Smiley Bento Kids #105

These days, I have been finding it hard to resist picking up cute picks like the ones I used in today’s bento.  These hat picks are just adorable and when I first saw them in one of Lia’s (Bentolicious) bentos, I knew I had to get them!  After searching through the online bento stores, I finally found them on eBay from the Sakura Zakka Shop, which, unfortunately is sold out at the moment.  The blue jeweled pick in the strawberry was another recent purchase of mine from the Executive Chef.  They come in a set of 30 in a variety of pretty colors and jewel shapes.  The best part of all of these picks is that they are washable and reusable.

The bento includes 3 mini onigiri with sesame seeds and kombu, pan fried Ahi belly, and a few fruits and veggies.

Flower and Butterflies Sandwich Bento #104

We have a huge bush of yellow flowers growing wild in our yard which the the inspiration for today’s bento.  The flowers attract a lot of butterflies but they also attract a bunch of black bees which the kids hate.  Anyway, I wanted to take a picture of the kids with flowers to put in my post and it took sooooo long just to get a few shots.  I had to shoo away the two stubborn bees hanging out by the flowers before I could even get the kids to sit by the bush.  Then getting Sean to smile was and always has been an insurmountable challenge. If you have my latest cookbook you can see for yourself.  Our family picture at the end of the book showcases Sean’s classic “smile”.

Out of 20 pictures today, this was Sean’s best “smile”.

I also wanted to send out a big thank Diane Ako of the Star Advertiser for her wonderful write up of my book yesterday!  Happy belated Birthday to Diane’s super cute little girl, Olivia!

Make Your Own Shaun Stencil #103

Today’s post is in response to Jenna’s question about the Shaun the Sheep sandwich bento that I previously made.  Jenna wanted to know if there was something else that she could use besides nori for Shaun.  A situation like this is the perfect opportunity for making/using a stencil!  Just print out a picture of Shaun and cut out the black portion of his head and ears.  

Place your stencil against the bread and fill in using black colored sugar, cocoa powder, or black Wilton’s Color Mist.  Finish with sugar eyes and cheese.

I used black Color Mist and cocoa powder in this picture.

For more ideas about using stencils, check out this post I did a while back- Cookie and Craft Stencils for Your Bento.

Fun Finger Sandwiches Bento #102

Here is a bento that you can eat with your hands!   Mini finger sandwiches made with deli meat, were decorated with cheddar and mozzarella cheese butterflies and flowers.  I also dressed up the mini sandwiches with cute picks and sugar eyes for the butterflies.  Along side the bite-sized sandwiches were pretzels, strawberries, and a small side container of mayo.

To see more fun finger foods and bite-sized lessons check out Kawaii Bento Club’s Bento Summer School, week 2.

These are the cutters and picks that I used for today’s bento.

How to Make Shaun the Sheep & the Naughty Pig #101

Here is the “How To” part of my previous post- Shaun the Sheep Sandwich Bento. To begin, you need to find a picture of Shaun and the Naughty Pig, then format the picture to the correct size, and print.  I always do an extra picture just in case I make a mistake with the first one.

To make Shaun, put his picture together with a small sheet of nori and holding both sheets together, carefully cut out his head.

Place Shaun’s head on the cheese (I used Swiss singles) and cut around the nori using the pointed tip of a tooth pick.  To make the top part of his head I used a cloud shaped cutter, but if you don’t have this cutter, then cut it out freehand using the toothpick.

Then add on 1/2 inch sugar eyes, but you could just use a small round cutter to cut out the eyes out of cheese and use nori for the black part of his eyes.

To make the Naughty Pig you’ll need a small piece of parchment paper.

Place the parchment paper over and trace the outline of the pig.  Cut out the pig shape from the parchment paper.

Place the cutout on a slice of bologna and cut out using a toothpick.  Use a small oval shaped cutter to cut a snout out for the pig as well.

Make two small holes in the snout and place on the pig.  Finish with nori for the eyes.

There you have it, Shaun and the Naughty Pig!  In my bento I trimmed them back a bit for a perfect fit on my round sandwich.

Can you guess who this guy is?  I made this Edward Scissor Hands bento a few weeks back but never posted it.  After I made it, I remembered that I had seen an Edward Scissor Hands bento before and I didn’t want to post this bento until I could figure out where I saw it.  Then the other day I found it!  Last year, Diana from Bento Concept made this fantastic Edward Scissor Hands Bento (click on link) with a ton of intricate detail!  She even made an amazing deer out of broccoli!

