Lalalady's Bentos of <3

~B7~ Strawberry Short Cake Trial 1

2009-02-23T01:31:16Z

My co worker loves strawberry short cake. I mean love. This cake is typically served in summer when strawberries are in season. I am going to try a series of combination in regards to the cake, and creams now so that hopefully by summer, I will have the ultimate SS Cake!

I am a pretty lazy person...sorta. While looking for the perfect sponge cake recipe I noticed i ran out of milk, BOOO. Most sponge cake recipes involve MILK. Normally I would just walk over to the grocery and grab some milk BUT, my elevator is down....I had just returned from outside and did not feel like walking up 7 flights for a cup of milk... so what does a lazy person do? They spend over 2 hours searching for a sponge cake recipe that seems decent, that does not have this ingredient listed! ( the sorta lazy part) I could have easily gotten the darn milk in the 2 hours but whatever... lol

I should have bought the milk....this cake's texture was no where near the fluffy sponge i was looking for. Cake taste wise was pretty nice! texture? SPONGE! I ask my bf "what do you think honey?" he states" tastes like a doughnut" =*( not the texture I was looking for.
Overall cake was not bad, I think it was only not as good because I really wanted a soft airy sponge cake and ended up with.. CAKE lol.
You can tell from the innard picture that this is def not a sponge...SIGH!!!!!!!

Some innnards:

My topping was just regular cool whip. I had considered making a buttercream or some kind of frosting but, for some reason for this cake i think a whip topping is just more delicious, and crazy conenient.
Masurated strawberries made the fruit so refreshing.

Let's hope my next attempt at a sponge will be more successful!

UPDATES - for those who like my photos

2008-11-05T06:17:52Z

I am officially one of the worst posters on live journal.
My new position has me leaving the house at 7 am and coming home past midnight. ( not cool), also not much time for posting, or the blog portion anyway....

If you would like to see my most up to date photos please check:

http://www.fotolog.com/lillady7

Not updated daily unfortunately but far more than live journal or my flickr.

THANKS =D

~B78~ Curry karrage chicken

2008-10-21T01:49:54Z

Had a craving for these all day, i loved them when i visited Japan and ate them at the local Lawsons. =) I ran home to make a fresh, hot, gingery batch.

Onigiri, curry karrage, sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and a rolled egg.

Deliciously Luscious Lemon Squares ~B6~

2008-06-30T04:38:48Z

Ahhhhhhhhhh these were sooooo good. Very refreshing due to their citrus bite. I definitely plant to make these again!

I got kinda tired of cookies and tried making a bar. It was a success I think, I did run into a few problems baking. Such as I did not know the short bread I pre baked would shrink so much and leave holes on all 4 corners of my pan...which led some of the bars to have a layer of lemon followed by a middle layer of shortbread, and a layer of lemon on top =P
Of course I brought these to the office for sharing, the recipe made about 16 bars, i ate 2 in 2 days so good!

A muffin is my next venture I think.

The recipe for this "Luscious Lemon Tart" can be found here:

http://www.insanitytheory.net/kitchenwench/

The colors of the rainbow! ~B77~

2008-06-18T05:03:19Z

Ahhhhh a long hiatus! Apologies!!!!!! I bring lunch to work almost every single day but no time for posts. I decided to post tomorrows lunch because i think I came out extra beautiful!
What do you think?

Did you ever hear the more colors a bento has the more healthy it is? Primary the 5 colors needed are black, white, red ,green, and yellow...? I actually cant remember the last color...

This is a carby lunch i know but one of the onigiri is for the breakfast. Not pictured is a bowl of miso soup i will make in the morning. I looooove miso soup with onigiri! Also not pictured is a bag of edamame for snacking though out the day while my work pages load...

Bento: Onigiri with pepper tuna, onigiri with shrimp and mayo, red cabbage with turkey sausage, asparagus, vegetable pasta, and some shrimps.

