As is usual with June, I become absent at Not Exactly Bento as work becomes super busy.  And super busy it has been.  But so fun.  With mid-July, I’m finally finding a bit of time to come back and say hello.

I didn’t even worry with packing bentos in June too much.  It was a mainly eat out month with a few spots of eating at home.  I packed a few bentos just so I wouldn’t “lose my touch” so to speak.  Though this first bento leaves alot to be desired.

When so busy, it is sometimes hard for me to think of quick things to cook.  In came Albertsons to the save this past month.  They have pork chops and steaks they will pre-marinate for you.  During June they ran a big sale on these, and I stocked up.  And they become my meals in June.  I brought them all home, cooked them that weekend, and then froze.  Popped one out for lunch or dinner when needed, and voila, near instant meal.  Was so easy and helpful.  In bento 303, a pre-seasoned pork chop is paired with Pasta Roni (herb variety) and some steamed vegetables.

Bento 304 was better planned.  A box of black beans and rice made a tasty side dish to the pre-seasoned pork chop along with grilled zucchini and hard boiled egg.  I also packed orange slices a bit of chocolate and a salad.  The only problem with this lunch is that it was WAY too much food.  I didn’t end up eating the salad portion.  I brought that home for lunch along with the orange slices.  A review of the black beans and rice will come on a Tuesday in the not so distant future.

Or so Toby thinks as he rolls around in the hot Louisiana sun.

And to paraphrase ol’ Charlie Brown: “Stinkiness is also a warm puppy.”

Last year’s semi-successful garden attempt has turned into a mulched area with two blueberry bushes and a orange tree sapling.  Recently while weeding, I discovered a snail shell and wondered where the snail was.  I didn’t see him in there.  I wonder if he found a nicer shell for his home?

While last week’s Photo Friday post featured a recipe failure, this week’s features a recipe success: cheddar-thyme cornbread.  Lately, I’ve seen lots of pictures of cornbread with cheddar in it.  In fact, I think an issue of Everyday Food I was recently perusing had such a recipe.  But I didn’t like the recipe for some reason.  Then, I went off searching for other recipes.

One of the places I cruised was The Smitten Kitchen.  Smitten Kitchen is my guilty pleasure.  I pop into her blog when I want to ooh and aah and drool over food photography.  Really, hers is some of the best (in my opinion).  Then, I ooh and aah and giggle at the pictures she posts of her son (geez, that’s a photogenic baby).  And her recipes are just amazing.  Amazing because many are so complicated there is no way I’ll ever try them.  I read her blog because I think her food adventures in cooking are just the ultimate.  Anyhow, my perusing ran me across her bleu cheese scallion drop biscuits.  And to emulate the great Deb, I’ll just say that her bleu cheese turned into my cheddar, her scallion into my thyme, and her drop biscuits into my cornbread.  Don’t ask me why it worked out that way.  It just did.

And then after all that measuring, and mixing, and baking, two slices were buttered and tosted for breakfast the next morning with a spinach and egg omelet (of sorts).  I ate.  I sighed.  I was soooo content.

I’ve been documenting the things that haven’t gone so well in my cooking adventures.  I don’t normally talk abou them here on the blog.  I know I”m going to change that soon.  I’ve even been going back and finding those recipes that really didnt’ work out so well in the long run.  Things that haven’t become a permanent staple in my cooking life have been moved to the “Recipes that Didn’t Really Work” file.  I guess one day I could go back and see if I can figure out where the mishaps happened.  I doubt it though.  I have too many other recipes I want to try instead.

These blueberry pancakes I made are an example of a recipe that didn’t quite workout.  However, I think that these I will try to go back and figure out how to fix the recipe.  It all started with my finding a recipe on the Everyday Food magazine site for Cherry Almond Cake.  I was looking for recipes that would use up some frozen blueberries.  This one seemed a possibility, though I haven’t made it yet.

