The bento comprises a box-shaped container with compartments. The boxes range from beautiful lacquer to plastic lunchbox to disposable take-out containers. They can be one level, as in the photo, or stacked. The defining feature is the variety of foods.

Bento is more than restaurant fare: Japanese homemakers prepare them for family members’ lunches, as well as for their own. The goal is to provide an attractive variety of foods.

So today’s tip is: Think bento, with American ingredients, for lunch or dinner.

A restaurant bento box. Photo by
Blue Lotus | Wikimedia.

You can whip up your bento from scratch, and/or use up leftovers. It’s easy to incorporate healthy foods. You can serve the foods on one plate, or put each item on a small plate or other dish.

Consider an assortment of small-portion foods including:

 
By the way, the word “bento” originates from a slang term in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 C.E.) meaning “convenient” or “convenience.”

To us, it means “tasty variety.”

Check out some of our favorite international foods.
  

There isn’t much quality difference between high-priced and lesser-priced vodka. Mid-priced Smirnoff has won the gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition blind tasting.

If you’re more interested in value than status, take a look at Wódka vodka.

Wódka, the brand name, is the Polish word for vodka. The generic-looking brand accepts a lower profit margin to deliver an “egalitarian” product. A 750ml bottle costs just $10.00 to $12.00. Think of it as affordable premium vodka.

We liked drinking it straight. In a mixed drink, no one will know the difference.

This rye-based vodka is triple-distilled by Polmos Bialystock Distillery in Poland. Don’t be fooled by vodkas that tout that they are distilled 10, 20 or 100 times. After the third distillation, the human palate can’t discern a difference.

In 2010, Wódka won both a gold medal and a Best Buy award from the Beverage Tasting Institute, scoring 90 points—the most inexpensive vodka with a 90+ rating.

What if your friends, impressed by status vodka brands such as Chopin, Grey Goose and Ketel One, question why you purchased Wódka?

Tell them it not only tastes good, it’s on trend. According to Mintel International Group, a research firm, one-quarter of all spirits drinkers reported moving to lower-cost brands in 2010.

Learn more at WeLoveWodka.com.

Check out the history of vodka.

Find vodka cocktail recipes in our Cocktails & Spirits Section.

*The U.S. Government Standard of Identity for vodka: “Vodka” is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.

Nuts are healthful and flavorful additions to baked goods and other recipes.

But if you don’t use them, they go stale.

First, they’ll loose their crispness and get soft. Then, the oils in the nuts will go rancid.

Factory-sealed bags have an expiration date, but that only promises that nuts in the unsealed bag will be fresh through that date.

The minute you open the bag and let the air in, the nuts will slowly start to degrade.

If you buy loose nuts, or those that have been packaged in cellophane or paper bags by the retailer, they’re even more susceptible to the elements.

Stale nuts will take on a musty or rancid smell; one bite will tell you if they’re still fit for use.

So today’s tip is how to rescue nuts that are not at peak.

Photo of Squirrel Brand cashew nuts by Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.

 
 
If The Nuts Have Lost Crispness

To crisp soft nuts, spread them out on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan. Place them in a 250°F oven for 5 minutes. Taste, and if you want them crisper, roast them for another 5 minutes. Roasting or toasting nuts also enhances the nutty flavor. For maximum nuttiness, toast at 350°F for 10 to 20 minutes (or toast in a hot frying pan) until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

You can also try toasting the nuts in the microwave. Experiment in small increments to avoid burning: the time will vary based on your microwave and the nuts.

If the nuts are in the shell, shake them. Nutmeats that rattle in their shells are usually stale. Bake them in the shells at 225° for 2-1/2 hours. Let them cool 30 minutes before cracking and testing.
 
 
If The Nuts Are Rancid

If the oil has turned rancid, try rinsing the nuts thoroughly under hot water. The surface oils, which are the most exposed, typically go bad first. You may be able to remove them.

Otherwise, you can leave the nuts for the birds and the squirrels.
 
 
How To Use Up Nuts

Most of us don’t bake cookies every week. But we do make other foods that can be happily enhanced with nuts.

 
 
Speaking of nuts, the best gourmet nuts we’ve had are from Squirrel Brand Nuts (in photo).

They’re too good for the squirrels, but if you want an exquisite nut experience (and holiday gift idea), check out the selection.

Fall pie crust cutters. Photo courtesy
William-Sonoma.

These pie crust cutters are an easy way to create a dazzling crust.

Just press the spring-loaded cutters into dough and release delicate shapes—acorn, leaf, pumpkin and turkey—embossed with fine detail.

Layer the shapes on top of a pie, as shown in the photo, or use the cutters to make cutout patterns in a pie’s top crust. You can even add sugar to the dough to turn the cutouts into cookies.

They’re a Williams-Sonoma exclusive. Get them now at Williams-Sonoma.com.
Then, make your favorite holiday pie recipe or use one of ours:

Find more of our favorite pie recipes in our Pie & Pastry Section.

How many types of pie have you had? Browse through our beautiful Pie Glossary.

Now that she’s a mom, says the cook in the video, she’s become “notorious for sneaking vegetables into everything.”

But we don’t think butternut squash needs to be “sneaked” into the recipe. We love the idea of this seasonal mac and cheese.

For added flourishes to the recipe in the video, how about:

 
More Mac & Cheese
After you’ve watched the video below, check out:

Image: Sautéeing the thyme and grated onion in butter and olive oil to make the squash sauce.