knitting - new years resolution/project

i've decided that in 2008, i will be making 100 knitted hats for charity.
that averages out to about 8 and a third hats a month.
i'm sure i'll fall a bit behind while i'm in school, but i'll be able to catch up (and get ahead) in the summer.
because knitting dozens of stocking caps is what everyone loves to do during hot summer months!
but at least this time next year i'll know that i'll have helped keep several heads warm.

i've even gotten several yarn donations over at lj's own knitting community.
a special thanks to ucancallmeal, weezer140, and hiddentohru!
you guys really are wonderful, and this really takes a load off my mind.

now i just have to motivate and keep on track.
seeing as it's for charity, i'm sure i won't have too hard of a time, though.
and i'll be keeping track of the project here, too!

i'm excited! =D

bento - bento for two

i enjoy getting up each morning and making bentos for my boyfriend, but he's kind of a picky eater.
most of the time i just end up eating whatever i can find that he'll eat, as well.
however, once in a while, i get tired of his range of tastes and end up making two completely different boxes - like i did tonight.



as you can see, he likes brown and tan foods.
green things make him suspicious, and he has stated that red means danger. =}
so, his bento holds:
top tier: frozen corn and peas with salt, pepper, and some margarine for when he heats it up at work, wheat thins, and a couple espresso chocolates.
bottom tier: mini burgers, a small container of mustard, and four green grapes i really hope he eats. =\




my bento is blessed with:
top tier: grape tomatoes, a clementine, green grapes, an espresso chocolate, soy sauce for the sushi, and my chopsticks.
bottom tier: left-over sushi - california rolls, a spicy tuna roll, a spicy shrimp roll, and ebi nigiri - and wasabi for the sushi.

new reads, new treats.

kim over at girlrobot.net has one of the cutest blogs i've seen in a while.
it's filled with recipes, links, humor, and life tips, and if you act now, you can enter to win "A variety box of Asian/Japanese candy and snacks (including but not limited to pocky sticks, rice crackers, japanese gummy candy and other unusual japanese candy, etc)!!!"
who could ever want for anything more?
seriously people, check her out and sign up for her RSS feed while you're at it.
you might just get rewarded. =D

bento - meatball bun and noodles

top tier: buns stuffed with a meatball (that had been marinated in worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and minced garlic), laughing cow cheese (original), and sweet grape tomatoes.
bottom tier: egg noodles tossed in butter, salt, and pepper, and an extra tomato.
*not shown: a small baggie of wheat thins.

it's a little bland color-wise, but it's mostly left-overs from last night, and i'm out of snow peas (they're just too good!)
while it may not be the prettiest lunch, it was still really good (and plenty filling for me).

here's the recipe for the buns*:

ingredients:
8 meatballs (frozen or homemade are both fine!)
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp minced garlic
8 frozen dinner roll dough pieces, thawed (use white dough)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

directions:
- bake/cook meatballs according to directions or recipe (they don't need to be hot, just thawed/cooked.
- mix the worcestershire, ketchup, and garlic in a bowl and toss meatballs to coat. let sit while preparing dough.
- lightly flour your hands, a rolling pin, and the surface. roll a piece of dough into a flat circle, about 4" wide. spoon one of the meatballs into the center of the dough. visualize your dough piece as a globe -- pull the N and S points, and then the E and W points, towards the center and pinch together. you will have gaps in the dough to the NE, SE, SW, and NW. pull those corners in towards the center and pinch to seal the filling in. roll in hands to round out/ensure secure seams.
- place the bun, pinched seam down, on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes (or according to directions on roll package. i placed mine in the oven with a pie pan full of boiling water for 20 minutes, and they were perfect.)
- preheat oven to 375°.
- uncover/remove the buns. gently brush each with the egg and sprinkle evenly with toasted sesame seeds (toast your own seeds for best results).
- if eating immediately, bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. serve warm.
- if storing, bake for 12-13 minutes, or until a very light brown. remove from oven and let cool. freeze in a single layer - once frozen, you can store the buns in freezer bags. to reheat, thaw the buns in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 375° for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and let the buns remain in the oven with the heat off to ensure they are hot all the way through (drop the heat to 350° if using a toaster oven). you can also reheat straight from the freezer by baking at 300° for 10 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown (keep checking to ensure the buns don't burn).
makes: 8 buns.


*recipe was adapted from Cooking Cute.

bento - salmon and fried rice.

right: a simple fried rice with peas, corn, egg, and sesame seeds.
left: snow peas layered on top of biggie's slow-cooked salmon (i rubbed mine with hot chili sesame oil and sprinkled on sesame seeds before cooking) and little squeeze bottles of soy sauce and sriracha sauce.
*not shown: a plain yogurt cup and a small container of honey.

this bento turned out really well.
the salmon was perfect and the fried rice was a really nice compliment.
i'm definitely going to use the slow-cooked salmon recipe again - many times!

beginnings.

i have a journal over at livejournal, but that has more of a "o hai guys! this is what i'm doing today, lol!" type of vibe to it than anything with growth, so i figured i'd start a new one elsewhere for that purpose.
i do have to admit that this feels a little odd.
i've had my lj since i was in high school (not that i'm giving it up, mind you), so this feels a bit like i'm cheating on it. =}

i have a different goal here, though.
for one, i have a goal.
i plan to be making some improvements in and of myself (motivation, creativity, responsibility, etc.) and this will help me take note of progress or lack thereof.
i also wish to start new projects and hobbies and enforce previous ones.
i've decided to start getting into bento lunches for my boyfriend and myself, and i'll share that here.
i knit, and perhaps if i have a place to showcase this, i'll be more motivated to do it.
it may also help me keep track of recipes and such that i find, especially ones that i "modify", if i can post them.

anyway, here's hoping to new beginnings.