Adventures in baking (and two bentos)

Yesterday I had a lovely time in the kitchen which resulted in a lot of yummy foods for D to take to work with him for the next few days and also a deliciously easy dinner. First off was corn bread:


At the store they had one lonely little silicon mini-muffin pan, and I couldn't just leave the poor thing there, so I bought it. To justify this, I made mini cornbread muffins for D to take to work to have with his chili for dinner. I used blue corn meal since that's what we have in the pantry (and have been trying unsuccessfully to use up) and the last little bit of milk that was verging on past it's prime. I admit, I expected them to be a disaster, but they actually came out amazingly well and the silicon was wonderful.



Next I made Broccoli Bites from a recipe I found in one of my never used cook books called Seasoned With Love: A Collection of Pastoral Wives Favorite Recipes. I'm sure you can see why I never use it. This book, frankly, terrifies me, but I keep it so I have something to go to when the mother-in-law stops by for dinner.

(Forgive the dirty stove!) I was a little disappointed with this recipe because I thought it would be more...casserole-like and less quiche, but never the less it was tasty. The bottom was a little soggy, but I attribute that to using a glass pan and it being an egg recipe. Other than that, though, it was firm and very cheesy. Ameon and D both loved it and it didn't last very long, though I did put aside some of it for D's lunch. I'm going to include the recipe because this is a tweaked version and the recipe in the book was hard to follow on this. The recipe was originally for artichokes.

Artichoke Bites

One 6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts

      or 1 c chopped broccoli

1 finely chopped onion (I used half a medium onion and it was more than enough)

1 large clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt (I left this out and it was still pretty salty from the cheese)

2 c grated cheddar cheese

4 eggs, well beaten

1/4 tsp dried oregano

Measure 1/4 c marinade from artichokes. I used 1/4 c Italian dressing instead. Pour into medium skillet and discard remaining marinade (or save for something else). Chop artichokes, or broccoli if using, into half inch pieces. Heat marinade in skillet and cook onion and garlic (and broccoli, if using) until soft, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, stir in onion and garlic mixture. Add cheese then artichokes. (At this point I imagine you're supposed to add the oregano and salt, the recipe doesn't say.) Combine well, then spoon into buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Bake in 325F oven for about 30-35 minutes or until set. Let cool, then cut into squares. Remove from pan to store.

And after all this baking and running around the kitchen, it was time to fix D's lunches and get them ready for the next day. Now, part of my New Years resolution was to get better at making lunches for him, and while these two still aren't as picture perfect as I would have liked, I'm still feeling pretty proud of them.

First is this one. Tortilla wraps with spinach, smoked turkey, cream cheese and cheddar; Schwan's Italian style meatballs (because they are yummy) and little tomatoes. I meant to stick some green bell pepper in there, too, but I forgot. Also, I found that little fork at JoAnn's, two for a dollar. I thought they were adorable and perfect for spearing meatballs, but D was not as impressed.

This is my favorite bento box! This one is the broccoli bites with, again, tomatoes, and mini bowtie pasta with corn, carrots, peas, and red pepper (another fine Schwan's product).

And then for dinner on the overnight I packed a can of chili and a few corn muffins, but that's not terribly interesting to look at, so I didn't snap a picture.