new years' from the coast!

click to see full photo galleryHappy New Years' Eve from the glorious (and very stormy!) Oregon Coast!!

We arrived yesterday, car fully loaded with necessities, entertainments, and food (mostly food), in our beloved Oceanside. It was a beautiful afternoon, actually, quite warm and no wind at all, with some sun and clouds and the tide the lowest we've ever seen it here: out a good 300 yards or more. So after we unloaded the car, and had a little snack, we headed out to the sand to walk about a bit and explore parts of the beach that are normally underwater.

We spent the evening enjoying the chef's incredible and incredibly famous wings while we watched Pride and Prejudice. (The Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth version.) We'd bought it last year to watch at the coast, but ended up doing a marathon of Boomtown instead, so I've been looking forward to a P&P rewatch all year, and have kept the DVDs purposely unopened for that reason. A man who enjoys watching Jane Austen movies...he's a keeper alright.

Woke up late this morning to the promised storm well underway. Rain has been coming in sideways -- strong, strong winds from the south -- and the tide is super high, all the way up to the base of the bluff. Big swells, too. In short, I am in bliss.

It couldn't come at a better time. I won't be sorry to see 2009 go, and I am desperately hopeful that 2010 is a much different -- much better -- year.

Not just for me, but for all of us. Whether you had a good year or a bad one, or a mixture of various proportions, I hope all good and wonderful things for each of you, and that you may be as richly blessed as you have blessed me. With your friendship, your generosity, your support, your understanding, your wisdom, your laughter.

Not sure if the storm is supposed to continue all day/night, but if it's the tiniest bit clearer, we will head out to the beach near midnight with a bottle of sparkling cider to mark the New Year. For many, many reasons, it will be the perfect end and start, and though I don't put much stock in portents and superstitions, I'm hoping the symbolism of it will have some kind of mystical effect on my upcoming year.

So here I sit at the tiny table set beneath our little cabin's window, typing away on my next book, my story notes journal and iPod at hand, with a little plate of sesame sticks and yogurt raisins for a snack until we dive into a the plethora of cheeses for our smorgasbord lunch. I am grateful.

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

-- Gaelic blessing

Deeper still

Well, I lied. Decided to come into the office again today -- I suppose one more day not working on the Big Project O'Doom isn't going to make or break anything, though I'm freaked out about losing another day of progress. But my (electronic) piles on my desk aren't getting any shorter, either, so...into the office it is.

I have an eensy confession to make, btw. I...um.... Well, I think my bento thing is morphing into...A Thing. Like an addiction, maybe? I don't know. Because I now have in my possession a dozen wee cookie/veggie/cheese/whatever cutters of the most darlingest little shapes. And also! A half dozen slightly bigger wee animal-shaped cutters. Send help, you guys. I think I'm in trouble....

clockwise from right:

• Havarti dill and Cotswold cheeses cut into cute little animal shapes, on top of a bed of a few leftover basil chicken sausage slices (on top of a bed of the odds and ends from the cheese shapes) and Applegate Farms pepperoni slices
• the most adorable teensy Pinova apple from our organics bin, cut in half, on top of a layer of baby carrots, with sweet little carrot shapes for decoration (and snacking, of course!)
• Milton water crackers (I love Milton because they salt their water crackers very slightly, and it adds just enough to whatever you're eating with them)
• Fairchild tangerine with some terrifically delicious raisins from our bin delivery yesterday as gap filler
• orange juice in the drink bottle

My resolve not to get sucked into a bunch of bento gear is weakening. It was getting those two bento systems, dammit! Then it was, "oh, here's that cookie cutter thingie from my childhood, won't that make cute cheese stars to brighten things up?" and "oh, here are a few more flickr blogs to add to my list, what harm can it do to check those daily from time to time?" Next thing you know, it'll be egg molds, food picks, and colorful silicone cups in fun shapes. And then...more bento boxes! Heaven help us all.

A case of the Mondays

Late lunch today, thanks to meetings. The story of my Mondays.

We're headed to the coast on Wednesday for our (somewhat new) tradition of Winter Vacation. I have been looking forward to this trip for months now, and in the last 6 weeks, the thought of it has gotten me through many a long, hard day. This will be the first year we're able to be there for New Years', and I'm so excited about that I can hardly stand it.

Anyway, I don't expect to be in the office tomorrow, so this will probably be my only bento this week.

clockwise from right:

• risotto made with chanterelle mushrooms and peas
• Daisy tangerine wedges and a bit of sour cream chocolate chip cake (a holiday treat in my family)
• BBQ meatballs -- my grandmother would make these on Christmas Eve

I have to do something about the way the lights in my office completely wash out the light-colored food items. I mean, it's really my phone that's the problem, obviously, but still.

Bare fridge

Guess it shows that I've pretty much cleaned the fridge bare. And that I was putting this together at the last minute last night, after a very long (but fun!) day.

clockwise from bottom:

• Niman Ranch ham wrapped around havarti dill cheese, with some cut pieces of naan to make itsy little sandwich wrap thingies
• blanched broccoli and Daisy tangerine wedges
• Pinova apple slices with a wee satsuma at the center

This will be my only bento this week, as Sal is now on his winter vacation (YIPPEE!!) and I'll be home the rest of the week, so we'll be able to eat together. Plus, there's not likely to be leftovers with him eating (and cooking :). Influx of goodies coming from New Seasons on Thursday for our annual LOTR Extended Edition Christmas Marathon -- a holy holiday in this household -- so you may see a few odds and ends in next week's from that.

