucumber flowers, fresh organic blueberries and some rice pilaf in cute heart cups.

Snack is a spiced apple & craisin muffin and a sweet clementine.

These are the boxes I picked up in a housewares shop in Chichester, England in June. Love these! They are really simple and easy to use.

Bento # 233 - Baby Bel, ham, rice pilaf, fresh blueberries & cucumbers. Snack - Apple spice muffin & clementine.

Bento #232 - Stars & Pinwheels

2012-02-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Oh my gosh, craisins again?? This is the last for a while, I promise! At least E isn't wholly sick of them yet. These Colby cheese pinwheel roll ups are made with rolled out sliced bread. They were falling apart a little, but they stayed together in their side of the box. And salad!

The ubiquitous craisins in a star-shaped cup and yogurt stars! The salad dressing is in the blue bear cup.

E and I made spiced apple muffins (Trader Joe's) with...craisins. It's kind of a joke now, isn't it?

This is the bento box that I got from a Crocs store, totally perfect (it even came with the bow strap!)

Have a great weekend!

Bento #231 - Bruschetta Chicken Bowties

2012-02-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

Dinner for lunch! Fresh tomato basil bruschetta with a splash of vodka makes the sauce, seared organic chicken thighs and tossed with whole wheat farfalle pasta and Parm. REALLY good, and easy. I'm using my two-tier Greentainer, which holds a ton!

Side salad of artisan lettuce and dressing.

...with a LOT of focaccia croutons (I emptied the bag, and it was more than I had expected!) Craisins round it out. It's craisins again because I keep forgetting to get different dried fruit for those times when I'm out of fresh...like NOW. That's going on my shopping list as I type.

No snack because they are doing a special one at lunch today.

Bento #230 - 100th Day Bento

2012-01-27T11:17:00.003-05:00

Today not only is it our 100th day of school, but it's also Friday - pizza day! I decided to do English muffin mini pizzas with pepperoni, channeling the zeros. The kids all enjoy regular visits from Zero The Hero who comes to school to help them learn how to count to 100! S/He also helps the kids learn the concept of zero being a place holder, and other place value concepts.

The pizzas are made with the aforementioned English Muffins, toasted first, then a large spoonful of fresh basil bruschetta, topped with mozz and the pepperoni slices, a special treat.

Our sides are carrots with dip and craisins with more 0s - Cheerios.

Again channeling the whole zero concept is the round container of applesauce.

Bento #230 - English muffin bruschetta & pepperoni pizzas, baby carrots with ranch dip, craisins and Cheerios. Snack - Applesauce.

Bento #229 - Gyoza & Baby Bel

2012-01-26T18:04:00.000-05:00

More Baby Bel! I got myself an X-Acto knock-off (hello, it was PINK and retractable) and so I experimented a little. I used some deco cutters to make a light imprint in the wax, and then traced it. It's really not precise, but I think I just need some practice. Or have my hubby do it.

And *gasp* another chocolate treat! I fully blame my mom for this. She sent us a HUGE - and I mean massive - box of chocolates in the mail yesterday. So E got a chocolate nut cluster in today's lunch.

The gyoza are not actually burned, just FYI.

Bento #229 - Chicken gyoza, ponzu sauce, celery sticks, ranch dip, dried cranberries, Baby Bel cheese, chocolate nut cluster and pretzels. Snack - whole grain apple snack bar.

School Lunch

2012-01-24T21:18:00.004-05:00

I know what you're thinking. She's about to launch into a diatribe, Jamie Oliver-esque, about the evils of the modern school lunch.

Not so.

I can't help but be impressed by the lunch offerings at E's school. I volunteered in her classroom today and as I often do afterwards, I join her for lunch at one of the special guest tables in the lunch room. E relishes helping me make my selections in the line, and I'm always flabbergasted by (and admittedly jealous, considering my own 100% processed school food experience growing up) the great selections they purvey.

Today they had fresh, real fried chicken, homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, with a plethora of fresh fruit and veggie options. I opted for a mixed green and spinach Caesar salad with a whole sliced orange and a frozen strawberry cup (ingredients: strawberries, sugar - tastes exactly like one of those expensive frozen fruit bars, but with MORE fruit!)

