When the Cat's Away

The mice eat scallops!

With the spouse out of the country and girl insisting on salad (!!Iknowright??) it was a great opportunity to indulge in some expensive seafood. The boy was hoping for BACON wrapped scallops but honestly I don't know how you are supposed to get the BACON done without overcooking the scallops. Heck I usually overcook scallops without any complicating factors at all. But not this time. I cooked the BACON first, then managed to get a decent sear on the scallops without overcooking them at all. It was almost like a Christmas miracle.

The puree was an attempt to entice the Boy into loving squash by adding copious amounts of butter and heavy cream. Okay a little butter and a splash of half and half. Either way it didn't work. He still hates.



1. scallops with BACON
2. squash puree
3. some figs and a berry and dried cherries

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If You Give a Moose a Muffin

...that a mom bought at Wal-Mart, pretty much everyone involved will regret it.



1. inferior blueberry muffin
2. grapes
3. plum
4. magic disappearing chocolate

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Is that a professional sandwich?

What? This ol' thing? Why you flatter me Mr. Butler!




Sorry, it's the heat.

1. amateur sandwich with turkey, cheese and mayo on the most delicious sweet onion roll ever
2. grapes

I was about 1/4 of the way through this sandwich when a co-worker came in and admired it. That was a good reminder to take a picture. Blogging is HARD you guys!

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Pretty Pink Ume Soba - NOT Meat Strings

1. cold ume soba noodles with a little parsley (dipping sauce not pictured)
2. grapefruit with lime zest
3. Armenian cucumber chunks

The last time I packed cold noodles they were a pasty mess by the time I was ready to eat them. Thanks to Just Hungry I've learned that you need to wash the noodles, rinsing alone isn't enough. Of course the last time I packed cold noodles they weren't pink either. And didn't prompt Boo to ask "is that MEAT?".

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Marshmallows! Oh, and a sandwich.

1. turkey & cheese sandwich
2. raspberries & melon
3. M&Ms
4. marshmallow

Just another quickie lunch. But. See that marshmallow? I made that. Sunday. It's the last one (and a half). Who the hell knew? I had no idea it was so easy to make your own marshmallows OR that they would taste so freakin' good. I used Martha Stewart's corn syrup recipe (there's also one that uses egg whites) but only used 2 packets of gelatin because that's all I had on hand. I want to make these again and cut them into ghost shapes. Or maybe pumpkins and roll them in some orange sparkly sugar!

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Not Pumpkin Curry

1. chicken korma curry
2. rice
3. http://lunchbucketbento.blogspot.com/2008/05/lunch-bucket-o-curry.html
4. grapes
5. garlic naan (not shown)

Yeah, the curry? Not so good. I bought that same stupid Patak sauce that I didn't like the last time I bought it. And I still don't. Like it that is. You know what I do like though? La Fuji Mama's Pumpkin Palooza series. It's seriously awesome, nothing like that stupid korma, trust me.

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we’ll be playing and having fun

1. macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi
2. black beans
3. fruit salsa
4. coconut rice
5. papaya and grapes with a wedge of lime

I decided to make a nice islandy dinner for the kids to make up for going to Hawaii and not taking them and then not buying them anything while I was there. I'm nice that way.

The fish was prepared using Alton Brown's method - but I didn't use NEARLY the amounts suggested for the "crust" and still ended up with plenty. And I didn't use butter, because I didn't have any. How can it be that we have no butter? Un freakin believable. Did you hear me? WE HAVE NO BUTTER! Oh, sorry. Anyway.

The beans were a loose approximation of these beans only with canned beans instead of dried.

The coconut rice is just plain old rice but I subbed half of the water with coconut milk and sprinkled some toasted coconut flakes on top.

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The Best Laid Plans

I wasn't planning to take my lunch to work today. In fact, I planned to -not- take my lunch today. My co-worker had been dropping hints all day yesterday about a new soul food place that had opened up close by and I was jonesin' for some chicken and waffles. And sweet potato pie. And maybe some cornbread. And greens. Anyway, I thought if I didn't take lunch in it wouldn't take much arm twistin' and she and I would be hip deep in mac&cheese by noon and ready for a nap by two. It didn't work out that way.