So anyway, not as exciting as previous bentos, but still delicious. And even on my worst day, I think it's safe to say my bentos will always be better than this. idek, you guys.

Any guesses about my favorite veggie?

Last of five days of trainings today, which I'm be glad to be finished with. I don't mind holding trainings for people, but it takes so much time and energy while the rest of my work pile continues to grow. Stressful enough regularly, more stressful since I'm still working on that big project with deadlines looming. (I can't remember if I said what the big project is, but basically, I'm completely rebuilding our billing system. So it's...kind of a lot of work.)

clockwise from right:

• hard boiled egg, carrot sticks, blanched fresh broccoli
• leftovers from dinner: part of a baked potato with broccoli and cheese
• left half: Pink Lady apple slices with Daisy tangerine wedges tucked under and around to keep things snug; right half: 3 sugar cookie halves (larger versions of the ones Sal made for Monday) with dark chocolate chips as filler...okay, not so healthy, but we all deserve a treat sometimes, don't we?

Falling in a little deeper

School lunch-ish again. And apropos of absolutely nothing, I have a spider bite under my eye, so my eye is all puffy and swollen. Blech. I'll be glad when this week is over.

clockwise from right:

• PB&J rounds (peanut butter, blueberry-marionberry jam on 9 grain bread) with macadamia nuts as gap filler
• more of those adorable satsumas with blueberries as gap filler, which are approximately the same color as the container so the pretty contrast in color is kind of lost here, especially with my cameraphone
• eggs with carrot shapes!
• half a Pink Lady apple, which is my favorite apple variety

Close-up of the carrots on eggs, since the 1st pic doesn't do their cuteness justice, imo.



Needs some green

Another mishmash, trying to use things up. That, and I was super tired when I got home, though I didn't work late. Instead, a friend and I went to the movie (more below) so I didn't get home until late. Fun times, but still feeling ick, so I just don't have a lot of energy right now. Meh.

But a good lunch is more important than ever, so. Kind of an inadvertent color scheme going on here, with all the orange/cream/brown going on. Random!

clockwise from right:

• two of the adorablest satsuma oranges that arrived in our latest organics bin and a teensy bit of Sal's most perfectest carrot cake (it has walnuts, coconut and pineapple, and sometimes raisins though not this particular cake, with cream cheese frosting and a wee marzipan carrot)
• organic vegetable soup*
• apple-spice chicken sausage, the last of the jasmine rice made in broth, and carrot sticks

*From a can. I keep a couple of cans of organic soups on hand for times like this, when I don't have the time/energy to make something for dinner, let alone lunch. Especially when I'm sick and there's a downpour outside -- soup is just the thing. Well, and I just eat a lot of soup anyway. God bless my Ms. Bento.

Long week ahead

In the office all week this week. Well, Monday thru Thursday, at least. And I've been sick since Wednesday, worsening over the weekend, but I can't really take any sick time because I have to do a bunch of trainings for our staff (hence the in-office time). So this week is going to suck, basically. Oh, and I'm just now getting to my lunch -- it's just been that kind of day.

But enough of my griping! Because there's always bento, and that's something to be glad for, isn't it? Yes, yes it is.

clockwise from right:

• garlic-herb crackers (cut in half to make them fit), apple-spice chicken sausage, cheese, hard boiled egg
• carrot sticks and honey-peanut butter dip in the small container, macadamia nuts, and my teensy sea salt container tucked in there
• wee sugar cookies garnished with vanilla-infused sugar that Sal made just for me (awww)
• half a granny smith apple

Kind of a mish-mash of stuff from the fridge. Time for groceries, probably, though I'm not sure when I'll get to it. At least I can do it in my jammies -- god bless New Seasons online ordering & delivery.

Italian birthday dinner

Definitely an Italian theme today, thanks to the (if I may say so myself) delectable dinner I made last night for ProcrastiGirl for her berfday.

clockwise from right:

• Spaghetti with a damn fine red sauce made by yours truly: caramelized tomato paste as the base, to which I added caramelized onions and garlic, sauteed mushrooms, tomato sauce, onion, green pepper, and toward the end, fresh basil and sea salt. The caramelized tomato paste turns a deep, deep burgundy, so the overall sauce looks more like a BBQ sauce than a marinara, and it has a little sweeter flavor, too.
• fresh mozz on a bit of romaine with a few slices of baguette
• simple salad in homage to the Italian flag: green=romaine lettuce, white=Marcona almonds, red=dried cranberries
• off to the side is a teensy container* of balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil for a simple vinaigrette for the salad -- can't get more Italian than that!

