Japanese Bento with a Southern Twist

• Crowder Peas (from our garden!) and Tasso
• Sliced Cucumbers (from our garden!)
• Onigiri with Furikake
• Sliced Fresh Peaches and Strawberries (from our garden...just kidding!)
• Red Globe Grapes
  

"Gee, I coulda had a V-8!"

We don't have to worry about having a V-8 we pick enough veggies to full fill our daily intake. So far we've had our share of:

• Corn
• Crowder Peas
• Cucumbers
• Green Beans
• Green/Red/Yellow Bell Peppers (Orange are ready to be picked!)
• Purple Hull Peas
• Tomatoes (Cherry/Creole/Grape/Hybrid 444/Roma)
  

Since we've been getting a lot of rain (29.78 inches since January 1, 2007) some of our Veggies have "boo-boo's" on them but are still tasty.

According to the San Francisco-based WeatherBill Inc., a study published in May of rainy cities had Lafayette, Louisiana ranked at fifth, with 62 inches as the average annual rainfall and having 55 average annual rainy days.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks..

R and I saw this commercial the other night and laughed hysterically. Hopefully we won't catch Buddy or Bruneaux doing this in the house! Speaking of B&B I took these pictures the other day on our camera on B&W setting. I have to admit I haven't really studied my camera instructions/manual. Maybe that's why my pictures don't look as nice as others out there. Of course, I don't know what setting the camera was on and I'm really bummed because these are probably the best pictures I've taken so far.

'Ole' Bento!

Today I have some leftovers from last nights supper. I made Pork Enchiladas but since it's R's fave I left it for his lunch today.

First tier: Pork Carnitas (used in enchiladas) and Mexican Rice and a bottle of Tomatillo Sauce

Second tier: Fresh Roasted Beets (from Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge) and Sweeeeeet Roasted Yellow Peppers from our garden

Secret compartment (under lid): Three Mango Cream Sandwich Cookies

I start a 6-week knitting class tonight. D is going to teach us to knit socks, I'm excited! The class is from 6-8pm so I brought this for my snack. Butter Crackers, Pepper jack Cheese and Grapes.

Abigail at Bento Yum inquired about my Herb Lime Rice and the Eggplant recipe. I found this recipe at Chowhound and modified it with our herbs that we grow in our garden. Not only did I use Cilantro, I added Italian Flat Parsley, Basil and Mint. Very fragrant. As for the Eggplant I just sliced, drizzled olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper and put em' on the grill. Easy-Peasy! I find roasting any vegetable moves it up to another dimension. I roasted Green Beans awhile back and my stepsons B and M really enjoyed them this way which is hard to believe because they would not even touch them before.

'Olé!', in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, used to express excited approval, for example at sporting events. Possibly derived from Arabic w-Allāh = "by Allah!", carried over from medieval Muslim rule in Spain.

"Leggo my Bento!"

I grew up in Hawaii where Bentos are everywhere. In restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores. I bring my lunch to work everyday and snacks are my best friend. So, I always have snacks packed away for the Hodge clan in a tote wherever we go. I purchased the Pink Chrysanthemum set at Bento Yum. Here's my first Bento.

First Tier: Roasted Eggplant over Herb Lime Rice

Second Tier: Tri-Color Corn (from Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge) and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Compartment under lid: Fresh Sliced Kiwis

I realize my Bentos aren't as fancy-schmancy as the ones posted on Bento Lunches, but I figure with my Bento obsession I will soon be Bento Queen!

Off to work I go with my Bento!

Weather report for today..."Mostly Sunny", how about "Mostly HOT?"

I realize that it's 92 degrees (but feels like 107) and the humidity is 57% but I thought I'd post about this anyway. Last winter when it was nippy I knitted these skull caps for my two step sons B and M. I used Bernat Camouflage yarn in Outback and Mash. They also have Pink Camo! I'll have to knit one for A, my Sista-Friend in Seattle for this winter since she's been on my case since I've started knitting! I'd really like to learn to knit some of these Helmet liners/Neck Coolers for our Troops. Speaking of Troops I'd like to Congratulate my Kuya on his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve and my sister-in-law J to a Master Sergeant...well deserved.

A trip to Baton Rouge and the Dentist...