My only complaint is the "grilled" chicken they serve with the salads - it's not grilled and it's not whole chicken, it's molded chicken paste, like unbreaded nuggets. I don't eat them and I don't let E eat them either.

Some of the other delicious, diverse and surprisingly nutritious dishes offered throughout the week include popcorn shrimp with Mac n' Cheese and homemade cornbread. Squash casserole, sweet potato tots, cheese omelets, vegetarian bean quesadillas, beef and cheese baked potatoes, and of course - baked okra and Georgia peaches. Of course. There are always fresh whole fruit and veggies. I also love that they source their food from local farmers through the Farm-to-School initiative. There is also the Fresh Fruit Friday program sponsored by WholeFoods where barrels of fruit are distributed throughout the day to kids as they want them.

I kind of want to eat here every day. $1.65 for kids, $2.75 for adults, which also includes milk.

Caesar salad with real shredded Parmesan cheese, whole grain croutons, Saltines and chicken strips, sliced whole orange and a frozen strawberry fruit cup. As an adult, I also got unsweet tea.

So, do tell - what is your school lunch like? Is it pretty impressive, or is there room for improvement?

Spicy Chicken Sausage & Cabbage Soup

2012-01-21T11:34:00.001-05:00

This one is short and sweet, ladies and gents. Anyone can make this in about 10 minutes (or less.) And it only has three ingredients!

1 package spicy Italian chicken sausage (any brand you like, about 5 links)
4 cups chicken broth (I used Better Than Bouillon Low-Sodium Organic)
2 cups shredded cabbage, red kale or spinach

Cut the links into pieces and brown in a little bit of oil.

Meanwhile, bring chicken broth to a boil, add cabbage and simmer for about 4-5 minutes.

Add browned sausage links and serve. Add black pepper to taste. That's it! Not that this is an amazingly innovative recipe or anything, but it's fast, easy, healthy and packed with tons of flavor. Great on a cold day!

Goosey, Goosey

2012-01-14T12:42:00.004-05:00

Last week we were visiting my in-laws house for dinner. Just before we were about to leave I spotted a funny-looking thing laying on the kitchen counter. My mother-in-law explained that my husband's paternal grandmother Grace had actually made it for her. Ceramics were a hobby of hers, and she used to send pieces for her and the kids. Ella has a couple of adorable bookends herself.

This particular goose is for mounting in the kitchen for things like kitchen towels. I kind of fell in love with the kitschy thing, and my MIL told me I could have it, as she didn't have a good spot for it in her kitchen. I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for - my apron collection. I had had two clunky hooks, and the aprons were always falling all over the place.

Doesn't she look rather regal?

I don't care how corny she is, I love her! I think she's cute, and totally practical. I hope she stays for a long, long time.

Herb-Rubbed Chicken

2012-01-13T12:29:00.005-05:00

I threw all these ingredients together the other night because it's what I had on hand. So super easy and good. You could easily prepare this for marinating the night before, and you'll have dinner ready the next day in 10 minutes.

You'll need:

1 sprig fresh rosemary
8-10 leaves fresh sage
8-10 leaves fresh basil
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Finely chop all the herbs and garlic and mix in a bowl with a fork.

Massage onto chicken (enough for 2 whole chicken breasts, each cut in half or 4 chicken thighs trimmed of all fat) and let marinate for at least 1 hour.

Cook in a non-stick pan until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate, cover with foil and rest for at least 5 minutes. Use the drippings, if desired, as dressing for salad.

Bento #228 - Teriyaki Chicken & Blueberries

2012-01-12T11:31:00.003-05:00

I'm going to be having a good time experimenting with these adorable little Babybels! This one below is a little girl with a pony tail. A little rough because I only had a pairing knife. I need to get an X-Acto. The eyes are sprinkles affixed with a tiny dot of cream cheese.

