First Tamagoyaki!

I just made my first tamagoyaki!!! Tamagoyaki is a Japanese rolled omelet. It isn't like a regular American/French omelet.  You add sugar, mirin, soy sauce, salt and dashi (optional) to eggs that have been mixed but aren't full of a lot of air.  You actually roll it in the pan, in layers, as you cook it.  Tamago means egg in Japanese. I know it's not the most beautiful tamagoyaki, especially since I used a round frying pan, not a tamagoyaki pan. The tamagoyaki pan is a somewhat small, rectangular pan. Although, sometimes they can be square. It's neat to see the different layers of the tamagoyaki. I think they should probably be a little tighter. Next time. I'm not the most adept with chopsticks either. I must admit, I'm proud of myself. I didn't think it was going to turn out okay but it did. It looks like it would be hard to do, but it is very easy.  I'm sure after some practice they'll be looking much better! The best thing is that they taste great!!

Funny Sandwiches

Hello again!  My next bento is also for the Kawaii Bento Summer School.  It is homework #4, which is to create a fun sandwich bento.  I thought it would be funny to use my dog bone cookie cutters that I actually use to make dog bone treats for  my dogs,Tucker and Kallie.  The sandwiches kind of remind be of the Flintstones chewing on a brontosaurus bone. They are salami and cheese sandwiches with small salami slices (different type of salami), carrot sticks, broccoli, blueberries and black olives.  I used this bento as my lunch yesterday (it was very tasty!).  Now my boys are getting interested in taking their lunches in bento boxes. Mind you, when I say my "boys", I don't mean children, they are 24 and 21!! They don't necessarily want cute or kawaii bento, but they like the idea of portion control.  Maybe soon the whole family will be using bento!

Finger Foods

I thought I it would be easy to blog daily.  Boy, was I wrong!  I'll try to keep up with it at least once a week.  That sounds more doable for me.  Anyway, my third bento turned out to be for the Kawaii Bento Summer School Homework #2, which was to create a bento using finger foods.  I made some falafel (which are basically chick pea fritters) with a side container of yogurt dill sauce, carrot sticks, a tiny apricot, some blueberries and green pepper hearts.  I had made a bunch of falafel for dinner one night and had leftovers.  They freeze beautifully, especially since they were baked instead of fried.  Just defrost and either microwave or not, it's up to you!

New Beginnings

I have always been fascinated with learning about different cultures and I recently discovered the art of Japanese Bento. Bento boxes have been around for many centuries in Japan. A simple explanation of what a bento box is that they are generally single serving lunches that include rice, meat, and pickled or cooked vegetables. The items in the bento box are transformed into anime characters, flowers, animals and many other beautiful things. While the designs can be very elaborate or very simple in design, the bento box represents the love a Japanese mother has for her family.



It is my intention to post pictures of the bento boxes I create and share them with whoever might be interested. Since I am so new to this, as you can imagine, my bentos are very crude. I expect that they will improve the more bento create. They are also tailored more to the American palate, as I am just starting to explore Japanese cuisine. I also don't have small children anymore, so most of the bentos that I will make are either for me or my husband.

My first two bentos are for the Bento Summer School assignments #1 (above), which was modifying one of your standard recipes for a muffin tin. I created a western omelet, so it is a breakfast/brunch bento. The other assignment I completed is #3 (below) which was to make a bento with colorful food either with food coloring or using the natural color of the food itself. Since July 4th is just a few days away, I created a flag using sushi rice. I know they are not as elaborate as what it out there in 'webland', but you've got to start somewhere. I am still trying to catch up with assignment #2, which is finger foods. I hope you enjoy what I have to share.