Good Friday Bento

I've been looking at all these fabulous Easter-themed bentos made by my friends for their children, but although my heart wants to, my body and brain are just too out of juice to make anything classy (心有余而力不足). So at the last minute, I came up with a very simple design for Roast Meat that brings us back to the bare meaning of Good Friday - the death and resurrection of Christ.

Very basic Good Friday sandwich bento

Just a simple cross made of nori strips on a triangular PB and Nutella sandwich. Says it all, doesn't it?

I managed to put more effort into Takoyaki's lunch bento since I had all morning to prepare it (but didn't till the last half an hour *gulp*) and deliver it to her at midday.

Market-bought roast crispy pork and char siew with rice, topped with stir-fried pea sprouts, and sides of kimchi and fruits.

I am looking forward to the long weekend.

How To Make Kawaii Mini Buns Using Egg Moulds

Some of my earlier posts featured some moulded little buns in the shape of animals or vehicles. These are an easy way to provide cute, kid-sized portions of mini buns for bentos, especially if Mum is not in the mood nor skillful enough to bake her own little buns, which is me pretty much 100% of the time d:P I learnt this from a Bento Daddy on a bento Facebook group. Thank you Jedi Master Peter!

You will need:

One slice of sandwich bread, as fresh as possible for the best results.

Egg mould (any shape, but not for quail eggs).

Some pasty filling for the bread eg. Nutella, peanut butter, cream cheese spread, jam, or just butter.

Start by slicing the crust off the bread slice, taking away as little of the white part as you can. Spread some filling on one side, leaving at least a 1.5cm border all around. Resist the urge to pile on the filling, or it will leak out of your final product and look yucky. I also prefer not to use dry fillings such as pork floss, because the whole thing is just... dry.

Bread with Nutella spread in the middle

Next, gather up all four corners of the bread, overlapping slightly.

With the flat side facing down, press the bread into one side of the egg mould. 

Use clean dry fingers to squeeze all the bread in. Leave nothing sticking out around the edges. If you don't press it all in, the features will not be clear.

With the tip of a thin knife or with your fingers, gently and carefully ease the bread out.

Ta-da! You can use many ingredients to mark out the features and make them more prominent. I don't do that because... I am just plain lazy d:P

Experiment! Try different fillings and moulds. I've also been successful with a certain set of vehicle sandwich cutters, which I will post another time.

I've put these in Takoyaki and Roast Meat's bentos today, together with some ham/cheese/veg rolls, and assorted fruits.

RM's bento

Takoyaki's bento

We are all very happy today because it's the last day of Term 1 and we will have a short one week break. See you the week after!

Last official bento day for 2012!

So it's their last day of school, and it's a combined session (meaning both AM and PM sessions function together in the morning) so again the bentos were made last night and kept overnight in the fridge.

The contents are almost exactly the same, with minor differences - the filling in the bread and the treats. Here's Takoyaki's, featuring jam-filled bunny buns, sausage pineapples, kiwi and a Kinder Bueno.

Mr Roast Meat's having Nutella sandwiches cut into jigsaw puzzle pieces, sausage pineapples, cherry tomatoes and a Happy Hippo.

Each child also brought a bottle of yogurt drink to school, as a celebration for the last day of school. I can foresee that next year on, all my photos will be this kind - yellow and dark, since Mr RM will also be in the morning session and I have to either pack the night before or on the morning itself. Natural daylight always looks better.

Fuss free and count down to end of term

The kids are in a joyous mood since this is the last week of term, especially since they only have to officially attend school on TWO days, there being a public holiday yesterday and home-based learning taking up one day, AND Friday being Speech Day (prize presentation) so there're no lessons.

So today is my second last bento day, tomorrow being the very last. Both Takoyaki and Roast Meat went to school early in the morning, the former for interclass netball tournament (and refused to bring a proper bento), and the latter for lessons.

I told Takoyaki she would definitely be hungry and made her bring a box of cheese crackers as well as some Choclairs, and RM will be having bread logs (rolled up with Nutella and kaya), a cheese wedge, grapes and a chocolate.

The secret lives of fruits and vegetables

Takoyaki wanted to buy food today but agreed to bring a box of fruits (which she shared with her clique). There's a cherry tomato masquerading as a grape which is masquerading as a balloon.