One morning as I was about to fix up a batch of blueberry, pecan pancakes, I was reading my go-to pancake recipe (courtesy of Recipezaar) and thought, “What would happen if I substituted almond extract for the vanialla extract?”  I had some sliced almonds on hand.  Into the batter went a nice handful of sliced almonds.  Blueberries were plopped into the pancake batter immediately after pouring out the cake to the hot skillet.

While they didnt’ taste bad, something just didn’t gel quite right.  I think it was the sliced almonds for some reason.  I have a feeling that to fix the recipe I either need to toast the chop the almonds or possibly blanch and chop the almonds.

It is definitely a concept I plan to go back to.

In the middle of the concrete sidewalks in downtown Baton Rouge, I found these signs.  And it made me wonder if areas do drain to a bayou, and which ones.  Either way, I found these under-the-feet signs enchanting.

It’s closing in on a year since my mother adopted Dodger, a small mixed breed dog she found at the Baton Rouge Animal shelter.  Currently, the BR shelter is a kill shelter, and my mom’s adoption of this little guy meant a stay of pardon for him.  But there are certain things that you can’t know ahead of time when you adopt a small dog whose still woozy from his neuter procedure and has soft brown eyes that say, “Please, take me home.”

You can’t know that he once he fully recovers from that surgery that he will be the holy terror of doggie ropes.  A rope a day seems to keep the doggie dentist away.
You can’t know that has the energy of an overcharged, crazed Energizer bunny.
Or that he will fall madly and deeply in love with tennis balls and learn how to dribble them across your living room floor.
Or that he will terrorize the cat by slowly walking behind the cat whever the cat may go.   It is the same as one child annoying another child by placing his pointed finger near the other and saying aggravatingly, “I’m not touching you.  I’m not touching you.”

You can’t know how smart he will be.
And that those smarts will lead him to learn things quickly.
Like the fact that you will use a broom to get his favorite tennis ball from under the sofa when he accidentally rolls it under there.
And then decide that it is a fun game.
So he will roll his tennis ball, on purpose, underneath the couch.
Then crawl halfway underneath the couch, as far as his stocky little body will allow, and cry and whine because he can’t reach it.
You will try to break him of this habit…unsuccessfully.

You can’t know exactly how much you’ll love him.
How much he’ll make you laugh.
Or shake your head at how fast he learns something.
And you’ll slightly wonder if he knows English, but just doesn’t know how to speak.

Nope, my mom couldn’t know all that when she adopted that ball of fur. He’s a fun pup though, even if we do sometimes wish he would take an afternoon nap, or two, or five.

But that’s why the world invented Mother’s Day.  As a side present to my mom this Mother’s Day (and a challenge to myself), I took on the arduous task of seeing if I could tire Dodger out.  He’s an energetic dog who needs lots of play time and vigorous activity.  I personally think he has a bit of Jack Russell terrier somewhere in his dubious lineage.  A favorite outside toy of his is a tennis ball wrapped in a kitchen towel.  Little did I know how high he could jump.  He must have some frog in his lineage as well.

And he has jaws like a pit bull.  Once he clamped on to that towel he wouldn’t let go.   Even if I was spinning in a circle.  Which meant he spun too, feet out, legs off the ground, head clamped to the towel.

It was fun.
It was hilarious.
It caused him to lay down that night and sleep through the night.

And my mom thanked me.

Be the bento everyone!

Photos of Dodger and I taken by my sister-in-law, Cree.

I mentioned yesterday that the picture above comprised much of what I ate last week: pan-roasted chicken with varying sides.  The recipe came from the June 2010 issue of Everyday Food magazine.  You are going to see alot from that magazine around here.  The recipes are simple for me to follow and don’t take a huge amount of thought from me.  Just what I need as I enter the uber-busy season at my particular job.  This recipe was quite tasty, though it did take a bit of time to prepare.  Seems like there should be a way to shave some time off this recipe.  I’m just not sure how.  As well, the whole recipe had a few issues that I need to deal with, but it was a nice solid first attempt. 