Bento #228 - Aidell's teriyaki chicken, caramelized onions and jasmine rice with sliced green onions, fresh blueberries, organic baby carrots, grape tomatoes, ranch dip and a Babybel cheese. Snack - Organic pear.

Bento #227 - The Owl & The Ladybug

2012-01-10T11:10:00.003-05:00

BACK TO SCHOOL! Today we have a super CUTE pot bellied owl PB&J sandwich with a jolly apple tum, cheese and blueberry eyes and apple beak and feet.

For the body I freehand cut the bread because I don't have a large oval cutter. For the belly I cut one side of a Jonagold apple, and then used it as a template to cute out the middle piece of bread, and then set the cut side down on the peanut butter. The wings are pieces of crust.

The ladybug is a Baby Bel, tab pulled off and cheese removed. I cut out the dots with a small circle deco cutter, and then put the cheese back in. The eyes are two of the cut out dots squished together.

We also have some really sweet and delicious fresh blueberries. These are the best I've had in a long time! We had some for dessert last night with sliced kiwi. Ella actually made the salad herself, she's very proud of it and wanted some in her lunch.

Bento #227 - Organic peanut butter and strawberry jam with an apple slice, cheese & blueberries, croutons, and tossed salad. Snack - Carrot apple Crusher and peanuts.

Zuppa Toscana

2012-01-07T12:42:00.000-05:00

Today E and I rushed out with just 30 minutes to spare to get our Farmers Market Basket. I haven't gotten one in a while, but a call went out on their Facebook page that reminded me, and so away we went! I got my small organic which had broccoli, Braeburn apples, kiwi, bananas, tomato, avocado, lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots and red kale.

What I normally do when I get my basket is go through it and plan out what I'm going to do with each item, and the first thing I thought of when I saw the red kale was to make chips like I did back in March with rainbow chard. However, when I tasted it, it's really kind of delicate, a little spicy and tender. Spicy...kale...Zuppa Toscana. For SURE.

You'll need:

1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Russet potatoes, washed and UNpeeled
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
2-3 cups kale (or arugula), sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil for sauteeing

Begin by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the pot.

Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl, and cook the onions and bacon together until the bacon starts getting crispy.

While the onion and bacon are cooking, cut up your potatoes. Cut them in half, and then half again and slice into 1/4" pieces.

Add the sausage back to the pot, and the potatoes, garlic and pepper.

Pour in your chicken broth and plain water. I normally use regular canned organic broth, but recently I discovered Better Than Bouillon brand organic chicken base at Costco. It's fantastic and tastes amazing. I mixed the appropriate amount of base with 4 cups of boiling water.

Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer/low for at least an hour. The potatoes should be tender. Test the broth for seasoning, and add more salt if needed. This was the only time I added salt, and I used 1 tsp.

When you are close to being ready to eat, add the kale to the pot.

Stir in until it's wilted down. If some of the ribbons seem too long, use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip them right in the pot.

I thought that the soup was ready to eat as-is, but I wanted to add a little cream to make it authentic.

Ladies and gentlemen. This soup is definitely being added to my permanent recipe rotation. It is unbelievably flavorful, and just spicy enough to leave a nice warmth in your mouth, but not too much so that you're constantly reaching for your drink. Even my little one loved it!

And dare I say, it tastes even better than a certain famous chain restaurant's Zuppa Toscana!

Printable:

Zuppa Toscana

You'll need:

1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Russet potatoes, washed and UNpeeled
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
2-3 cups kale (or arugula), sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil for sauteeing

Begin by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the pot.

Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl, and cook the onions and bacon together until the bacon starts getting crispy.

While the onion and bacon are cooking, cut up your potatoes. Cut them in half, and then half again and slice into 1/4" pieces.

Add the sausage back to the pot, and the potatoes, garlic and pepper.

Pour in your chicken broth and plain water.

Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer/low for at least an hour. The potatoes should be tender. Test the broth for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.

When you are close to being ready to eat, add the kale to the pot.

Stir in until it's wilted down. If some of the ribbons seem too long, use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip them right in the pot.

Add cream, simmer and serve.

