Bento #5

What I learned in Family Law today:
"Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same." - Oscar Wilde
And apparently you are suppose to give back the engagement ring if the engagement is cancelled... Should have picked that up in Contracts but maybe I was in la-la-land for that part...

Today's Bento Includes:
Left Tier
Apple Slices (oops, didn't soak them, so the surface oxidized while I was preparing the rest of the box)
Suspicious group of Almonds
Cheese Slices
Grilled Turkey Burger (sliced)

Right Tier
Ham Flowers
Rice steamed with Assorted Veggies**

**Microwave Magic:
I use a lot of mixed frozen veggies in my cooking. They are pre-cut, will not go bad, and the coldness deters my (four) cats from pawing the pieces around. For this Bento, I threw some frozen rice and frozen veggies in a bowl, sprinkled a little bit of water on top and zappity zap zapped it (uncovered) for 2 min on high. The carrots will come out on the tender side but all in all not bad for 2 min and 30 seconds of work and you don't have to chew as much.

Magic Tip - Pre-cook and Freeze Your Rice

This is mostly for those who don't the time to cook/clean during the week and still want to bring lunch (horray bento!) to work/school for health or economic reasons. 

My rice cooker can churn out about 5 cups of cooked rice (about 2 cups uncooked) in 30 min. I portion them into 5 one-cup wads by lining a cup with Saran wrap (any microwavable plastic wrap will do), stuff the rice and pat down firmly before folding the wrap over it. 

Then I put the wrapped wad in a zip-lock bag to lock in the moisture and throw them in the freezer and hope to the Blind Io that I don't forget about them when I run out of cookies to pack instead. 

When I'm ready to put it in my bento, I just zap it in the microwave for 2 min, stuff it in my bento box and be on my merry way...

Magic Tip: Granulated Chicken Stock Instead of Salt!

A Wizard Did It:

Granulated chicken stock is basically chicken flavored MSG. It is a panacea to all of your lacked time, experience and patience; it makes everything you cook taste flavorful without excessive saltiness; and it might just be the best thing since Galadriel refused the One Ring. 

How to use:

Just like using salt, I add it to beef, chicken, fish, pretty much anything I cook. It can also be used to make soup, stew and maybe a very small granulated chicken stock castle. You can add this a lot more liberally than you can with salt but add in small doses and stir it around before tasting. Yes, I still add a pinch of salt sometimes but the stock brings out the flavor of the food itself rather than a distinct saltiness.

Where do I get this?

I generally use a Chinese brand (pictured above). I've tried the Knorr ones and found it salty and easily clumped into a solid like kitty litter with even the slightest moisture.They are easy to find in international food sections of grocery stores and plenty of online stores carry them as well.