The recipe called for chicken breasts, or something of the sort, but I had a family pack of chicken legs on hand, so that’s what I  used.  The chicken pieces were sprinkled liberally with salt, pepper, dried thyme, and Tony Chachere’s.  

Before I go on with this recipe, I’m going to digress a bit.  Lately as I’ve been cooking, I’ve come to realize one thing that is missing from much of the recipe’s that I use (especially ones like Everyday Food): a good seasoning mix.  I like Tony Chachere’s.  It’s what my mom uses, what I’ve grown up on and am used to.  I read blogs that talk about the umami factor.  I’m still not real clear on what that is; however, I’m starting to wonder if partly, for me, if that factor might be Chachere’s.  It is what seems to be that missing flavor that I’m always looking for in a recipe.  It’s making its way into alot of my cooking lately. (And dear Tony’s if you see this, know I love you okay?). 

Seasoned chicken is placed into a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat.  Each side of the chicken is pan roasted.  This process takes 3-5 minutes. 

Your chicken should be nicely browned.  It is at this point I realized why the recipe calls for a flatter piece of chicken.  I couldn’t really get all the edges of the chicken browned.  Ah well, it still was tasty in the end. 

Once the chicken is nicely browned, transfer it to a large, rimmed baking sheet.  No reason to oil the baking sheet since your chicken with be a bit oily.  I think in the next incarnation of this recipe I will drain the chicken before this step.  Or leave a step that is to come. 

While I was pan-roasting the chicken, I sliced up a Vidalia onion and diced two cloves of garlic. 

After cooking the chicken, I placed a wee bit of water in the bottom of the pan to sort of get the bits up (Is that deglazing? I think it is.).  To this, I added the sliced Vidalia onion and the diced garlic.  Be sure to use a Vidalia onion here if at all possible.  Their sweet taste adds a lovely flavor to the overall dish. 

Cook until the onions are softened but not completely translucent. 

Spread the semi-cooked onions and garlic across the chicken. 

This is where I think I made my great mistake in this recipe.  I covered the whole thing.  The original recipe called for shallots to be used, but I’ve never had a shallot.  Therefore, I didn’t have any in the house and had none for the recipe.  But I did have that Vidalia onion, which I felt would be a nice substitute even if it wouldn’t give the same flavor as a shallot most likely would.  I was worried the oniones would not do well if not covered.  This contributed to the chicken legs not getting as crispy as I might like and staying a wee bit more oily than I would have liked.  Next time, I think I would either bake the dish uncovered for half the time or bake the chicken minus the onions/garlic for awhile.  I could always add the onions/garlic about 10 minutes before the end of the baking time. 

The baking sheet should go in a 450 degree oven, roasting the chicken until cooked through, about 15 – 20 minutes. 

Once finished baking, I pulled all the meat from the chicken legs for easier bento packing. 

Verdict: This recipe is a keeper.  While I had a few foibles in the process, I think they are easily overcome obstacles.  This one I’m adding to my recipe index! 

Pan Roasted Chicken modified from Everday Food (June 2010) 

Ingredients: 

• Package of chicken legs (can also use other bone-in chicken pieces)
• Dried thyme
• Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning (or similar seasoning mix)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vidalia onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• Olive oil

1. Wash and dry the chicken legs.
2. Sprinkle all sides of the chicken legs with thyme, Tony Chachere’s, salt, and pepper.
3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a high-sided skillet on medium-high heat.
4. Once the oil begins to shimmer, place chicken legs into the skillet.  Do not overcrowd.  Cook in batches if necessary.
5. Brown chicken legs on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side.
6. Remove chicken legs to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain.
7. While chicken drains a bit, a small amount of water into the skillet to loosen up the bits on the bottom of the pan.
   Reduce heat to medium-low.
8. Place sliced Vidalia onion and diced garlic into the skillet.  Cook until onions are softened but not completely translucent.
9. On a rimmed baking sheet, layout chicken for baking.  Top chicken with the cooked onions/garlic.
10. Place in a 450 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
11. Once chicken is baked, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly for a few minutes before serving.
12. Enjoy!

