Hi I'm a southern girl from Atlanta, GA. Married to a wonderful Nordic man in south Finland. Hubby and I have two gorgeous little girls and we all live very well! I love being a stay at home mom and all the fun things that includes.
It's not all work of course! I have an intense love for bento lunches, dinner parties, tablescaping, cooking, and shopping!
Missy Lulu had her last playschool day of the year this year so she took bentos to her four lovely teachers. I hope they like them! I went Southern American Style with fried chicken drumettes, flaky home-made biscuits and cinnamon bundt cake! I added cucumbers, fruit and a couple of holiday picks to add color and festivity! The gift bento was packed inside a lovely cookie tin from America so it should stand out as something a little different! I spent wayyy too much time to get everything together ...like all night so I'm happily on my bento break vacation until leikkikoulu starts up again....or if I get any family request (^-^) !! Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Love KiKi
Hyvää Joulua, Merry Christmas!! Christmas time here in Finland is a wonderful place. It's a time to enjoy all the old traditions, especially traditional music. One of Missy Lulu's (and my)favorite television shows is called Mimmikoto...Chicks home.
The series of shows are a delight to the eyes and ears. The colors of the show are so vivid with most of the themes being about Eastern Finnish mythology and folklore. The music is sung by two sisters from Eastern Finland, and they (Pauliina and Hannamari) are the main characters. Their style of Finnish world music is both ancient and modern, it's a beautiful blend all around and perfect for this time of year. So Mimmikoto was my personal challenge to create for my holiday lunch feature.
In this holiday bento we have the girls of Mimmikoto in their traditional Finnish costume. I made the girls with egg sheet and cheese. The girls are standing in a technicolor world, just like the show! The background is rice dyed pink with pickled beet juice. I used cucumber shavings to separate the other lunch items, like chicken nuggets, beets, carrots, radishes carved like toadstools and boiled egg. For dessert we have fat, sweet grapes with lounging pink and white bunnies. I enjoyed making, and eating (^-^) this bento as I have NEVER done one for myself ever! I will do this for myself again too....one day! LoL!! Anyways Happy Wednesday, and Happy Holidays to you!
Down below I left the youtube link so you can see and hear Mimmikoto for yourself! Check it out!
Love KiKi
Today's holiday bento theme is the Christmas tree. I used a cookie cutter to cut out a spinach pancake (another Finnish speciality!). I used another tiny star cutter to cut out star shapes from the pancake and insert cheese star cut outs. I pan fried honey marinated chicken breast and sliced cucumber with my 3 in one spirooli. Next with strips of fruit roll up I made a ribbon wrapped Clementine orange. Juice and a chocolate treat completes the meal!
Missy Lulu has been singing this little tune for two weeks...except exchange most of the lyrics for "blaah, blaah, blaah, ring our little bells, We are Santa's helpers, it is Christmas time!" So the inspiration for the Christmas bell bento!
In this lunch we have ham and cheese tortilla bells, a carved apple,a ham flower and cherry tomato on a candy cane pick and a yogurt with a Christmas sticker. For dessert there is a coconut macaroon decorated with a fruit leather Christmas tree.
This was Friday's bento and for Friday's I like having pizza! Here we have pizza Friday with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus! I used heart cut outs to shape the take out pizza...It's a Finnish speciality pepperoni and tuna fish...don't ask, it grew on me! (^~^) Anyhoo, extra cheese form Mommy Claus's hair and hat puff. Santa has a cheese beard. This bento was a junk extravaganza (once in a while right!?) We have a sugary chocolate Rudolph the red nose reindeer! His nose is a cherry and his antlers are pretzel. Extra pretzels, edamame and juice complete this welcome to the weekend lunch!!