Mr Roast Meat got some fish nuggets, grapes, more masquerading cherry tomatoes, and a Nutella sandwich with a smiling striped cheese bear (I still have about 3 striped cheese slices left).

What would I do without leftovers?

Takoyaki loves it when we have kimchi soup for dinner, because she knows there will usually be some leftover which she can bring to school the next day.

This time there are pork ribs in the soup (I usually do shabu shabu pork), an omusubi/onigiri with beef soboro filling (another favourite), and of course, fruits. My daughter is the fruit queen!

Here's my video on how to use an onigiri wrapper.

Mr Roast Meat says he loved the ketchup prawns from the other day, so I cooked up another batch for him (and me and the tot). And the rest of the food are two moulded bear buns with Nutella filling, some nuts and grapes.

Can you... Count?

So here is the supposed crowning glory of my Halloween journey, but alas, I don't think it quite comes through.

The food for both bentos are essentially the same - Nutella sandwich under the ham slice, ham-and-cheese rolls, golden pear slices and treats.

Takoyaki's Sesame Street Count bento

Roast Meat's Sesame Street Count bento

Mr RM couldn't recognise it so I had to tell him, imagine if the Count was standing in front of a wall that is exactly the same colour as his skin. Then he would blend into the background yes? I think he understood after that.

Bats

If it's not obvious already, I'm trying to do Halloween themes all the way till it's over. I must be batty, haha!

I put in some extra effort into this bento for Takoyaki, because I was supposed to give her one yesterday, but was so exhausted the night before that I fell asleep with the tot and didn't get up! So here's her bat-on-ham-on-cheese-moon, over a Nutella sandwich, together with some bloody fingers and fruits. I had a swift thought of putting eyes on the grapes but it vanished in the wink of an eye (haha! again).

I hope her friends don't get too shocked d:)

Since I had all these tools out anyway, I made the same cutouts for Mr Roast Meat at the same time, except that I marked out the eye slits with cheese (eeeeeevilllll). Over rice with homemade salmon flakes, and matched with a Halloween pumpkin (it's actually half a clementine, thank you to inspiration from my dear friends on the Facebook EZ Bentos group, and I think the Ah Ma of the idea is Ming of BentoMonsters). To fill up the box and add some fibre, I threw in some cuke sticks and capsicum slices. 

 

Tomorrow is a public holiday in Singapore (Hari Raya Haji), so no school and no bentos. Need to brainstorm for next week's Halloween themes!

Have a grrrrrreat weekend, everyone!

Mantou - your basic Chinese "bao"

By request, both kids want these buns today, so they get them! Saves effort coming up with different things each day.

Takoyaki will also be bringing a very ugly hardboiled egg bunny (failure) which she wants to eat with kicap manis (sweet black sauce) but we don't have that, haha! In the sauce container is just regular thick black sauce. I tried to make amends by using the same mould to make a bunny bun with Nutella filling (success).  The fruit factor is rose apple (jambu air)

Mr Roast Meat has his mantou with seaweed chicken and dragonfruit.

Somewhat Nautical

I had to spend the morning in school (Teacher's Day Concert rehearsal) so this box for Roast Meat was prepared last night. The row of boats on the right are simply kaya sandwich cutouts, decorated with leftover chocolate fudge icing from Takoyaki's cakes. The foil packet contains some breaded fish bites I'd previously panfried and just needed reheating. To prevent the different foods from contaminating each other, the clementine wedges (and silicone cup) were wrapped up in clingwrap, while the pistachios (bottom) were wrapped in some printed green tinfoil.

Finally! He gets to bring the Lego box to school again. I am considering letting him bring the Foogoo soon since he's not leaving his bento on the table and running off to play anymore.

Hambaagaa

Ever since I woke up this morning till I had to leave for school, I have been doing NOTHING but cooking and washing. Argh. Almost forgot to prepare Roast Meat's bento. The meat patties were cooked at the last minute, cooled down just in time.

Nutella car buns, beef patties and crunchy Jap cucumber

Takoyaki's hot lunch in school is one of her favourites: meat sauce pasta (sauce was cooked yesterday, I love leftovers!). The meal is kind of eclectic, as my dear friend Ee Lin would say. The veg is blanched choy sum sprinkled with sesame seeds. As long as the girl eats it.

Spirelli pasta with meat sauce, choy sum, patties and canteloupe

The only thing left is the Emperor Herbal Chicken which needs to steam for 3 hours.