Shaun the Sheep Sandwich Bento #100

Shaun the Sheep (made by the same creators of Wallace and Gromit) is one of Sean’s favorite shows on the Disney Channel!  In fact, both Mark and I find ourselves laughing and enjoying the show right alongside Paige and Sean.  From the show, I also had to include one of the three Naughty Pigs (my favorite characters) who are always trying to get Shaun and his flock of sheep into trouble.  If you haven’t seen this show before, you really should check it out for a few good laughs.

Yum-Yum Bento Box

Last week I received a review copy of Yum-Yum Bento Box by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa from their publisher- Quirk Books!  The cover is gorgeous and it already gives you a peek into the wonderful bentos that both Crystal and Maki have created.  The first few pages give you information about what bento is, how to pack them, as well as photos of the different types of bento tools and accessories that they used.  Following all of that, they give this cute compilation of the ingredients that go into making”Happy Faces”.

Yum-Yum Bento Box is 143 pages long, and contains 55 adorable character bentos, including a bunch of quick and easy bento-friendly recipes.  The thing that I love most about this book is all of the beautiful photos that seem to leap off of the pages.  Below are two of my favorite bentos from the book, the Piggy Burger and the Caterpillar.  If you are into making bentos or cute food, this book is a definite must buy!

With that being said, I do have one complaint.  Yum-Yum Bento Box only makes you want to see more and more from these two uber talented ladies.  Already I can’t wait for their next book to come out!!!

Check out their websites for more information and inspiration!

Crystal Watanabe (Pikko)- Adventures In Bento Making

Maki Ogawa (Lucky Sundae)- Cute Obento

Yum-Yum Bento Box- Where to buy

Transformers Sandwich Bento #98

Yesterday, Mrs. P asked me if I had any suggestions for making bentos for her 9 year old son.  No cutesy stuff and her son’s interests are Transformers, Star Wars, and Mario Brothers.  The easiest thing that I can think of without having to go out and buy a cutter or mold is doing nori cutouts.  It’s actually a lot easier than one might think!

You just need to find a good picture (I usually use google images) with simple lines like this Transformer’s Autobot logo.  Print it out to the size you want.

Using a good sharp craft scissors, hold the paper and the nori together and cut out the logo.

If you look closely, I didn’t bother to cut out the thinner lines inside some of the pieces.  After you finish cutting out the pieces, put together on a slice of cheese like Swiss or American (the singles processed type).  Then use a toothpick to cut the cheese by just dragging the tip along the outside edge of the logo.

Voila!  You have your Transformers sandwich!  You can also use the nori cutouts (with or without the cheese) on a musubi or rice!  If you do use the nori cutouts with the cheese, please ensure that your lunch is kept cool because the cheese will melt.

This is an old Clone bento that I did using the same technique.

Dr Who Villain Bento #97

After I posted my Wallace and Gromit bento last week, a good friend (Hi Annika!) of mine asked me to make a Dr. Who bento.  After looking through all of the characters, I finally decided on an Adipose- who is a villain that has appeared on the show in the past.  Not only was it the cutest villain but it was also the easiest to make!  Since Dr. Who is a British show, I will also be submitting this bento into Bento Box UK’s British themed bento event.

The Adipose is made from rice with nori for the eyes and mouth, and kamaboko for its tooth.  The bento also includes garlic pork patties, and a few fruits and vegetables.

By the way, Bento Summer School has started!  Check out Kawaii Bento Club’s summer session of how to make bentos!

Wallace and Gromit Bento #96

Asfora from Bento Box UK is having a British Themed Bento Event that runs until June 21st!   I made Wallace and Gromit which is one of my favorite British animated films!   Wallace is made from rice stuffed with barbeque chicken and kamaboko for his eyes and teeth.  Then to make Gromit I used a vegetable croquette for his head, bologna for his ears, an olive for his nose, and kamaboko for his eyes.

Check out all of these fun events going on-

Bento Box UK- British Themed Bentos

Hapa Bento- Beach Themed Bento for June

Kawaii Bento Club- Rock my Bento Contest

Kawaii Bento Club- Bento Summer School