Nurturing my inner... bento

Every December, I buy a new calendar for the up and coming year.  I've taken a particular liking to the Moleskine products.  It doesn't hurt that Matisse, van Gogh, Hemingway, Brenton and Picasso were some of their more famous patrons.  I find inspiration in that.  As if I'm somehow connected to their brilliant creativity through our shared use of these little calendars and notebooks.

A fresh start.

The weekly notebook diary/planner is a close companion for me.  I use it every day for work and I also track my social outings as well as my running/walking/workout activities.  It's slim, easily fits in my purse and the paper is the perfect weight and texture.

It's always exciting to open it for the first time and dream of all the possibilities the year could hold.  This year, it also seemed to beckon me to continue trying new things and expand my creative interests and efforts.  (Oh, and I'm certain it wants me to make LOTS of lists as well.)

For work and play. Which is what life really is.
A bit of both.

I'm not sure where it started, but my guess is that I was searching around on Amazon for who knows what food related item, in my quest for new things, and stumbled upon this book: The Just Bento Cookbook.  "Bento?"  I said to myself.  (It would be interesting to see how many of you know what that is.)  I quickly learned that meant a small meal in a box or a set of compartments with a variety of different food items in them.  Let me not get too far ahead with that information though.  First things first.  The bento in a restaurant setting.

Hama Sushi in Herndon, VA.  I didn't want to take a picture of the interior because the owners were looking at me strangely when I busted out the camera.  I nonchalantly placed it on the table and took a quick snap of the drink I had while I waited for my friends to arrive.  (Locals know what NoVa traffic can be like.  Waiting is just what we do.)

It was a choice between beer and sake and
I just wanted something light.

I'm a complete weirdo I do realize, but I studied the Hama Sushi menu at home so I knew what I was getting as soon as I walked in the door.  (These kinds of complicated decisions take time.)  The Captain Perry Bento: Chicken Teriyaki and Shrimp Tempura. Teriyaki: Char-grilled skinless chicken breast. Tempura: Crispy shrimp and assorted vegetable tempura. Chef special, bean sprout salad, California roll and fruit.

I took this picture quickly before the waiters
 gave me the stare down. (Again, that is to say.)

It was a lot of food.  I had to take some home.  Everything was tasty though.  What a great variety of textures and flavors.  I wish we had more bento places nearby, now that I'm obsessed with them.  (I will say that Teasim, we have locations in DC, has bento boxes, so that's on my list of additional places to try them.)

Back to the book.  I orded The Just Bento Cookbook from Amazon.

After all, one should learn
from the experts.

A day or two after my book arrived, I had a car service appointment that Saturday that was going to take at least three hours.  Without family nearby, I just go to the dealership and hunker down with a bag of activities (and snacks!) to keep me busy.  (I've always been the model self-entertainer since childhood.  You can ask my mom.)  I decided to use the time that day to study my new book in detail.  Page by delicious page.  (It has lots of photos which make it even more interesting.)

Lunch can be way more fun than you realize. You just have to know how to make it fanciful.  (That doesn't have to translate to time consuming.)  An easy way to do that is to take a little lesson from the ever adept at putting a lot of stuff into a small space Japanese.

After reading the bento book, I could see that I needed to order a few things to really do it up right.  The author, Makiko Itoh, uses silicone cupcake forms for salads and softer or juicy items.  So I ordered some square, round and heart shaped ones to act as dividers.

Never know what you might need. Best to
be prepared. Plus, I could use them to make
cupcakes too. Very versatile.

Another set of tools Makiko uses are small, metal cookie cutters.  The ones in the back are from Japan and are different kinds of flowers.  The front container has a variety of other common shapes.  She showed us that we can make fun shapes from ordinary food items like carrots and cheese.  (I didn't do that this time, but you can bet I will in the future.)

They just make food more playful. Doesn't
have to take a lot of time either.

However, the main part that pulls the meal together is the bento box itself.  I ordered mine from a little shop online, straight from Japan, called Bento & Co.  (You can also find a ton of bento boxes and related items on ebay.)  The one I decided on was called the Iro Iro Argyle Set and came in a rainbow of colors.  It was hard to choose just one color, but I decided on the lime green.  (Though I was *this close* to getting the orange.)  It seemed like a good size for a woman.  Men can get bigger containers for their bigger appetites and there are also child-sized ones.

The pieces are the bottom compartment, the top compartment, the lid and the top of the container.

Stackable. Good use of small space.

They also come with matching chopsticks.

Keeps getting better.

One of the most appealing things about the bento is simply this: portion control.  You can only fit so much in the box, so it helps you to exercise some self-control.  (Goodness knows, I could use a helping hand in this endeavor.)

I made some lovely salmon.  I took a 1/3 ounce strip of thick salmon, skin side down, and put it in a baking pan.  I rubbed fresh grated ginger on all sides and then drizzled with soy sauce.  A sprig of fresh rosemary on top and into a 400 degree oven for about 18 minutes or until done.  I don't have a rice maker, yet, so I use Trader Joe's frozen Jasmine rice, which is excellent and takes only three minutes in the microwave.  Comes out perfectly.  When the salmon was done, I took it off the skin and flaked it into large chunks.  Then I put it into one of the square cups.  (Because I haven't bought any fake grass dividers yet and didn't have lettuce handy.)  I surrounded the cup with rice.

Already like art. Only it smells better.

Makiko also used a few other fun items.  Some little containers for sauces and plastic picks.  I ordered them from the same place I got the bento box.  (Seeing as I was already shipping this package from the other side of the world, what the heck.  Do it right.)

All the fun stuff. Too adorable to stand.

I used one of the containers to hold some teriyaki sauce for dipping.

Who doesn't love to dip.

Into the bottom compartment it went and that layer was finished.  This already looked incredibly appetizing.  But I was only halfway done.  On top of this, I put the top compartment.

It was hard to not dive right in.

It's always good to have a fruit or sweet element.  I chose some lychee.  I would have used fresh, but there aren't any this time of year, so canned would have to suffice.

Light, sweet flavor. Try them!

I couldn't resist a close up of the adorable leaf picks.  They are good for many purposes.  Spearing meatballs, olives, fruits, vegetables.

You may think they are a silly extra, but I
would argue they are vitally necessary for
convenience and smiles.

Into the top container I put some steamed asparagus and in a heart shaped cup went a few lychee and some fresh blueberries.

The fruit and veggie layer.

These top items were more liquidy than the bottom ones, so the lid came in handy to seal it up tight.

And that layer was now done as well.

On went the top to the entire bento box as well as the elastic band that holds it all together firmly.

Compact and ready to go.

Since I did the cooking the night before and not that morning, I put the entire box into the fridge.

The following morning, I put the box into the bag.  Bentos are meant to be able to take on the go and not necessarily have to be refrigerated (or heated).  I live in a modern world, so mine was going in the fridge at work.  (Why rough it when you don't have to.)  But if you were going to be out in the field or on a picnic, you could always put an ice pack in there.

In you go, my precious two-tiered,
complete meal package.

I cinched the top, tied it up and it was ready to come with me for a hard day's labor in the fields.  (Aka, sitting in my cube staring at a pc for eight hours.)

Ready? Let's go!

It's hard to be humble on this one.  I thought it was a super fun lunch and I was kinda proud of myself!  It was visually appealing, flavorfully diverse and perfectly proportioned.  I will be featuring more bento creations in the future, this I know.  I did have three hours at the car dealership to make quite the list of combinations.  Once you start thinking of meals through the filter of the bento, your mind will go crazy with ideas.

Oh, and go to Makiko's website and get some Japanese, and not so Japanese, recipes.  I like when she deconstructs something like a French salad niçoise or makes an Asian take on meatballs.  That's the fun of creating a bento.  There really is no end to the possibilities and you can make them as exotic or as American as you want.

Nurturing my inner... keys to success

The other night, my friend and I helped babysit her sister's kids.  She has an almost four year old who is at that stage where she can lock her two year old brother (and everyone else) out of a room for the sheer pleasure of being in control.  While her auntie was calmly, and reasonably, asking her to please unlock the door, I was quickly grabbing the master key from above the door frame and unlocking it myself.  Yeah, that's right, a four year old would not be getting the best of me!  I've been around the block a few times while babysitting and that is as good as having honorary engineering and medical degrees.  (To the latter point, I've fished many a "something" out of little mouths, and noses, in my day and I'm not even a parent.)

Little Miss. Door Locker looked none too pleased when I opened the door she thought she had so safely secured in prison guard fashion, but hey, what would you expect from a pint-sized rebel who has just lost the fort to the enemy intruder?  (Meanwhile, the aloof two year old wanted little to do with me the entire evening.  Thanks buddy.)

I find there are other great ways to unlock doors than just with keys.  I like to use... key lime.

Key Lime Coconut Macaroons

1 bag of sweetened shredded coconut
1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1/4 cup bottled (or fresh if you have the notion) key lime juice
2 tbsps flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg whites, whipped

My favorite macaroons are from Whole Foods and I've always wanted to copy them.  But not today.  These were different, a softer texture, but they turned out really tasty.  (I'll note that they are not good for Passover because they have flour in them which I added to offset the liquid of the lime juice.  I'll work on a kosher traditional macaroon another time.)

