Little Treats

I recieved something in the mail that cheered me up a bit.

I love these things. They are authentic nail decals all the way from Japan. I wanted to add them to my current manicure, because I think they'd look pretty, but since I'm going to be working all week I don't want to ruin them. Definitely saving these for a weekend where I can really enjoy them!

Here is the back of the package. Of course I can't read all of it, but it's fun to look at.



Ugh, I really don't want to go to work. It's too hot out, and that means I'll melt. :( I'm really hoping we get rain and lower temperatures as a result. It's too early to have to deal with 90+ degrees!

Bento Time, Pt. 1: The Just Bento Cookbook Review

The tradition of bento is very old indeed. While it has been a part of Japanese life for a long time, it is just recently catching up in popularity here. It's easy to see why; many Japanese mothers make their children bento lunches as a beautiful, healthy display of love to be taken to school. Decorated bentos---charaben---are often used in school lunchroom competitions. The presentation of these can get quite elaborate.

Which begs the question: does a bento have to be fancy to be considered bento? Certainly not. A bento is simply a meal in a box. Bentos are not quite able to be lumped in with Western-style lunchboxes however. Bentos are packed and presented with a little extra care. The size of many bento boxes requires that some thought be put into how the different food items are arranged and prepared.

And while there is nothing wrong with the cutesy character-themed bentos, many working adults do not want or have the time to take to prepare these lunches for themselves.

The Just Bento Cookbook, by Makiko Itoh.
Mrs. Itoh is a Japanese woman, who has spent most of her adult life in the USA and Europe. This affords her a unique approach: the fact she has lived several places gives her not only knowledge of her native cuisine, but also what different countries have to offer and what they can and can't easily get for bento. Because of this, even her Japanese-style bento meals contain ingredients that are quite accessible. So far, I have had no issues, and I definitely do not live in a big city. She also lists substitutions one can make if the proper items simply can't be found.

The book starts out with Makiko's bento rules (such as one should never sacrifice taste simply because something is supposed to be healthy) and tips for making the bento process faster. Throughout the book are little text boxes with extra tips and comments.

There are 15 Japanese-style bentos, and 10 alternative style bentos (Western, but even French and Indian too!) Each bento starts with a full color picture, with the recipes of the ingredients featured next. It's important to note that while the finished bentos are in color, the other little pictures used to accompany some of the filler recipes are not. Personally, this does not bother me. The author then expounds on the theme and offers many variation recipes that you can switch out if you want to try different vegetables or flavors. Because of this, even though there are only 25 finished bentos, this book has a whopping 125 recipes! This book offers tips on what to put in your pantry for bento staples, the proper way to make authentic Japanese white rice, and the different types of bentos and supplies.
And if you need extra help:

Each and every bento has a timeline, to show you not only when to start on a certain item, but how long it should take. There are a few night-before steps for some of the bentos, but most of them take a mere 20 minutes or so to complete in the morning.

This is a bento cookbook like no other. It's obviously Makiko Itoh loves good food, and she has made that the focus of her book, instead of the frills that overtake so many other titles. This is the perfect book for novices to bento, who want to incorporate portion control and healthier eating into their lives, but not sacrifice taste. It's a wonderful "grown-up" bento book.
The true test of any cookbook is how successful the recipes are, and I am pleased to say that the many I have tried are delicious. Though to be honest, the plain white rice is too plain for me. I know it's a traditional part of the Japanese diet, but I'm a seasoning and spice kind of girl, and have to doctor it up a bit. I love cumin in my rice!

In short, by this book if you're interested in diving into the world of bento, but are more concerned with its health benefits than making really over-the-top decorated lunches. Highly, highly recommended.

Sukiyuki-style beef donburi bento.

Mini-hamburgers with carrot and cheese flowers, red onions, seasame-salted rice, and fruit.

Salade Nicoise bento (a seriously delicious French food made of hard-boiled eggs, potatos, tomatos, capers, olives, and tuna.)

Mediterranean Mezze-style bento...lamb/beef koftas, baba ghanoush, edamame hummus, pita bread, and vegetables.