This was the bento sent with Missy Lulu on this past Thursday. I had been wanting to experiment with this tiny cup bento box for weeks and got the inspiration to try it! She had only oranges, grapes and super sweet slices of mango. With the fruit I added two quails egg arranged like a snowman! He is super tiny with a tiny red tomato hat and red crab stick scarf. I used my super super tiny Carl Craft face punch to make nori facial features and the tiny little buttons. I used the multi-functional bone picks for arms...sadly they did not make it home! Sniff, guess I make edible arms next time! As tiny as this bento was she still could not finish it completely empty. She had eaten the snowman and all her grapes, but only chewed a orange slice and didn't touch the mango!! Fine, treat for mommy then!!
Today our special guest is Bernard the Christmas Elf! He's head of design and development in Santa's toy workshop! He's also has a side job of keeping an eye on Missy Lulu; watching for good behavior and reporting to Santa how she's doing! "Yes, the elf on the shelf is watching you." I think say this eight times a day to my four year old these days. I love how it works too because whining haults INSTANTLY!!!
So today Bernard heads to leikkikoulu; they should have a fun day!
Our elf is a dyed chicken egg...I used the juice from a jar of beets, and left it to sit over night. Bernard's face is cheese with nori details. As sides we have tortilla teddy bears with hummus in the little green container. Bernard's "tools" hold a cherry tomato and edamame. Sweets are mandarin oranges and a maraschino cherry.
Thanks for visiting with me and I hope you all have a great rest of the week!!
Hei Hei Ystäväni
Love, KiKi (^.^)
Another holiday bento! Today Frosty the Snowman joins Missy Lulu at playschool! It's all been seen before(as far as my bento ideas..I'm still learning so it's best to just learn all the basics from all the best bento blogs I visit!) Anyways we have an Onigiri rice snowman with nori and carrot details.Oven baked chicken nuggets add some protien power. Steamed broccoli and carrot curls along with grapes and a Dora cookie make this a winning lunch for Missy Lulu I'm sure! (^^)!!
I love the color combination of red and white. While anything with polka dots attracts my immediate attention (and wallet(^~^)!!) Candy Cane stripes are a big favorite as well, taking top place during the Christmas season! Missy Lulu wasn't aware of what a candy cane was at all though?!! But no worries because #1 It's a candy and that's a VERY easy sell...yeah. #2. Being that candy canes are quite simple and lovely it appeals to my little visual diva! She says, "It's pretty and I'm going to eat it!" LOl!
Today's box holds a peanut butter and fruit leather "candy cane." On the candy cane picks are pineapple and cherries. Veggies and a couple of salami links accompany.
Here is yet another Santa Bento...as should be as he's a pretty big character of the holiday season! I made this lunch out of the same Tupperware box that is from the sushi party line. It's OK, but man, it was too expensive and I regret that I didn't by tons of cutesy tiny bento boxes from Japan instead...but I digress.
Santa is made from what is known as karjalanpiiraat or karelian pies/pasties. Karelian pies are made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice.These are usually store bought, (by me anyways!!) Next it's common to mix butter with boiled egg (egg butter or munavoi), and spread over the pasties before eating. It's yummy!
I have a spirooli 3 in 1 turning slicer that makes wonderful curls out of carrots, cucumbers or any tubular veggie really; so curls of something vegetable is a standby in every lunch. Fruit of a small tangerine and lovely red maraschino cherries are dessert! All done in about 10 mins tops!! (^.^)
Waking up this morning we got a little treat, Snow!!Yay! I need a little of the white stuff to get into the Christmas Spirit...because so far I wasn't feeling it!! Ha. Anyways after our free day because of Itsenäisyyspäivä I feel a little off centered, like it's a Monday,but it's not of course it's "What's for Lunch Wednesday!" And here is my 2nd contribution! (^.^)!
Here's momma and papa gingerbread...except they are wheat bread and cheese. I used ice cream sprinkles for the details, so I hope she doesn't think they taste off (cause back home they'll be a commin!)We'll see. Lunch also has a half of a carved apple, dried fruit, babel cheese and cherry tomatoes which she loves! Happy Wednesday everyone! Love Kiki!!
