Sunday, June 26, 2011

Curry Shrimp and Naan Bread! YUM!

Nothing like a good curry on a summers day. :)  No recipe today folks, it came from a jar! Sorry I'm not very inventive on lazy Sunday afternoons. I did have some fun with the bento for Hubbers lunch tomorrow though! Enjoy!





Hey...is that food staring at me?




Saturday, June 18, 2011

BBQ Beans with Snauszages and Spinach!

Yummy! This unusual dish was quite good! I was a little doubtful while preparing it but I took the plunge and I don't regret it one bit! Neither does daughter or hubbers!

 
























Kittees Kikin BBQ Beans

1 sausage link (like Hillshire farms or whatnot. Flavor is your choice)
1 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I used Chipotle flavored.)
1 can northern beans
1/2 bag frozen spinach
1 can tomato paste
2 cups rice


Cut the sausages up into small pieces and brown. 
Add the spinach, saute together until the spinach is warmed through.
Add beans, tomato paste (a little water if needed) and bbq sauce.
Stir thoroughly. Let simmer for 20 mins.
Taste- Add more BBQ sauce if you would like, or salt if needed.

Serve over steamed rice and ENJOY!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

So good...you'll slap yo'mama!




















Nothing says comfort like home made mac n cheese! This no-bake recipe was a winner in my house with Ehvee giving it an enthusiastic 2 toddler thumbs up! (PSSST! This is how you sneak broccoli into your little ones diets!)

Slap Yo'Mama Mac N Cheese

1 Box Elbow Noods (Noodles)
1 bag sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup parm cheese 
1/2 cup milk
1 bag broccoli heads
Salt and Pepper to taste!

Boil your noods drain when soft to your liking. 
Add cheeses, milk and salt and pepper.
After blended and smooth add the broc heads. (Steam those a head of time in the microwave.)

ALL DONE! 

Delicious- Simple and healthier than that boxed stuff!




















Worlds tiniest fruit bento. :)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Wow! That is AWESOME!

Those were the words that came out of my hubbers mouth when he tasted one of these shrimp!
The only problem with this dish was the fact that all 3 of us managed to eat it ALL! So there were no left overs for a Bento box!!! I guess hubbers is eating out tomorrow!




















Orange Sesame Shrimp


1 lb peeled raw de-veined shrimp.
1/2 cup corn starch powder
Black Pepper to taste
Sesame Seeds to taste
Salt to taste
2 eggs
Little bit of cooking oil
1 scallion / green onion
Steamed White Rice

Mix the eggs, spices and seeds in a bowl, dump in shrimp and let them soak in the egg mixture.
Put the cornstarch on a plate and then roll each shrimp into the starch, coating each one thoroughly.

Heat up a non-stick skillet or cast iron frying pan with just enough oil to coat the bottom. 

Fry half the shrimp at a time, put them down on their sides, wait 2-3 mins until golden brown before flipping to the other side. Let cook another 2-3 minutes.  I am always cautious with fish and shrimp so your cooking time may be less depending. Just watch for a beautiful golden brown color to develop.  Set shrimp aside on a clean plate with a paper towel in the bottom to soak out the excess oil.  Then fry your other half. 

The Sauce

1 cup orange juice.
1/4 cup Miran 
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tea spoons natural unbleached sugar (or white if that's all you have.)
1 tea spoon corn starch/warm water blended 

Bring liquids to a boil and then add the sugar. Let reduce down to about half the volume.
Add the cornstarch liquid you made to thicken up the sauce. (I don't have patience to let it reduce down for days lol)

Place shrimp over the rice,  drizzle as much of that delicious sauce as you would like over it, and then garnish with some green onion or scallion. (It does add flavor too...think Orange chicken at your local Chinese place so I wouldn't skip that step!) Sprinkle a few extra sesame seeds for looks and WAH LA!

ENJOY!


Sunday, June 12, 2011

The most awful crawfish ever and a cute bento!

I'll go ahead and admit it...

Everyone once in awhile, I fail and fail hard. This crawfish dish was utter and complete failure. I was raised outside of New Orleans, so I'd like to think I know what good crawfish are and are not and believe you me these were possibly the worst crawfish I ever put into my mouth. 

Let me put it to you this way...I ate one.