Disclaimer: The Just Bento Cookbook, its content and photos, are all copyrighted Makiko Itoh, the publisher, and any other creators. The pictures used here are purely for the purpose of personal review and no copyright infringement is intended.

Book Review: Sew Kawaii!

I felt so unmotivated yesterday that I didn't put anything up in my blog at all; today, I am making two posts. Since the nail one was 99% images, this one will be an actual review.

Sew Kawaii!, by Choly Knight.
Once again, I apologize: Blogger has been acting up and keeps flipping my pictures even when they're supposed to be at the proper rotation. >_<

I was very excited when this popped up in my recommended products on Amazon. Anyone who really knows me, knows I love the cute Japanese style. However, it seems many products made by Westerners to fit this style don't quite feel "right"---something is off about them and they don't feel like items you would actually see in Japan. I'm pleased to say that isn't the case with this book. The items within are indeed very adorable and could easily pass as sewed goodies from Japan!

The book is divided up by: Key Chains, Storage Accessories, Wearable Accessories, Plushies, Clothing, and Home Decorations. Each project has a full picture of the finished piece, a list of materials, and step-by-step photos. Each project is rated on a level of difficulty (very easy to experienced beginner), which means even the most difficult project in the book is still very obtainable to someone who is still new to the art of sewing, so long as they've had a little practice. As a fun bonus, each project features a different Japanese word, the kanji for it, as well as the phonetic translation, so you can learn some Japanese terms that relate to the projects within. For example, a pig is buta (boo-TAH).

Things start off in the typical way, with a list of needed tools and materials. Don't expect to be able to make these without a sewing machine; you might be able to pull it off with the smaller items like key chains, but once you get into making your own hoodies and hats, you'll want to have that machine handy. Also, the material you make these out of counts. If you want something simple, go with felt. For a really nice finished item, make your stuffed animals out of plush fabric---they'll look like you bought them in a store.

One of my favorite things about this book, is that the author shows you how to achieve the tightly-stitched thread around the characters' eyes, mouth, etc.---a feature of many plushes and character goods that really lends it an authentic and very professional look. You'll be amazed how much more polished your items will appear, just by including this one little step.

The projects are sooooo stinkin' cute. This is one of the easiest ones: a tiny dumpling key chain. You can easily accomplish this with some felt and a needle and thread. (Though to get the proper stitching around the mouth and eyes, you will need a machine...but you can easily forgo this and sew it by hand for a more "handmade" look)

Jellyfish purses!

Zombie kitty hat!

Angel bunny poncho. All clothing items featured have patterns for sizes S-M, M-L, and L-XL.

Octopus plushies! These are one of my favorite things in the book. Seeing one on the cover is partly what made me decide to buy this. I'm happy to say it was a rare case where judging a book by its cover proved to be correct.

Of course, my favorite project of all (and the most difficult) is this seriously awesome sushi quilt. This project is especially challenging and fun because you have the added need to shop around and figure out which fabrics to use with which sushi roll. You can really play around with the patterns and colors here---notice how a brown, swirled pattern was used to effectively mimic the appearance of a unagi (eel) roll in the bottom corner. I need this quilt in my house someday.

At the back of the book are the patterns for each and every project. Many of the projects have variations. For example, the author will give a pattern for a character hat, then offer several options to customize it, such as a kitty, bunny, or fox. Some craft books, and many Japanese ones are guilty of this, rely on only diagrams. The first part of the book will have only pictures of the finished items, then the back of the book contains boring black and white patterns with directions, leaving you to figure things out. If you cannot understand by looking at a plain diagram you'd be in trouble. The actual photos in this book that show important steps make things much easier than those traditional books.

I would recommend this book to those who are interested in beginning to sew, but want something a little cuter than normal beginner sewing books. Obviously this would be a perfect choice for anyone who loves the kawaii/Japanese culture. The projects in this book range from being useful (cell phone cases) to simply decorative (pillows) but each one is well-done, looks very professional, and would no doubt bring joy to whoever has or receives them.

Disclaimer: Sew Kawaii! and all of its content and pictures are copyrighted Choly Knight, the publisher, and any other creators. Pictures used in this review are for personal reasons only and no copyright infringement is intended.