My boy woke me up this morning - "Mom? I made you lunch. It's in the fridge. Love you - bye." Awwwwww, that's so sweet isn't it? Too bad I'm going to have to throw it away. I had plans you know. Get to work and within 10 minutes co-worker has mentioned smothered chicken and red velvet cake. I tell her I'm in. Decide to offer my lunch around, surely someone will want it.

Nearly lunch time and holy crap - US Marshals are here. What the hell? Am I in charge? Oh Lord I hope not. What do US Marshals even do exactly? And why isn't marshal spelled with two ls? Ended up not being nearly as bad as I thought. Race back to office. Co-worker who will now be known as Bitch says - "You know I think I changed my mind. I think I'll wait and go tonight with my family." I called her Bitch. She just laughed at me. Then I ate my lunch.



1. cream cheese rolled in ham
2. grapes
3. Babybel gouda
4. coconut Pocky

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These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

1. pickles rolled in cream cheese and sliced ham
2. brownie bites
3. mango and sliced strawberries with yogurt

Not only is this a delicious lunch it also has all the main food groups representin'.
Vegetable, dairy, meat, grain, fruit, dairy and chocolate. What more could you want? Oh, I know - you could want a cool Parasite Pals bento box to put it all it. Looks like it's your lucky day! You, yes YOU, have a chance to win one of your very own! Plus a carry bag! Click here to read more.

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Other People's Treasure

1. burger bites
2. tomatoes
3. grapes
4. mango
5. mocha mochi
6. brown rice onigiri
7. little bottle of tonkatsu sauce

If you've ever wondered what to do with a half-eaten hamburger ... well here ya go! Or you could be like normal people and just throw it away. Your choice.

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Strawberry Mouse Larceny

1. strawberries
2. grapes
3. peppered turkey
4. almond butter & apricot jam sandwiches
5. almonds


I am shameless. I totally stole the strawberry mouse idea from a winning entry in a recent Vegan Lunchbox contest. Here's a link to Sherilla's original entry. And here's a closer look at my mouse.





Note that Sherilla did a much nicer job AND her photograph is better. See kids? Crime never pays. But poetry does. Don't forget to Haiku that Blog!

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Forgive Me Mother

1. thin sliced roast beef rolled with havarti and green beans
2. tiny pepper stuffed with pimento cheese
3. strawberries with a little sugar underneath 'cause they aren't very sweet
4. grapes
5. dates with peanut butter

I have coveted my neighbors lunchbox. And truth be told I've also coveted her food. And her mother. And her new baby. But those are different stories. Today I'm just happy to be the owner of a brand spankin' new Parasite Pals Lunch Kit! There's another tier that fits inside and holds a fork and spoon that I didn't use today.



I know, it's great, isn't it?

Oh, and Mom? I hope I didn't hurt your feelings with that comment up there. You know I'm just being a smart ass. But seriously, she describes her mom as a "machine in the kitchen". A machine Mom, a MACHINE. And she apparently speaks Lao. But that's irrelevant. Maybe someday though you can explain to me exactly what the difference is between jealousy and coveting, because that's never been really clear to me. Love you!

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Turkey Burger - Yeah, You Heard Me

1. turkey burger
2. nectarine
3. grapes

So all the chicas at work have been passin' around some turkey burger recipe somebody got from Oprah. I assume Oprah the show, not Oprah the person. Anyway, it had apples and chutney and had been known to cause gastronomic apoplexy. Okay, I made that last part up, but still, the chicas were diggin' it, so I decided to make it. Except of course I didn't actually HAVE the recipe, but I try not to get bogged down with a lot of details.

I dumped this stuff in a bowl.

1 pound ground turkey breast
1 grated Pink Lady apple
1 big spoonful of mango chutney
2 green onions finely chopped
salt and pepper

And made it into 5 patties and cooked them in a lightly oiled non-stick pan on one side until they were nice and brown and then flipped them and when they got brown on that side I moved the pan off the heat and let them cool down a bit before I moved them.

The turkey mixture was really wet and I didn't think they would hold together, but they did, and I didn't really think they'd taste good. but they did. It's the chutney no doubt. We ate them on seeded buns with thin sliced onion and thick sliced tomato and a big slick of mayo to counteract the low fatness of it all.

