BentoholicsAnonymous

I've been using my Ms. Bento a lot because lately I don't get a lunch break at work (call the police!!!)  I'm in love that I can open up my hot lunch at my desk instead of eating a room temperature sandwich.

Love it, Love it!

Fortunately, I got a new job!!!  I start on Monday and boy, am I thrilled!  I will miss my old company and my old co-workers dearly, but I think it is time I moved on.  There is stability in my future.

Besides the awesomity of a hot lunch with no time for the microwave...

How many of you like Filipino food?  I tried making my own pork guisantes (what? i don't need to buy it?!) and it turned out wonderful.

I got the recipe from www.foodnetwork.com:

Pork Guisantes (Filipino Pork and Peas):
Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lb lean pork, sliced in small pieces
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp patis
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1 pkg (6 oz) frozen peas
• 1 can (3-4 oz) pimientos, sliced
• Salt to taste

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute garlic, onions and pork until browned. Add soy sauce, patis, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until pork is tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste, peas and pimientos. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Salt to taste.

I didn't know it was so easy. My Mom would be so proud!  Here are the left overs in my bento:


(click for larger image)

Rice; pork guisantes; cucumber, fried eggplant, orange bell peppers, pickled cucumbers.

Congratulations to me for my new job and my new ability to cook Filipino food!
 

Here is the blog post as promised! :) Using my Ms. Bento from my brithday (in August!) for the first time. I know, how ashamed I am that I took so long to try it out!

(click for larger photo) Pork tofu, rice, chicken karaage, cucumber pickles, orange bell pepper. This Ms. Bento is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I own a Tiger thermal: post here, but I was pretty peeved when I found out that it wasn't leak proof. The Ms. Bento soup container IS leakproof and it held my soupy pork tofu perfectly. I heated it up in the morning with some boiling water for about 5 minutes and it kept my food hot until lunchtime. Definitely a great present. :) Till next time!

Sorry guys. I took a 3 month long hiatus. Things have been pretty hectic lately, especially since I lost my job. No bento to bring to work if you have no job. I'm remaining optimistic, though...I got re-hired part-time and am currently looking for a new full time job. (Any employers out there? :))

I have a really good Hubs who thought it was appropriate to lift my spirits. He took me to Las Vegas to visit my brother and eat some great food. It certainly did the trick.


Mesa Grill-Bobby Flay

(click for larger photo)
Chile Relleno. Pretty disappointing.

(click for larger photo)
Side of corn. Very epic. And I'm not being sarcastic.


(click for larger photo)
Coffee crusted filet mignon. Still the hubs favorite food.


(click for larger photo)
My lamb chops with baked yam tamale.

Emeril's Fish House - Emeril Lagasse

(click for larger photo)
Emeril's take on poke! Poke on crispy wonton skins and pineapple foam on top.

Spago - Wolfgang Puck

(click for larger photo)
Wolfgang's take on poke. Slice of ahi sashimi on a toasted rice cube! So good!


(click for larger photo)
Husband's filet mignon, asparagus, shoestring fries.


(click for larger photo)
My organic chicken. Waiter Jonathan's recommendation (He actually recommended the meatloaf but I had that last time. This is his second choice). Super delish.


(click for larger photo)
Pumpkin creme brulee with cranberry relish and gingerbread wafer.

At the Paris hotel, the hubs took me on the most romantic date of my life. We saw the view atop the effiel tower, ate at Mario Batali's, rode a gondola, and saw The Blue Man Group. Mario's had EXTREMELY dim lighting so none of the food shots came out. Bummer because that meal changed my life! Instead, enjoy a view from the outside of the Paris hotel looking up:


(click for larger photo)

Bento post tomorrow, guys... I promise!

The other day my co-worker brought in lunchables for her lunch.  I was immediately reminded of my childhood.  I really wanted lunchables.  But lunchables are the devil!  The sodium! The sugar! The meat-by-products!

Well, whaddya know?  I had everything to make my own healthy pseudo lunchables bento with just a few ingredients around the house. 


(click for larger image)
Spiced zucchini, turkey slices, havarti and muenster cheeses, crackers on the side.