Sorry for the short post but it is 1 AM!!!! lol GNIGHT all =D

Cookies Again~ ~B5~

2008-05-08T03:48:22Z

I sure bake alot of cookies...I wonder why since eatting one for me is a challenge~! lol Not that they dont taste good, they taste very good... but they are just not my kind of food. The more I experiment, the more my co works gain appreciation. That is enough reason for me to keep baking!

Beige is so hard to photograph!!! Do you see how the table and the cookies match!? lol.I noticed it as I was taking the photos, but I was too lazy to find a white back ground lol.
Next time!

Another recipe courtesy of "Baking from my Home to Yours" from Dorie Greenspan.

More Noodles ~B76~

2008-05-05T04:48:57Z

Late night today, so not much of a description or post( i have to go to sleep like now...)
Yakisoba, pickled ginger, and corn.
Shortest Post to date.
Let's begin the work week!

My Birthday! ~B4~

2008-05-04T05:30:17Z

More cupcakes!
Today is my birthday and I wanted to have cupcakes instead of a full cake.

This is a cinnamon based cake with the middle of having a spread of cinnamon, sugar, expresso, and mini semi sweet chocolate chips.
The frosting is homemade with the taste of mixed nuts, from a Korean drink mix we have at home, similar to the taste of Horlicks.
The frosting was delicious!

All together, it was wonderful! Soon I will practice with cakes, and cake flavors! =D

I am still learning on how to bake properly.

This was an adapted recipe from "Baking from my home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. Wonderful recipe! for cinnamon squares, not too sweet at all~ the icing is my own creation that I will definitely remake!

Cinnamon Squares Recipe: Taken from Dorie Greenspan's " Baking from my Home to Yours"
This recipe creates originally 1 cake equaling 9 servings. This recipe gave me 15 regular sized cupcakes.

Type your cut contents here.
Ingredients:
(Cake)
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbspoons of sugar, 1 tbspoon plus 2 1/2 tea spoons of ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder ( I did not have any so i just ground up some coffee), 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, pinch of salt, 3/4 cup of whole milk, 2 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 stick + 2 tbspoons butter, melted and cooled, 3 oz semisweet mini chocolate chips
(Frosting)
4oz cream cheese, softened, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 3 tbspoons Horlicks. ( I did not use Horlicks but I don't know what the brand of drink powder I used is called in English, it may be hard to find so Horlicks is a good substitute.

Procedure:
1.Pre heat the over to 350 F
2. Stir 2 tbs of sygar, 2.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and espresso powder.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour and remaining sugar, baking powder, salt, and remaining cinnamon. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Once mixed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and mix. After mixing, add the cooled butter and mix again.
4. Line cup cakes and pour the batter 1/4 high. On top of the batter add the mixture of the cinnamon, sugar, espresso, and mini chips. Pour remaining batter, but do not go past 1/2 filling the cup cake liners.
( Overfilling cupcakes leads to sinking once cooled)
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, let cool, try to watch them carefully, leaving them in too long leads them to be VERY dry.
6. For the frosting, mix together the softened cream cheese with the confectioners sugar until sweet to your taste preference. Add the horlicks 1 tbs @ a time, until you have a definite taste of the powder.
7. Frost cooled cupcakes with the frosting and garnish with almond slivers, if you wish, and ENJOY!

Office Sweets ~B3~

2008-05-02T04:37:18Z

Every Friday, or other Friday I try to bring home made baked goods to my fellow co workers in my office. This not only tests out new recipes, but makes the day just that much sweeter for all those who helped me throughout the week at work!

This week : Red Velvet Cupcakes!

This is not a favorite photo of mine but for some reason no matter how much light I put over these things, I couldn't get a good shot! This was the best I could do, BOO.

The cup cake liners make these look christmas-y no? My local supermarket only had this design in stock, so weird, but it is only the gift wrapping, the true gift is what it holds.

