Bento #1
A gift for my dear friend Michaela, I believe for her birthday. I'd just gotten into bentos, so it was a newbie try, but it came out fairly well.
I used a plastic box that I had had a tuna sandwich in for lunch the day before, then brought home and cleaned out. My first attempt at onigiri, the rice wasn't quite moist enough, so they started falling about, and also, I let it cool, which is a rookie's mistake. I placed those in, and left over pork chops from the night before -- I'd made lemonpepper chops, but they'd been very well seasoned, so much so that they were quite delicious cold. For veggies, some romaine lettuce and apple bunnies (see here). Corn, as well, and I picked up an apple soda on the way to school for her -- I was already running late, so I took my time in the grocery store, and showed up halfway through class with a gift for her.
Rulewise: I got all of the ratios right, but the apples were granny smiths, not washington red, so technically, it was green yellow green brown white, but they're apples, so technically I let it slide. I'd have used red if I had red, but an apple is an apple. Seeing as that's the only type my dad buys, I let it slide.
Result: Michaela loved it, and was particularly surprised at how absolutely, divinely nummy and delicious the chops were, and I was very pleased. As it was, she kind of tossed it, which meant I couldn't do it again, but I'll survive quite well, I'm sure.
All in all, my first bento was a delightful success and, fittingly, a gift for a friend. It was challenging, yet very fun to make them, and I have every intention of continuing on. Wasn't sure of the depth of the box, but it looked like a nicely filling meal. In hindsight, it was probably a fine size. Also, this is a very vague rememberance of the meal, but the important things are there. Be sure when you're making leftovers that the meat is seasoned enough so that it tastes good cold.
I used a plastic box that I had had a tuna sandwich in for lunch the day before, then brought home and cleaned out. My first attempt at onigiri, the rice wasn't quite moist enough, so they started falling about, and also, I let it cool, which is a rookie's mistake. I placed those in, and left over pork chops from the night before -- I'd made lemonpepper chops, but they'd been very well seasoned, so much so that they were quite delicious cold. For veggies, some romaine lettuce and apple bunnies (see here). Corn, as well, and I picked up an apple soda on the way to school for her -- I was already running late, so I took my time in the grocery store, and showed up halfway through class with a gift for her.
Rulewise: I got all of the ratios right, but the apples were granny smiths, not washington red, so technically, it was green yellow green brown white, but they're apples, so technically I let it slide. I'd have used red if I had red, but an apple is an apple. Seeing as that's the only type my dad buys, I let it slide.
Result: Michaela loved it, and was particularly surprised at how absolutely, divinely nummy and delicious the chops were, and I was very pleased. As it was, she kind of tossed it, which meant I couldn't do it again, but I'll survive quite well, I'm sure.
All in all, my first bento was a delightful success and, fittingly, a gift for a friend. It was challenging, yet very fun to make them, and I have every intention of continuing on. Wasn't sure of the depth of the box, but it looked like a nicely filling meal. In hindsight, it was probably a fine size. Also, this is a very vague rememberance of the meal, but the important things are there. Be sure when you're making leftovers that the meat is seasoned enough so that it tastes good cold.