So next time you have a craving for childhood, remind yourself that you are an adult now that is knowledgeable in healthy eating...and make a pseudo one yourself!

I'm not telling you the winner. Pffft.  You have to read through my post first!

This weekend was about solving the great debate.  There are many shrimp trucks here in Hawai'i that serve up tasty kahuku shrimp.  Which one is the best???  In the office we've come up with two finalists: Giovanni's and Macky's.   Half of the gals in the office prefer Giovanni's and the other half, Macky's.

Now, I'm a Giovanni's gal myself but I've never had Macky's.  Of course I was going to volunteer for the job.


(click for larger image)

At first glance, Macky's seems like the better deal.  Both plates are $12 a piece, but Mackey's shrimp plate comes with a tossed salad and a slice of juicy pineapple. 

I get my usual, which is garlic butter shrimp.  Macky's shrimp is softer and more delicate than Giovanni's.  The sauce was equally delicious.  I even tried my husband's Lemon Pepper shrimp plate and that was awesome as well.  However, I think I still prefer my default.  This was tasty, but Giovanni's just has that extra ooph... that extra nostalgia.  Next time though, I think I'll try Macky's coconut fried shrimp...

See my previous post here on Giovanni's.

And now, for the winner of the weiner crab cutter...
( click here )

I haven't posted in about a month.  A MONTH!  Shame on me.


(click for larger image)
Pumpernickel sandwiches with turkey and ham, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, grapes, mayo and mustard in the cup.

Oh and do you want this?:

Its yours if you just type, "Hi I'm _______ and I have a bento addiction"  in comments!  I'll be picking the winner on Wednesday, September 9th.

Sometimes I need some fried chicken.  You know, the kind that comes in a box from the grocery store.  It hits the spot for an easy dinner after a long day of work, and all you need to do to complete it is mash some potatoes and boil some corn.

With the hubby gone for work related stuff all the time, what is a girl to do with all that leftover fried chicken?

Reinvent it!

Chicken salad, pulled chicken for soups, or re-slathered and baked in sauce are all very good options.  Here is a recipe for a good sauce to put on leftover fried chicken:

Honey fried chicken
1/2 c honey
3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Leftover chicken pieces (I had 6).

Mix together honey and vinegar.  Drench chicken in honey mixture, put in a baking dish and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Here is a bento with the leftovers:


(click for larger image)
Cherries, bell peppers, carrot, coleslaw, rice, honey chicken drumstick. :)

So this island girl is back from her vacay to Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and a wee bit of North Carolina!  Man, was it a culture shock.  I got a lot of adventure (white water rafting, anyone?), a lot of shivers (coldest summer in 150 years!), and of course, a lot of food!  Here are my tasty travels from Indiana and Tennessee.



Applewood Farmhouse: Sevierville, TN
The Applewood Farmhouse is a cute little place with all things apple.  In the back  is an Apple Barn which has the BEST apple butter known to mankind.  I ate a jar of this stuff in two days.


(click for larger image)
Free appetizer (you guys know how much I love those!).  Apple fritters which taste like apple flavored andagi.  No joke.  I even told the waitress "this is just andagi" and she looked at me real weird.  And of course, that awesome apple butter to dip it in.


(click for larger image)
Another free appetizer.  The apple julep.  Really good and you can drink as much as you like!


(click for larger image)
My meal.  Grilled apple porkchops, biscuit, fried okra, turnip greens with vinegar, and mashed potatoes.  Polished this off in no time.  Worth taking a trip for, if you are ever in the area.



Oishi Japanese Restaurant: Pigeon Forge, TN.
This was a really weird find.  Japanese, Italian, Thai, and Chinese restaurants in one restaurant. HUH?  Trust me, it was good. We sat at the sushi bar.

(click for larger image)
Their tsukemono was some kind of seafood that topped pickled cucumber and onions.  So freakin' good. 


(click for larger image)
Now isn't this the cuteset sushi plate you have ever seen in your life??? And the quality of fish there was phenomenal.  Who would've thought that Tennessee would have amazing ahi?!  Sushi chef explained that all their seafood came from Thailand.


The Chop House: Sevierville, TN.
The Chop House was a cute restaurant located in an outlet mall.  Just happened to be hungry, so we stumbled in.