Delicious red velvet cupcakes, hint of chocolate, and that great neon color makes me smile and always reach for one of these things.

This was the first time I had ever made frosting at home, it was EASY!!!! and soooooooooooooo delicious! I kept licking the spoon!

The cakes themselves were quite disapointing =( I usually use recipes found on the internet with many reviewers claiming how great they are, or very very very popular cookbooks where things seem almost fool proof.
These were not, quite unfortunate. When reading the recipe I asked myself... is that all? wont that be dry? this item? wont that be sour? In the end these tasted more like cornbread that very soft moist cupcakes like I had been drooling for.
Oh well, live and learn. I am still contemplating whether to give these out, I certainly cant eat a dozen cupcakes myself!

I learned alot making these, I got a wonderful recipe for frosting and learned that frosting a cupcake and to make it look like a 4 yr old did not do it, is ALOT harder than it sounds! lol.

Happy Experimenting!

Warm Weather Celebration ~B75~

2008-04-23T04:09:49Z

The weather in NYC has finally started to show signs of spring! This bento says "Welcome spring!!"

Ahhhhhh the wonderful 70's have finally entered the northeastern shore. Months of snow and non stop rain has finally come to it's end. The sakura trees are blooming, flowers are sprouting, and bento's can be eating outside of work, in the park again! Hooray!

To celebrate the warm weather I made a very refreshing bento. The entire thing can be eaten cold, just pop it from our the fridge, to slurp, and crunch away!

Bento: Soba noodle salad, salad made with cucumber, lettuce, red and hot peppers, and onion. Also I have a small container of watermelon, which is not pictured here.

The soba noodle salad is soo refreshing. I don't really enjoy the bottled soba sauce that can found in stores, I whip up my own tangy dressing with the mix of soy, sugar, vinegar, white sesame seeds, garlic, sesame oil, and lime juice for the twang at the end!

WELCOME SPRING!!!!!!!!!! =D

Meaty! ~B74~

2008-04-10T02:16:22Z

Korean Beef Ribs are ALWAYS good =)

I talked about a lack of color yesterday but this is worse =P haha oh well as long as it tastes good.

Since there are so little vegetables, I am going to supplement this lunch with some greens and veggies at the company salad bar.

Bento:Korean Marinated Short Beef Ribs, Preserved vegetable, rice.

This is the second glass box I had purchased, I think they are so cute and simple, and photograph beautifully! =D

Very Green Glass ~B73~

2008-04-09T02:55:26Z

A New Glass bento bowl =)

I have just recently bought 2 new glass bento dishes. I have 1 round one ( pictured above) and one rectangle. I have heard that placing foods in the microwave with glass is healthier than with plastic. It also is odorless, and stainless. The weight does not bother me, and I have a cushioned bento bag, so this is one of the newest additions to my collection!

My co workers always make fun of me for having such a TINY lunch box. When I went out to buy new glass boxes this is one of the 2, I picked up. The box I use regularly is square, the two new items are round and a rectangle. When I got home I realized my new boxes were smaller than my original box >< hahaha it is ok. I get full enough with this.

I am also loving the way the glass gets photographed differently compared to plastic!

Bento: Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage sautee, Spam, Eggs with tofu and scallions. Rice topped off with an umeboshi.

This bento looked a bit too green for me... I wish I had a nice bright carrot or more cherry tomatoes. =\

Take out Friday ~B72~

2008-03-28T03:56:15Z

Friday is always take out day for lunch in my office so I made myself a snack to get past the 4pm hunger strike!

Very small snack, not much to post. Just a few onigiri pieces ( plain) marinated boneless chicken, asparagus pieces, and slices of a super tiny clementine, they are soo cute!

Yakisoba ~B71~

2008-03-24T02:29:42Z

I <3 YAKISOBA! =D

Mmmmmmm i love my fried noodles and this is Japan's version.

Bento: Yakisoba made with asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, red pepper, orange pepper, carrot, onion, and enoki mushroom.