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Aunt Jemima You're No Friend Of Mine

1. pancakes!
2. maple syrup
3. raspberries
4. mango
5. pistachios

My daddy taught me that white Karo syrup makes a fine topping for pancakes, or white bread, but that's another story, and it's a good thing too. Otherwise I probably would have spent my formative years pancake-less. See we didn't have maple syrup. We had honey, and sorghum molasses, and of course the Karo. And then there was the "pancake syrup" that tasted like poo. I remember thinking that if I could just convince Mom to spring for the Aunt Jemima all would be right in my pancake eatin' world. Well, eventually she did, and it wasn't. It was still nasty, only I begged for it so I had to at least pretend to like it. Years later I was offered a ladle of "hot maple syrup" on a waffle at a hotel buffet. Ohmylordamercy. Enlightenment.

Speaking of Nirvana, I finally managed to mail Mimi's Haiku that Blog! prize off to her today (hope you enjoy it Mimi!). To St. Thomas. That's Virgin Island St. Thomas for those of you that are geographically impaired. I won't be jealous, I won't! Anyway, sharpen up your pencils, it's almost time to haiku Mimi's blog, and please, don't be a hater. I'm sure she'd rather be here in Phoenix. Where it's nice and warm. Yeah.

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When Life Hands You Cherries

You eat cherries. Even if they were actually bought at a decent price rather than actually handed to you.

I'm in a bit of a transition around here. Those of you who actually know me (hi Mom!) probably know that the kids are gone for the summer. As much as I enjoy the down time it's always a little unsettling to have them gone. The worst part is that when they are gone I don't just miss them as they are, but as they were. Boy's sweet milky breath and soft curls and Boo's big belly man laugh and made up words. For some reason I don't think too much about the orthodontist appointments and stinky feet. Anyway, it's hard to know really what to do with myself without them here and it sometimes takes me a little while to fall into a rhythm. In the meantime, I will eat cherries and remember my babies.

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Barbecue in a Box

1. barbecued chicken leg
2. corn
3. one perfect apricot
4. strawberries
5. baked beans

I wrapped aluminum foil (decidedly not as cute as the printed stuff)around the "handle" end of the chicken leg ala Biggie and kept my little fingers all nice and clean. Now that's one sweet lunch packin' tip!

There's only a few hours left to Haiku that Blog! Remember all you have to do is write a haiku about Isolated Foodie. Post it in the comments here and you could be the winner of a brand new thermal lunchbucket. With stickers!

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Big Blue Burger and Sweet Sweet Cherry Love

1. famous blue cheese burger
2. cherries
3. mayo on the side
4. MYSTERY item

There was no discussion about our Memorial Day dinner. Big ass blue cheese burgers all the way. Luckily there was one left for my lunch today. Tragically there was no bacon. And the cherries oh my word the cherries - I could eat a bushel of that sweet sweet cherry love. As for the mystery item ... come back tomorrow, when all will be revealed.

There's only 2 days left to Haiku that Blog! Don't miss you chance to show DJM a little love and maybe pick up a sweet pink lunchbucket all your own.

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No Cook Lunch - Hold the Arbovirus Please!

People, I have been sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. Plague, I think. Or dengue fever. Oddly enough it didn't really affect my appetite, just my will to live. And to cook.



1. yogurt
2. berries
3. granola
4. tangelo

So I've been eating a lot of stuff like this. Oh, and tacos. Lots of tacos. You wouldn't believe how many tacos if I told you. So I won't.

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Move Along Here Folks, Just Move Along

Move along - there's nothing to see here. You've seen it all before.

Jamie Oliver's kick-ass goulash on egg noodles
my Phat Lunch peanut butter stuffed dates
strawberries

You may have noticed I'm still not making lunch for the spawn. I truly though they'd crack by now - come begging to me "oh please Momma please make me a lunch". Didn't happen. I can't help but wonder if maybe they just don't want me to pack lunch for them but are afraid they'll hurt my feelings with that truth. Maybe what seems nice and fun at home is just weird and embarrassing at school. Boo says that the lines are so long that sometimes she doesn't even get anything to eat at all and Boy says that the greasy cafeteria food makes him nauseated but the fact remains that they seem to prefer it to a packed lunch. At least for now.

In other news - don't forget to Haiku That Blog! Take another look at the totally awesome super cool prize that's on the line.

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Bagels & Berries

1. blueberry bagel
2. vanilla yogurt
3. granola
4. lots and lots of berries



How stinkin' cute is this little lunch bucket? Sugar Dog! Surrounded by donuts! It has text beneath the picture that says "A kind hearted blue dog with a weakness for sweets". I pretty much love it.

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