Biting The Hand That Feeds You

2012-01-06T12:01:00.000-05:00

I wanted to give a shout-out to fellow blogger Ludicrous Mama who writes a seriously funny bento blog called Biting The Hand That Feeds You. She just had a brand new little one, and STILL manages to blog regularly, I don't know how she does it, and I just have the one. I am thoroughly put to shame.

She recently featured Bentobloggy here (and I loved the write-up, thank you!) Check out her blog here and her Facebook page here. She does ADORABLE bento lunches, and seriously creative with her food shapes. I mean, hello? Look at this Sleeping Beauty bento!

I'm jelly. Keep it up, girl!

Bento #226 - Gyoza & Tomatoes

2012-01-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

This one's been hanging out in my bento folder for a few weeks now. We've been on vacation from school and work, and enjoying our time off and relaxing! Hope everyone else has been enjoying their time too. My husband and I spend our 10th wedding anniversary at the Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa in the North Georgia mountains for a few days. We went horseback riding, had spa treatments, a wine tasting at a local vineyard and more. We even had our very own fireplace in our suite. Heaven!

For this Planetbox bento, we have E's favourite chicken gyoza here, cut in half.

E has been bugging me about fresh tomatoes for the last few weeks. She loves Romas!

Accompanying the tomatoes and gyoza are little cute bottles of ponzu sauce and ranch dressing.

All loaded up in her Planetbox!

Bento #226 - Chicken gyoza, ponzu sauce, celery sticks, ranch dip, roma tomatoes and multi vitamins. Snack - Focaccia croutons and dried cranberries.

Bento #225 - Pizza & Fruit Salad

2011-12-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

Oh my word, I'm so far behind in posting bentos! Today E helped me. We have TJ's famous Pizza Margherita with the crusts cut off (one because it doesn't fit in the box with them on and two, E doesn't really care for it.) It's imported from Italy, uses great cheese, a tasty dough and it's fast cooking. It's one of the best frozen pizzas ever and we always have a few in our freezer.

She arranged her own veggies as well, and decided on both celery and carrots. Fresh fruit salad is also on the menu.

Snack is a bowl full of Goldfish crackers and a special Rice Krispie Treat, which E also helped me make. The three of us literally polished off the entire batch in an 18 hour period. Yikes!

I'm an equal-opportunity bento box user.

Bento #225 - Margherita pizza, fresh fruit salad, celery, organic carrots and ranch dip. Snack - Rice Krispie Treat and Goldfish.

Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

2011-12-06T11:20:00.000-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year...when Starbucks has those delicious, limited-time-only seasonal drinks that I crave at all other times of the year. One of them is their Caramel Apple Cider. Aside: Can someone please explain why this isn't on their drive-thru menu? I can never remember what it's officially called and mumble about apple cider-something-or-other-that's-not-coffee.

I discovered an at-home clone recipe from blogger and fellow mom from E's class, Dixie Delights. I have literally been stalking this recipe since A first posted it, and I finally got around to making my own after spending approximately $793 buying them at Starbucks. My recipe ratios are just slightly different, only because I just have apple juice boxes which are 6.75 oz each.

- 2 juice boxes (6.75 oz) of apple juice (I always use no sugar-added like Apple & Eve)
- 4.5 - 5 pumps of Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce syrup (BTW, had you any idea they sell these at their coffee shops...for $8?!?!)
1.5 tsp of caramel. I've been using a handy little tub of caramel sauce that came with pre-sliced apples ever since I became maimed by that apple slicer. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm still afraid to use one right now.

But I digress.

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients and heat until just starting to bubble slightly. Pour into your favorite large mug and roll your eyes in pure bliss. It's that good.

Bento #224 - Piano Recital Peanut Butter & Jelly Roll

2011-12-05T11:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Miss E had her winter piano recital! I'm so proud of her, she's been practicing very hard. I made this lunch with some cute music notes.

I added a special chocolate treat and a cute note. =)

Here's my little pianist.