Yakisoba is traditionally supposed to include pork and cabbage with a few other key ingredients. I had pork in the house but it was needed for another dish tonight.
Kind of like veggie lo mein but makes it different is the distinctive yaki soba sauce, like Japanese worshetshire. ( Cant spell it)

This complete bento meal will be completed off with the mint chocolate chip cookies I made the other day.
100% home made lunch! Ahhhh it feels good =D

Green Tea Roll

2008-03-23T17:54:35Z

I have a very good friend who works in a Japanese Airline company. She sometimes gets special items from Japan such as this Green Tea Roll.
This retails in the US for about $45 dollars! I have no idea why it is so expensive.
When she first showed me the roll is was in a metal tube which i thought was very weird, but I think the tube was used to preserve the light and soft texture of the bread.
This was a green tea roll with green tea icing and a red bean. It was delicious! not too sweet! I wish I knew how to make this @ home~!

I feel very lucky!

Chocolate Mints ~Baking 2~

2008-03-23T03:52:14Z

Still on the road for baking improvement. Today's creation was chocolate mint chocolate chip cookies. I looked up many recipes for mint cookies and just created one using various sources.
In the pic they look quite big but they are actually very small.
The taste is quite dark, the recipe i think needs improvement.

If you tilt your head, it looks like Micky! lol.

We are Rolling! ~B70~

2008-03-21T03:42:09Z

Last few days have been pretty steady, i have been a posting "roll" ;)

Nothing very special but 1 item was added to today's menu which I cant wait to eat tomorrow, those yummy pork rolls!

Bento: Rice with veggies mixed in, Pork rolls with enoki mushrooms ( DELICIOUS) and pork rolls with asparagus, pickled radish, broccoli, cherry tomato.

These rolls are wonderful also with beef rather than pork, i just happened to have had pork in my fridge tonight!

MMMM Lunch time is best time of the work day no? I cant wait to eat =D

The rolls are very easy to prepare, just hammer out your meat of choice with a mallet, just so that they are thin enough to roll * mine was not so thin =( * and wrap it tightly with your filling of choice. Pan sear with the edge of the meat where the roll ends first, this will seal in your package and prevent it from unraveling in the pan as cooking time passes. In case you are worried you can also place toothpicks to secure the meat. Fry on all sides until golden, add soy sauce and a bit of sugar, cover with a lid for 3 min and YUM!

Not my best ~B69~

2008-03-20T03:38:44Z

This is not my most beautiful bento =(...but the contents are so colorful and healthy I think it will be delicious regardless!

I really like to eat salmon often. Most of the time because of the natural good fish oils, and the benefits it gives to your skin and hair.
I believe a balanced diet can make you naturally the most beautiful you can be.

Bento: Salmon, braised mushrooms and red peppers in stock and soy, an omelette, asparagus, and some preserved mustard greens.

I have been alot of food in my cafeteria lately, after today's "meal" I could not wait to hit the grocery store for bento items...

The Sweetest Good bye ~Baking 1~

2008-03-14T03:32:59Z

Today is a new type of post! I have been experimenting with baking these last few weeks. I am hoping to try to bake at least 1 thing a week or every 2 weeks. What is an old stand by that never fails to put a smile on people's faces? Chocolate chip cookies!

In truth I am not a large cookie fan... I have very weak teeth and get cavities easily, so I have always tried to steer far away from sweets.
( Probably some repressed memories from bad dentist visits as a kid)
But I do wish to learn how to bake nice pastries, cookies, and pies for my future life.
I made a nice batch of these cookies for my office mates. One of them is heading off to Switzerland forever! I decided to give her a small going away present.