Lately, I’ve had a craving for a hot dog with chili.  So, I bought the fixings for it yesterday.  I didn’t get around to making the chili (I hope to do that tonight).  But I did make coleslaw and had a satisfying dinner last night.  This morning when I woke, I knew I wanted to pack a hot dog for lunch, but at first I wasn’t quite sure how.  In stepped my Laptop Lunches extra large box.  It is the widest, single compartment box I own, and what do you know!, it is the width of a hot dog bun.  YAY! 

I’m a reheater when it comes to my lunches.  I throw them in the fridge at work and reheat in the microwave.  I always pack with that in mind.  The hot dog is wrapped in aluminum foil so that it doesn’t sog up the bread of the hot dog.  The coleslaw is in its own container with lid for this same reason.  Sometimes I find veggies like this will release moisture and make bread products in my bento soggy.  Ugh.  The little blue container has ketchup and mustard for my hot dog bun.

Be the bento everyone!  Have a great Tuesday.

I mentioned recently that I was contacted by Kelly Lester, the creator of Easy Lunchboxes. The contact was to guage my interest in accepting and reviewing a set of Easy Lunchboxes here on Not Exactly Bento. Always on the lookout for something new and unique, I agreed to accept a set for review.  I’ve tried them out, though with a busy work schedule, I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked. I do feel I’ve used them enough to give my opinion on the set.

Likes:

• Durability – When I first saw this set, I will admit I was slightly skeptical.  I knew that Ziploc had come out with a very similar, disposable lunch container.  When I the box arrived and I opened it, my doubts about the durability of Easy Lunchboxes vanished.  This isn’t soft, flexiable disposable lunch box plasitc.  This is hard, durable plastic.  This stuff has washed well and held up well so far.  While I true test of time will show its true colors, I have graet faith that this set will survive the test of time.
• Better Plastic – These boxes are rated as BPA, PVC, lead, and vinyl free.  This seems to be a hot topic in the plastic lunch box world.  So if this is something you are paying attention to, then these boxes deserve a look. 
• Compartmentalized – I like that this container has 3 separate compartments, or wells, for food.  This is what drew me to Lock ‘n Lock containers when I first started bento making.  For me, it helps me pack better.  Plus, I can ensure certain foods don’t touch without fussing with bento dividers and other accessories that tend to slow me down on the lunch packing front.  I’m very much a “I prefer my foods don’t touch” type.  I’ve done better with that since I started bento, but I still have my moments.  I find having separate sections is helpful to a beginning bento packer (or at least it was for me). 
• Four to a pack – The lunch boxes are sold at $13.95 for a pack of 4.  This equals approximately $3.50 per container.  When figuring this are hard plastic containers that are part of the touted better plastic, I don’t feel this is unreasonable, but not necessarily a bargain either.  What I’m trying to say is that the price seems comparative if I were to go out and purchase a hard plastic, better quality plastic food storage container.
• Larger size – The larger size holds bulky items quite well, especially salads and sandwiches.  However, the larger size can be a detriment as well, as you’ll read below.
• Compact size on my bento shelf – While the box itself is largish, the containers nest within themselves when stored in my cabinets.  This I find a GREAT thing.  One of my biggest complaints about the bento boxes I use is that they don’t stack on top of each other neatly.  They tend to slip and slide around my cabinet and fall over.  Ah well, the sacrifices one makes for one’s bento obsession.  However, the containers nest inside one another with the tops sitting above in a neat stack.  Very nice for the cabinet shelf.

