Fun Halloween Boxes

Packing a holiday specific, themed bento box is a fun way to get the creative juices flowing. In recent weeks I've been on the lookout for inexpensive Halloween items to "get in the mood" and I found just the thing. These cute bat and Frankenstein snack boxes, about the size of an average apple, bought from one of the big craft stores. The perfect sidecar to accompany a lunch bento box or stand alone snack box. I'm not sure what to pack and I have a few more days to think on it. Maybe a musubi or some roll ups. Do you have any ideas? I'm open to suggestion.

Blood Orange Bento Box

Oh my gosh! Wasn't it just yesterday that I wrote about my broken PC monitor? Well, today it's my cellphone monitor, albeit a small monitor, but a monitor just the same. Half of it is blacked out and I can't see the display when navigating through the features. I can dial out and answer, that's about it. *sigh*

Onward!

Today's bento box contains similar items as yesterday, because Saba Man said it was " a yummy", okay he really doesn't talk like that, but you know what I mean. The major change are the "rice burritos" rolled with the soy paper. That was "a fail". They were were soggy and the wrappers fell apart. So the soy paper is best when served immediately which means this lunch box will contain the tried and true inarizushi instead. Salmon patties with wasabi aioli, kabocha squash, garlic roasted asparagus, tomotoes are included and the blood orange fills up the remaining box space. The blood orange looks more like a bloody orange but I assure you that it's not because I stabbed myself with a cute bento pick! It's natural creepiness suits the Halloween season perfectly without any drastic measures.

Not a Bloody Halloween Bento Box

We had torrential downpour this morning and the rest of the day remained chilly with this season's first real soaking. The Pacific Northwest easily releases summer without ever looking back. So along with the gray sky and wind, autumn brings comfort food. Too bad I didn't have time to cook any... so we are settling on pizza! A vegan pizza, as sumptuous and comforting as a vegan pizza can get. Whole wheat crust with pesto, olive, pepper, mushrooms and artichoke hearts. I can't eat enough of it and I struggle to tuck some away for tomorrow's bento snack. Corn pudding, strawberry and an "acorn" fit's in there too. Now, about the carrot pick... I actually stabbed myself in the finger with this horrible instrument of death, disguised as a cute bento pick, as I tried to poke through the last carrot. It drew blood, REAL BLOOD! Ouch. Talk about a Halloween trick! Don't worry, no trip to the ER was necessary. It will be a struggle, but I think I'll survive another day to pack more bento boxes. And before you ask... yes, I did switch out picks, because otherwise would be kind of gross, even if it is a Halloween bento box.

Kamaboko Sammich Bento Box

The pink, polka dot, basket bento box (tongue twister) is filled with a homemade sandwich...gasp...what? no banh mi? Nope, as much as we love our banh mi there are occasional opportunities to get creative and today I got my sandwich groove on. A baguette smothered with mayo, sliced green beefsteak tomato and kamaboko. Stop making faces. It's good. The kamaboko with it's soft sweetness and the crisp, yet moist, green tomato is a yummy combination. The Kewpie brand mayo alone would be heavenly in this "fresh from the bakery" baguette. You know this bread... crunchy brown on the outside and fluffy goodness inside. This is the bread that smells like you personally baked it yourself.

The bottom tier holds some fruit and a Jack O Lantern cut sweet potato. Shout out and thanks to gamene for the cute pumpkin cutter. And since it's almost Halloween, here's a cute Pekochan lollipop!

Basket bento boxes confuse me. Instinct tells me not to pack bread in the basket but somehow it turn outs okay. I should do some experiments using the basket on other items and share my findings. I'll add that task to my long "bento box to do list".