Nothing like getting the chance to share the bento passion/addiction/love with family. Laura, Jesi and Lisa Palmehn came over and we all headed to United Noodles to start the bento action. Can't tell you how excited I am that UN now has bento boxes!

It was just as fun introducing the Palmehn's to United Noodles as well. If you live in the twin cities area, like asian food at all, then it is a must! At least once!

Since Chinese New Year was about to start, UN had a lovely fellow creating couplets for customers. Annie got a chance to use her Chinese and he created a special couplet just for her. Very fun! And, Norby finally got an accurate chinese character for sword/concentration for his new racquet stringing business. Now he just needs to make the stencil.

Finally, we made it home and the ladies got to work making beautiful bentos. Hopefully we'll get a chance to do it again!

Laura's Bento

Jesi's Bento

Lisa's Bento

All packed up and ready to go:

Hello Kitty is very interested in Annie's lunch today. Could it be the tasty looking birdies? Hello Kitty is filled with some Veggie Booty and is looking at one container filled with cherry tomatoes, soy cheese birds with carrot wings, and some olives with some mini Bao. In the other container she spies some grapes and Rosemary Olive Oil Triscuits. I also threw in a Horizon Organic yogurt tube and a container of chocolate soy milk.

Quail Eggs! It's been a while since I've used them but I forgot how much I love them. On Lucky Sundae's flickr site, I saw her little quail egg mice and had to try it too. Very fun and, most importantly, Annie loves the way they taste.

Here is my mousey bento! Quail egg mice and salmon with soy and cheddar cheese flowers accompanied by a bed of Kalamata olives with heart filled tomato roses with raspberries and grapes.

I got to use my new pink sushi mold for this one. It was really so simple that I wasn't planning on photoing it but in the end, I liked the little frogs and bugs enough to snap away. California sushi roll with soy lady bug and frogs surrounded with sweet peas and a pig bottle of soy sauce accompanied by grapes, blue berries and a fruitabu fruit roll.

Norby started a new contract way out in the White Bear Lake area. The area is a little desolate in the restaurant way, so Norby has started packing bentos again. Much to his chagrin, I photoed his first one of the year too!

Ani has begun! She needed next to no help with all her own creativity and ultimate ocd packing skills. It was fun to watch her create her amazing first bento.

Ani's Bento! Spinach salad with carrot and cheese flowers, dipping sauce cup and dumplings accompanied by mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and apple stars and flowers with cheese dots.

All Packed Up

My "background" bento. So, I was "showing" Ani how to make a bento, but it turns out, she didn't need much in the way of showing, so I made my own! Apple flowers, mandarin orange, dumplings, sweet peas and a heart container of dried cranberries.