Well, the day-trip to Baton Rouge is a lot more joy than the dentist office. I was home last week for a few days due to a toothache and some dental work. I'd explain more but I'm afraid my tooth will start to hurt again! On a lighter note R and I took the dogs to Baton Rouge last Saturday for the day (before my tooth incident). We went to the Red Stick Farmers Market and bought veggies, fruit and some herbs plants. After we took the dogs to the dog park. As I mentioned here before, Bruneaux has the "little man syndrome". Well, at the dog park a Pit Bull aggravated him and Bruneaux started to growl and bark at him and was ready to brawl. I swooped Bruneaux up in my arms. Little does he know that the Pit Bull can eat him in one bite! The Pit Bulls' head is the same size as Bruneaux's body! My "little man" has some Cajun fire in his blood! Other than that Buddy and Bruneaux had a great time smelling and socializing with other dogs.

A "must stop" for us when we do go to Baton Rouge is a trip to "Death Valley". Well, that's another name for Tiger Stadium at LSU. R graduated from LSU and I do believe he bleeds purple and gold! LSU fans are very loyal and are die-hard Tiger fans. Mike the Tiger recently passed away. He lived his last years in great comfort.

Our final stop was at the LSU Hilltop Arboretum. We'll have to come back in early Spring when it's not quite hot. The dogs enjoyed their garden stroll! Bruneaux slept all the way home!


Oh, and check this out, the Arboretum has a Hodge Podge garden as well! It's where the Arboretum’s friends and fans have the opportunity to scour their gardens for plants in need of a new home. I would love this sign in our Hodge ~ Podge crop!

Hello Hurricanes and Good-bye Crawfish...

Well, today is the first day of Hurricane Season 2007 and the end of Crawfish season. R and I are going to a Crawfish Boil tonight. The Crawdads tend to be harder at the end of the season and we're hoping we won't have to use a lobster or crab cracker.

Being that it is the first day of Hurricane season, they already have named a second tropical storm??? As I mentioned here, this year should be busier than last year. Let's just hope we don't repeat the big K and R in 2005...

Anniversary

A year ago R and I said "I Do" at Oak Alley Plantation.

I woke up to this...roses that R has nurtured from our garden.

Isn't love grand?!

You say "Toe-may-toe" I say "Toe-mah-toe"...

Take a look at our first picked Creole Tomato!!! A while back R asked if I ever had a tomato sandwich. I looked at him confused. "Awwww, nothing like a home grown tomato, mayo, salt and pepper on some fresh white bread...you don't know what you've been missing...that's some good!" R said. So, that's what we made with our first tomato. I have to say it's quite tasty. We both had a bite of the tomato and let me tell you, nothing beats home grown.

K, R and I attended the premiere of Little Chenier at the Cinema at the Bayou Film Festival. Talk about a great movie. Little Chenier captures the lives, culture and meaning of the Cajuns. I'm Filipino and was raised in Hawaii with many different cultures and I truly can relate to heritage and traditions. I've lived here in Lafayette for 3 years now and Louisiana has many similarities to Hawaii. The Cajuns are like the Hawaiians staying with tradition and true to their culture. K and I had the opportunity to meet and take a picture with Chris Mulkey who plays the Sherriff of Cameron Parish. We realized how busy he was meeting and greeting everyone at the movie premiere, but he took a couple of minutes to chat with us. He is a genuinely nice man. If Little Chenier comes to your town it's a "must see" and I highly recommend it.

Bayou in our backyard

We got 1 1/2 inches of rain yesterday within several hours. If the rain continues we'll soon have to get us a Pirogue to get around in the garden. With the rain in mind hurricane season this year will be active...

Rub-a-Dub-Dub...

I'm on a dish/face/wash cloth kick. Basically, you can use this cloth for all three of these. I use Sugar n' Cream, Bernat cottontots, or Peaches & Cream yarn. All 100% cotton of course which feels like heaven on your face and body. I am planning to make these for Christmas gifts. Yes, I said it "Christmas"...only 218 days away, go here to get the exact time...

I'm just a Squirrel trying to get a nut...

Well the squirrels in our yard don't have to try to get a nut from us R feeds them dried corn. Check out the handmade squirrel corn feeder R made. It's quite nice that I have my very own "MacGyver"! Our corn in the garden is up to 6 ft. tall and hopefully the squirrels will be content with what R gives them. It's a blessing that the squirrels don't have to go through this to get a nut!

Sowing the Seeds of Love

All credit goes to R who has nurtured our plants from sowing the seeds properly. Look at what has appeared!

Tomatoes!

Bell Peppers!

I can't wait to pick fresh veggies from our garden and eat them! R and I are going here for some R&R. I can't imagine what will pop-up in the Hodge-Crop when we get back.

The Seeds of Love is the third album by the band Tears for Fears, released in 1989. The album reportedly cost over £1 million (UKP) to produce. It retained the band's epic sound while showing increasing influences ranging from jazz and blues to the Beatles, the last of which is extremely evident in the hit single "Sowing the Seeds of Love".