Lunch Bucket Bento

Fishin' Beans

2009-07-09T18:17:00.003-07:00

1. fish
2. rice
3. green beans

I'm almost positive the fish was halibut. That's a big ol' spoonful of cooled lemon and caper butter sauce on top of the fish that I wanted to smear all over my knees and lick off at my leisure but instead I acted as though I'd imagine adults do.

In other news I need some beach reading! Not sure if I want to drive over to DI or just hit the local B&N.

Chicken & Couscous

2009-07-06T22:20:00.004-07:00

It's the week before vacation which means work is pretty much guaranteed to suck extra hard. Also that I'm going to be eating some weird stuff. I like to use the week before a vacation to eat up all the crap that's been sitting around for a while. You know, the things that seemed like such a good idea when you were tossing stuff willy-nilly into the cart but then after you got home, well, not so much.

1. grilled chicken leg (marinated with lemon and 7 spice)
2. lemon and saffron couscous (Fresh & Easy box mix and better than I'd expected)
3. berries

Luckily this week happened to coincide with a holiday weekend - significantly minimizing my pain. I mean I do have berries after all. Remind me to tell you later about the 6 pound pork shoulder sitting in the fridge waiting to get in mah belly!

Recipe for the Remedy

2009-07-01T00:38:00.005-07:00

Assemble your supplies.

3 cups of ice sitting in a bowl of water to soften (about 15 minutes)
one lemon
sugar
berries
libation of choice
knife
blender
reamer

It should look something like this:

Directions:

Cut the lemon in half and juice it directly into the blender. Dump in 1/4 cup each of sugar and vodka. Blend. Drain the water out of your ice and add it to the blender - you should have about 2 1/2 cups. Pulse until smooth.

Pre-softening the ice really makes a difference in the texture - if you don't you'll have little icy granules which isn't exactly the end of the world but isn't exactly what you're going for here either. Of course I'm sure this doesn't apply if you have a fancy blender. Like say a Vita-Mix 1700 Turbo Blend 4500 Countertop Blender with 2+ HP Motor. In which case yeah, yay for you. Whatever.

Anyway. Pour the lemonade into the glass. Leave what sticks to the bottom in there and throw in 1/4 cup of berries. Pulse a few times and pour on top of the lemonade.

Stick a straw in your glass and admire.

Sip contentedly. Avoid brain freeze.

How hot is it?

2009-06-28T23:13:00.003-07:00

Is your cookie dough baking on the counter top? Did you tires melt all over the driveway? Has your soul evaporated? Need a remedy?

Frozen lemonade. With blackberries. And vodka.

Won't Get Fooled Again!

2009-06-25T21:36:00.005-07:00

First it was this abomination of an appetizer pimped out by the one and only Pioneer Woman with a hearty second from millions of her minions. Could millions of minions be wrong? Seriously P-Dub? Seriously?

Then it was this one from Kate @ Warm Olives ... and Cool Cocktails. Ice Water Crackers. Essentially wet crackers fried in butter. What could go wrong, right? Oh. Right. That.

And now? Now there's this hot mess of a wreck from Sweetnicks in which I take Toffee Crack and turn it into Ass Crack. Using the last of the brown sugar, the last of the good butter, and the last of the chocolate leaving me with saltines topped with butter, brown, sugar and chocolate.

Okay internetz, I'm onto you now. No more Sandra Leeish cracker recipes. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice?

Well, hell. Now I don't give a rat's rear right testicle how super simple and delicious you might claim your cracker thing to be, I. AIN'T. A-FALLIN'. FER. THAT. NO. MORE.

Know what goes on a cracker? Smoked gouda. That's what goes on a cracker. Not canned cheese, not water and least of all not the last of my chocolate!

(PS - you should go see Kate because I pink puffy heart her blog AND she alerted me to TasteStopping : Feasting on seconds! which is seven colors of awesome AND because I didn't really waste anything precious like bacon or chocolate trying to make her recipe.)

Notta Bowl of Hope

2009-06-25T00:49:00.002-07:00

Not quite a Sadness Bowl, but not exactly a Bowl of Hope either.

1. meat and horseradish
2. shard of parm
3. tomatoes
4. grapes
5. cherries

Failure Pile in a Sadness Bowl *

2009-06-23T23:28:00.006-07:00

Did you see Jon&Kate last night? I did. But I'm not proud of it. I felt dirty.

1. PeiWei leftovers. In a sadness bowl.

*credit

Sounds Nasty, Looks Nasty, Tastes? Not Nasty!

2009-06-19T00:37:00.003-07:00

Honey Walnut Shrimp? With sweet mayonnaise sauce? Uhm, no thank you. Yes, I'm sure. Yes, I know it's very popular. No, I'm not allergic to nuts. Or mayonnaise. Or shrimp. Just, well, just no.

But the curiosity. It consumes me sometimes. Could it really be as bad as it sounds? Surely not.

