Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Bento Box


We are trying something new tomorrow.  Strawberry Cream Cheese sandwiches.  I think he will like them - we'll see if they come home in the box or not!

Cream cheese heart sandwiches, cheese cracker snack mix, cheddar cheese hearts, Triscuit thins, mini rice cakes, mini bear paw cookies, chocolate/butterscotch chips.  Grapes and carrot sticks tucked into all the gaps.  Yogurt in the middle.

I'd eat it!!  Yum.

Enjoy.

CC.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lunch - Bento Box


The Bento Box from yesterday was a pretty good hit.  Surprisingly, he didn't eat much of the snack box but almost the entire lunch was eaten!  A rarity for my child.

Tomorrow I am sending him a snack box (not fancy enough to picture here) with apples, half a granola bar and cracker sticks with cheese.

His lunch above consists of Jelly Petal Sandwiches (my first attempt - hard to tell huh?), grapes, yogurt, 2 cheese men, baked Cheetos and mini rice cakes with chocolate drizzle. 

These little boxes are fun but I am already worried about running out of ideas.

Do you have any ideas??  Have you made a Bento Box?

CC

Sunday, September 11, 2011

BENTO BOXES

I have a child in school.  I have a child in school???  I HAVE A CHILD IN SCHOOL!!!

Seriously, how did this happen?  My 4 year old is finally attending full time preschool.  I could not be happier.  Not only is he ready to learn and grow and expand - I seriously needed some time to focus on other things.... like blogging :)  haha.  Anyway, you didn't come here to read about my being a mother - onto the boxes.

Bento Boxes.  Have you heard of them?  They are a traditional Japanese lunch box that is made into the most beautiful art.  I'm not kidding.  Google Image Bento Boxes or check out this website.  Puts my stuff to shame!  But lets face it, my kid wasn't about to eat sticky rice balls and nori.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  In fact, I'd like to just say now that I am 100% aware that Bento has a strong cultural meaning including the types and proportions of foods inside them.  But this is my blog, and my 4 year old's lunch....

I was researching some good lunch ideas because I noticed myself slipping into buying prepackaged goodies to stuff in his bag.  At home we eat almost everything fresh and from scratch.  I did not want to erase that pattern just because I had no inspiration.  During my research I came across this article.  It reinforced a lot of my thinking.  My child does well with "deconstructed" foods.  If we are having spinach salad for dinner I put all the components (egg, cheese, bacon, croutons, lettuce etc) separately in little piles on his plate.  He eats almost all of it - now if I put a traditional salad on there, we'd have no luck.  Same goes with small amounts of foods but lots of variety.  Like lots of little appys for them.  Then I found the Bento Box and from there came inspiration.  Finally.
  



This is the snack box I made up, using silicone muffin liners as dividers.  Cinnamon raisin swirl bread cut out in hearts, apples and grapes with vanilla yogurt as a dip.  The container has a top layer (the blue part) that sits on top. 



I put a home made trail mix (nut free of course) in the top layer.  To be eaten on its own or dipped in the yogurt. 

This is the lunch box I made.  Ham and cheese sandwich on skewers with celery and carrot sticks (not that I am expecting him to eat these, but you gotta keep trying right?).  Apples, grapes and a little brownie. 


I packed some more yogurt along with the box as well.  They may not be as intricate and brilliant as the traditional Bento Box, but hopefully it will make a difference for the little guy!  Not only did I almost avoid all pre-packaged foods I also didn't use a single ziploc bag or any saran wrap!  Environmentally friendly!

Now, go make your own Bento!

CC

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers

Recipe adapted from Melissa d'Arabian


Yup, these taste as good as they sound and look. Chicken and veggies in a delicious sauce/gravy all wrapped up in puff pastry!! Your family will hope for leftover chicken just so you can serve this the next day!

I actually don't like Chicken Pot Pie, or most stews or casseroles. Well, that is what I thought anyway. What I have learned over the years is that it is usually the preparation and quality of ingredients that I don't like or didn't like growing up. I don't want to eat mushy veggies in a sauce consisting mostly of processed soups, powder packets or other short cut ingredients. And that is okay, in fact that is great. The fresher the better! I saw this recipe on TV and the whole time I kept thinking "I like that, I like those, that is exactly how I make my gravy". I figured it was time to try Chicken Pot Pie - well, my version anyway.

The original recipe called for peas but I don't really like them. I decided to use asparagus. Mostly because I like it and partly because I had some in my fridge!

All the veggies and chicken bubbling away in their sauce.

