Eclectic Lamb

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 white beans and are often filled with red bean paste. Wagashi are made to represent the seasons.

What are my imitations? I decided to make food that looks like Wagashi but are really savory food. My bird, flower, and balls on a stick are cheddar cheese mashed potatoes. Green has finely chopped fresh spinach leaves. Yellow has tumeric. Red has tomato paste. Purple has Butterfly Pea Flower powder.

Why I made these? Inspired by Fukuyadou Honpo (Kyoto Love Story) drama I watched on Amazon Prime in the winter. The drama is set in Kyoto at a traditional Japanese sweet shop. I only have a little experience eating actual Wagashi and not the Nerikiri type I imitated here. I used one potato and ate these as part of my dinner.

How to make? Probably the most difficult part is getting the mashed potatoes the correct consistency to shape by hand. I got lucky with these (I did not add butter or milk). But I have experience with shaping mashed potatoes. The strawberry is covered with Greek yogurt. I also include a spinach pancake leaf with potato ladybug at the end of this post.

My Spring Potato Wagashi Set:

Bird – Cheddar mashed potatoes with Butterfly Pea Flower powder, candy eye

Hanami Dango – Green – cheddar mashed potato mixed with finely chopped fresh spinach leaves, White – cheddar mashed potato, Pink – cheddar mashed potato with tomato paste, wooden skewer cut to size

Flower – Cheddar mashed potato with tomato paste, Center of Flower- cheddar mashed potato with tumeric, Leaf – spinach. Use the side of a chopstick to press into a mashed potato ball to make the petals. Make an indent in the center with the larger end of a chopstick.

Strawberry Daifuku – Strawberry dipped in plain Greek yogurt. Freeze.

Leaf with Ladybug – Leaf – pancake with finely chopped raw spinach, cheddar mashed potato ball, Ladybug – cheddar mashed potato with tomato paste, black sesame seeds, black food coloring

Dishes: The small leaf and flower plates are from Natural Kitchen (100 Yen store in Japan).

I enjoyed making this Wagashi set for spring. I am already thinking about ideas for the other seasons.

Examples of Wagashi for each month.

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 – hummus in a silicon cup, spinach, carrots, black olives, dried blueberry, radish, walnuts, shamrocks – cucumber cut with a cookie cutter

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 food coloring markers, cheddar quesadilla

Top Right: Dry roasted edamame

Bottom Right: Orange

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 spray, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp)
• Walnuts
• Hummus

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, painted with red food coloring mixed with water, snow peas, radish flower cut with a cookie cutter

Top Right:  Dry roasted edamame

Bottom Right: Greek yogurt mixed with raspberry jam, strawberries cut with a cookie cutter

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 upcoming spring with this themed meal.

Lion: Sweet Potato cut with a cookie cutter, roasted in oven

Lamb: White Potato cut with a cookie cutter, roasted in oven

Grass: Pesto made with fresh basil, lemon juice, walnuts, Asiago cheese

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 cut with mini heart cutter. Mouth – spinach cut with a mini cutter, peas

Top Right: Walnuts

Bottom Right: Pineapple

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 cookie cutter, Shadow – smoked paprika, mashed garlic broccoli 

Bottom Left:  Orange slices

Bottom Right:  Hazelnuts

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 was a dolphin.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Penguin – blue mashed potato cut with a cookie cutter, cream cheese, Eye – dried blueberry, peas

Top Right:  Macadamia nuts

Bottom Right: Blackberries

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 – cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a round emoji cookie cutter, cheddar cheese broiled on top of rice. Eyes and eyebrows – spinach. Mask – cheddar cheese, spinach leaves

Top Right: Hazelnuts

Bottom Right: Clementine

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 shapes, blue mashed potato

Top Right: Macadamia nuts

Bottom Right: Blackberries

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 cookie cutter, blueberries

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 next day.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side:  Sheep – homemade pizza dough, cut with a cookie cutter, sharp cheddar cheese, Eye – pistachio, Feet – black olive attached with piece of spaghetti, pistachios