I had purchased bottled key lime juice late last summer because I was going to make some coconut lime drinks with friends, but time flew and we never got around to it.  The expiration date on the juice was coming up in a month, so I knew I needed to do something with it.  Why not combine the drink flavors into a cookie.

Not to be confused with unsweetened,
dessicated coconut which has a finer texture.

Into a bowl went the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and salt.  The basic recipe concept came from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) on the Food Network site.  But, I needed to change it up a little to add the other flavor.

Sweet and sweeter. This is no blah cookie.

To cut the sweet taste back just a little, I wanted to add a tangy citrus flavor.  Coconut and lime just go so well together.  I mean, they did write a song about it - "you put the lime in the coconut."  (I do realize that song is now stuck in your head.)

Why bother squeezing dozens of tiny limes by
hand when Nellie & Joe made it easy for me.

I added the key lime juice and the flour into the bowl as well.  And mixed it all together.

I could eat this with a spoon already.

To make the macaroons lighter, egg whites would need to be added.

It's amazing how egg whites when put in a
very white bowl can look yellow. Odd. But trust
me, these were separated egg whites.

I used my electric hand mixer and whipped the egg whites until they formed medium firm peaks.  (Yeah, like I even know what that is compared to firm peaks or soft peaks.  This looked fine to me.  So do that.)

I didn't want to over mix and make them
tough, but they needed some form.

I folded the whipped egg whites into the mixture.  Being careful to incorporate them fully, but not deflate them by over mixing.

Sticky. A good sign.

Okay, listen up.  This is an important step.  When reading feedback on Ina's recipe, even though I clearly tweaked it to make it my own, there were several complaints about the mixture being runny and the cookies spreading out too much.  There was quite the debate hashed out in the comments section.  The key to fixing that problem, it seemed, was to refrigerate the mixture for an hour.  My theory on why do that is because it gives the coconut time to absorb some of the liquid, so it doesn't run out on the baking sheet.  (If not accurate, it certainly sounds scientifically sound.)

When an hour has come and gone, the batter is ready.  I took a small ice cream scoop and filled it to slightly overflowing like I was serving up real ice cream.  On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, I placed each scoop over an inch apart and put them into a 325 degree oven, top rack, for 25-30 minutes.  Or until slightly brown.

They didn't look runny to me. The chilling
really worked! (Yea science!)

At the very end, I turned on the broiler and left them in for an additional two minutes so they would toast up just a bit more on the outside.  I'm not sure if that makes them actually taste any better, but it does make them look prettier.  So what's another two minutes when you can achieve this:

All sorts of shapes. Like little coconut
mountains.

They turned out chewy on the inside and ever so slightly tacky on the outside, so when I put them away, I layered waxed paper between the rows.  To prevent any sticking.  The key lime flavor was a terrific addition to a standard macaroon.  All the sweet coconut with the tart citrus - delicious.

Ate that in about three seconds.

Back to babysitting.  We all played a spirited game of hide and seek where auntie had to find us.  The nearly four year old picked our spot, but the two year old kept giving us away by running (loudly) to where we were, then I'd shoo him out and he'd leave momentarily, only to bound back five seconds later giggling and squealing with delight.  (Do not expect to maintain your good hiding spot when a toddler is present.)

After a bit more hiding and seeking, some show and tell of a mini lighted tree in someone's room and a little jumping on the bed (shhhh, don't tell mom) we sat and had some cookies.  Auntie was nice enough to share with the kids and there were definitely calls for "more, more."  By the time I went to leave, the older kiddo didn't like me putting on my coat because she knew what that meant and the little one was standing behind me, grabbing my finger, trying to get me to stay.  I guess I did something right after all.

Keys come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  (And flavors!)  Love, discipline, forgiveness, attention, sacrifice.  There is no one skeleton key that opens every door with every person.  And some doors can only be unlocked by unconventional methods.  You may even have to try several keys before you find the one that finally works.  But when you do, everything changes.

Nurturing my inner... glazed over

There they sat.  In my refrigerator.  Staring at me.  Smugly.  Every time I cracked the door in the search of something less healthy.  Half a bag of baby carrots.  Left over from another dish.  Circle of truth: I really don't love carrots.  (I'm no rabbit.)  They bore me.  I mean, sure, I technically will eat all vegetables, but the slightly sweet, orange sticks just don't light my taste buds on fire.  So I often pass them over for veggies I like better.