Ohmysweetmotherofpearl. Yes! Sweet mayonnaise on big beautiful lightly battered and fried shrimp with honey candied walnuts. With broccoli. On rice. How could something so, so, so wrong be so right?

This is leftover from Yao take-out, but it's surely super easy and fast to do at home, I'd imagine it could be done before the rice is cooked if you start with shelled and de-veined shrimp.

1. honey walnut shrimp with broccoli and rice
2. remains of an un-wanted eggroll
3. the last of the free tomatoes

Neighbor's CSA Loss - My Gain

2009-06-17T23:07:00.003-07:00

1. mixed summer squash sauteed with caramelized leeks, garlic and a little tomato
2. beef. it's what was for dinner.
3. part of a red bean bun

Edit for Yvo: Our neighbors were on vacation so we got to pick up their CSA goodies while they were gone. And eat them. The vegetables I mean, not the neighbors.

Chicken Enchiladas

2009-06-15T19:58:00.002-07:00

1. Mexizona shrimp cocktail
2. saltines
3. roasted green chili and chicken enchilada with sour cream on the side

Ribs and Raspberries

2009-06-10T22:12:00.003-07:00

Anyone else get meal ideas from This is why you're fat.?

No, me either.

Anyway.

When I saw this I suddenly couldn't get the Shack Tater outta my mind. And honestly? I didn't want to.

In fact I may or may not have forwarded it to Him, who may or may not have replied with "what kind of chips?" blah blah blah "want Joe's tonight?". I might have asked for an add-on of ribs. Or maybe not.

1. ribs & sauce with gratuitous green onion garnish
2. the most delicious raspberries I've ever eaten in my whole life
3. approximately ZERO cents worth of fabulous little yellow tomatoes (gift from co-worker's garden)

Cho Dang Leftovers

2009-06-09T23:23:00.003-07:00

Did I mention my Mom came to ~~eat~~ visit this weekend? Well, she did and I'm happy to say we ate every meal like it was our last.

Pretty Pink Ume Soba - NOT Meat Strings

2009-06-04T20:04:00.005-07:00

1. cold ume soba noodles with a little parsley (dipping sauce not pictured)
2. grapefruit with lime zest
3. Armenian cucumber chunks

The last time I packed cold noodles they were a pasty mess by the time I was ready to eat them. Thanks to Just Hungry I've learned that you need to wash the noodles, rinsing alone isn't enough. Of course the last time I packed cold noodles they weren't pink either. And didn't prompt Boo to ask "is that MEAT?".

Better Than Raw Chicken

2009-06-03T22:18:00.001-07:00

1. egg salad sandwich on squishy bread with basil
2. pea salad
3. 53 cents worth of tomato

When Chicken Tartar Fails

2009-06-02T23:39:00.003-07:00

Okay, okay, the Chicken Tartar didn't fail. I did. Alright? I'm D. U. M. M. Dumm.

How's some nice grilled chicken sound? Maybe with a caprese salad? Sounded good to me too. Too bad I didn't take the chicken out of the freezer.

Rosati's to the rescue!

1. leftover deep dish
2. caprese salad with some three dollar tomato and the last of the balsamic reduction

Greyhound Jellies

2009-05-29T23:45:00.004-07:00

I might be a little obsessed with the cocktail jellies. This one is so, so, seriously good. The technique is exactly the same as the Manhattan Drops but I replaced the whiskey, vermouth and bitters with 1 & 1/2 cups fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, 3/4 cup of expensive vodka and a pinch of salt. Also instead of individual molds I used a 9x13 pyrex baking dish and unmolded the whole thing out on a cutting board before hacking it into squares and half-moons.

Greyhound Jellies

There's gotta be a better name for these!

Initially I garnished them with a bit of candied peel, but then I went all Alinea @ the Double Wide (apologies to Mr. Achatz, and Carol, and well, everyone) and busted out the coffee grinder. I had decided to grind some of the peel and for some reason it seemed like a good idea to throw in a few cardamom seeds and sprinkle a little bit of this magic dust on top of my pretty little jellies.

Know what? It totally worked. The peel adds this intense grapefruit POP right at the beginning and the cardamom adds just a little spicy warmth and the next thing you know you're saying "wow, that was -really- good!". Or at least that's what I said.

Next up the Lemon Drop Drops - for realz this time.

Wrap it up, I'll take it.

2009-05-28T23:09:00.003-07:00

1. turkey wrap with Peppadew goat cheese spread
2. broccoli slaw in a lettuce cup
3. mango

Look! A healthy lunch! Please note the whole wheat tortilla and extraneous use of green leafy stuff. And those tomato wedges surely deserve a special mention. By my (probably faulty) calculations that's about 79 cents worth of local grown tomato. Totally worth it.

Speaking of totally ... enter my Totally Random Giveaway to win a Hello Kitty sandwich box.

Totally Random Giveaway

2009-05-27T23:19:00.003-07:00

I was gifted with a huge bag of grapefruit today and all I can think about is making Greyhound Jellies. It's a sickness I tell ya. A sickness.

Since I can't really mail anyone a Jello shot thought I'd offer this instead.