Due to my weak teeth I have never liked anything particularly sweet, I supposed it was my adaptive way to taste. This is my second time creating cookies, last week was the first. My first batch I thought were good, a little dry but just the right amount of sweetness. Unfortunately my panel thought otherwise, they thought it was not near sweet enough.I have been blogging around, and looking at websites for a more rave worthy cookie. This cookie had over 1000 reviews~! many of them wonderful so I tried it out.
The recipe is very simple and quick I think. I am still getting used to using so much butter and sugar!! Whatever I do bake I usually just have 1 piece and give the rest away. Practice which makes other people happy.

This recipe I think was a great one. Very easy, straightforward, and fast. Big dense chewy cookies, very delicious. Many people have liked them so far, but I personally thought it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo SWEET lol.

I have attached the link to the recipe, if you like regular cookies American style ( Tolhouse types) follow the recipe. If you prefer things a little less intense on the sugar I recommend only using 1/2 a cup of brown sugar over the whole. I think it would make a big diffrernace.

allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Big-Fat-Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-C...

Searching for Umeboshi ~68~

2008-03-12T02:48:05Z

Ahhh 2 days in a row ;)
This bento had a substitute ingredient right smack dab in the middle of the box. Can you guess what the red stuff is??? =)

Today's lunch has alot of little things. A box of misc items really.

Bento Box: First there is a the stir fried dried tofu and carrot. Next are a small helping of sauteed cabbage and cauliflower, it is a bit hard to see...moving on we have more of the braised soy sauce beef, and last is the famous preserved "vegetable"

The tofu and carrot item was a recipe I had read from the book "Japanese women don't get fat or old". Not to criticize the book, but it did nothing for me. I was able to walk away with a few recipes that were new. interesting, and worth trying. I did like her recipe for this specific dish.
The preserved veggies... hmm almost every time i put this in a box someone asks me what kind of vegetable it is. I honestly dont have a clue. The ingredient list says "vegetable" not much help there. I do buy this on occasion in the super marked and have yet to die from ingestion so it continues to be a nice green spot in my lunch.

Now the red item...I searched 3 markets today for 1 item. Umeboshi. I went to 3 completely Asian markets, almost no American brands present, and was not able to locate this item. I had seen it several times in the past but it seems that all the markets in my area decided to get rid of it all at once! I even went to the same markets 2x just to make SURE! *sigh* in replacement for my red today I have placed a few pieces of marinated raw squid. I know EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW right? lol. Actually it is quite a popular side dish to eat with rice amongst Koreans. We have a huge jar in my fridge at all times, so until I find a new container of umeboshi this will have to do.
I will admit that the raw squid is an ...aquired taste. I did not fully appreciate it until I was 18? Due to the fact that it is raw and seafood I will not eat this cold. I will probably microwave it until fully cooked to deter health issues.

Well this was a long post, already 10:42! I am off to bed!
Curse daylights savings time, I miss my 1 hour of blissful sleep! =D

Sleepy Bento ~67~

2008-03-11T03:35:03Z

Hello all, remember me?
Sorry I have been on such a hiatus. Recently all my lunches have looked well... like crap. Nothing really worth posting unfortunately, I thought my bento days were over for a while. Then someone messaged me (anonymous, seriously!) asking where in the world I am. Made me start thinking I should put a little more effort into this blog so here is my quiet return bento.
I havent made one of these ( more aesthetic) ones in a few months so presentation skills have become rusty, please forgive me while I put some oil back into my joints!

Hmmm where to begin.. there is not much in today's lunch box. Currently it is 11:23 pm and I very very sleepy....my brain is not as focused. I tried my best to make this box look interesting, but it seemed to have been missing something. I soooooo wanted to go out to the market in my PJ's to get a container of umeboshi to brighten up the box but i am quite a lazy lady...=P ( NEXT TIME!)

Bento Box: My lunch has a simple rice mixed with preserved veggies to add some green and health benefits. Also I think this way is a pretty way to show rice. I topped it off with some nori strips.
The meat is braised beef in a simply soy sauce, cook until done. Not very difficult at all with a few garlic cloves thrown in. Added some chili flakes at the end, I needed red somewhere!
Last is a tea egg, I was unhappy when I saw it had cracked but it gives the box a more home made look I think lol.