Oh, I did my best to ignore them in there next to the cheese sticks.  Another day passed.  And another.  But there they remained each and every time I went in for some cranberry juice.  Taunting me with... a challenge.

No way I was going to let them go bad, so I had to find some new flavor idea to jazz them up with and make them more palatable.  (To me.)

Ginger-Glazed Carrots

1/2 lb baby carrots
1 heaping tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps light brown sugar
Dash of salt
Dash of nutmeg
Squeeze of lemon

I know, they look harmless.  They are just carrots.  Baby ones at that.  But I'd rather be eating spinach, broccoli, asparagus or anything green.

Eh, they don't thrill me.

Instead of breaking out the stand alone steamer, I just used my metal basket in a pan.  And steamed them for 20 minutes or until just a little tender.  Not squishy.

Easy enough.

Out came the microplane and I shredded up the ginger after peeling it.  That very sharp microplane made for fast work.

The juices are really released with this technique.

You have to watch your fingers though.  Microplanes are very, very sharp.  But they are amazing.  The texture can't truly be matched by mincing, so pony up the dough and invest in one.

Perhaps I went a bit overboard. I'll save
some of it for another dish.

So ginger covered the spicy category, now I needed a sweet element for balance.

And heck, adding butter always helps.

Into a saute pan I put the butter, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg and ginger.  Then turned it on medium heat to melt slowly and infuse the fat with the flavors.

Seems like an unlikely blend. Yet, it works.

In just a few minutes, everything melts, caramelizes and creates this wonderful, light syrup.

Don't turn the heat too high and burn it.
(That's a spoon shadow.)

In went the steamed carrots, right into the same pan, on top of the bubbling sauce.

Precooking them partly means they will
be perfectly done in the end.

I tossed the carrots in the glaze, made sure each one was well coated, and then let them simmer for about 10 additional minutes, stirring occasionally.  I turned off the flame and gave them a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

You wouldn't believe the fresh ginger aroma.

The extra cooking time was long enough to soften the carrots just a little bit more and for them to really absorb the sweet and spicy flavors.  I got three servings out of the batch, but if you love carrots, (unlike me), you may get more like two.

Went nicely with my chicken tenders and rice.

My crazy plan worked.  I made carrots I thought were actually (slightly to my genuine surprise) terrific.  They pair best with mild meats and starches because they provide the perfect hot kick with the ginger.

So, ha-HA!  You carrots did not get the best of me!  (I do realize I just taunted a vegetable.  I need therapy.)

Nurturing my inner... stolen moments

This is how it was supposed to happen and it was going to be great.  I was going to celebrate my 100th post.  A milestone.  A true accomplishment.  I was ready for it.  And I blew it.  Missed it by one.  (Arrrgg!!!)

So today, six months into this adventure, I celebrate my 101st post!  (Please try to drum up some enthusiasm so I feel less like an idiot and more like an eccentric.)

What did I choose to celebrate on this most auspicious of occasions?  My ancestry and the bean.  Longtime friends.  And the stealing of a few precious minutes from the day.

But first, the set up.  Every mundane thing we do should be made into a divine experience.  I have these darling little espresso cups from the Crate & Barrel outlet.  $1.99 for both cup and saucer.  I will tell you I have shopped high and low for espresso cup sets and they can be MAJORLY pricey.  When I saw these not only did I love the adorable, round, simple shape, but heck, the price could not be beat!  (And when I dropped one on the counter recently and it shattered into a million pieces, (as anything does on granite), I could just go pick up a quick $1.99 replacement without having to buy six new cups and saucers at a time.)

It's not just what you drink, it's how what you
drink it in.  Food should be experiential in
all aspects consumption.

Now for the stove top espresso maker of old.  This is how the real Italians made coffee a hundred years ago and how they still do it today.  They don't have thousand dollar machines in their homes.  A $20 stainless steel three piece pot will do.  One can be found in every kitchen in Sicily.  (And now in mine!)

Easy as one, two, three.

So let's start at the bottom and work our way up.  Cold water into the water chamber, filled up to the release valve.  That is that little bull's eye seen below.

Don't over fill or the steam can't escape.

Drop in the espresso basket on top of the water.  It's got all these little holes in the bottom for the water to bubble up through and brew.  (You may think rocket ships are amazing bits of machinery, but this truly captures my interest!)

That's what holds the powdery, grounded
beans in place.

I get my espresso at the regular grocery store.  I haven't bought a proper burr grinder yet, so I grind dark french roast or espresso beans on the second to last mark in the fine category of settings.  An important thing to note is that I do this in small batches, so I get to use fresher coffee.  Seeing as I have to go to the grocery store at least once a week, it's not a big deal to grind some fresh about every other week and it really gives me the best flavor.

