Author Archives: eclecticlamb

What are Wagashi? Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets usually served with green tea. Most of the ones I made here are in the Nerikiri style. Traditional Nerikiri Wagashi are soft and smooth. They are made by hand from rice flour and … Continue reading →

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I made this cute leprachaun for myself. I mostly followed this idea. To see all of my St. Patrick’s / Ireland themed food, please go to my collection. Container: Wooden box purchased in Kyoto at Bento&co. Contents: Leprechaun … Continue reading →

I drew Saint Patrick on a quesadilla! It was a fun meal for myself. Every year I think I will make a themed meal with the Saint but it never happened until now. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Saint Patrick – drawn with … Continue reading →

I made this shamrock pesto pizza meal for myself. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side:  Shamrocks – pesto pizza cut with a cookie cutter Top Right: Shamrocks – orange and white cheddar cut with a cookie cutter Bottom Right: Mandarin oranges

I made this easy lunch for myself. The cheese decoration is supposed to be a Celtic knot. Container: Prep Natural Glass Meal Containers Left Side: Celtic knot – orange cheddar cut with a knife, rice with roasted zucchini Right Side: Pineapple, pumpkin seeds

I made this camel chip and hummus snack lunch for myself. Container: ELB Snack Boxes Contents: Palm Tree – zucchini cut with a cookie cutter Camels – tortilla chips – flour tortillas cut with cookie cutters, (place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking … Continue reading →

I made this Hinamatsuri (Girls Day Japan) lunch for myself. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Emperor – garlic mashed potato with spinach and radish details, painted with green food coloring mixed with water, Empress – garlic mashed potato with spinach and radish details, … Continue reading →

I made this as part of dinner for myself. Will March come in like a Lion and go out like a Lamb? This proverb to describe the weather in March amuses me. It was fun to celebrate the idea of … Continue reading →

I made this potato whale lunch for my Mom. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Top: Whale – garlic and Asiago cheese mashed potato cut with cookie cutter, Eye – dried blueberry, Ocean – blue mashed potato Bottom Left: Blackberries Bottom Right: Macadamia nuts

I made this meal for myself as part of my emoji rice series. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side:  Heart Eyes Emoji – cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a round emoji cookie cutter, cheddar cheese broiled on top of rice. Eyes – radish … Continue reading →

Happy Groundhog Day! I made this meal for myself on the same day that I made a lunch with polenta hands for my friend Deborah. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Top: Groundhog – polenta cooked in vegetable broth – cooled then cut with a … Continue reading →

My Dad ate this potato and cream cheese penguin for lunch. He did not know what it was supposed to be but he said it tasted great. Both my Mom and Dad independently turned the lunch around and though it … Continue reading →

I made this easy lunch for myself. I also ate the waffle scraps not shown in this photo. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Top Left: Greek yogurt with sprinkles Bottom Left: Walnuts Right Side: Waffle cut with a cookie cutter, radish slices

I consider this blog my scrapbook of the past 9.5 years. I made this lunch for myself to represent this time in history. A year ago I owned no masks and now I have many. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side:  Mask Emoji … Continue reading →

I made this snowy lunch for myself. So far this year we have less snow than usual. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Snowflakes – cream cheese piped (imprint in potato with cookie cutter, cut corner off of small plastic bag and pipe … Continue reading →

I made this simple meal for myself. Happy New Year! Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: 2021 – Carrot (cut with cookie cutters), rice with peas and cheese Top Right: Mixed nuts Bottom Right: Pomegranate seeds

I made this pesto pizza tree for myself. It was delicious! Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Tree – homemade pizza dough cut with a cookie cutter, pesto, Star- yellow bell pepper cut with a mini cutter Top Right: Hazelnuts Bottom Right: Cotton Candy Green Grapes

I continued my challenge to find ways to use my angel cookie cutters. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Angel – cooked and mashed carrots inside an angel cut-out (cookie cutter), cheddar mashed potatoes Top Right: Pistachios Bottom Right: Angels – mango cut with a … Continue reading →

I made this angel lunch for my Mom. As usual, she enjoyed the meal! Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Angels – Cheddar cheese, tortellini, cherry tomatoes, spinach, black olives, olive oil and red wine vinegar Top Right: Pistachios Bottom Right: Raspberries, blackberries

I made this Turkey themed cheese quesadilla for my Dad. I was inspired by this. Body: Apple Eyes: Raisins Nose: Carrot (attached with spaghetti) Feet: Carrot Feathers: Cheddar cheese quesadilla, carrot sticks

I made this for my friend Carol on a summer evening we had dinner in her yard. When I make themed pizza, I like to make several themes at once. I gave this to her as planned leftovers for the … Continue reading →

I made this salsa rice Daruma for myself for a workday lunch. Container: U Konserve Contents: Daruma – Nishiki rice mixed with a little salsa shaped with plastic wrap, cheddar cheese, radish, spinach, grape tomatoes, blueberries, edamame

I made this odd looking Tanuki meal for myself. I am fond of Tanuki; the animal and folklore versions. Container: Wooden box purchased in Kyoto at Bento&co. Contents: Tanuki – homemade firm polenta cut with a Teddy Bear cookie cutter, spinach, black sesame … Continue reading →

Happy Halloween ! This is my collection of Halloween themed meals. JACK-O-LANTERN Cheese Jack-O-Lantern Mashed Potatoes Jack-O-Lantern Quesadilla Jack-O-Lanterns Calzone Jack-O-Lantern Pizza Jack-O-Lantern Orange Jack-O-Lantern with Fruit No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Jack-O-Lantern Potato Blintzes Jack-O-Lanterns Scrambled Eggs Jack-O-Lantern Polenta Jack-O-Lantern … Continue reading →

I made this lunch for myself on the same day I made the Mushroom meal for my Dad. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side: Frankenstein – cheese cut with a cookie cutter, painted with food coloring and water, paprika details put on with a … Continue reading →

I made this for my friend Renae on a night we meet for an outdoor dinner and walk. She likes Halloween and is used to my making themes ahead so she did not question that it was the end of … Continue reading →

I made this fun and colorful lunch for myself. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side:  Sugar Skull – Nishiki rice shaped by hand with plastic wrap, broil cheddar cheese on top then decorate. Eyes – spinach cut with a cookie cutter. Nose – … Continue reading →

I made this meal for myself on the same night I made this for my friend. Container: U Konserve Contents: Horses – Nishiki rice shaped with a horse shaped rice mold, Sriracha flavored sesame seeds, Asian Cabbage Salad (I did not use … Continue reading →

I am thrilled that I now know how to make homemade tortellini! I made pumpkin tortellini for dinner with my parents at their Lake House. When researching how to make it I found directions for squares or circles. I decided … Continue reading →

Awhile ago, I had some leftover dill cheese and thought it would be fun to make elephants. I enjoyed eating this simple meal. Container: EasyLunchBoxes Left Side:  Elephants – Dill Havarti cheese cut with a cookie cutter, Eyes – smoked paprika, brown … Continue reading →

When I was a child, a friend’s grandparents had peacocks. For a long time, I had a beautiful peacock feather that they gave me. I am a little surprised that this is my first time making a peacock out of … Continue reading →

I made this lunch for my Dad. There was no reason for the theme other than my continued quest to use new cookie cutters. I did not realize that he prefers red grapes to green so he shared some with … Continue reading →

As part of my CSA share, I can pick 2 pecks of apples from their orchard. When I checked-in to get my apple bag, the woman said, “Have fun!” It was my first time apple picking solo. I took some … Continue reading →