VERY SIMPLE TO MAKE! (And proof bento's probably cheaper than your school/ office cafeteria lunches :P) I basically cooked one of those packages of instant udon noodles , which cost about a $1.40 in most places :) Instead of leaving that powdered soup in the noodles, I concentrated it a little more and stuck it in a sauce bottle. I then sprinkled some flying fish roe on top. More on Flying Fish Roe I got about half a cup of the stuff for $3 at the Asian supermarket and froze it immediately (I mean, apart from sushi and onigiri why waste it all in one go?). It seems to freeze very well; for this bento all I did was chip off a piece off and let it defrost. Broccoli was frozen and is only about $1 a bag, if you buy the store brands :) The cuttlefish balls I had bought frozen from the Asian supermarket-- only $1.30 for 10 or so. I fried the cuttlefish balls with the broccoli and added a dash of teriyaki sauce. The mushrooms looked very odd, but I guess that's what I get for using canned ($1.19)... I'm not too happy with the mini toasts, I just couldn't think of anything else to stick in the middle-- any suggestions would be VERY WELCOME :) Kamoboko costs about $3.79, but you can always freeze half of it-- it's not like you'd use it all in one go, apart from the fact I usually end up making bento for myself and two others >_> As for Peach Bunny's Sister , I used the apple rabbit technique as demonstrated by Biggie at lunchinabox.com, only I simply peeled off the peach skin instead of cutting it off, with the peach's delicate texture. Note that I also had enough leftovers to make a second bento viewable in my photostream :)

I made this for dinner tonight, teriyaki chicken with roasted snap peas (also had bean sprout with soy sauce and butter but didn't look good on the plate). I got the recipe from Cooks Illustrated, a great magazine. They look at recipes with somewhat of a scientific eye, testing out different variations in ingredients and amount of the ingredients. They explain why certain variations work and don't work. Kinda like Alton Brown. The chicken (thigh meat with skin) was moist and the skin was crispy. The sauce was just the right balance between sweet and salty. The best teriyaki sauce I have come across. 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 medium garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons mirin 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch Combine the the soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan. Stir together the mirin and cornstarch until smooth and no lumps remain. Mix cornstarch mixture with the soy mixture. Bring sauce to a boil and lower heat to medium. Still occasionally. Remove the sauce from the heat once thickened (not too thick). For the chicken, position rack about 8 inches away from the broiler. Cut three diagonal slashes on the chicken skin. Place the chicken on a broiler pan (one that allows the fat to drip)skin side up. Broil until the skin is crispy and browned.