fresh basil from the backyard!

beef and egg soboro on rice

caprese salad skewers, shumai with sauce in the carrot bottles

the soboro is from the donburi book. i 4got to pack a spoon with 2day's bento, but shmantz said he had no problems eating it. 

to make the beef tiny, i used a potato masher, and to make the egg tiny, i used my handy whisk. we love this whisk cuz it's easy to clean, and has silicone tips so it is safe to use with non-stick pans.

shmantz's carpool friend gave us a whole bunch of fresh basil from his backyard. they ate lunch 2gether 2day so shmantz really wanted me to use the basil in his bento. the caprese salad skewers were the best i could come up with on short notice. i used string cheese since we have no hard cheeses in the fridge. usually, i serve these skewers with a balsamic vinaigrette, but shmantz wuz not interested. don't they look like hamburgers?

the shumai is from trader joe's. they are pretty good tasting, and not so bad for you nutritionally. the carrot bottles hold the sauce that came in the shumai box. shmantz's friends were intrigued by how i got the sauce in the bottles. ah, the power of suction.