Gena Rumple's Three Little Steampunk Pigs Bento Box

Here is a tutorial I put together to combined Steampunk, Fairytales, and Food. This also includes the Upside-down Cherry Chocolate Pudding Pie Recipe.

What is a Bento Box? It is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.

Important Note: Make the dessert first. The starch balls take up to 40 minutes to cook And Jell-O takes some time too.

Enjoy!

Gena Rumple

Step 1: Food Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Teriyaki Sauce
• 3 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 Pieces of Cooked Rigatoni Pasta
• ¼ Teaspoon Crushed Garlic
• 1 Can of Spam
• Roasted Seaweed Half Sheets
• 1 Teaspoon Instant Beef Bouillon
• 3 Drops of Red Food Coloring
• 2 Cups of Uncooked Long Grain Sweet Rice
• Cheddar Easy Cheese
• French Fried Onions
• Cooking Spray
• White Sesame Seeds
• Green Giant Steamer Vegetables (Sliced Carrots, Black beans, and Edamame in butter.
• 5 Slices of Colby Jack Cheese
• 5 Slices of Medium Cheddar Cheese

Dessert Ingredients

• ½ Cup Starch Balls
• Instant Chocolate Jell-o
• Cherry Jell-o
• Dark Chocolate Bar
• Chocolate Graham Crackers

Step 2: Materials Needed

• Round Cutters
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Small Drinking Straw
• Large Drinking Straw (Boba)
• Roast Fork
• Pot
• Pan
• Spatula
• Pasta Strainer
• Pig Ice Cream Sandwich Mold
• Scissors
• Mini Tartlet Tin
• Small Vegetable Cutter
• Grater
• Paper Towels
• Plastic Wrap
• Pie Tins
• Glass Bowls
• Silicone Muffin Tray
• Rice Cooker

Step 3: Dessert First

Boil 4 cups of water. Once the water has come to a boil, then add the starch balls. Cook starch balls for 40 minutes or until all the balls are completely clear. Once the starch balls are clear, add the Cherry Jell-O, and cook until Cherry Jell-O is dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 Cups of cold water. Then pour into either Pie Dishes or Glass Bowels, or Silicon Muffin Trays. Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Step 4: Rice, Rice, Baby!

Put 2 cups of water and 2 cups of rice in the rice cooker. Add 3 drops of red food coloring. Mix the food coloring with the rice before closing the lid to cook.

Step 5: Spam Cogs

1. Take your roasting fork and poke small holes at the bottom of the tin to allow the spam to slide out. Tip: Make sure to save the tin for later.
2. Make sure not to make really thick slices when dividing up the Spam.
3. Cut out circles by using a round cutter. Tip: If you have a small drinking cup or jar, that will work too. Save the left over Spam in a bowl.
4. Take your Large Drinking Straw and cut around the outer edge of your circle of spam, making sure to leave spacing in between. With the smaller drinking straw, poke a hole in the center of the Spam.
5. Tip: The best way to get the Spam out of your Straw is blow on the straw into the tin. Save left over Spam in a bowel.

Step 6: Let's Get Cooking

1. In a small saucepan, add water and bouillon. On medium heat, boil pasta.
2. While pasta is cooking, on medium-low heat, add olive oil and spam.
3. Add crushed garlic. Cook on sides till golden brown. Once both sides are golden brown, add the Teriyaki Sauce. Allow a few minutes for the sauce to caramelize on the Spam then remove from pan and place on a plate covered in paper towels to drain. Tip: There should be plenty of oil left in the frying pan in order to fry the rest of the Spam scraps for a snack.
4. Remove Pasta from boiling water. Add cold water on the pasta. Set aside. (I made extra pasta to snack on.)

Step 7: Cheese Gears

1. Slice 5 slices each of Colby and Cheddar Cheese.
2. Use the Small Vegetable Cutter to cut out cheese shapes.
3. You can also use a Mini Tartlet Tin.

Step 8: Prepping the Pigs

1. Cook your Green Giant Steamer Vegetables in the Microwave. Take your rice and fill the ice cream sandwich mold press to the top. Tip: Spray some cooking spray on your ice cream sandwich mold press before you use it with the rice.
2. That is how it should look after you get the rice out of the ice cream sandwich mold press.
3. The Monocle: Take easy cheese and draw a circle around one of the pig's eyes and a line going off the side of his face. Take sesame seeds and place them in the easy cheese circle.

Place your cogs and gears around your pigs.

I put some French Fried Onions on the side.

Take your Green Giant Steamer Vegetables out of the Microwave and place in a bowl. Use the Black Beans for the eyes and the Carrots for the nose. Mix the vegetables with the cogs & gears around the pigs. There should be vegetables mixed in with the cogs and gears, but I ate them all (>_<);.

Step 9: Make the Top Hats

1. Cut your noodles in half. Next cut a strip of seaweed sheet a little wider than the noodle.
2. Wrap the seaweed completely around the noodle, and then trim the excess off one end. Dip your fingers in a glass of water to help seal the seaweed to the noodle. Now cut the remaining excess seaweed into flaps like so.
3. Cut out larger circles for the top and bottom of the top hat.
4. Use a little bit of water from your fingers and combine the one circle and the flaps.
5. Trim off the excess seaweed. There is the top part of the hat.
6. Take your large circle, fold in half, cut triangles in the center.
7. Place the large circle to the other side of the noodle like so.
8. Cut out 6 mustaches.
9. Add the top hats and mustaches to your pigs. And there you have it Gentlepigs in Steampunk Bliss. (^_^)b

Store in refrigerator.

Step 10: Back to the Dessert

1. Take the Jell-O out of the refrigerator. Take off the plastic wrap. Mix together the Chocolate pudding mix, and then add a layer to the pies and glass bowls.
2. Break up pieces of graham cracker and add a layer over the pudding. Grate dark chocolate over the graham cracker. Store in refrigerator. Tip: I sometimes like to put whip cream on top, but that is optional :)
3. I froze one and turned it right side up to see what it looks like. The Starch Balls look like mini cherries in the Jell-o.