Labeled bowls, of course.

I put in about four teaspoons (I guessitmate) into the coffee chamber.

Fill 'er up.

Mostly I make half caf/half decaf for my first pot and then switch to decaf.  (I've been noted to comment when it's been a "two pot" day.  That is code for "rough times" today.)

Can already smell the wonderful flavor that is
soon to come. Great expectations.

There are different schools of thought on this.  I do not tamp the grounds.  There is no point as I'm not using the high pressure of an expensive espresso maker.  I merely lightly flatten it out.

I use the back of a small spoon.

The grounds end up smooth on top.  But not compacted.  Water needs to easily be able to get through them.

Flat, not tamped.

Technically, it's ready to go at this point.  But here's where I go unorthodox.  (Would you expect anything less?)  And I'm sure some people would gasp.  But I like to add cinnamon sometimes.  Not every time.  Just whenever I'm feeling spicy.

Another labeled bowl, as if I can't recognize
the contents without assistance.

I place a stick, broken in half, on top of the coffee.

Only on top, not pressed into it.

Back to my perfect cup.  I prefer turbinado or raw sugar in my espresso.  Melts nicely and has a mellow sweetness that is less sharp than white sugar.  So I get my cup ready.  A couple of demitasse spoonfuls of sugar in the bottom suits me.

I measure my sugar with the same spoon
I use to stir it later.

The top pot gets screwed onto the chamber holding the basket of coffee.  Firmly.  I turn the heat up to medium, or just so the flame covers a little wider than the bottom of the pot, but not too high.  I don't want the handle to get hot.  And I set my timer for seven minutes.  It takes somewhere, at that setting, between 6 - 7 minutes.

I don't want the flame too high.
There is a slight science to it.

About five minutes in, the pressure valve will make a "pssshhh" sound and the water will start bubbling up through the coffee grounds and come out the spout holes in the top and drop into the pot.  I keep the lid down, so it doesn't spurt all over my stove and me, but opened it this time so you could see what happens.

The brewing. Behind the scenes.

When it gurgles, it's done.  And the pot will be all filled up and ready to go.

Oh, the aroma. Like I'm in small kitchen in Italy.
It is a divine smell that I can't resist.

I've read you need to pour it immediately and drink within 30 seconds.  Wow, that seems awfully ambitious.  I do pour immediately, but it could take me a couple minutes before I drink it.

Mere moments away from greatness.

Are you wondering where that adorable little spoon came from?  The town over from my mom, Seymour, CT, has a small main street with some delightful antique shops.  We were poking around one day and I was intrigued by the demitasse spoons.  I didn't have a purpose in mind at the time, I just fell upon this one and loved it.  It was sterling silver and had an engraved bowl that said "Terre Haute," which is a town in Indiana.  (I've never even been to Indiana.)  How kitchy!  It was made somewhere around the 1940s. But the price was $15.00.  (For a mini spoon.)  It seemed like a lot.  (Did I mention... for a spoon.)  I was going to pass on it, but my mom insisted on buying it for me.  Sometimes you have to let your mom just do something nice for you.  Especially when she doesn't see you that often.  Well, I'm so glad she did buy it for me.  (And that I let her.  Which is extremely rare.)  I now absolutely LOVE it!  I use it every time I make espresso.

Recently I added another spoon to my humble collection.  It has "Los Angeles" on it.  It's fun to pick up a little piece of history.  Of travel.  But I make a rule to only buy what I absolutely adore.  I won't settle for anything less.  That often translates to something with a little bit higher price tag, but it satisfies my soul when I buy less that I absolutely love, than more of what I merely tolerate.  (As Americans, we need to adopt this value once again and stop buying things just because they are cheap and abundant and go back to being more concerned about quality.  You really do get what you pay for.)

A classic, special spoon really adds to the
enjoyment of the experience.

That day, I also happened to have a scone I made with clotted cream on it.  What a particularly incredible morning!

It doesn't get any better than this.

Espresso is an art form.  A full body experience.  With the spirit of a true Italian artist, anyone can easily learn to craft the finest cup of morning brew they've ever had.  It is more affordable than hitting the chain establishments, and nothing is better than drinking coffee from a beautiful porcelain cup with an antique spoon in your favorite spot in your home.  My advice: stir slowly.  Lift gently.  Inhale deeply.  Sip meaningfully.  Allow yourself to be lost without cares for just a little while.

The world moves too quickly.  I say this often.  You blink, and before you know it, the days are gone.  I try to remember to enjoy each and every delightful, slowed-down moment I can manage to steal in a day.