Want a pearly pink Hello Kitty sandwich box? Of course you do.

Just leave me a comment and you're in it to win it.

Be my Twitter friend and you're in it twice!

Winner will be selected @ random Sunday night say around 8 pm.

Manhattan Drops

2009-05-26T23:36:00.003-07:00

Just when you think it's gonna be a long, hot summer... and then you don't care.

Courtesy of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario by way of Jumbo Empanadas.

Manhattan Drops

1 big jar of maraschino cherries with stems (buy an extra to cut down on the whining when the kids realize you aren't making them a snack)
1 cup simple syrup (mix 1 cup of sugar with one cup of water, bring to a boil and cool)
3 packs unflavored gelatin (these are the little envelopes of Knox that come in a box. Hint - get the box of 32, it's way cheaper than the box of 4)
1 1/2 cups whiskey (I used Canadian Club because it was on sale)
3/4 cup sweet vermouth (I used Gallo 'cause that's all they had)
3 shakes of Angostura Bitters (This stuff is freakin' expensive but I'm really glad I bought it. Even though you just use a smidge it's this flavor that makes a Manhattan taste like a Manhattan. It's a teeny little bottle but I'm guessing it will last forever and will become part of my estate.)

1. Drain cherries well and blot on paper towels. Use LOTS of paper towels because they will soak through and stain your counters pink. You've been warned. Meanwhile, pour the simple syrup into a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin on top and stir to combine. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 2 minutes. You can tell when it's soft because all the white bits will be clear. Place this mixture over low heat and stir, gently splashing around the sides of the pan until all of the gelatin has dissolved. Do not boil. This shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.

2. Combine whiskey, vermouth and bitters in a bowl. Stir in gelatin mixture. Stir slowly for 1 minute.

3. Arrange cherries, stems pointing up, in your molds. I used little plastic condiment cups and I'm kicking myself for not saving them. Divide alcohol mixture evenly between molds. I used a spouted measuring cup to pour. Yes, it was tedious. Transfer to refrigerator for 45 minutes or until softly set. Straighten any slanted stems. (I totally skipped this step) Chill for at least 1 hour longer.

4. To unmold, dip bottoms of the cups briefly in body-temperature water, turn upside down and squeeze/shake the jellies out.

Next up - Lemon Drop Drops. It's gonna be an awesome summer!

The Ultimate Dog

2009-05-26T20:46:00.005-07:00

Faithful readers (hi Mom!) may remember how much I dig the hot dogs. And this dog? It's the ultimate. And no, I didn't lift the picture from This is why you're fat.

1. bacon wrapped wiener on a bolillo with avocado and mayo
2. salsa and beans on the side to add later

Dang-diggity.

Speaking of dogs ... guess where we took Boo Sunday night?

Dog track.

Dogs, liquor, gambling - what's not to love? Good family fun there. Who knew?

Delicious Cliche

2009-05-20T22:28:00.002-07:00

1. salad with beets and goat cheese and glorious beef
2. focaccia
3. olive oil underneath there somewhere
4. chickie full of reduced balsalmic vinegar

About that vinegar reducing business. Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT lean over and inhale deeply mid-reduction. Really.

Keen on Keema

2009-05-13T22:12:00.003-07:00

I may not have mastered the quick & easy Pad Thai but I'm rockin' the fast & fabulous keema. Take THAT you Quorn people!

1. beef keema
2. cucumber raita
3. tangerine slices
4. chocolate

Not A Quornburger

2009-05-12T22:27:00.004-07:00

Some people get surprised by Quorn deliveries packaged in little red coolers with radios on the front of them. Other people get flaming bags of poo left at their front door. Some people might not think there's much difference between the two. They're probably just jealous.

1. hamburger fixin's on an onion roll
2. pea and potato salad
3. sweet, sweet mayonnaise
4. a berry or three

What you can't see is a big fat juicy all-American (and/or Mexican and/or Canadian) beef burger lovingly wrapped in parchment and hidden underneath the rest.

Pad Thai Fail

2009-05-11T19:20:00.002-07:00

I know there's gotta be some way to make a decent pad thai at home that doesn't involve pounding lemon grass or planting a tamarind tree. But thisain't it. And Fresh & Easy? About that frozen shrimp? You're on notice.

Live and learn.

If I Were You ....

2009-05-05T22:27:00.004-07:00

and I saw a whole cryopacked beef tenderloin at the grocery store on sale for 40 bucks, I'd buy it. Then I'd take it home, wrap a kitchen towel around it and carry it around like a baby while incessantly reminding anyone who'd listen that I'd birthed smaller things. Oh. Never mind. That's what I'd do if I saw a whole cryopacked beef tenderloin at the grocery store on sale for 40 bucks.

Then I'd cook it.

And if there were leftovers (and there would be) I'd slice it thin and eat it on dinner rolls with spinach and roasted red peppers and vinaigrette. But I wouldn't call them sliders, cause that irritates Julie.

1. little sandwiches
2. old cake