Her curtsy just melts my heart! I'm biased, but I think that's about the best rendition of Yankee Doodle and London Bridge that I've ever heard! ;)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Bento #224 - Organic peanut butter and strawberry jam on 12 grain bread, roasted potatoes and bell peppers, organic ketchup and fresh blackberries. Snack - Goldfish crackers and apple-carrot Crusher.

Bento #223 - Flower & Berry PB&J

2011-11-29T12:09:00.001-05:00

I hope my readers who just enjoyed a nice Fall break had a great one! Today we have a Lunch Punch flower PB&J surrounded by fresh blackberries.

Accompanied by Mr. Panda and some sliced bell pepper.

Bento #223 - Organic peanut butter & strawberry jam on whole wheat, fresh blackberries, orange bell pepper and ranch dip. Snack - Banana

Bento #222 - Angry Birds, Reprised

2011-11-22T11:25:00.003-05:00

I just like calling it Angry Birds because of the adorable piggy. I seriously can't get enough of his rotund body.

Today Ella has camp with some of her best girlfriends from her previous school. All I had to do was pack her lunch, since they're providing the snack. She was very specific in telling me what she wanted in her lunchbox. PB&J shaped like a puzzle piece and Goldfish. The angry, angry fowl were my contribution. And the Lego lunch box, of course.

Also she wanted bell pepper with dip. Thus, we have a rampart made of orange bell pepper with a naughty piggy full of ranch dip. He is perched atop some juicy red grapes.

Bento #222 - Organic peanut butter and strawberry jelly on 12 grain toast, orange bell pepper, ranch dip, grapes and Goldfish.

Maryland Cream of Crab Soup

2011-11-18T11:52:00.018-05:00

There is [almost] nothing else that makes my heart go pitter-patter more than Maryland blue crabs - and especially in cream of crab soup. They are just slightly out of season now, but the weather's gotten to that point where you want a nice warm soup bubbling away on top of your stove. This recipe has been in my family for four generations. There are only a few ingredients, but they are all non-negotiable. You have to have them all, or you can't come crying back to me saying that it wasn't amazing. And trust me, it is.

You'll need:

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup strong chicken stock (1 cup stock + 2 bouillon cubes or equivalent)
1 quart rich milk (equal parts heavy cream and whole milk)
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or dried
1/2 heaping teaspoon celery salt
1/2 heaping teaspoon ground mace
Dash of red ground pepper or flakes
Pepper and salt to taste
1 pound backfin/lump crab meat (picked over of all shell)
1/3 cup Harvey Bristol Cream sherry (use only this brand!)
flour to thicken

In a pot over medium heat, start by sauteeing the onion in the butter until it is just translucent. We do not want browning in any way, shape or form here.

Add chicken stock and slowly pour in milk.

Add all seasonings except sherry. Now, when I was making this the other day, I was frantic because I could find every single herb, spice and spice-blend in existence except for the celery salt! Do you know that awful feeling when you've just returned from the store to buy the one thing you knew you didn't have, and then realize you don't have the other thing you should actually have? By the way, do you know I have two spice cupboards, plus a bunch next to my stovetop? It's insane. I pulled two boxes down in my search.

A-HA! Gotcha! It's celery seed, not salt, so I added a bit of sea salt too. At this point I was relieved I didn't have to go run out to Publix again.

Mace: It's not just for self defense! It's so good - it's warm and nutty, not unlike nutmeg. Delicious and totally makes cream of crab soup what it is.

Stir in crab meat, cleaned of all shell, and simmer 15 minutes. A word on the crab meat. Please don't use any other kind of crab meat, or worst of all [strangled gasp]...imitation crab. If I saw this I'd go rock in a corner. Also, you must pick it over, even if what you buy swears that it's virtually shell-free. We always used to go down to Market Street in Baltimore to get ours, or more often the market at the Annapolis Harbor...it's that squat little building behind the trees. I broke up with my first serious boyfriend on a bench in front of those hedges there. Never give jewelry back, girls.

If you don't live near Maryland and can't get fresh blue crabs, I'd recommend Phillips brand. I know my Costco sells Phillips, and that's where I picked this up, being that I currently live no where close to Maryland.