(click for larger image)
Stuffed mushroom appetizer.  This was stuffed with crab and shrimp.


(click for larger image)
Grilled shrimp and crab cake.  My husband's little sisters loved this dish!


Cammack Station: Cammack, IN
They say that if you blink while going through Cammack, you'll miss it.  All there really is here is a teeny little malt and milkshake shop.  This was the best thing I've had all vacay.


(click for larger image)
Chicken sandwich.  Asked the girl behind the counter to make me whatever her favorite thing was.  This is a grilled chicken sandwich with everything on it.  By far the best chicken sandwich I've had.


(click on larger image)
After eating lunch at Cammack Station and running around about town visiting friends, we decided to go back to get milkshakes.  BEST. MILKSHAKE. EVER.  If I lived in IN, I'd visit this place every ding dang day of my life.


Sunrise Cafe: Muncie, IN
I think this is the only 24 hour breakfast place in Muncie.  This is where my husband hung out as a teen.

(click for larger image)
"lite breakfast" of egg, bacon, and silver dollar pancakes.


(click for larger image)
People look at you strange when you eat ketchup with your eggs here. This is the kinda ketchup you find in Indiana.

Birthday: Grandma's house

(click for larger image)
My birthday cake at my Grandmother in law's house.  They threw me a surprise party and didn't skimp on the Hello Kittyness. See the HK head on the cake?  It was a replica of the compact I had as a kid.  Aw, memories!

Big City Diner: Waipio, HI

(click for larger image)
The first thing I ate when I got back.  Loco moco, and no skimping on the rice!  I was pretty much all mash potatoed out when we came home. 

Till next vacay!

Husband came home and we are going on vacation. I am SUPER excited.  It was much deserved and highly anticipated!  We'll be hitting up some states this island girl has never even dreamed of visiting.  Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I will most def have lots of blogworthy food photos for all of you when I return. 

This is the last post I will be posting for the next three weeks.

(click for larger image)
Hamburger on wheat bread, lettuce, onions, tomatoes to put in the sandwich, and a mayo monkey.

I'm out!

There is a new place called Ichiben that I just adore.  Everyone is so friendly and the food is so tasty.  I feel at home when the workers there greet my by name.  I must do a blog about my affection for this tiny place. 

Their gyoza is to-die-for and I had a couple leftover from dinner to pack into my lunch. 


(click for larger image)
Korean-style potato salad, cherry tomatoes, 2 gyoza, gyoza sauce in Hello Kitty.

This is called Korean-style potato salad because it is a poor substitute for Sorabol's potato salad.  Sorabol is a Korean restaurant in town that my best friend and I frequent for lengthy girlie conversation.  They bring out about 8 (free!) side dishes with every order.  It's always random, so I'm always hoping that this potato salad is on the menu for the day.

Korean-style potato salad
2 potatoes, cooked (I cut mine up into cubes and microwave for 6 minutes)
1/4 block kamaboko, minced
1/4 cucumber, minced
mayo, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Mash potatoes until it resembles lumpy mashed potatoes.  Mix in other ingredients.  Chill and serve.

With the hubby gone on military business, I've been eating a lot of poke.  Foodland, commissary, even costco carry some good, fresh, raw fish.  When husband is home we eat out and we eat a lot of steak.  He would eat steak every day if I wasn't the one to tell him no.


(click for larger image)
Poke bento 1: Cauliflower, impromptu salad with greens and tomatoes, poke, salad dressing in chococat.


(click for larger image)
Rice, greens, poke.

Honestly, poke from the commissary is my fave.  Its because they mix in minced kukui nuts and it gives it a better texture definition.  I think Tamashiro Market in Kalihi does it as well, I just haven't lived in or near Kalihi in 10 years!

 

The Spicy Ahi is one hip-happening place.  I love teishoku and I love bento-style meals.  There are a few restaurant favorites of mine.  Kunio is located in Waikele Shopping Center and has delicious food and high quality sashimi.  Unfortunately, Kunio is pretty pricey.  There are some other, fast-food type teishoku places like Tsuruya or Gyotaku.

