We used regular chocolate oreo cookies and we used sticks of gum for the leaf. I found that if the chocolate gets too hard, you can heat a butter knife, touch it to the chocolate to melt it slightly, and stick the leaf on securely.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
First Day of School Treats
We used regular chocolate oreo cookies and we used sticks of gum for the leaf. I found that if the chocolate gets too hard, you can heat a butter knife, touch it to the chocolate to melt it slightly, and stick the leaf on securely.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Beef Lo Mein
Even though I didn't have a plan, I ended up having everything I needed for a quick and tasty beef lo mein. This dish is great because you can use whatever combination of veggies you have and it will taste great.
The kids loved having a chance to use the chopsticks we had picked up and they gobbled up their entire dinner. My son had three helpings...he was a fan of this dish. I will be adding it to the rotation!
8 oz chuck roast, sliced thinly
1 small onion sliced, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 small summer squash, julienned
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
sesame oil
1 T sugar
2 t cornstarch
Cook lo mein noodles according to directions. While noodles are cooking, heat large frying pan on med high and add a tablespoon of vegetable or peanut oil. Season beef with salt and pepper and add to hot oil. Fry until just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add all remaining vegetables to hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness. Add beef and cooked noodles to hot pan. Stir soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch together. Pour over noodles. Stir and cook until everything is coated in sauce. Add about a teaspoon of sesame oil to finish dish, add more soy sauce and/or sesame oil to taste.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Bento Boxes
A few weeks ago I started to acquire a few tools to make fun bento boxes. The first thing I ordered was a book by a fellow blogger called Yum-Yum Bento Box. It has pictures of cute bento boxes and lots of ideas for creating your own unique lunches. While many of the lunches are centered around Japanese cuisine they show you lots of examples that will appeal to the American palette as well. My son happens to love sushi and chinese food in general, so this works quite well for our family.
I also ordered two very cute Bento boxes, a travel utensil kit, a few sandwich cutters and rice molds. It is really quite fun to browse through the bento sites and see just how many cute things there are out there for creating cute lunches. Who knew??
Today I filled the bento boxes with a small lunch/snack to take with us in the car while we were out. I wanted to get my son acquainted with the box before heading off to school so that he could see how to use it. I made a version of a rice caterpillar with fruit and veggies. It was super easy and it only took me about 15 minutes, but both of the kids were delighted with their lunches and gobbled up everything. For myself and my husband I made larger onigiri (rice balls), filled with ham and I folded a piece of nori (seaweed) over it to make it more traditional looking. I was really surprised by how tasty it was and the kids both said they liked it a lot.
My son is excited about his new lunch box and says he can't wait to eat at school. I'm happy that he is excited and hopefully it will make sending him off to kindergarten for the whole day a little easier. I can put a little extra love into his lunch box and let him know that I'm thinking about him even while he is away.
Check out a few of these bento sites for more inspiration.
Bento Lunch
Just Bento
Cute Obento
Yum Yum Bento Box Book
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Broccoli Salad
Broccoli Salad
1 large head broccoli
1/2 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cups dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup cashews
1 cup mayonnaise
2 T white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Wash broccoli thoroughly and cut florets into bite-sized pieces. Place in a colander to dry for a few minutes. In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients to large bowl and stir to coat with dressing.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Breakfast Toasts
1 clove garlic, peeled
3-4 oz. prosciutto
6 eggs, cooked over easy
fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 green onions, thinly sliced
parsley
salt and pepper
Cut 6 slices of toast in half and lay out on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place under broiler until browned and crisp on edges. Remove and rub with clove of garlic while still the bread is still hot.
Lay a few slices of prosciutto on 6 of the slices of bread. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each or grate some regular mozzarella cheese on top. Place one egg on top of each toast and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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