korean-style spicy octopus bento

Hi bento pals! We've had our first snow of the season this week, about an inch of icy white that has stayed as on the ground amid near freezing temperatures. This radiant pink camellia has remained in bloom...amazing!

While I enjoy authentic Korean anytime, it seems so well suited to chilly temperatures... last night we visited Goong Jeon in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Crispy Korean-style pancakes with seafood and scallions are a weakness of mine...really good version here:

Nakji bokeum was lovely with an abundance of octopus in a mellow, lightly spicy sauce served with fat, chewy noodles, peppers, carrots--perfect dish for a cold night:

Marinated cuke banchan:

 Soju...!

Monday's bento includes nakji bokeum tucked into an avocado half and a wedge of scallion pancake. It gains vibrant color from stir fried purple cabbage, pink radish pickles, scallion, romaine leaves, purple potato slices, orange pepper, green apple and a lavender foil-wrapped chocolate...a little gold bird ornament on the right looks ahead to Christmas, which is coming up so quickly, lots of last minute preparations to attend to this week!

Hope you are enjoying the season and its spirit of love and warmth...

dreaming christmas kitty bento

Monday's bento features a peaceful (goat cheese) kitty dreaming under an asparagus holiday tree...her gift may well be some salmon, like the spicy salmon salad that lies underneath the multigrain pilaf layer of this bento!

In the upper small compartment, fig and orange slices dusted with coconut. Also for lunch: a slice of a rich casserole of pumpkin, Gruyere cheese and bread cubes from this fun recipe. Cooking the savory elements (garlic, shallots, thyme and Gruyere are such a lovely combination) inside the pumpkin works beautifully--after long baking, the bright orange pumpkin flesh tasted sweet and delicious and we were transported by the aromas of this dish to the French countryside...

Stuffed pumpkin, hot from the oven:

With asparagus, at the table...

Images from a twilight walk after a misty, rainy Sunday...

Have a great week!

maizbon afghan restaurant, mediterranean bakery and bento

Hi friends! This post is a celebration of two delicious discoveries in our area for Afghan cuisine and gourmet Mediterranean baked goods and groceries. Northern Virginia is such a fabulous crossroads of diverse food traditions...there is always something new and wonderful to discover!

Case in point: the recently opened Maizbon Afghan restaurant, where we've enjoyed excellent, homestyle meals cooked with great finesse and care. On a blustery, chilly day with an icy blue sky, can anything offer more warming comfort than sweet-savory squash, Afghan-style or a hot cup of cardamom tea?

House specialty Keccheri Quroot: mung bean, dill and rice risotto with meatballs...made with delicacy and care and memorably good!

Sinfully delicious squash with cinnamon-butter bread triangles...

Lovely comfort food

Amazing eggplant with yogurt and roasted tomato

Jamison's snap of a pretty lamp

Next we went to nearby Mediterranean Bakery and Cafe, an emporium of homemade breads and filled pastries with an extravagant selection of prepared salads, cheese, olives, preserves, spices and other treats...

Pistachio pastries

Friday's bento is an easy no-cook affair with goodies from the Mediterranean Bakery:

Cheese and meat pastry over lemony tabbouleh, pink radish pickles, spinach pie triangle, Greek yogurt and asparagus and Armenian-style eggplant salad.

Have a fun and relaxing weekend!

babykins inspiration bento

This bento was inspired by the beautiful lunches made by Babykins at her very fun and colorful blog, Soul, Soup, Soap. I love the cozy and inviting look of her bento meals and am excited that she has started sharing recipes for her yummy dishes. I had to try this delicious and seasonal mushroom preparation, and it was sooo good! I used Enoki, maitake, and chanterelles to make this recipe.

I've followed Babykin's soft and vibrant bento palette with fresh greens and pink crab tossed in a light ginger dressing with scallions...

Radish sprouts, mixed rice with daikon radish seeds, green peas, hard-boiled egg, and accents of avocado and decorative wheat gluten "fu" are in the bento, too. For dessert, crisp green apple, clementine and a sweet Japanese candy.

Camellias and pansies in chilly bloom today after a night of rain:

Happy cooking, friends!