Yum-Yum Bento Box Review and Kitty Cat Bento

The subtitle of this wonderful guide to bento by Crystal Wantanabe and Maki Ogawa is a perfect summary of its contents, as fresh recipes abound within its pages and adorable lunches a sure result for readers who try its rich trove of bento suggestions.

Crystal and Maki bring a playful and creative spirit to bento that radiates from their happy creations and  cheerful, encouraging text. Bento instructions are detailed, practical and adaptable. As a fanatic for bento accessories of all kinds, I was quite taken with the pages devoted to bright and beautifully photographed bento tools.

Accessible and friendly, Yum-Yum Bento Box invites us have fun while creating sweet and balanced lunches...I will refer to it often for ideas, inspirations, and how-to's!

This Kitty in Summer Garden bento is a variation on the Kitty Cat and Goldfish Bento on page 35. Inside the nori-covered onigiri kitty is spicy salmon and eggplant with ginger:

Shrimp and salmon roe, broccolini, plum-garlic pickles, radish sprouts, cherries and edible flowers including marigold and pansy keep kitty company, reflecting the bright summer colors of July.

Have a good week, bento pals!

cool froggie bento

Summer is truly upon us here on the East Coast of the US--we are riding out a week-long heat wave. A fiery sun as the day begins:

So today's bento features the cool green company of a little froggie from Kyoto, found on my recent visit to NYC. He relaxes here on a sandwich filled with salmon salad (made with scallions, artichoke heart salad, mayo and Dijon mustard) and avocado slices. Baby romaine and ripe cherries are inside, too.

In fleeting bloom, the first violet and white morning glory...

Happy Friday, bento friends!

cancer the crab cake bento and baltimore explorations

Hi bento pals! This month's astro-bento is for Cancer the Crab...or crab cake. We took a holiday weekend jaunt to the homeland of the crab cake: Baltimore, Maryland. And happily, this city was not only full of wonderful food, particularly seafood, its layers of the past and sense of originality were fully in keeping with the nostalgic, lunar spirit of this sign.

Lexington Market was an incredible journey through American food history, now in its 220th year. Today, it preserves in architectural amber the spirit of the last century. The intact Art Deco vividness of the "Chinese Savouries" stand amazed me:

 

So many options for local seafood and soul food here:

And an abundance of all kinds of sweets:

You can bring your delicious prepared food purchase upstairs and take a seat overlooking the food hall and listen to live music: a reggae band was playing when we visited. The maze-like proximity of food stands serving everything from crab cakes (of course) to hot sausages, fried chicken to Italian pastries was overwhelming, exciting and so much fun...

Jamison took these great shots at Poe's burial place:

 

 

The next morning we explored the city's waterfront as sizzling heat radiated off the streets, then hopped on a water taxi to venture out to Fells Point and Canton...delightfully cooling and a way to get closer to the aquatic heart of Baltimore.

 

 At Fells Point, lovely 18th century streets, many bars and taverns...

 Melting in the sun a little, we ducked in the cool, quirky Cafe Latte'da for excellent iced coffee...

and came across a little book took me back in time: I recall meeting its illustrator Mimi Vang Olsen one day while walking around NY with my mom many years ago...plenty of cute and helpful suggestions for giving your new kitty a Japanese or culinary-inspired name!

Fells Point street view by Jamison:

 

Lunch at the excellent Canton Dockside featured exquisitely simple and fresh crabs. We shared several steamed to order jumbos...with the addition of soft-shelled crab and sweet corn, this meal was summer bliss!

 

Buildings near our downtown hotel were full of interesting architectural character, often with a maritime theme:

Staying at the (very welcoming and comfortable) Monaco in the refurbished former headquarters of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway offered interesting glimpses of the past as well:

For breakfast we found ourselves time-traveling at the wonderfully dark-wood, Olde England-evocative Burke's. They open every day at 7 am, serving up old-time Mid-Atlantic Americana: yummy, caloric and sustaining meals in a relaxing, dimly lit dining room.

Comfy booths parallel a pretty 40's era bar:

My chili omelet:

This visit has us very interested to return, to glimpse other layers of the past as they interact with a vibrant, if at times challenging present in a friendly city full of excellent food. As seafood lovers, how could we stay away?

 Speaking of seafood, this month's Astro bento features foods that astrologer and chef Lucy Ash describes in the Cancer chapter of A Taste of Astrology.

Watery and soothing foods are expressions of this maternal, lunar sign: crab, eggplant, watercress, melons, pine nuts, mushrooms, lychee, dairy products, cucumber...this bento includes many of them. A crab cake is nestled in with watercress, lunar orbs of shimenji mushrooms and juicy watermelon:

Roasted eggplant with pine nuts fills a sakura container, golden corn (whose summery friendship with crab I so enjoyed this weekend) also inside with ripe cherries, a lychee and more watermelon for cooling relief (at least 100 degrees today, again)...

Thanks for coming along on this journey!