Back to School 2016

The boys are so excited for their first day of school in 2016. My eldest son goes to year 5 and my youngest son goes to year 2. They can't wait to see their friends again!
To make this day even special, I prepared these bento for them.

For my eldest son, I prepared :

1. Ham and cheese mini sandwich

2. Hard boiled egg with salt & pepper (decorated with cheese, carrot, and nori)

3. Cheese pillow puff with cheese and "Year 5" writing (made of carrot) on it

4. Corn on the cob

5. Lettuce leaves

6. Rockmelon cuts for recess

My youngest son had similar lunches, with "year 2" writing on the cheese pillow puff.

Bento tools I used for this post :

                

Yummy Bento

These are my kids favourite lunchbox filler. Many recipes use puff pastry, such as sausage rolls, mummy dog, and puff pastry rolls. 

For my eldest son, I prepared:
1. Scotch egg (recipe here) with herb mayo
2. Puff pastry rolls
3. Corn on the cob
4. Milk jelly with nata de coco
5. Carrot sticks
6. Green seedless grapes for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared:
1. Sausage roll with ketchup
2. Mummy dogs
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco
4. Carrot sticks
5. Banana for recess

Halloween-themed Bento

Halloween is one of my favourite bento theme and also the boys'. This time, I prepared hard boiled egg skulls, decorated with nori. And for the mummy-dogs and creepy finger pastry, you may find how to make them here.

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Hard boiled egg skull
2. Mummy-dog
3. Creepy finger pastry
4. Corn on the cob
5. Milk jelly with nata de coco
6. Broccoli and cheese
7. Segmented orange for recess

I prepared the same ingredients using different type lunch box for my eldest son, and it looks totally different :)

Egg Witches Bento

The holiday is over and the boys are ready to enter term 4.  We start the day with our first Halloween-themed bento, the Egg Witches bento. 
I've prepared the mummy-dogs and the creepy finger pastry the night before, so I don't need to rush in the morning.

To make the mummy-dogs, I wrapped sliced puff pastry around the Kransky cheese, and baked them until the pastry cooked and turned slightly brown. And for the creepy fingers, I cut the puff pastry in triangular shaped, then rolled it one by one until it formed like finger, and then baked them until it turned  slightly brown.  After it cooled down, I brushed a little red food colouring in the pointy bit of the pastry like fingernail.

Details as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Mummy-dog
2. Creepy finger
3. Corn on the cob
4. Ghost egg witch (hard boiled egg and nori)
5. Jack O'Lanterns (carrot with nori)
6. Apple cuts for recess

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Mummy-dog
2. Creepy finger
3. Corn on the cob
4. Jack O'Lantern egg witch (hard boiled egg and nori)
5. Jack O'Lanterns (carrot with nori)
6. Kiwi fruit for recess

Similar bento tools for today post :

Indonesian Fried Pastry (Pastel Goreng)

If Spanish people has Empanadas, Indonesian has their own version, called pastel goreng. Pastel goreng (Indonesian Fried Pastry) is fried pastry filled with vegetables, egg and chopped meat. Best to serve them with sweet chili sauce. Recipe is below :

PASTEL GORENG (Indonesian Fried Pastry)

Ingredients:

Pastry :
250 gr flour
60gr butter
60ml cold water
1/2tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 egg

Filling:
Oil to fry
Boiled potatoes, finely chopped
2 Carrots, finely chopped
100 gr minced chicken
3 garlic, finely chopped
1 pack of dried vermicelli (dip it in hot boiled water)
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Instructions :
1. Prepare the filling first. Heat oil and fry the garlic until fragrant.
2. Add minced chicken & carrots. Fry until the minced chicken and carrots done.
3. Then season with salt, pepper and sugar.
4. Add vermicelli and potatoes, then for last one, add hard-boiled eggs. Mix well and leave aside to cool.

For the pastry :
1. Mix the flour with butter, egg, and salt.
2. Knead well and then add water little by little. Let it rest for 1/2 hour. Then put a tablespoon of oil and knead again until smooth.
3. Roll the dough into paper thin. Cut the dough into circles 8 cm in diameter.
4. Take a tbsp of filling and place in center.
5. Fold pastry over to make half circle and crimp at edges.
6. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Pastel goreng
2. Carrot sticks
3. Apricot balls
4. Milk jelly with nata de coco
5. Banana for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1.  Pastel goreng
2. Carrot sticks
3. Seedless red grapes
4. Milk jelly with nata de coco
5. Apple cuts for recess

For the Christmas themed ring decoration, I used :

