Yeah, I bet you've missed me. I'm cleaning up Sweet Escapades since I'm going to take up the journal again. I have recipes to post, lunches to make -- it's going to be a party. ;) I've created a new layout that I'm very pleased with, to be honest, and all the links (except for the Recipe Index, still working on that one) work now. They're located at the right-hand sidebar.

You'll be hearing from me again soon. :)

(See it on Flickr)


Contents: chicken wings, mashed potatoes, green beans with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.

OK, so I was really tired this morning and as a result I whipped together this quick bento that features an American cuisine. There were some leftover BBQ chicken wings that became the main course. The starch was mashed potatoes made out of flakes, so that didn't take very long. And then the green beans were zapped in the microwave. But, because I was able to whip up a quick lunch, I didn't regret hitting the snooze an extra time.

Contents: Sausage, poached egg, rice noodles, and broccoli.

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've added photos. My life has been really hectic, but I am slowly starting to get things under control. Hopefully, I'll be uploading more bentos and recipes very soon.

Sweet Escapades has moved to LiveJournal. I had a few reasons for this move, and hopefully those reasons will be justified with LJ's service. If not, then it's another 3 hours moving everything back! Blech!

The pages under navigation WILL NOT WORK and may point to the old website. I'll try and get them running ASAP. If you have any questions/comments, just add it to this post. :-)

Today was Sweet Escapades 1 year birthday! Who knew time could fly so fast? In just a year, I've collected 5 more bento boxes and tiffins, gone to India and back, and moved to a new apartment (and kitchen). My resolution for the next year of Sweet Escapades is to focus more on different recipes and post more often. :-)

See you all for another year!

Features: Ham & swiss sandwiches, lettuce on the side, and grapes.

Just because sandwiches have become the lunchbox staple doesn't mean they have to be ugly, half-squished affairs. I actually used a new bento box for this that I've had for a while (it was $5 at my local asian grocery store!!) but have never gotten a chance to use and I've been too busy to upload pictures (I'll try to rectify that soon).

Sandwiches are so quick, I find myself making them a lot lately -- especially since I've gotten so busy. So, I decided to take a picture of one. I've found that there's some pointers to follow to make a pretty and tasty sandwich:

1. Keep the lettuce seperate, which guarantees it'll be crisp come lunch time!
2. Buns make a sandwich much more pretty and inviting than plain, sliced bread. Try looking for wheat buns.
3. Mini-buns (the kind I used here) are great for bento.
4. Mix up your spreads, you don't always have to use mayo. Try ranch, thousand island dressing, cream cheese spreads, etc.

Just thinking of that sandwich is making me hungry. ;)

Features: BBQ chicken, rice, Japanese-style egg, broccoli, and Medjool dates.

This bento was really a treat. The BBQ chicken was simple: just brush on the BBQ sauce (a simple kind bought from the store) and grill on my Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill, flipping it over after 5 minutes to repeat the process. The Japanese-style egg just adds sugar and soy sauce and I wisk it all together until there's a few bubbles on top; I then cut it into strips instead of rolling it. I love bentos which include chicken on a bed of rice, which is probably why I love places like Yokohomo Rice Bowl and Panda Express (although I can't eat there often since they're food is usually fattening -- but mine isn't!).

Now to take a moment to mention the dates. I love dates. I grew up with dates, my whole family would munch on dates and mangos if we wanted a dessert and the inclination has stuck. Medjool dates are easiest to find and most grocery stores will carry them when they are in season. Recently, my university has been trying to promote a farmers market on the campus every Friday and one of the vendors totes farm-grown, organic dates!! I didn't have any money the day I first saw it, but next time, I plan on buying quite a few.

Features: chicken parmesan, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.

These were the leftovers from last night. The chicken parmesan is homemade! It took a while, and it was baked instead of fried, which also added to the time factor -- but it was delicious! Unfortunately, I just realized that I *ahem* seem to have lost the recipe. Don't worry, I'll find it again (it probably just got misplaced in the packing/moving) and once I do, I'll post it here. :)

Features: pork curry, rice, and grapes.

The curry was made with the curry cubes you can get at asian grocery stores. I pre-cooked the pork with onions, microwaved some frozen carrots, and then made the curry (much like I'd make a gravy from mix), then simply added all the ingredients together. The rice is actually a mixture of two, from two different Chinese takeouts in the last week and a half. I needed to get rid of it so I added it to the bento, too. :)

Features: Garlic teriyaki chicken, rice with black sesame seed furikake, broccoli, carrots, and pig container of soy sauce.

*sniffle* It's so pretty! :wub: The garlic teriyaki sauce is Kikkoman's brand and I highly recommend it. I found it at Albertson's and I marinated the chicken overnight. It was delicious and went perfectly with rice. I simply grilled the chicken in my Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill, but the directions on the bottle suggest baking. Next time, I'll try that. ;)