itty bitty fish

These are so simple and the bitty fish has a blast making them. All you need is a package of crescent rolls and two kosher hot dogs [cut length-wise into quarters] and little hands to roll the piggies into their blankets. You could be adventurous and put cheese in these, as well.

I cooked this batch in the toaster oven [on my wee silpat] at 375 for 15 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need more or less time. Just keep an eye on them, and let them get nice and brown so the centers get cooked.

I’ve been looking around for small rolling suitcases, as I know my independent bitty fish would go nuts over them. However, cute + well-made = expensive. Today, I found what I’ve been looking for. These adorable American Tourister bags are normally $80 per set, but I found them on eBags through Amazon for $23 per set [and eBags has a free shipping promotion for any order over $25].

Twofish had been coveting her cousin starfish’s Ladybug suitcase, so I thought it would be a safe bet to get her the ladybird design. I let onefish pick out his bag design – I thought he’d pick the tiger, but he wanted the penguin! I guess he remembers Happy Feat fondly. I’m posting this with the thought that some of you might have bitty ones who would love these, as well.

This is one of my favorite bento staples, as it’s both fresh and filling. I got the idea from the lovely ladies over at Laptop Lunches, but this is my variation on a theme. You can use tuna fish or chunk chicken, and I like to use olive oil mayonnaise. As for the cucumbers, pick out ones with a wide girth – it makes it easier to scoop bowls for filling. I cut pieces about 2 & 1/2 inches long and use a grapefruit spoon [a paring knife works, too] to hollow out the cuke, leaving the bottom in tact [note: if you're using an end piece, just cut a bit off the end so it has a base]. I also use the same batch of chicken salad to make a sandwich, as I’m usually feeding a grown man with this lunch.

As for the containers I use for bluefish bento, I have the New Wave Enviro Stainless Steel Food Container and the LunchBots Pico Stainless Steel Lunch Container, the latter fits two halves of a sandwich perfectly.

To celebrate the start of the Vancouver Olympic Games, I put together a red [strawberries], white [pita triangles] and blue [blueberries] snack tray for the bitty ones. As you can see, there was also yellow [hummus], brown [honey roasted peanuts] and green [Snapea Crisps - the ONLY vegetable twofish will eat].

Onefish and twofish polished off the entire spread during the qualifying rounds of the men’s ski jumping.