I like to cut my veggies big so you can see and taste what you are eating. The pastry did absorb some of the sauce but it still had all the flavor and was delicious.

Be sure to pinch your dough really good around the edges before baking. Some of our sauce found its way out onto the tray - but even this one was fantastic!!

Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers

2 tbsp butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chopped asparagus
1 cup chopped mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded chicken, cooked
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and asparagus with salt and pepper, to taste, until the carrots soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently. Add the flour and cook off the raw flavor, about 1 minute more. Turn up the heat to medium-high and deglaze the pan with the wine. Whisk in the stock and Dijon mustard. Add the chicken and cook on a very low simmer until the sauce thickens up into a gravy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, cut your puff pastry into four even squares. Gently roll out each square. Place the squares on a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture in the center. Fold the squares diagonally to create triangles. Pinch the edges together to create turnovers (use a little water if needed to bind). Press the edges with a fork to create a decorative border. Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush the turnovers with the egg wash. Cut a small slit in the top to allow the steam to escape during baking. Bake the turnovers until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving as the insides will be very hot.

Makes 4 turnovers. They are huge and this recipe could be easily spread into 6 portions.



Is there anything you like as an Adult that you didn't when you were a child?

Enjoy

CC

Monday, March 28, 2011

Chicken Sandwiches

I almost always order a chicken sandwich/burger when I eat out. It is really one of my favorite things. Perhaps because I don't make sandwiches much at home? Maybe because restaurants usually have an unusual or upgraded twist to them? Whatever it is, I like to order it! So on the weekend I found myself in downtown Vancouver in a Cactus Club for my Cousin M's b-day.

We started the evening with a round of Bellini's. These are seriously delicious. I would have had a lime margarita - but it was almost $10 and wasn't even blended. If you are spending that kind of money I expect it to be blended into a limalicious fury and served in a big girl's glass. So, Bellini's it was. And they were peachy :)
Naturally, I ordered the Cajun Chicken Cheddar Sandwich. Now, before I go into my ranting review - I must say that this meal was good. I was happy to eat it, and thankful I didn't cook it. My Cousin A had the same thing and loved it! And although I am about to describe in detail all the things they could have done, it was still satisfying!

Okay, here I go.... First off - the presentation was okay, I mean I was starving so I would have ate that off of a paper plate! I always order fries when I go out. I can eat all the salad I want at home - but I never make fries. So I order them, and I love them. These.... well there is only one word "McCain". Seriously, I could have opened up a bag from my freezer too.

Okay moving on. Oh the drinks. This is how much of it I had devoured before my food arrived.


The sandwich. The chicken was a bit thin - I would have liked to have tasted it. The spice was really mild - which I can appreciate for those who don't enjoy spicy food - but it does have "Cajun" in the title. The bun - white, twice as thick as the chicken and had no flavor. They missed such a huge opportunity here. Multi grain, sourdough, ciabatta, baguette, flat bread.... so many possibilities. The lettuce - shredded, the mayo - plain. This all gave it a slightly fast food feel. Where is the garlic aioli people???



Alright that is enough! I was happy to have this meal with awesome relatives and had a great evening. It was tasty and did hit the spot!! This of course is just my opinion.... until the next chicken sandwich of course!!


What do you always order when you go out?

Fries or Salad??


Enjoy


CC

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Roasted Fennel

Be Healthy.
Eat Fennel.

Be Brave.
Try something NEW.

I have been trying to get brave enough to try fennel for some time now. I know, not a major risk - but sometimes you just don't know if it will work out. Or if your family will eat it. I love licorice and was intrigued by this vegetable that supposedly tasted just like it. Guess what? It does!! And guess what else?? My family loved it. Well maybe not the 3 yr old as much as my husband - but it was a start. Like most things, I roasted it!

Roasted Fennel

Fennel bulb. Peel outer layer from bulb and discard.
Olive oil.
Salt.
Pepper.

Slice fennel bulb. Oil and season. Roast at 425 F for 15 - 20 min flipping half way through.

Enjoy

CC

Monday, March 21, 2011

Hot Potato

I have always wanted to try a purple potato! Doesn't it look brilliant next to the yellow and red? These were fun to cook and eat! If you need any tips on how to roast potatoes or veggies you can look here. Need a few other ideas for potatoes? Try here.

I have to say, the purple color wasn't as brilliant once the roasting was done, but they tasted great. If anyone tells you that a potato tastes like potato no matter it's color - just cook them up this trio. Some were buttery and some were sweet. Each bite was something different and exciting. This was a great side dish!

Enjoy

CC

Which potato is your favorite? Have you had purple potatoes??