Happy Independence Day Suomi!! Suomi is (in the native language) name of the country we English speakers know as Finland! December 6th is a grand national holiday here and all stores and schools will be closed. There are patriotic speeches and prayer services in the local churches. Most celebrate by having a nice formal dinner and then watching the Presidential Independence Day reception on television. Anyone of note, and or of recent merit is invited to the Presidential Palace. These people of note all wear the very finest of ball gowns and tuxedo's and the finest Finnish chefs prepare a banquet of regional and international delicacies...which are all for the public to view. It's quite the enjoyable tradition I must say!
Missy Lulu has a special Suomi decorated bento for today's lunch. It's quite patriotic in the Finnish Blue and white. In it, she is holding the flag of her country and wearing forget me nots in her hair, which you can happily see in the fields summer times. Lunch is complete with a box of maito (milk) and fruit.
Welcome to the weekend! Had a great week this week, got some Christmas shopping done and made plans to have a girls night out next week!! Let the holiday festivities begin y'all!
Friday's bento has been inspired by our little red friend Elmo! I love his voice and if you youtube Elmo ABC's with India Ire you get a treat because it's best rendition of the ABC's you'll ever hear. It's Missy's absolute favorite and I can never get her away from the computer till she has hit replay 4 or 5 times.(Smh, Lordy!) But It's sweet and educational as well, so why not!
In today's bento we have a strawberry jelly Elmo sandwich with cheese, carrot and nori details.We also have a cherry tomato Elmo and a cup of veggies. A box juice and a banana rounds everything out!
Missy Lulu got a extra girly bento for today....and here in Finland, as well as everywhere else; all the girls love Hello Kitty!! I was also inspired by Bento mommy, Different Kind of Curls mommy style lunchable. I used to love lunchables as a kid, but they were quite expensive so I rarely got them. But now my little one, who has never even seen a lunchable has a super cute one (if I say so for myself!!) In this bento we have tiny Hello Kitty shaped meat, cheese, and tortilla slices. She has a dipping sauce of Tzatziki( her favorite!)in a tiny Hello Kitty sauce cup. Veggies are cucumber, carrot spirals and tomato. For desert there are grapes and a rabbit carved apple! She really loved this one and said it was "Tosi tosi hyvä!" (Very, very good!)
Yay me! (^_^)
Wednesday Bento!
Hi, double post for me today, Yay!! This is Wednesday's bento. Missy Lulu took chicken nuggets along with a couple of cute bears spread with peanut butter. Missy also had steamed veggies and fruit for dessert.
This is the lunch Missy Lulu had Monday. Its a oven roasted drumette, with veggies and fruit. The bees are made of small potato balls boiled in curry powder mix and nori details. The wings are radish slices as is the rose. She also has some yogurt covered banana slices as a treat. She said it was cute and nice!
These are my treasures.....Missy Luu Luu and and baby sunshine! They are two of the most cheerful sweet ladies I've ever spent time with. Missy Luu Luu is warm and full of energy. Baby sunshine is just that incarnate! They are my constant inspiration!
Missy luu luu is attending "leikkikoulu" or playschool five days a week for four hours. This is a wonderful thing all around. Missy luu luu loves it and she has made lots of friends. Mommy KiKi loves the free time to try and get some home care duties done while I just have one lady to deal with! I get to dress the cutest little thing ever and send her off to enjoy her day with a lovely bento snack!
Here are some of my favorites.. I'll feature them much better from now on.
Hello, I'm Keisha and this is my brand new blog! I have tons to share, and I'm learning as I go, so bear with me! I am not only using this blog to share my life with my family and friends; but I'm using this space as a life coach and personal guideline. I'm a firm believer in the power of positive intentional creation; Meaning... "I can do what I will dang it!!" hense the new moniker, "Mommy Kiki Can!"