Mummy Dogs

These mummy dogs were made of sausages wrapped with slices of puff pastry, then were baked in the oven at 180° C for around 25 minutes. I put black sesame seeds for the eyes.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Mummy dog
2. Corn on the cob
3. Siomay
4. Broccoli and cheese
5. Milk jelly with nata de coco
6. Rockmelon and banana cuts for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Mummy dog
2. Corn on the cob
3. Ham and cheese pinwheel
4. Siomay
5. Broccoli and cheese
6. Carrot slices
7. Milk jelly and nata de coco
8. Banana for recess

Saucijs Brood

Saucijs Brood is a Dutch version of sausage roll. Here is the recipe :

Saucijs Brood

Ingredients :
2 sheets of reduced fat puff pastry, thawed
1/2 egg yolk, beaten

For filling :
1 Onion, diced
100 g beef mince
100 g chicken mince
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, diced
100 ml non fat milk
2 eggs, beaten
100 g cheddar shredded cheese
1.5 tsp nutmeg
0.5 tsp pepper
salt to taste
optional : 4 hard boiled eggs (to put in the middle)

Method :
1 . Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2. In a bowl, mix the mince, diced onion, egg, garlic, cheese, nutmeg, and milk. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumbs and again mix well.
3. Wrap up the mince in the puff pastry, put two of the hard boiled egg in the middle, brush with beaten egg yolk. Repeat for the rest of the ingredients, and bake at 180C for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

PS : you may put shredded carrot as a "hidden treasure" in the ingredients.

I used the leftover for the kids' school lunches.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. saucijs brood with tomato ketchup
2. Corn on the cob
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco
4. Carrot sticks
5. "Rabbit" apples for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. saucijs brood with tomato ketchup
2. Corn on the cob
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco
4. Carrot sticks
5. Kiwi fruit for recess

I used these tools to mold the jelly :

Apple Pie bento

Each box consists of :
1. Apple pie
2. Corn on the cob
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco
4. Banana for recess


This apple pie recipe is my kids' favourite, and so easy to make. Using store-bought puff pastry for a shortcut, here is the recipe :

INDIVIDUAL APPLE PIE
makes : 4 pcs

Ingredients :
1 pcs store-bought puff pastry (I'm using Pampas brand) - divide into 4
1 pcs Granny Smith apples - divide into 4 and dice
4 tsp of castor sugar
Cinnamon powder

Method :
1. Get 1 part of a quarter of puff pastry, prick with fork, then line a quarter of diced apple on top of the puff pastry.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and a teaspoon of sugar.
3. Fold the other half of puff pastry to cover the side with apple on it, and seal the edges.
4. Repeat the process for the rest of the puff pastry.
5. Bake in preheated oven 180C for about 30 minutes or until turning brown.

Banana Chocolate Cheese Puffs (Molen)

It's been nearly ten years since my last time ate this delicious snack. Before, every time I went to Bandung (one of big city in Indonesia), I always bought this pastry for home. It is Indonesian banana chocolate cheese puffs (Molen Pisang Keju Coklat). Luckily I found the recipe in the internet, and tried to make them myself. It tastes pretty good. I think I should roll the dough more thinly though.
Here is the recipe :

Banana Chocolate Cheese Puffs (Molen Pisang Keju Coklat)

For the dough :
500 gr plain flour
1 egg
20 gr unsalted butter
10 gr salt
15 gr castor sugar
200 ml cold water

For the filling :
4 pcs bananas, micro for 20 sec, cut to 10 cm
50 gr cheddar cheese, cut like banana
Nutela (as needed)

Extra :
2 egg yolk + 1 tsp honey, mix together - for glazing

Method :
1. Mix the plain flour, egg, butter, salt and sugar altogether until well mixed. Pour in cold water bit by bit until the dough unsticky. Leave it for 15 minutes in the fridge.
2. To prepare the pastry, flatten with rolling pin and cut into square shape - 10cm x 10cm. Add in filling at the centre of each square
3. Fold in as if you're folding an envelope, cover the centre part with a little square pastry to seal.
4. Brush with egg yolk & honey mixture.
5. Arrange on a lightly greased cookie pan
6. Bake in preheated oven of 180C for approx 15 minutes until turning brown and cooked.