Spicy Ahi is located next to Yogurtland on Kaahumanu.  A co-worker and I decided to "try something new" after work one day, to lift our spirits from the gigantic weight that is government contracting.


(click for larger image)
Miso soup and a tossed salad come out as quickly as you sit down.


(click for larger image)
You all know that I love food stuffs as table centerpieces!  From left to right: Salad vinaigrette, peanut butter dressing, hot sauce, ranch dressing.

I was intrigued at all the salad topping choices.  The peanut butter dressing was actually quite tasty and interesting.

(click for larger image)
Co-worker and I love ourselves some kalbi.  I think she has become my kalbi buddy!  This is my plate with some pupu, ahi and salmon sashimi, rice, and kalbi.  Sashimi was of high quality.  Look out Kunio!


(click for larger image)
She opted for the kalbi/tempura bento.  Equally tasty.

Spicy Ahi is my new favorite teishoku/bento place.  Great prices and high quality, good food.  I think the co worker loved it too!

I took a short hiatus from blogging due to work issues and hanging out with friends and family.  Because of the craziness, I have a bit of a backlog. 

This Is It: Bakery and Deli.  Went here with a friend after omiyage shopping in town.  I figured it would be good since the title itself just boasts about their deliciousness.


(click for larger image)
Bialy.  A baked good from Poland.  This one is filled with onions.  The best bread product I have ever eaten.


(click for larger image)
Hot pastrami sandwich on wheat with macaroni salad and pickle.  Where can you get a good pastrami sandwich on Oahu? Uh, nowhere!


(click for larger image)
Money shot.


(click for larger image)
I was *obsessed* with this sandwich.

It just goes to show that there is a good pastrami sandwich to be had in Hawai'i and its worth it to find those hidden restaurant gems. 

Must. eat. bialy.again.


 

This weekend was all about hanging out with friends and family.  Along the way, we had some serious eats of all kinds of bad-for-you treats.  Here's the documentation:

Saturday: 50th State Fair


(click for larger photo)
Yummy curly fries


(click for larger photo)
Kalbi Plate with rice and lettuce.


(click for larger photo)
Roasted Hawaiian corn with butter, garlic salt, and pepper


(click for larger photo)
Funnel Cake


Sunday: Playing tourist on the North Shore


(click for larger photo)
Shrimp Scampi from Giovanni's.  Previous review here.


(click for larger image)
Pineapple Dole Whip Cone

The best weekend ever.

Before the hubby left for an important trip, he took me to House Without a Key in the Halekulani hotel, Waikiki.  We've always wanted to try it and found it was the perfect opportunity for Memorial Day.  They had a special barbecue menu and it was a once-in-a-lifetime deal, so we went.

It was great being back at the Halekulani.  My mom worked there for 25 years when she finally retired 5 years ago.  I was excited to tell the hubby about my childhood experiences there.

House Without a Key is an indoor/outdoor retaurant overlooking Waikiki beach.  Every night there is a different Hawaiian band.


(click for larger photo)
Hawaiian music and hula dancing

To start we had the Chicken Tikka and Ahi Sashimi:

(click for larger image)


(click for larger image)

Both were excellent.  The best ahi I've ever had and I've lived here all my life.  They definitely have a great sushi chef in the back that knows his stuff.


(click for larger image)
My dinner was lamb chops in a sweet reduction with nalo greens.  Ahhhhh, I love greens from Nalo Farms!



(click for larger image)
Husbands dinner was grilled shrimp skewer with filet mignon.  It comes with a butter sauce and more nalo greens.  Delicious.

No dessert photo.  With each photo you could tell the lighting was getting more and more "romantic."  Great for dates, bad for blog photos.

House Without a Key is the perfect place for a romantic night out in Waikiki.  Halekulani has top-notch beach property so it is a great place to watch the sunset on the beach.  Plus you can walk right out onto Lewers street, the heart of Waikiki.

:) Eat there!

Wow, how long has it been since I've posted a bento?  One week too long.  Here's one with a tasty salad:


(click for larger photo)
Organic greens, onions, herbed chicken, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, hummus, feta cheese, and pita chips on the side.

