Mama Bento #3 sushi and ramen noodles

2 things I love a little to much, Sushi and spring rolls. I am out of fresh greens and rice paper, so sushi it is!

I made sushi with avocado, canned salmon, and match stick carrots. Also I have some mozzarella cheese,  green olives, and tomatoes on cute little picks. Believe it or not, you do not need one of those sushi rollers. Mine was lost in the move to this house. Since then I have used waxed paper to roll it. I know some people use plastic wrap. Just extend your thumbs out as you roll to help push the center and make sure it rolls tight.
The bottom tier is made of ramen noodles, yellow pepper slightly cooked, and mushrooms. This pack is from one of my coveted mini stock pile. There are no Asian stores where I live. The closest Asian market is about an hour away. So when I do go (with little ones in tow) I try to pick up plenty of things to try out, as well as the sauces, fresh vegetables, and fresh noodles I can only find there.

One thing I noticed with most of the instant noodle packs I get at the Oriental market, there is always a fat or oil pack with it. Sometimes a separate soy sauce or vegetable packet too. This one happens to have soy sauce. I also noticed that they have a slightly different smell, even without the packets added, than the ones we have here like Top Ramen or any of the other brands. Not that it is bad, it's just different.

I do wonder, what is the difference between exporting quality and normal quality? Do I really wish to know?

Today's bento is the only other bento I have had for a long time. This one is about 2 1/2 years old. I also got this from Bento TV. The original sticker on top wore off. This one is not dishwasher safe. So I turned off the heated dry and sent it through the dishwasher anyway. One day I will regret doing it.

I wish I could find another one like this bento. It is simple and for some odd reason Pork Chop wants it half the time. I know better than to give the minions 2 very different bentos at lunch though. That is why you see so many that are either the same or nearly the same size and shape.

Mama Bento #2 Yellow rice sushi

I must have been feeling my oats today! It only took me 5 minutes to get Clark out of the bath, dressed, coat, hat, boots, gloves and backpack on and out the door. I lost track of time and I did not want him to miss the afternoon bus. After putting a very fussy Porkums down for nap/quiet time, I made myself something. I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the yellow rice. I wanted sushi. Only I was pretty sure the yellow rice was not sticky enough. So I reheated it with a little bit of water and gave it a try.

Today's offering is yellow rice sushi with salmon, carrot, and red pepper (this would have been yummy with avocado too!). The veggies are carrot sticks, red pepper, and tomatoes. The bottom tier has 1/3 cup cottage cheese, plumbs (I think), carrot coins, and raisins. This ended up sitting for a little bit since Colonel Sanders decided she would like to be fed. I was afraid to drop food on her, so I waited till she was done eating and asleep enough for me to move. I was surprised how well the fruit kept the cottage cheese in place. Outside of the pieces touching it, nothing else had cottage cheese on it.

As you can see, the sushi came out pretty well. The only way I could get this to work was to make sure I rolled the sushi very tight and cut it double the normal length. As long as I did that, the rice stayed in the roll pretty well. Still, it was not very sticky. Next time I will be sure to have an avocado on hand.

This bento I have had for a while. Does anyone remember Bento TV ? Well, I got this bento from her. The more I think about it, I have had this one for 2 years (it spent most of that time packed in a box). I don't know if she still has this one, but she does have an Ebay store and you can always watch her movies on her site. She makes some simple things.