Michaelangelo

I was a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I was a kid. Recently I've been re-watching the original series with Daughter and Son, and that brought back nice memories.

I became a fan when my mom got me and my brothers each a TMNT action figure. By random chance, she gave me a Michaelangelo, so the party-loving, orange-wearing, nunchuku-whirling turtle became my favourite. My earliest memory is reading the back of the packaging and finding out how " ... he's the master of the whirling nunchukus. It takes eight pounds of pressure per square inch to break bone. The nunchukus generate ninety!"

(For the adults in the audience, the original TMNT comic is worth checking out, the tone is more mature than the kid-friendlier cartoon series).

Four Eggs

Four noisy white eggs

All ready to hatch

One two three four

Now they all match

How-to Tips

• The chicks are made out omelettes, fried then then hand cut.
• Use cheese slices for the white of the eyes.

Apple Tree and Star Box

So, my wife saw this thing about a dad who drew on his kids lunchbags everyday for (many) years. Check it out here, it's pretty awesome.

My wife forced gently encouraged me to do the same for our kids. My son is starting kinder this year so she could use a bit of help with lunch.

When I was at school I loved to draw. So this lunchbag thing is turning out to be a lot of fun, and I'm going to post the better ones on this blog.

I'll start with this one which is pretty simple but was fun to draw. I'm using Bic "Mark It" permanent markers, and they are fun to mix and play around with.

Angry Birds

Fun Facts

• The original Angry Birds game was made by a team of four people and took eight months to finish because it was such a low priority for the company.
• Angry Birds was downloaded 8 MILLION times on Christmas day 2012.
• There is an official Angry Birds sticky tape. Really.

How-to Tips

• All face bits are cut by hand.
• For red/orange bits, use fruit rollups or pressed fruit - the thinner the better.
• You can use the fake seafood sticks for pink parts - just unroll them into pink sheets.

How Now Brown Cow

We use wholemeal bread just to be a that little bit healthier, and in this design the brown colour works great on the cows.

If you're wondering why my wife usually makes two of everything, it's because one is for Girl and the other is for Boy. Boy is not going to school yet but she makes an extra for him so he can join in the fun.

How-to Tips

• Use wholemeal bread or some other brown bread like rye. You can use white, but the cheesy snout won't stand out as much.
• The ears are made from the crust, which gives them a nice darker colour. Nice detail, Wife!
• Snout is made from sliced cheese.
• Eyes are made from sliced cheese and the black pupils from cut seaweed.

(I'm retiring the 'What-is-it-score' section because as she becomes more practiced, the score is almost always 3-out-3)

Hello Kitty (and Flower)

Hello everyone. This is a special blog post because my daughter (Girl) is going to write it together with me. Go ahead, say/type hello to the readers.

Girl: hello

Thank you. Now, what we have today is a fancy looking Hello Kitty. I've posted a Hello Kitty bento before but this one is more fancy.

Girl:because it has a flower

Thank you, Girl. That's right, this one has a flower. Ok, let's get to it.

Hello Kitty (and Flower)

How to

• Girl: this is not hard to make but it does have a few steps
• For this one you will need a mould (here's one sold in ebay). You can hand cut it but it's quite tricky,
• Girl: my mum used raspberry and mango for the bow
• My Girl is talking about these beautiful pressed fruit sheets we got from Tasmania. I'm not sure where else you can get it, but you can substitute seaweed sheets.
• My wife hand cut seaweed into the whiskers and eyes.
• Girl: my mum used corn for the nose.That way it is much more healthier for your child to eat a little bit of veggie
• That is right. Now for the flower, you can use a flower mold, put a bit of butter around the edges, and put some sprinkles on the buttered bits.

What-is-it score: 3 out of 3

• Girl: I love Hello Kitty.
• Boy: Is it Kitty?
• Dad: Hey you used the mold I bought for you. Fancy!

Ok I think my daughter wants to say some closing words.

Girl: bye bye everyone

Two Fat Sheep

These two sheep have obviously been eating high-fat grass and not doing any exercise. Or maybe because they've been eating grass made out of egg. And eating salami stick fences.

Two Fat Sheep

How-to:

• Start with cutting a couple of circle bread shapes. You can use a circle mold or cut them by hand.
• Cut a piece of circle ham - exactly the same size and shape as the bread.
• Put the ham on top of one bread piece - use butter or spread to stick them together.
• Cut out the head bit from the second piece of bread, just a small piece would do.
• Stick the second bread piece on top of the ham. Again, use butter or spread.
• Cut out bits of ham to make the ears, and for the lady sheep, cut out a ribbon from cheese.
• Use sesame seed or chocolate bits for the little eyes.
• My wife used shredded fried egg for the grass and salami stick for the little fence. Get creative and use other things:
• Lettuce for the grass
• Shredded carrot
• Cherry tomatoes

What-is-it Score: 2 out of 3

• Girl: Mmmm. Is it a sheep? Two sheep!
• Boy: Is it a ball?
• Dad: Ok. Umm. I think they're sheep. Very fat sheep.