I had to blog this in.  I got a cake for my 2 year old friend, Tanner, this past Sunday.  It was his birthday.  Of course, I got this from Vikki of Sunshine's Cake Creations.  She is the best for custom cakes.  She even went out of her way to put headlights on McQueen and Towmater!  She did this with the husband's birthday cake a couple months ago, here.

Aren't they so cool? 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TANNER!

 I worked at a yogurt place (formerly Yami Yogurt) for 5 years during college days and it paid my way.  Working there, I turned into a froyo aficionado.  Got a question about yogurt? I am your girl.

Yami Yogurt had a to-die-for flavor called Natural.  It was just plain white yogurt, sweetened just a little.  It was a little asian girl's dream come true.  We sold this flavor at my job years ago and it was our bestseller.  Most customers would get a Natural frozen yogurt topped with sweetened frozen strawberries.  I'd get the same order and add almonds.  It was the best thing in a styrofoam cup you could get (one exception would be the tripe stew at Chubbies on the Big Island). 

Anyway, this "Natural" flavor came from Foremost dairies.  Back in 2004, Foremost closed its doors and Meadow Gold dairies bought them out.  Meadow Gold never picked up the slack on their yogurt flavors and only provided small businesses with chocolate or vanilla flavors.  Ick. Natural fans went ballistic and it was so hard to find a sweet but tart white flavored yogurt.  The only place that we fanatics could get it was Ala Moana Yami Yogurt and they were very tight-lipped about where their yogurt came from...

Other companies came out with tart tasting yogurts.  I tried Miliano Freezer.  Close, but no cigar.  Even Cold Stone Creamery came out with a tart and tangy flavor.  Not the same.

The other night, the husband and I decided to eat at the Cattle Company in Pearl City.  Lo and behold when we walked out and spotted this joint:

(click for larger image)
Omigosh.  Yogurtland??? When did this open here???

I was hopeful.  I wanted to go in and check out their flavors.


(click for larger image)
SCORE!  This sounds like natural.


(click for larger image)
Here is the topping bar.


(click for larger image)
Here is topping bar #2.


(click for larger image)
I got plain with strawberries.  It wasn't the same as natural, but its pretty darn close and an excellent substitute.


(click for larger image)
Plus the company uses these biodegradable spoons which are made with 70% cornstarch and biodegrades after one year.  Cool huh?

The best part is that you serve yourself.  Take a little or take a lot.  Your entire yogurt feast is only $.39 per ounce.

Get your froyo on at Yogurtland now open in Pearl City across from the Cattle Company.

Bread.  I don't know what it was about bread, but I just wanted to eat BREAD.  Just plain bread.  Thats it.  Instead of packing just bread for lunch, I created this tasty bento.  Nutrition and bread all in one lunch. Score.


(click for larger image)
Shaped bread cut outs, bell pepper, homemade turkey meatballs, hummus and tapenade, strawberry for dessert.

Definitely cured my bread craving.

A weird mixed lunch today. 


A veggie "corn dog," okra, mixed organic greens, organic homegrown tomatoes, a babybel cheese and dressing in the cup.

Totally weird and I just ended up snacking through this for the entire day.  Quite delicious, though!

Boredom makes me do crazy things, like clean out the refrigerator.  I tossed all Biology experiments and even wiped up that mysterious black goo that has been living on the bottom of the fridge. 

Upon cleaning, I discovered a bunch of vegetables that needed to be used up before it went ka-put.  Zucchini, onions, tomatoes.  I bought some great fresh feta and exclaimed to myself  "QUICHE I SHALL MAKE!"

Vegetables before they go ka-put Quiche:

1/2 package refrigerated pie crust
2 zucchini, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 clove of garlic
olive oil or butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese (or use your favorite cheeses)
your favorite spices.  I used: parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder.

In a pan (I used a tart pan), roll out a sheet of refrigerated pie crust. Set aside.  Saute all vegetables in olive oil or butter.  Transfer vegetables to a big bowl and mix in cheeses.  Place in pie crust, distributing evenly.  Set aside.  Beat the eggs with the milk and season.  Pour egg mixture into crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Take quiche out and top with more cheese.  Bake for 20 more minutes.


(click for larger image)


(click for larger image)

Tastiness.  And a clean fridge too!