Hello Kitty Bentos and Albertsons Giveaway Winners

I don't remember how and when Hello Kitty became Clarise and Cherlin's favorite. But it is and they really love anything Hello Kitty...from bags, clothes and toys to small stuff like hair and fashion accessories, as well as stationeries and key chains.

Since I started bento-ing, I've been trying to find Hello Kitty bento accessories, and so far, these are all I got...a sandwich box, sauce/side dish/snack cups and two cutters.

I found the cutters three weeks ago at Party City and I've been using it frequently since then. I guess the girls really enjoy seeing Hello Kitty in their lunch boxes that's why they request Hello Kitty shaped food almost everyday! 

Today, I'm sharing with you some of the Hello Kitty Bentos I made. Clarise and Cherlin loved them...maybe your little girls will! (^.^)

Bento #28:  Hello Kitty Mac & Cheese Bento

What's in it: Mac & Cheese, chicken nuggets, American cheese and fruit salad

This is just a simple chicken nuggets and mac & cheese combo. I just topped the mac & cheese with Hello Kitty face shaped white American cheese. I used regular yellow American cheese for the bow & whiskers.

Bento #29:  Hello Kitty Egg and Chicken Cordon Bleu Bento

What's in it: Fried rice with mixed vegetables, over easy egg, chicken cordon bleu and brownies

The girls really loved the chicken cordon bleu from Cherlin's party and they requested to bring it for school lunch last Monday. I packed it with mixed vegetables fried rice topped with Hello Kitty face shaped over easy egg. I used turkey bacon strips for the whiskers, green peas for the eyes and nose, and Chinese chorizo and corn for the bow.

Bento #30:  Hello Kitty Fried Rice Bento

What's in it: Fried rice with egg and mixed vegetables, fried Chinese chorizo and cathedral window

For this one, I molded the meat and vegetables fried rice into Hello Kitty face, and used carrots for the whiskers, green peas for the eyes and nose, and Chinese chorizo for the bow.

Bento #31:  Hello Kitty Sandwich Bento

What's in it: Ham and cheese sandwich, turkey bacon & carrots mini kabobs, and madeleines / chocolate

Here, I used the whole body Hello Kitty cutter to shape the sandwich. I tried adding a shirt for Hello Kitty, but I know I didn't do good. It kinda looked weird for me...but the girls said it's cute. I really don't know if I should believe them! What do you think?
 
And now, the winners of Albertsons giveaway drawn via random .org are...

#13 & #18, and they are...

...Ray of Wok with Ray and CatLee! Congratulations Ray and Cat!!! The wonderful people at Albertsons will be contacting you soon. Again, a BIG THANKS to Albertsons for this awesome giveaway!!!

Nilagang Pork Buto-buto (Pork Neck Bone and Vegetable Soup) and a Giveaway

This dish that I am sharing with you today is similar to Nilagang Baka (literally translated as Boiled Beef) which I featured here in February, the only difference is the kind of meat used. This one has pork neck bone (and I added ginger so this tastes a little like tinola) and this version is what I used to cook so often when I was in college. Not only is pork neck bone a lot cheaper than beef, it also cooks faster. But just like beef, pork neck bone also produces a very comforting soup which when served with a hot bowl of rice can be truly soothing! 

I am sure that you'll agree with me when I say that going away to college is a big step especially for those who have to leave the comforts of their own home. It means no more parents to keep after you to do your homework or to clean your room, and added responsibilities of being independent like having to do your own laundry, go shopping and cook for yourselves. I was lucky enough not to experience that during the first few months of college! Even though I went to a university which is a 3-hr boat ride, 2 ½-hr bus ride plus 20-min jeepney ride (approximately 87 miles) away  from home, I had my mom and my older brother with me, so it wasn't that of a BIG change for me. That time, my dad usually worked out of town during the week so my mom decided to just stay with us in Manila. We rented a room in a relative's house, and it was really good having my mom to do everything for us. But that didn't last long. My dad got sick around September and so my mom had to go back to the province. It was like a whole new world for me. Came with it was the responsibility of cooking and doing the laundry for me and my brother. I didn't know a lot of recipes that time, and with all my university activities as class president, OASES (Organization of Aspiring Students for Engineering Specialization) representative and Thomasian Engineer (College of Engineering newspaper) technical writer, I didn't have time to do experimental cooking, so I oftentimes found myself just buying food for us from McDonald's, Jollibee or Cindy's. And during days when we're almost running out of money, we contented ourselves with Lucky Me Instant Mami or rice with Filipino red hotdogs or canned foods like Century Tuna, Ligo Sardines and Argentina Corned Beef. After a few months of having those kind of food over and over again, my brother and I decided that we need something healthier and cheaper. We agreed to go to the supermarket and cook together on weekends (I must point out that he was just actually watching me cook), store cooked food in the ref/freezer and just heat it up in the microwave during the week. Pork Adobo, Chicken Afritada, Pork Steak, Pakbet Tagalog, Cardillong Isda, Filipino Sweet Spaghetti, Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce, Chopsuey and this Nilagang Pork Buto-Buto were among those that I frequently cooked. These are all easy to cook Filipino recipes that my brother and I both find so satisfying. 

But the Nilagang Pork Buto-Buto was my favorite. I can always adjust the ingredients to our budget. It can be as as simple as garlic, onions and potatoes and it can be as grand as this one with all the vegetables I want in it. I also like it because it takes almost no effort at all to cook this dish. You just put everything in the pot and let it cook. A very simple and yet so good and nourishing dish! For me, it felt like slurping the broth, and dripping a few drops of fish sauce and freshly squeezed kalamansi juice over the tender and flavorful meat sliding off the bone can take away all the stress of a typical day in college.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork neck bone, cut into serving pieces
• 1 medium sized onion, quartered
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, crushed
• 4 bundles baby bok choy, trimmed
• about 10 leaves of napa cabbage, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 20 pcs green beans, cut into 2 ½ inch length
• 2 pcs corn on the cob, each cut into 4
• 2 potatoes, quartered
• ¼  tsp peppercorns
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• Salt