Guest Blogger: Katie

The cutest lunch EVER!

My beautiful, smart, talented, and super-creative niece Katie has been making bentos lately for her daughter Elizabeth (age 7). What is a bento? I didn't know either, but apparently it is a Japanese word meaning "lunch on the go." It's like takeout here in the US, except healthier and WAY cuter. Katie says it's a good way to get a variety of foods into a meal, and to control portions. Her daughter loves them.


Katie's description of the bento above:

*cherries
*green grapes
*mandarin orange slices
*white sticky rice
*chinese fried chicken style 2... (dipped chicken chunks in General Tso's bottled sauce then dipped in flour and deep fried) I will shallow fry them next time!

Another cute bento by Katie:

*cheddar cheese flowers
*cucumber wheels
*cherries
*apple clouds
*star fruit
*chinese fried chicken (dipped chicken chunks in flour, then General Tso's bottled sauce, then panko, then deep fried)
Boo was too hungry for me to make rice, I rushed this one!

Katie's inspiration has been Susan Yuen's blog Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook -- which is worth a look for the gorgeous pictures of Hawaiian scenery in addition to the seriously cute food. I guess her bentos are supposed to be for kids, but I want to learn how to make some for myself. Because cute is always better.

Guest Blogger: Elizabeth, Age 5

I'm excited to bring you the work of an wonderful new talent, fresh from a gallery showing on the front of my refrigerator. The artist is my great-niece Elizabeth; the event is Katie's birthday dinner.

Depicted from left to right: Katie, me, Lizzie (you can see the family resemblance), and the Army Dude. Katie (Lizzie's mother) drew and colored the hearts; I provided the hair styling for the Army Dude because Elizabeth specializes in ponytails and not Army regulation flat tops. As you can see, a good time was had by all.

I'm delighted to feature this up-and-coming young artist, and I expect big things from her in the future.

Guest Blogger: Leppy

Today's post is by my friend Leppy, who is vacationing in St. Croix.

Beaches smeeches

Daiquiris quackeries

Caribbean, you know what I'm meanin'

The only red I want to see on flesh is

on one of these babies

FRESH TOMATO PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME