Sweet Escapades

Whoohoo! An update!

Sat, 10 May 2008 09:14:18 GMT

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. :)

Americana to the Rescue

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:00:00 GMT

(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.

I know, it's been a while

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:47:06 GMT

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.

New place, new face

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:54:04 GMT

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. :-)

Happy 1st year!

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:50:53 GMT

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!

BBQ Chicken on a Bed of Rice

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:43:00 GMT

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.

Ka-bobs and a salad

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:37:10 GMT

Features: chicken ka-bobs, salad, Trader Joe's General Cho's as dipping sauce, Thousand Island dressing (not shown).

I grilled the ka-bobs in my Hamilton Beach indoor grill, and while they were grilling, I "painted" them with Trader Joe's General Cho sauce. But, just in case that wasn't enough, I added a little bit for dipping sauce. :) Note: I found the small bamboo skewers at my asian grocery store, and I made sure to soak them before grilling with them.

Pop in the microwave and arrange

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:53:17 GMT

Features: Morning Star veggie nuggets, Trader Joe's bismati rice, cucumbers, and a cherry tomato.

Unfortunately, due to a server move, everything after August 31st was lost, so I'm recreating this entry. :( If you left a comment and its now gone, I apologize.

This bento is made entirely of microwavable things--except for the vegetables, of course. I just didn't feel like making something from scratch so I rooted around in the freezer. There is a lot of protein in those veggie nuggets, they're pretty handy to have around. ;) I like dipping them in ketchup. Also, if I haven't said this before, Trader Joe's has some tasty stuff.

Yum, banana

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:45:50 GMT

This is the first meal I've made using the new Frog Style bento box! :) Just to give you an idea on how sizes can be misleading, that is one whole banana that took up ALL the space on the top tier. Yikes. I was going to add...something (I can't remember what) in the little paper cup, but since the banana took all the space, I didn't use it. I've been craving banana these last few days. A shortage of potassium, maybe? Hmmm.

The bottom tier has cheese ravioli in a marana sauce. Pretty simple, and it was a microwave meal, so it was quick too.