Here are the bento I prepared for the kids using some of the leftover. Details as below :

For my eldest son, the bento consists of :
1. "Tiger" molen (I used cheese and nori for the tiger)
2. Corn on the cob
3. Hard boiled egg
4. Chicken dumpling
5. Carrot sticks
6. Banana for recess

And for my youngest son, the bento consists of :
1.  "Frog" molen (I used cheese and nori for the frog)
2. Corn on the cob
3. Hard boiled egg with carrot "flower"
4. Chicken dumpling
5. Carrot sticks
6. Kiwi fruit for recess

Japanese Girl and Garden Bento

I prepared leftover fried rice for my eldest son. Meanwhile my little one asked for finger foods that easy to hold, so I prepared puff pastry with smoked salmon, sour cream and dill.

Here the details for my youngest son lunches :
1. Puff pastry with smoked salmon, sour cream, and dill
2. Potato patties
3. Ham "flower"
4. "Rose" carved carrot
5. Kale leaf for baran
6. Kiwi fruit for recess

And for my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Fried rice
2. "Japanese girl" Fried egg (with nori and crab stick)
3. Potato patties
4. Ham "flower"
5. Broccoli
6. Rockmelon cuts for recess

Puff Pastry Bento

I made 2 versions of snack using (store-bought) puff pastry. Using store-bought puff pastry can really save your time in the kitchen. The first version was twisted puff pastry with tomato ketchup and cheese. The other version was puff pastry with smoked salmon, sour cream and dill.
The boys had bananas for recess.

The bento box consists of :
1. Puff pastry with smoked salmon, sour cream and dill
2. Twisted puff pastry with tomato ketchup and cheese
3. Tamagoyaki with salt and pepper
4. Crab sticks
5. Kale leaf for baran

Leftovers Bento

Two different bentos using leftovers in my fridge.

Details as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken, leek and mushroom pie (recipe here) with BBQ sauce
2. Carved carrot, crab stick.
3. Tamagoyaki (egg-rolls)
4. Corn on the cob (with Carrot "flower", black sesame seed, and dill)
5. Kale leaf as baran
6. "Checker and rabbit" apple cuts for recess

And for my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Smoked salmon, sour cream and dill pinwheel
2. Corn on the cob
3.  Carved carrot, crab stick and corn flakes
4. Tamagoyaki (egg-rolls)
5. Kale leaf as baran
6. "Checker and rabbit" apple cuts for recess

Spring Bento

I always love spring time, when flowers start to blossom and butterflies fly around the garden. Even though it's autumn now in Australia, I tried to capture that moment in my bento.

Details as below :

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken and vegetables parcel with "leaves" eggsheet and "butterfly" crabstick
2. Half hard boiled egg
3. Carrot sticks
4. Milk jelly and nata de coco
5. Banana for recess

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken and vegetables parcel with "flower" (cheese, carrot, black sesame seed) and "leaves" (eggsheet) on top.
2. Half hard boiled egg
3. Carrot sticks
4. Milk jelly and nata de coco
5. Rockmelon cuts for recess

Bento tools I used for this post :

  

Tuna Bake and Rice Cracker Bento

My boys have different taste buds. My eldest son is more adventurous, he's willing to try something new, while the youngest is quite the opposite. Unlike his big brother, he is not really fond of eggs, but he loves smoked salmon so much. Every now and then, I try to introduce him broader options, and with bento lunches, I find it easier to do that.

For my eldest son, the bento consists of :
1. Tuna bake (puff pastry, tuna, capsicum, button mushroom, and cheese)
2. Corn on the cob
3. "Party clown" hard boiled egg (egg, nori, and carrot)
4. Carrot sticks and green unseeded grapes
5. Segmented orange for recess

And for my little one, the bento consists of :
1. Cruskits rice cracker with sour cream, smoked salmon, and dill
2. Corn on the cob
3. Carrot sticks and green unseeded grapes
4. Banana for recess

Similar bento tools I used for today post :

Pretty Gardens

Simple, easy to make and fast bento for the boys. I prepared the bacon & cheese scrolls the day before for snacks and kept the leftover for their school lunches. Just spread tomato ketchup, sliced bacon, and cheese over puff pastry. Roll and cut it to around 2.5 cm thick, and put it in the oven at 180 C until golden brown.

Details of the lunches, as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Bacon & cheese scroll, decorated with bow tie pasta
2. Corn on the cob
3. Tamagoyaki
4. Mini carrot cake with bow tie pasta on top
5. Sausage and cheese
6. Broccoli and carrot sticks
7. "Rabbit" apple for recess

And for my little boy, I prepared :
1. Bacon & cheese scroll, decorated with bow tie pasta
2. Corn on the cob
3. Tamagoyaki
4. Mini carrot cake with bow tie pasta on top
5. Sausages and cheese
6. Carrot sticks
7. Kiwi fruit for recess