Dislikes:

• Too large – This is my biggest dissappointment about this set.  The box is really too large for my general, day-to-day bento purposes.  The Easy Lunchbox website shows the dimensions of the box (9.48″ x 6.1″ x 2″); however, I could not find where the site shows how much food it holds either in cups or ml.  If you’re used to bento packing, you know that a tightly packed bento box equals roughly in calories the ml of the box (if you’re not packing highly fatty or fried foods).  My bento boxes run between 500ml to 600ml.  With this I feel full, but don’t feel like I’ve packed too much for lunch.  I can guarantee these are much high ml than my regular bento box.  I’d wager these are more like 900ml to 1000ml, great for the average bento box for a guy.  Not necessarily the greatest size for a less active woman every day.  I definitely see using this set in the future, especially when I want to pack a sandwich.  This box can fix my sandwich woes.  However, I don’t see using it all the time, everyday.
• Not listed as freezer safe – If these are freezer safe, I didn’t see where on the website it mentioned this.  If they are, I sure would like to know.  The way these are made, I kept thinking it would be awesome to come up with a freezer friendly bento meal.  One that I could freeze, then just graba nd bring to work with me.  How cool (hah! pun not intentional) would that be?!  Honestly, this isn’t a big problem, but the way these boxes are compartmentalized made me think of this idea.
• Four to a pack – For me, the four to a pack was a good thing and a bad thing.  Really, this might just be me being picky, but I was there was 1 more in the set for a total of 5 boxes (one for each day of a  standard work week).
• Lunch bag – The lunch cooler that was sent with the set baffles me.  It’s not included as a set with the 4 lunch boxes, which I wish it were.  I’d pay a flat fee for the lunch containers with bag, no problem.  But my cheapskate (at times) little heart wouldn’t order it on its own, espeically now that I know what it is like.  Also, I don’t quite get the size of the bag.  You can easily fit 3 of the containers, lids on, in the bag.  But not the fourth.  So it’s really too big (to my mind), to place just one container in there; there is alot of wasted space.  But if I want to pack a picnic lunch for 4 (I can see a mom doing this), I can’t get the fourth container in there.  The bag just doesn’t seem to quite mesh with the containers for me.  Now, one container in there leaves plenty of room to pack whole fruits, a beverage container, etc.  However, you’d have to pack quite a bit of that to use up the total space of that bag.  I found the bag a bit bulky and was the part of the set I liked the least.

Verdict:  Recommended

I do recommend the product for its sturdiness and compartmentalized features with one caveat: beware if you’re a woman packing bento for weight loss or similar health reasons.  This might not be the set for you, unless your plan is to eat a salad everyday for lunch.  In other words, its going to be hard to stick to your calorie count using this set.  Guys, kids with sandwiches for a school lunch, hearty eaters, or those that need to pack for a long day….this might be a great set for you.  Just be sure you have room to carry it with you since it isn’t overly small.  Another plus to the set is the creator’s website.  The Easy Lunchbox site has a nice gallery featuring pictures of these boxes in use.  It makes for great lunch ideas, especially for busy moms looking for quick and easy things to pack for a child’s lunch. 

I found the set similar to Laptop Lunches in the way that they are both great for bulky foods.  One day, I packed a salad in the large center well with a few turkey meatballs and other things on the side (darn I wish I would have taken the time to take a picture of that one).  This set worked quite well with that combination of foods.  I also liked the fact you received more than one box in the set.  Honestly, my lazy soul likes this.  Plus, I can pack several bento meals at once and refrigerate them for the coming days.  If I could change anything about the set, it would include 5 boxes, one for each day of the work week.  I can handle the larger than I’m used to size if there was just 1 more in the set.

Be the bento everyone!  If you decide to try out the Easy Lunchbox set let me know how you liked it.

Not Exactly Bento is not affiliated with Easy Lunchboxes other than receiving a set to review for this website.  No other compensation has been received and the above review reflects my honest feelings and thoughts on the product.  If you are interested in having your product tested and reviewed by Jenn of Not Exactly Bento, contact Jenn using the link in the menu bar under the About menu.