So here is my cautionary tale: Don't buy ready made crawfish from Kroger! YUCK!

Anyways- they did LOOK pretty!
















Thankfully the side dishes were enough to fill us up (hubbers did actually EAT those crawfish btw, but he has an uneducated crawfish pallet lol) and there was even enough left overs for a mighty cute bento for hubbers tomorrow.  The only thing I had to do was fry up a little left over sausage dog from lunch to give him some protein.

Please note the creepy bear lurking in the kiwi fruits. :)





















PS My daughter says hi. And if you can't tell by her expression, she also thought the crawfish sucked. :)














Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Kittee's Kickin Meatballs!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a fabulous Wednesday! Great news! I passed my glucose test with flying colors! Hurray! I can continue to enjoy my little naughty treats every once in awhile!

Today I decided to cook up some baked meatballs with a brown gravy. Mmm they were "slap yo mama"good!


















Kittee's Kickin Meatballs

1.5 lbs Organic Ground Beef / Turkey/Chicken
2 slices bread
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons Ranch Dressing Powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika 
2 eggs
Salt to taste! 












Chip up bread and mix with the eggs and milk.
Add the dry spices and stir well.
Add the meat and mix really well. If your mixture is too wet, you may need to add additional bread or breadcrumbs.













Roll into small balls about half the size of a golfball and place on a greased cooking pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Then broil for 5-8 mins until the tops are golden brown.















In a sauce pot mix one packet ready made gravy mix (if you're in a hurry like I was today) or use the drippings from the meatballs, 3 beef bullion cubes,  dried onion powder and corn starch to make your own from scratch brown gravy.
Simmer for 20 mins then serve and enjoy!





















Tomorrow my husband is working from home so no fancy Bento but I did manage to create a little something fun for him to enjoy during his lunch break.





































And look who was outside my window while I was cleaning up after dinner...
















Until next time...happy eating!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

No Bento today folks!

Sorry folks, no home cooking or bento today!  The main course on the menu was...




















Thats right! Had my glucose test today. Pregnancy is going along nicely and hopefully I get good results tomorrow. I really don't want to have GD.

I promise, more exciting stuff to come tomorrow!

Monday, June 6, 2011

My first Real Bento! French Onion Soup! Dragon Boat Festival!

Happy Dragon Boat Festival ( 端午) Everyone! 















In celebration our family shared and enjoyed 端午!
Even little daughter loved it! I think she's a sticky rice fan for sure! In fact, she loves all sorts of rice and that just reminds me that she is her fathers daughter. :)

Besides the Daun Wu (the sticky rice/peanut/pork ball wrapped in bamboo husk) I also prepared a pot of homemade Onion Soup.  The other weekend I accidentally bought too many onions so I had to do something with them before they spoiled. (Lets blame pregnancy brain for the excess onion stockage!)

Also included with dinner tonight was a hodgepodge of mixed veggies I had laying around.  A quick saute of bok choy, bean sprouts and zuchinni rounded out the meal.  Little daughter LOVES zuchinni so she was really excited to see that at the table too.

Kittee's Golden Onion Soup De Jour!
















4-5 Medium to Large onions
1/4 Cup Miran 
4-5 Cups Water
3 Beef Bullion (or substitute.)
1/2 stick Butter
Sea Salt to Taste 

Pack of Croutons
Sliced Swiss Cheese

















Cut up the onions in to fine slices, place in frying pan with butter to caramelize.  This process takes time so be patient. Caramelize over med heat until the onions are a deep golden brown.
Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup miran mixed with 1/2 cup water. 

















Pour into a sauce pot / soup pot.
Add additional water and bring to boil.
Add the bullion cubes or beef base substitute.
Salt the soup to taste and turn down to low. 
Ladel into bowls, add 3-4 croutons and cheese slices on top
Eat when ready!





















Lastly some exciting news on the Bento front! 
Some Bento toys arrived at my doorstep today!
I proudly present my first ever real Bento. :)

















Yes, it's not too fancy, just left overs of what we had for dinner but I'm sure Hubbers will be surprised when he sees that blue bunny egg in there!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers!

Talk about yummy to your tummy! Nothing like an easy meal on a lazy Saturday evening after much family actives.  Can you say sunburn? LOL



















Mmmm Delicious! Even my hubbers who hates bell peppers was a fan. Curious about how this all came together?

Delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 Any of these- Golden, Yellow, Orange, Red or Green Bell Peppers of your choosing.
1.5 lbs Organic Ground Beef (Or not! Can use non-organic or turkey meat!)
2 stalks of Celery
2 Fresh Green Onion
4 mini Carrots diced up finely
1 cup bread crumbs (or cooked rice!)
1 egg
1/4 cup Yakasoba Sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
Salt to Taste

Chop/dice your veggies in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and the sauces. 
Mix the veggies, egg and sauces up with your meat.   Blend in the bread crumbs.
Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and place them into a cooking dish.
Stuff with the meat veggie mixture.
Add a small amount of water to the bottom of the pan. This keeps the food moist and the peppers from sticking.
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour covered.

Remove from oven, let cool off for 15 mins then ENJOY!









































Congee for 3!



















Just a simple breakfast this morning of congee, dried pork, pickled gourd, 1,000 year old egg and fresh fruits!

Nice of me to have some foresight last night by making some extra rice!. :)
Nothing beats a nice lazy Saturday morning!


Congee

Congree is a rice porrage that is served with bits of egg, picked veggies and dried meats.(Really anything you want to add to it, its just a "base." Think oatmeal with addons.)

Congee can be tricky for those of you who've never made it before. There aren't specific measurements just loose guidelines.

Day old (already steamed) rice in a 2-3 quart pot. You need LESS rice than you think. My husband actually made this a little thick this morning. (Yes, my darling hubbers got up early and put it on for me. <3)
Usually 1 cup rice to about 3 cups water! Maybe even more water! You'll figure it out!

Add salt to taste.

Heat to a boil, stirring so it doesn't stick.
Then turn down to a simmer! That's it!
It will turn into a delicious rice portage!


Have a great Saturday folks! Don't get too sunburned!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Kalua Pork!

This isn't your mothers pork dish boys and girls! This is slow cooked pork perfection!

Thanks to Sheri Chen over at Happy Little Bento for sharing the original recipe and inspiring me to become a Bento Mama myself!! Please visit her blog here! Happy Little Bento!  She has some amazing stuff!!

Kalua Pork

2-3 Lbs Pork butt or shoulder
1.5 Tbsp Concentrated liquid smoke
3 Tbsp Kosher, rock, or Hawaiian salt
Small head of cabbage
Water 
Sharp knife!

Put pork in crockpot, stab it repeatedly with knife, think of this as "anger management."
Coat the outside of the pig with salt. 
Add enough water to go about 3/4 the way up the sides of the pig.

Cook this sucker at 10pm at night and put it on low.
Go to bed! (And try not to spaze that your house is going to catch on fire like I did all night. Yes I know its a crock pot, yes, it's SUPPOSED to be used like that. What can I say, I am not a crock pot virgin anymore!) Just enjoy the hearty aroma of slow cooking pig as you drift into dream land but don't blame me if you dream of bacon!

Then  hard as it may be, wait until 3pm the next day...
Take the pig out of the pot and put it on a plate.
Use a fork to pull the pig apart, it should just fall apart with ease. (Wouldn't you if you'd been soaking in a hotub for 16 hours?)

Then cut your cabbage into large chunks and place in the broth of the crockpot. Put the pig back into the pot and let cook on low until cabbage is just right!

Serve cabbage and pig over hot white rice.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The first attempt!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my little blog solely dedicated to the world of Bento. Well mostly dedicated to bento. :) The reason I'm going to try and go bento for lunches for my family is two fold:

1. It's healthy.
2. It's fabulously cute!

Who can resist?

Here is the first box that I made for Mr. Kittee.
I know it's not very fancy, but hey I'm learning!  I was going to make some cute eyes for the shrimp out of my wakami but I guess it's too old because when I opened the little packets they were soggy. 8(  The humidity of summer folks...it will kill your seaweed!  A trip to the Asian store is in order this weekend!

The contents are:

Stirfried noodles with Yakasoba sauce, cabbage and zucchini resting on a bed of fresh spring salad leaves.  On top are lovely fresh boiled shrimp, cherry tomatoes and sesame seeds.  The bottom of the fruit cup has a hidden surprise of kiwi fruit topped by fresh organic strawberries and grapes.

I really hope he enjoys his lunch tomorrow!!