Bigfoot

151 plus food writing books. In a fit of insanity, I created an ordered list of all of them with commentary about each and photos of my new kitchen bookshelf here on my blog. Lots of packed lunch (bento-style & non), kids stuff, and some Japanese-language cookbooks.

Thanks, smallworld! The takoyaki tutorial is a popular one.

At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I've got a takoyaki recipe and step-by-step tutorial on my blog here.

Leftover Japanese chicken curry with rice and rakkyo pickled scallions. Here it is assembled donburi-style, nuked and ready to eat: I packed it to go in a microwave-safe donburi bento box I picked up in San Francisco's Japantown -- pretty cool. Full details and a review of the box are on my blog.

For Turkish food, I like The Art of Turkish Cooking by Neset Eren.

A new Emile Henry lasagna dish to replace the one with a crack in it. Too mundane? Maybe a nifty double oven with both convection and microwave built-in so I can free up some counter space...

Okay, this is classic! I'll have to do something like that on April Fool's Day! Thanks for the laugh.

Spanakopita, crisp Fuyu persimmons, teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs (Aidells brand), hummus sprinkled with Aleppo pepper, and vegetable sticks of carrot, cucumber, red and yellow bell pepper, and snow peas to dip in the hummus. Morning prep time: 4 minutes, using leftovers. Details at my blog.

If you go to the restaurant supply district in Osaka (and Tokyo, to a lesser extent), the prices are negotiable if you play your cards right. I've negotiated for knives in both districts much like you can negotiate in the Osaka electronics district: ask a clerk how much each product will be, show them that you'll pay in cash (important for a stronger bargaining position), and wait for them to pull out the calculator and figure out your discount. If you make faces at their first offer and act hesitant, sometimes they'll reduce the price even further (it helps a lot if you can speak Japanese and sweet talk them, of course, but I bet you can act this out effectively).

Pork and Chinese spinach gyoza with dipping sauce, purple kale with garlic and red wine vinegar, curly leaf lettuce, black Corinth Champagne grapes, and a peeled fresh lychee. Morning prep time: 12 minutes. Kale recipe, preschooler and husband dinners, and detailed packing notes are at my speedy packed lunch blog.

Pork and Chinese spinach gyoza with dipping sauce, purple kale with garlic and red wine vinegar, curly leaf lettuce, black Corinth Champagne grapes, and a peeled fresh lychee. Morning prep time: 12 minutes. Kale recipe, preschooler and husband lunches, and detailed packing notes are at my speedy packed lunch blog. (Edit: Just realized I actually ate this for dinner instead of lunch -- anyone know how to delete a post?)

Thanks hummingbirdkiss!

My son and I had dolmas, slow-cooked salmon with yuzu miso sauce, plum tomatoes, tabbouleh, a bunch of tiny Champagne grapes, baba ghanouj and Hami melon. Morning prep time: 6 minutes, using leftovers and deli food. Recipes for the salmon and yuzu miso sauce, and detailed packing info here at my blog.

Yup, that's exactly what I have -- a squeeze bottle. I'll try it out with cucumbers -- thanks for the tip, Jason!

I had some leftover Japanese chicken curry from dinner, so today’s lunches are a Leftover Remake using the curry and frozen unsauced pasta: curry pasta. I packed curry gemelli with chicken, carrots, onions, potatoes and added broccoli. The fruit layer has fresh figs, half an apricot, blackberries and mango nectarine. Packed in 6 minutes. Full info on the curry, reusable hard plastic food cups, packing delicate fruit, and packing details is here if anyone's interested.