*I know everyone uses those special sauce/condiment containers made specifically for bento, either the squeezy clear animal-shaped ones or the colored ones in the shapes of animal faces. They seem to take up way too much valuable space, imo, and I rarely need a sauce/condiment anyway, certainly not in those quantities. Instead, I went to Storables and got a couple of teensy containers from their bath sundries travel section meant for pills and small quantities of liquids. The one shown here is perfect for things like a vinaigrette, since I can just make the exact quantity I need right in the container and shake it up to emulsify, or squeeze ketchup into it or whatever. I have another even smaller one for sea salt or other seasonings. Both of them together cost me less than a buck.

Breakfast for lunch

Haven't made a bento for a few days, hence the lack of posts about them. I figured you guys could probably use a break from them anyway, eh? ;) Today has kind of a breakfast theme, as I'd been craving breakfast-y stuff last night for dinner.

clockwise from right:

• teensy little blueberry pancakes, with blueberries as gap fillers; took me a few tries to get the right size that would fit, turns out a not-quite-full tablespoon of batter is the perfect size pancake for the container...so there are many here, but they're snack-sized
• mushroom-cheese-basil omelet, which turned out quite delicious
• steamed asparagus with sea salt
• dried cranberries (little container) and Marcona almonds
• water bottle in the background...too bad I didn't have any OJ

T-day, we hardly knew ye

I think this will be the last of the turkey leftovers. Without resorting to turkey salad, woot woot! (Or turkey croquettes, which a friend posits is the real last resort of T-day leftovers.)

clockwise from right:

• turkey wraps again -- Turkey with romaine lettuce in sun-dried tomato wraps, though this time with a little different spread. Friday's spread was fresh dill aioli that I sort of made. But I much prefer cream cheese as a spread for a wrap, especially with turkey. So I cut up a bunch of fresh dill again and mixed it with cream cheese for the spread.
• my Patented* Dill Potato Salad with a few pieces of broccoli as filler
• truffle-filled chocolates -- handmade by Sal during the "civilian" class he taught yesterday
• Marcona almonds in the little container with the chocolates
• fresh mango

*Okay, not really "patented", and really just a variation (read: simpler version) of German potato salad: boiled potatoes (skins on), lots(!) of fresh dill, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt. The nice thing about this potato salad vs. a regular German potato salad is that it's not just vegetarian-friendly (no bacon), but vegan-friendly (no sugar). (I mean, obviously there are lots of great natural substitutes for sugar, but since this version doesn't even need sugar, it's that much simpler.) And since there are no eggs or mayo as in a traditional potato salad, you don't have to worry about it going bad in warmer weather. In fact, I rather like it served when it's still warm, though the flavors do intensify to a yummy level after a day or two...you just really can't go wrong with it no matter when you serve/eat it. Plus, far healthier than a more typical potato salad!

Bento note to myself today: "Dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Quiet Strength, Discipline." ~ Unknown

This quote comes from a time when I was a believer, but it still speaks to me as a reminder of what I want to be, strive to be. The grace I wish to have, and to reflect outward.

Prettier in person

Wow, my camera phone just doesn't take good food pics. Well, it doesn't take good pics, period, but especially doesn't take good food pics. This was bright and colorful on a bright surface, but it sure doesn't look it, does it? Oh well, trust me, it was quite appealing in person. :)

clockwise from right:

• wraps -- turkey (still working through those leftovers), romaine lettuce, fresh dill aioli (made it myself! sort of), in a sun dried tomato wrap
• carrots, broccoli, and fresh mozz
• fruit salad (same as yesterday's, still delicious)



Summer in winter

Lots of color today. The beautiful clear skies must have me in mind of summer, though of course that biting chill wouldn't fool anyone. :)

clockwise from right:

• jasmine rice made with broth instead of water (so lots of yummy flavor!) with cubes of leftover turkey
• fruit salad: Rainier apple, D'anjou pear, banana, tangerine, and Cara Cara red navel orange, tossed with a bit of pineapple juice to keep it from going brown
• caprese salad: fresh basil, mozz, and heirloom variety cherry & grape tomatoes

Late getting to eat today, so I'm glad I had this to look forward to!

School lunch

Kicking it old school today. As in "school lunch", which is my theme today. Well, only a theme after the fact -- I didn't actually come up with that until I'd finished putting it together last night. The truth is, this is just random stuff from the fridge, since we don't have a lot of groceries in the house. Rather ironic, since I just had a grocery delivery a week ago, but of course that was all for Thanksgiving. Anyway, god bless peanut butter, is all I can say.

clockwise from right:

• PB&J rounds -- peanut butter and marionberry-blueberry jam on 7-grain bread, cut out with a biscuit cutter so it would fit in the box (scraps were part of my dinner last night ;); the jam is homemade from berries picked on Sauvie Island this summer (given to us by one of Sal's coworkers)
• carrots leftover from Thanksgiving snack plate and a small container of the ubiquitous peanut butter/honey dip; the carrots accidentally froze when the fridge got too cold over the weekend, so the dip in this case is very necessary for edibility
• hard-boiled eggs
• lemon curd (leftover from the crepes on Friday) with "fresh" blueberry smiley face; blueberries were picked this summer (also at Sauvie Island) and frozen while fresh, given to us by the neighbors when Sal took over one of his pecan pies