As I promised, I’m packing my lunch

Now that I have the few things I need to make the most basic lunch, I have started preparing bento lunches.  I made my first California roll the other night, which turned out fantastic.

California roll for Eric’s lunch (And I added a pear in his lunch bag)

My lunch, cheese and cracker snack, and California roll (soy sauce on top tier)

We went to the Cherry Blossom Festival on Sunday, and went to their first annual “sushi experience” by Ms. Saito, who teaches sushi classes at Temple University.  Her claim to fame is naming the Philadelphia Roll: Smoked salmon and Philadelphia cream cheese.

It was a good time, a decent little bento for the sushi event, and some live performances and shopping =D  Pictures to come!

Mochi and sushi…

We have been eating sushi quite a bit lately, and recently when going to Z.Wei, we have been treated to mochi ice cream!  It has been a fantastic treat for us, and I set out to make my own…

Easier said, than done.

I found a few recipes that state the same process:

scoop the ice cream into balls and refreeze, make the dough, cool the dough, flatten the dough and cover the frozen ice cream, and freeze again.

Simple, right?

Well, first attempt to make the dough was unsuccessful and very, very messy.  Too sticky and elastic; it was hard to wrap anything in it.  I made a smaller batch, following the directions to a ‘T’ this time (I added the flour too quickly before) and it made the perfect dough.  The most difficult problem was that the ice cream melted so quickly, it was hard to get the mochi ‘wrap’ to seal around the ball without slipping because the ice cream was melting so fast.

Finally, success!  At the end of the night, I made sushi, which was a very minor success (burned the rice because I was distracted) but I made California rolls… Lunch to come!  If only the mochi ice cream would travel for an hour via train without hassle!

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Cupcakes! Ah finally…

I finally set out to make the “carbomb cupcakes” with Guiness cake, Jameson whiskey ganache, and Bailey’s icing!

They turned out fantastic, and have been a hit so far!  I highly recommend them for anyone that loves a chocolaty treat, even if you’re not that into beer, and the alcohol can be substituted ^_^

Enjoy!

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Bento!

Since it has been years since I have rolled my own sushi, I decided to replace my sushi making kit with a new one…  and finally get myself a proper bento lunch box! ::^_^::

I ordered a few nifty niche tools, and a few containers and yes, a Hello Kitty bento box… I couldn’t resist!  Yes, I know it’s a *tad* little girl-ish of me, but who cares, it’s cute, I like it, and I’ll use it. =d

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(that’s a Ham and Colby/Jack sandwich, M&Ms, egg salad and honey wheat crackers…)

Very soon I’ll get out to a store to get fish, shrimp and other items to make a real sushi bento… until then, this kinda lunch isn’t too bad!

Something unexpected!

So Easter  celebrations were early in the day for Eric and me… We went to his parents place for an early brunch, and due to last minute change in plans, we drove his aunt to the airport.  It was probably one of our shortest visits, considering it was a holiday (we were there only about 2 hours) but we ended up having a fairly busy and productive day!

We went to Ikea to get a new living room chair (which the cat immediately grew to love) and a few little things.  Of course you can’t leave without a $1 mini frozen yogurt cone!

Then we had some downtime after assembling our chair, and settling in for the evening.  We decided to get sushi for dinner, and why not?!  Would an asian restaurant close on Easter?  Off to Z.Wei we go!

We sat at the bar, where we had before; a familiar sushi chef behind the counter.  Last time we visited he had made us this spicy salad, on the house, and it was delicious!  This time, along with our first roll, instead of a standard garnish, he plated 4 Pringles chips, with toro (fatty tuna) and spicy dressing and roe on top!

We looked at it, puzzled.

Could we take this seriously?  We had seen a few cans of the chips kept behind the counter, just figuring it was a snack item for the staff…  They were delicious!    Just like the contrast of tempura in sushi, this had a great mix of soft, buttery fish, with the crunch of the potato chip.  We couldn’t have been more surprised!  I wish we had gotten pictures, but maybe we’ll convince him to make them again!

I *love* to see a chef having fun with his art… especially when it’s tasty and free!  ^_~

Gimmick or not, I’ll be back, more and more…  It’s a *very* short drive from my home, and once I move to the closer branch office for work, I’ll be 50% closer… during lunch hour!   =D

Oh, sushi, I could never get enough of you…

Easter bunnies, and Easter eggs!

When leaving from our shopping trip this afternoon, we came across a bake sale for the Relay for Life… petite cakes for a good cause? why not!

bunny cake from the bake sale fundraiser for the Relay for Life

I got had a semi-last minute urge to make deviled eggs for easter!  Inspired by a trick I saw our family friend, Cindy, do a few years ago, I wanted to dye the egg whites, instead of the shells!

Very cute finish, and just as tasty as always!

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To make your own, hard boil your eggs following your favorite recipe.

Remove the shells, and dye your eggs in food coloring and water (skip the vinegar) until you reach the desired shade of color.

Halve the eggs and continue on with your favorite recipe!