Snow Day!

School is closed do to a severe winter storm...which means no class or work for me today. I have tracked down the recipe for bento-sized chicken pot pies...and I'll do my best to make it as clear as possible! The dough recipe is one of my favorites.

"Crust"
I usually just put the ingredients in a bread machine and hit the dough cycle. But it can also be made by hand ahead of time. I'm sure other "crust" ideas would work as well.

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 package active dry yeast (~2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour

To make by hand:
-Heat milk in a saucepan on the stove until it starts to bubble on the edges. Add the butter, sugar, and salt.
-Dissolve yeast in warm water and let set for 10 minutes.
-Combine yeast mixture, milk mixture, and egg.
-Add flour and knead for about eight minutes.
-Place dough in an oiled bowel, cover with a damp dishcloth, and let rise for one hour.

"Filling"
The best info I got from my roommate concerning the filling is that she added ingredients till she liked how it looked. I know that I would love carrots in mine. So feel free to add items or leave them out depending on what you like...

1 cup cooked chicken (or leftover meat that you may have), cut into cubes or pieces
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
Salt/Pepper to taste

"Sauce"
I'm sure there are multiple ways to make a sauce for the pie filling. I've personally used a cream of soup in the past when making similar recipes. But here is my roommates idea to get you started.

1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

-Combine butter and flour in a saucepan on the stove.
-Add broth and milk.
-Stir until the mixture becomes thick.

"Assembly Instructions"

-Pinch off a piece of dough and roll it into a circle. Make it big enough so that when placed in a greased muffin cup, some dough hangs out over the edge.
-Add the desired amount of filling, being careful not to fill it too full.
-Spoon some sauce over the filling.
-Roll out another circle of dough and place it on top.
-Pinch the edges of the circles together, then roll the edge in and pinch around it again.
-Repeat until you fill up the muffin pan...or you run out of dough (trust me...it can happen!)

-Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, or until the pies are a healthy golden brown.

Enjoy! Hope that this is helpful.

Quick Bento (#17)

This bento is just a quick put together of things that I had on hand and need to use up. The little chicken pot pie thing was a creation of my roommate. She basically combined chicken, peas, corn, and a homemade sauce to make the filling. A home made bread roll recipe was also used for the "crust," and the pies were baked in muffin tins. I'll track down the exact recipe sometime this week to share. I microwaved the pie before I ate it, so I'm not so sure how it would taste chilled.

I also am experimenting with frozen portions of spaghetti. This is one of Biggie's speed bento tips discussed on her website. I am pretty impressed with the visual results so far...and look forward to seeing how they taste!

Here we go a bento-ing... (#16)

After a tumbling first semester of graduate study, I have decided to start documenting my bento meals again. And I've been blessed with a graduate assistantship, which means I'll have really no choice but to pack a lunch to school everyday. This also means that I'll probably have to start planning my weekly menu out more thoughtfully. (Yikes!)

In today's bento:

Parmesan & Broccoli Couscous (with a happy face!)
Buttered Multi-grain flatbread (folded into a wedge)
Spinach & Romaine Salad with carrots and red bell pepper
Catalina Dressing on the side

My salads can get a bit monotonous after a while...but its my vow to use what I buy before I go purchase something else!

Welcome Back Bento (#15)

I'm back. Real Life got crazy...work and studying for a graduate entrance exam. Bento making sorta got shoved on the back burner for a little while.

By no means is today entry anything fabulous. But its a step, however small it may be.

Pictured: Silced, smoked kebasi summer sausage sauteed in Hoisin sauce; bed of rice; romaine salad with celery sticks and carrot medallions. Russian dressing on the side.

Porcupine Bento #14

This is actually a bento from a few days ago that I am now just posting. Porcupine is actually the name of the meat dish pictured. It is a surprisingly yummy twist on normal meatballs/meatloaf, and is adapted from one of my mother's old old Betty Crocker books.

Porcupines

1 pound hamburger or ground turkey
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup water
~1/2 tsp. onion powder (depending on taste)
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix the hamburger, rice, 1/2 cup water, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper together. Shape the mixture into 12 balls. (Note: if using ground turkey, the mixture might be a bit soft and not hold shape very well, but won't affect the outcome.) Cook the meatballs in a skillet until brown on all sides. Drain of and residual liquid or fat.

Mix the tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce together and pour over the meatballs. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. (Check it occasionally and add more water if looks too dry or threatens to stick.)

Piggie Bento (#13)

I went garage sale shopping over the weekend, and found something that would be perfect for bentos. They are ice cream sandwich molds in the shape of a cow and a pig. I couldn't help but see the potential in them, so I now have my first cute accessory for my bento lunches!





Here is today's lunch:

• Piggies sandwiches (homemade Sally Lunn bread, turkey, provolone)

• Spinch/Romaine salad, with carrots, cauliflower, celery, olives

• Cottage cheese with dill and garnish

I was very pleased with how today's bento turned out. The ice cream sandwich molds worked perfectly for sandwiches, and I can't wait to see if they can mold onigiri as well. Basically I lined the box with lettuce, propped the sandwiches on carrots, and put the rest of the salad stuff on the right. It was looking a bit too "white" at first, so I put the cottage cheese in a red dish, and moved one of the sandwiches over to the middle of the box.

Gyoza Bento (#12)

Another vegetarian bento. (Finally! I've used up all the tofu in the fridge!) I felt a tad bit creative today, so today's bento features something totally new: Gyoza. After poking around the internet a bit, I used store bought dough, and filled it with a mix of tofu, celery, carrot, soy sauce, parsley, and salt/pepper. I sauted them for a few min, then added some water and let them steam for several more minutes.

The rest of the bento features a romaine/spinach salad with avocado, cauliflower, and olives; a carrot "divider"; and two homemade oatmeal cookies with three cherries. I tried to take the picture before the avocado started to turn colors, but it was rather ripe and had other plans!