thanksgiving bounty bento

Hi bento pals, hope my U.S. bento friends enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving celebration! We had a good and varied feast here--the centerpiece was a beautiful turkey that Jamison glazed with wild plum preserves:

My stuffing changes a bit from year to year, but its essential elements are toasted bread cubes, lots of sauteed onion, ground beef, celery, sauteed fennel, sherry, several types of mushrooms...and this time, whole roasted chestnuts:

Succotash with corn, lima beans, edamame, red pepper and zucchini squash:

Cranberries with port and cinnamon sticks...wonderful flavors, recipe here!

Not pictured but also part of the feast: roasted butternut squash puree with cinnamon and a hint of brown sugar, oven roasted brussels sprouts and baby potatoes (delicious from long cooking next to the turkey!), and a green salad with watercress, baby lettuce, orange glazed fresh figs and goat cheese.

We enjoyed cat-sitting for our neighbors over the long weekend and hanging out with sweet Sophie...

Monday's bento incorporates Thanksgiving's abundant leftovers with an open-faced sandwich layered with stuffing, turkey and cranberry sauce. More cranberry-port sauce is in the little jar; figs, baby greens, watercress, acorn squash and colorful radicchio also for lunch.

 Have a great week ahead!

annangol korean bbq restaurant and grilled duck bento

Hey bento pals, hope you had a fun weekend! We went to our current first choice for Korean, Annangol BBQ restaurant today. Excellent and flavorful from start to finish!

The banchan here are really superior, so fresh and a changing blend of subtle, spicy and pungent tastes...the sesame eggplant and ginger celery were outstanding. Annangol is Jamison's favorite Korean restaurant in the area, saying it provides the most authentic taste of Korea he's had stateside, bringing back fond culinary memories from his years of living in Korea. The elegant, rustic quality of the cuisine is nicely reflected by the simple dining space at Annangol, and the service is friendly and warm as well.

Eggplant in sesame oil

Duck slices, ready for the tabletop grill:

Great aromas...

So tasty!

The authentic little touches here are so appealing...like the inclusion of dandelion greens with romaine leaves, adding a wonderful bitter note to the mellow duck. Yum.

Wasabi marinated daikon slices

Mellow kongbap

This little gem is located at 4215 Annandale Center Drive in Annandale, VA in a cute shopping plaza with a French-Korean bakery and an upscale Korean deli/caterer, to complete your Korean-immersion experience!

Monday's bento includes some lovely duck from our meal and a stir fry of autumn veggies including brussels sprouts, acorn and butternut squash, rainbow chard and mushrooms. Edamame-shrimp dumplings and kongbap also for lunch.

Have a great week, guys!

cozy cassoulet flavors bento

Hi bento pals! Yesterday was dark, rainy and windy, the perfect kind of day to be indoors and make a cozy casserole. After reading several recipe options on Epicurious, I found this one for an easy cassoulet with savory, smokey flavors...made a few changes to the recipe, omitting the lima beans, substituting organic andouille chicken sausage for kielbasa, and adding olive-oil browned chicken thighs, baby bella mushrooms and red wine.

Our kitchen was filled with spicy, warming scents as we enjoyed dinner to the sound of rain...

Sauteed fennel slices rounded out the meal--I love how they take on a sweet and caramelized quality so easily after a few minutes in the skillet.

Today is radiant, clear and mild, the air cleansed by the rain, plants and trees seem happy with all the moisture they soaked in...

Lunch made use of the abundant cassoulet leftovers, plus chanterelles for more autumn flavor! Fennel complements the smokey flavors...as does an endive filled with Gorgonzola dolce, walnuts and a touch of walnut oil--yum!

Radish and baby endive, tart green apple, mango "flower", crystallized ginger and a madeline cookie with orange preserve glaze also in the bento. Edible garnishes include flowering thyme, fennel fronds, oregano and a tiny viola!