Halloween Sandwhich Bento Lunch

Halloween Bento
Originally uploaded by JB Doodles

I love Halloween. I love costumes and pumpkins and scary movies, but most of all I love candy!

This lunch has been packed in a collapsible sandwich bento box. I lined it with a cute spider napkin and wrapped my sandwich (tofurkey and provolone) in plastic to keep it fresh. It is adorned with some fresh veggies, olives, and a little bag of candy corn (yum...). The little pumpkin is an orange pepper decorated with nori.

I would love to do an involved Halloween charaben this week, but I'm not sure if I will have the time. Speaking of charaben, our Flickr group Kyaraben (Charaben) has been slowly growing. I absolutely adore the amazingly cute lunches that contributors have made. So be sure to visit and check them out.

Boba Fett Bento Lunch

Boba Fett Bento Lunch
Originally uploaded by JB Doodles

Well, there isn't much to say about this bento. I need to break out of my comfort zone when it comes to charaben. I always just cut out tofurkey lunch meat into shapes. I experimented a little by painting food coloring on the tofurkey to make Boba Fett's green and red armor. I didn't really want to eat it though, because I was afraid of a green mouth.

The rest of the bento contains Quorn Chik'n nuggets and fresh veggies from my garden (tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and basil). There is a little piece of fresh mozzarella in the front too.

If you like decorative cakes, check out my flickr photo of the Harley Davidson birthday cake I made for my dad. I think it came out pretty good, except I wasn't happy with the piping on the logo.

Wallace and Gromit Bento

It has been a while since I made a charaben or character bento. So, in honor of the new Flickr group Kyaraben (Charaben) I made this Wallace and Gromit Bento lunch.

This bento contains a cucumber sandwich, a veggie buffalo wing, some veggies, and of course *Cheese!!* If you haven't seen Wallace and Gromit, Wallace really likes cheese. W&G looked a bit washed out brown on white sandwich bread, so I put some sushi grass and some veggie bacon behind them.

If you would like details on how I created the characters, see my post for my Twilight Bella bento which details the process. I did essentially the same thing here. And although I mention it in that post, I want to point out a really handy trick I came across. I first create the characters, then I assemble them on wax paper and stick them in the freezer while I put together the rest of the lunch. This makes it so much easier to put the characters in the actual lunch without messing up the little details. As long as you don't leave them in the freezer too long, they still taste fine.

This was my original drawing on an index card. I knew W&G would be good characters because they are mostly tan and black, which suits cheese and lunchmeat (or in my case, veggie lunchmeat) well. An important thing to remember is that you can't make it perfect. Wallace's shirt is green, not black. His face is more pink than Gromit's, but you have to work with your ingredients, and a little artistic license doesn't detract from the final product (in my opinion).

So, in case you have never seen Wallace and Gromit, here are a few links:

Wallace and Gromit official site

Aardman's YouTube

Wallace and Gromit DVDs on Amazon.com

My favorite episode is The Wrong Trousers, mostly because I love this character Feather's McGraw. He is a fugitive penguin:

Fancy Napkins, Bento Shopping, and a Charaben Photo Pool

These lunches aren't very interesting because they are just salads. The reason I'm posting them is because of the super cute napkins in the background. I got them at Pier 1. I love browsing through their cloth napkins and picking up a random selection. Of course, besides being 'super cute,' using cloth napkins reduces waste, and can be used as a Furoshiki.



Also...
I have been doing a bit of traveling this summer (if you can call day trips and visiting my grandma 'traveling') and I came across a few stores on the East Coast that sell bento boxes.

First, I found this selection of Shinzi Katoh boxes at Yo Mamma's Home in Belfast Maine:


Next, I found these two snack-sized boxes randomly mixed in with novelty items at the Grasshopper Shop in Searsport Maine:


And lastly, I found this GIANT selection at Kinokuniya Bookstore in NYC (across from Bryant Park):
I couldn't resist at Kinokuniya. I ended up getting the three-pack froggy boxes in the lower right corner. All of these stores charge around $16 per box, which is pretty pricey, but Kinokuniya had some upwards of $40! It was really fun to find bento boxes in stores, since I usually have to order them online. It was especially exciting to see them in Maine, which I would have never expected.

Also...
For all you Flickr users out there, I started a Flickr Charaben/Kyaraben group photo pool. I thought that it would be nice to have a place to look at and discuss everything charaben. So, even if you don't make charaben, come check out the group! (I only just started the group, so there isn't much on it yet, but keep checking back).

I hope to see you all there!

Stuffed Pepper Pirate Bento

I have wanted to try making a stuffed pepper bento for a while, so when I came across mini sweet peppers at the grocery store, I knew I have my chance.

These are 'his and hers' bento lunches containing Quorn imitation chik'n nuggets, veggie slaw, some raw veggies, and two vegetarian stuffed peppers. Decorated with pirate themed picks and cupcake liners.

Recipe Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers:
1/2 cup cooked sushi rice
1/2 cup sauteed vegetarian imitation ground beef (or use real beef if you want).
Dried Italian seasonings (I use an "Italian mix")
Salt & Pepper
3 Tbs ketchup (or more to taste)

Stir together the above ingredients until well mixed. Cut the top off several small sweet peppers (the number depends on their size) and clean the inside of seeds. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture. If you use a cupcake pan (line with foil to avoid ruining the finish), you can put sever small peppers in each section, therefore keeping them upright. Spray the pan with oil to avoid sticking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes checking often. Peppers should still be slightly browned but still somewhat crisp.


These lunches were packed in cute Sesame Street sandwich boxes that I found at Target in the dollar section.

Mediterranean Bento Lunch:

This lunch is a simple Mediterranean lunch packed in a stainless steel bento lunch box. Store bought falafel, store bought hummus (garnished with olive oil and a basil leaf) and toasted pitas brushed with olive oil and fresh basil. Tomatoes and spinach as a garnish.