Very short post tonight, I am too sleepy and cannot imagine how I survived this long. ( I usually sleep @ 10 like an old person =P )

Hopefully this will bring me back into the groove of lunches again, I see the other sites and cannot believe what other people, very inspirational!

Also thanks to anonymous for bringing at least this 1 post back !!! =D

Bringing Bento Back

2007-11-23T03:25:05Z

Ahhhh it has been a long time!
Hello all, I have returned after a long hiatus back to bento-ing. In case some of you were wondering, I did not quit making lunches and stopped cooking at all. I spent the past few weeks moving around in different apartments and has had no internet or television access for months! Now that I am online again, I can post my lunches once more.
Here is the 1st of many more to come!

This is very korean bento today.
Bento Box: We have spicy korean marinated bbq pork, kimchii pancake, asparagus with mayo, spicy marinated cucumbers, and spicy marinated bean sprouts.
Koreans like it spicy.

Since starting to work there are lull's of busy periods and slow periods. It so happends that right now in my office we are the on the brink of the busy period =( but regardless, I MUST EAT!
I will try my best to post my pictures regularly. Ahhh how i have missed bento-ing and the community with it. =)

Off to bed I want to try to actually BE in the office at 7am to catch up on some work.
It is also a bit late but HAPPY TURKEY DAY! *gobble* *gobble*

Donburi ~B65~

2007-09-25T02:40:39Z

Donburi is simple, sweet, salty, and delicious! A bento classic.

Work's busy season is creeping upon my office. Not a lot of time to grab something on the go, we need to eat, digest, and finish in 5 minutes because the work just keeps piling~!
This kept me full, and kept my inbox pile down!

Bento Box: Donburi made of ground pork with soy sauce and sugar, scrambled eggs, seasoned spinach, cherry tomato, and stir fried dried tofu strips with carrot.

The tofu side dish is a recipe I had looked up in the book "Japanese Women don't get old or fat" The book is was eh read in my opinion but the recipes and ingredients she showcased were easily attained in my kitchen so I was drawn to try her recipes. The spinach is also from her book. The spinach was SUPER delicious!

Pork Dumplings ~B64~

2007-09-18T04:22:28Z

Not my best looking bento but variety galore =)

Been getting back in the bento groove, it's been too hard making a bento fresh in the morning so this is my first bento made the night before, I will see how I like the taste tomorrow, to see if there is a large difference.

Bento Box: Homemade pork dumplings, ( I tried to make them a different shape than the normal dumplings I usually make. Everytime I try to make these particular style of dumplings they just come out delicious but UGLY!!!!) I have to figure out a way to make them more appealing to the eyes as they are to the tastebuds =)
The rest of the box is full of seasoned spinach, tomatoes, mini egg omelette, and spicy potatoes with onions.
The rice is seasoned with salmon furikake.

Tuna Kimbap ~B63~

2007-09-13T01:24:01Z

So we continue with my bento return. Nothing amazingly hard today, but this tuna roll kept me full for hours which is great at my office because 30 minutes is lunch so no time to go out and dawdle even if the weather was PERFECT today.

I wanted to put this in a prettier box, but nothing but this tupper wear item seem to have fit every single piece of the roll I made. I liked the colors overall but I wish there was something red in there, maybe some imitation crab?

Making these kinds of rolls are very simple if you prep the ingredients before hand which is a major time saver if you make bento's in the morning like I do. A lot of people seem to have trouble rolling these rolls, I will admit after rolling up these I looked at the end to see if all the filling was in the middle. Sometimes I do miss but most of the time the stuff stays pretty packed in there. The more ingredients you add the harder it is to get it perfectly in the middle, and the less you have the easier it is. I think practice and experience will eventually lead us all the perfect rolling technique.

Bento Box: Kim bap made with tuna, yellow radish, egg, cucumber, and carrot