Top Right: Flowers – radish cut with a mini cutter, broccoli

Bottom Right: Sheep – apple cut with a cookie cutter (dipped in water with lemon juice to prevent browning), blackberries

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 seeds, radish, carrot cheddar cheese, black beans with salsa

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

Rice Jack-O-Lantern 

Cheese Ball Jack-O-Lantern

Polenta Jack-O-Lantern

GHOST

Brie Rice Ghost

Rice Ghosts

Cheese Ghost Taco Salad

Ghost Quesadilla

Ghost Pizza

Apple Ghost Salad

WITCH

Pumpernickel Sandwich Witches

CANDY CORN

Candy Corn Cheese

Candy Corn Quesadilla

BAT

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bat Sandwich

Pumpernickel Bat Sandwiches

BOO

Boo Eek Sandwiches

Cheese Boo

SPIDER

Spiderweb Pita with Hummus

Bread Spider

Spider Web Quesadilla 

Black Beans and Sweet Potato Spider Web

BLACK CAT

Sandwich Black Cat

Black Bean Black Cat

SKULL

Sandwich Skull

Pizza Skulls

Tortilla Chip Skulls

FRANKENSTEIN

Cheese Frankenstein

TRICK-OR-TREATING

Domino Costume Sandwich

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 toothpick, Brown Rice and Wild Rice Pecan Stuffing (I used vegetable stock.)

Top Right: Pistachios

Bottom Right: Blackberries

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 August.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Witch – white cheddar cheese lightly painted with food coloring and water, Moon – orange cheddar cheese, lentils cooked in broth, black beans, carrot stars (cut with mini cutter), Asiago cheese and fresh spinach leaves (under the lentils)

Top Right:  Pumpkins – cinnamon sugar homemade tortilla chips (cut flour tortilla with cookie cutter, brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.)

Bottom Right: Cantaloupe and Blackberries

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 – radish cut with a cookie cutter, Teeth – almond slices, peas

Top Right: Pistachios

Bottom Right: Mango and blueberries

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 cilantro)

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 on circles. It was actually quite easy to make and delicious!

Dough: I made my favorite pasta dough and cut it with a round fluted cutter.

Filling: Roasted pumpkin mashed, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper. I followed these directions to form the tortellini shapes.

Sauce: Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Garnish: Maple Pumpkin Seeds

Spinach Salad: Spinach, apples, toasted walnuts, blue cheese with a Dijon vinaigrette (Dijon, vinegar, olive oil)

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 rice, purple cauliflower (CSA)

Top Right:  Hazelnuts

Bottom Right: Elephant – honeydew melon cut with a cookie cutter, mini chocolate chip

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 food. It was a concept on my mind for a long time. I made this peacock quesadilla for my Mom’s lunch.

Peacock Body: Zucchini (a different type from my CSA)

Feet and Beak: Carrot

Eye: Dried blueberry

Feather on Head: Parsley

Feathers: Spinach Garlic Pesto tortilla quesadilla with cheddar cheese, carrot, pimento stuffed green olive slices attached with spaghetti

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 my Mom.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cactus – Havarti dill cheese, tortellini, cherry tomatoes, spinach, black olives, olive oil and red wine vinegar

Top Right: Pistachios

Bottom Right: Green Grapes

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 photos and enjoyed myself on a beautiful day with loaded apple trees. It was easy picking.

I asked my parents what they wanted me to make with some apples. My Dad wanted an apple pie with a lattice top. We made the pie together at their Lake House. I made a basic pie crust, my parents peeled the apples with this, my Mom then cut the slices in half and plumped some raisins. I sprinkled the apples with some cinnamon and nutmeg. We did not use any sugar. I made a lattice crust and decorated with braids and some leaves cut with a cookie cutter. After about 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven, we had a beautiful pie.