Stir in crab meat, cleaned of all shell, and simmer 15 minutes.

Make a thin paste with about 2 TBS flour and a little water.

Stir into soup to thicken slightly. Make sure you let it bubble while stirring for a few minutes to let the flour cook, so it doesn't have that raw flour taste. Before serving, remove from heat and stir in sherry. Stir carefully so that you don't break up the crab meat too much. Let thicken as desired, and I like my soup fairly thick.

I can hear my mother screaming now, "What?! That's not Harvey's!" Nope, it's not Harvey's, which she has made my dad drive out in the snow to get from Latella's package store. I'm not a sherry connoisseur, but any good cream sherry is better than cooking sherry, and I had Sheffield on hand. Repeat after me: "I will NEVER use cooking sherry in this recipe."

When you serve you can do as we do and leave the Harvey's out for guests to add willy-nilly. It's the best!

You'll need:

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup strong chicken stock (1 cup stock + 2 bouillon cubes or equivalent)

1 quart rich milk (equal parts heavy cream and whole milk)

1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or dried

1/2 heaping teaspoon celery salt

1/2 heaping teaspoon ground mace

Dash of red ground pepper or flakes

Pepper and salt to taste

1 pound backfin/lump crab meat (picked over of all shell)

1/3 cup Harvey Bristol Cream sherry (use only this brand!)

flour to thicken

Cook onion in butter until transparent. Add chicken stock and slowly pour in milk. Add all seasonings except sherry. Stir in crab meat, cleaned of all shell, and simmer 15 minutes. Make a thin paste with about 2 TBS flour and a little water. Stir into soup to thicken slightly. Before serving, remove from heat and stir in sherry.

Bento #221 - Angry Birds Gnocchi

2011-11-14T12:04:00.004-05:00

This is my take on Angry Birds, a la bento. First, we have our piggy antagonist. He is amid some bell pepper debris, and he's seeing "stars". Okay...I don't think they actually see stars in the game, but they should, right?

Next, we have our protagonists. The angry, angry birds. The only fowl picks I have are ducks, so the hatching duck eggs must do. They look pretty angry, no? They are in some very delicious Trader Joe's gnocchi (frozen section) tossed with some extra parm.

Bento #221 - Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, red grapes, yellow bell pepper, dip and yogurt stars. Snack - Banana muffing and garlic focaccia croutons.

P.S. I'm very excited to have won a whole month of syndication at The Blog Entourage!

Bento #220 - Lego Lunch

2011-11-10T11:11:00.001-05:00

I finally got one!!! Oh Lego lunch box, how I've wanted you for months now, but were only available in the UK.... Long story short, I ordered one and had it shipped to my cousin in London, and we were to meet up on our trip and make the hand off, but it slipped our minds and I returned home to the US empty-handed. With busy schedules, my adorable pink Lego lunch box hasn't made it over to my side of the pond yet.

So how did I get my hands on this one? Lo and behold! The Container Store carries them now!! I was killing time with my daughter (who was off from school) Tuesday after lunch and we headed over to that ~~dangerous~~ wonderful place. We were browsing a section that wasn't even food-related when we stumbled across these. They had a range of colors (but no pink, alas) in both the large and small sizes. By the way, these are food and dishwasher safe.

The small size wasn't available when I purchased my pink one, so that was a bonus! It's really tiny, so it's a good size for dip, which is what I used it for here. It fits perfectly inside the large Lego box. They only had the two sizes, and I'm curious what a medium would look like.

I know what you're thinking. "Are those croutons? That poor kid gets croutons for a snack?" People listen to me. These are the most amazing croutons you will ever put in your mouth. They are garlic/parmesan/herb croutons from a brand called Nonni's, which I picked up at Costco (shocker, I know.) They are amazing (I want to type that with all caps.) They are addictive, and yes, today they are a yummy snack. Ella will thank me later today, I just know it. ;)

Bento #220 - Pasta Prima chicken & mozzarella ravioli, julienne yellow bell pepper, strawberries and ranch dip. Snack - Nonni's croutons and applesauce.