On the nights when my hubby has to work late, little girl and I normally eat something semi-homemade. I have had the pleasure of reading up blog postings from ladies who make beautifully displayed bento boxes lately (Cooking Gallery and My Little Messy and Cheeky), even though I am not remotely as creative, but the idea of making meals look like a work of art is really appealing to me, so I’ve decided to play around with displaying dumplings, dipping sauce, a Mexican breakfast taco and sweet papayas. What do you think about my first attempt? Little girl was wooing and ahhing the whole time, and it took her less than 10 minutes to finish the whole plate. The one I made for myself was not as pleasing to the eyes, but it didn’t hurt my appetite one bit! Oh I forgot to mention the dumplings were handmade by my parents, they are smaller than the store bought ones, but definitely more flavorful because the stuffing was chopped up and mixed by hand, also combined with love! Yummy!
Here are a few more photos, hope you enjoy. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Weeknite Meals 
Hi Jeno! Tks so much for mentioning me in your post! You flattered me. I just started making bentos few mths back and I’ve still got a lot to learn! 😀
You did a great job on your 1st attempt and your little girl’s reactions proved that! 😀
Those dumplings look mouth-watering together with the dip sauce! 🙂
What fillings are those in the Mexican breakfast taco? Egg? Looks yummy too! Hee… 🙂
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend too! 😀
Hi there Lyn! The breakfast taco had Mexican sausage and eggs in it, one of my favorite flavor to eat. Thank you again for giving me great inspirations. Have a great day!
Hi Jeno! You’re most welcome. 😀
I love these two combinations too! YUMYUM! Tks and have a great day too! 😀
Jeno, your dinner plate looks really cute! You are lucky to have your parents’ frozen dumplings! Maybe you could post one day the stuffing recipe? I make dumplings very often and love changing the stuffing!
Thank you Sissi, and sure thing, I will ask my Mom for her stuffing recipe. I remember as a child growing up, making dumplings was a wonderful family event, everyone would gather around the table to make them, and wait for the water to boil so my Mom can cook them. My Dad said back at Beijing where his family’s originally from, since it gets real cold during winter, my grandma would have an empty tub sitting outside the window, whenever a dumpling is made, she would toss is outside into the tub, and before you know it, they would all be frozen and ready to be put away for enjoyment later, I thought that’s a very interesting idea!
Mmmmmm, this looks totally delicious, and it’s so beautifully arranged! 😀
Thank you Kath, I figured since there was not a lot of labor involved in the actual cooking process, might as well spend some time on making the plate look more appetizing!
Jeno, thank you for your kind words about my blog…:)!! You’re too sweet! I think you’ve done a wonderful job with your dumpling presentation and the dumplings look so yummy too (how can I resist anyway, I adore dumplings…;)!!
Hi there! You are such an inspiration to me, and my little girl sure appreciated the thoughts that went into the placement of her food. Love the multigrain bento you posted today, yummy looking and healthy!
Great job Cindy! I love having food blogger friends. They inspire me a lot. My kids love dumplings and I noticed I haven’t cooked for a while… I’m inspired by you now! 😉
Wow, they are just so lovely and comforting, sitting there on the plate:) Lovely lovely meal….I would definitely be home early!;)
Hi Christy! Thank you for visiting again. I love seeing your postings because they bring me wonderful memories of growing up at Taiwan, and all the delicious food I take for granted…
Hi Jeno, nice to meet you. Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂
Your mom’s dumplings look wonderful! I’ve not made these for a while and I really should. Homemade ones are so much better than the frozen ones at the stores.
Hi Biren, welcome to my blog! yes, my Mom is an excellent cook, I’ve learned a lot from her the last couple of years, and my food blogging has brought us closer! Thank you for coming by and i look forward to more posting from you!
Hi, first time here. Just loved your blog and your “About” section. Looking forward to sharing a lot of recipes with you. Great photographs too, friend!
Hi there! Welcome to my blog and thank you for the compliments! I just checked yours out, such colorful melodies of vegi dishes! Looking forward to see more and I’ve subscribed to your postings. Have a great day!
I have never made dumplings – but absolutely love them… I’ll have to give this a go…beautiful pictures
Thank you so much for the compliment Baking Devils! Dumplings are one of my favorite food to eat, though I haven’t had the time to make them myself, these were made by my Mom and they were delicious! Hope you will give them a try soon.
Wow! This looks soooo delicious and I’ve always wanted to learn how to make them myself, love this! 🙂
Thank you Kelly! I am too lazy now a days to make dumplings by hand, since they can be found in most Asian markets for a few dollars. But I do have some fond memories of making them at family gatherings! Thank you for stopping by!