A Belated Birthday Bento

My daughter's birthday was last week, but because we went out that day, I didn't get a chance to make her a birthday bento. I had a blueprint and the tools ready, and it finally came alive today.

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The rice was shaped using a rice mould and the pink sprinkles are denbu.

The candles are made from carrots and cheese stuck together with thin, uncooked spaghetti.

The yellow sides are cheese, which shrunk a little bit during the process, thus you can see that there are gaps :( Should have used egg sheet instead.

Stir-fried veggies, beef rendang, blueberries (underneath) and cherries.

After taking pictures, I tied the box with a ribbon. My daughter REALLY enjoyed unwrapping it.

She cut the cake and shared it with us.

Apologies for including seven pictures in this post. It's extra special :D

Incy Wincy Spider

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Mr. Incy a.k.a. Spiderman is made of prune. No, my daughter didn't find it scary, and yes, she ate it all :D.

Old Mc Donald

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- Cow sandwich with milk jam filling.
- Spots colored using a black food-safe marker (which always turned greenish afterwards, urgh!).
- Strawberry fluff for the pink udder and snout.
- Black sesame seeds for the nostrils.
- Mustard seeds for the eyes.

Always Be My Baby

My daughter claims that she loves surprises, and she had been wanting for her birthday to arrive for months. She kept asking "Is my birthday here yet?" even on that very day, but I couldn't tell her because the plan was for the hubby to bring her out for a walk later that morning, while I did some decorating in the house. I tell you, having a 50 sqm. home and having your kid with you 24-7, made it VERY HARD to keep the preparations a secret; she noticed a box (which was her present) in the cabinet, she found the packet of birthday horns in my bag, and she was with me when I bought the  streamers. I made her a birthday breakfast and I also had a sketch all drawn for a birthday lunch, but we ended up going out. I still want to materialize the birthday lunch, belated it may be :D

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Marshmallow fondant, rainbow-layered, Hello Kitty cake. I was extremely nervous about this as I have only baked a birthday cake once before (for the hubby a few months ago, which looked like a normal cheese cake with candles), let alone a fondant cake. This didn't look like the way I envisioned it, but this was the best I could do considering all factors :D

The blue and purple didn't turn out right. I suspect it was because I was using natural food colorings.

*You will always be my Baby, no matter how old you are :') *

Muffin Galore

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Rice with cheese deco

Japanese curry topped with a slice of corn and a cucumber heart

Rice with carrot and mini grape deco

Salad with cucumber and mini tomato flower

Sliced oranges with a blueberry

Home-made peanut butter and banana muffin with strawberry cream cheese glazing

I have never tried baking muffins before, so I am glad my first try turned out yummy! The original recipe was gluten-free and nut-free, but I used normal plain flour and peanut butter instead of sun butter. Thank you Keeley McGuire for the simple yet delicious recipe! :)

Soboro Girl

Inspiration and ideas for this bento came from a true Japanese bentoist who I follow on Instagram (@harupopopo).  She has a website too but it is in Japanese and my Japanese is close to nothing. Her bentos are always cute and amazing!!! And how sweet of her to share how she made this easy and simple dish, which I later found out, called Soboro.

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Just for fun

I got a little bored yesterday afternoon, so got the knife and cheeses out and did this. My daughter watches the cartoon every now and then. 

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Bea is made using:

- Tortilla bread from top to tail using a template as a guide.

- Separate the hair, fins and tail out and spread some strawberry jam.

- Cheeses for the dress, headband and eyes.

- Nori for the smile and details on the eyes.

Random thought: Get kids panties which have pictures on the front of them; it will help when training them to put it on themselves.

Mr. and Mrs. Penguin

I came across a bento artist at HippoMom Bento.Cafe ( her work are truly amazing! ) who did a simple tutorial on how to this.

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I did this without prior planning, and I was a bit rushed, so I'm not completely happy with the outcome. Mrs. Penguin looks a bit sad, and a lot chubby, LoL! And the blueberries behind the strawberry are not visible! Sigh!

Little Red Riding Hood Breakfast

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Puss in Boots' Costume

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