Spaghetti Heads

Since I've started blogging, I've been looking around at some other blogs by moms with bento lunch boxes. It's interesting to see what ideas everyone can come up with. Shannon at http://flytomywindow.blogspot.com/ had the cutest post about Spaghetti Dogs. And though I'm not a fan of the hot dog (traumatic childhood experience), my kids are. I don't buy them very often, so it's really a treat when they get them. Fortunately, hot dogs have come a long way since my childhood and can actually be fairly nutritious.We buy natural hot dogs without nitrates and preservatives. Coleman Natural Beef Hot Dogs are our favorite.

I planned on making the spaghetti dogs as is, but it kinda took off from there. As I was starting to assemble them, I decided that the spaghetti would make super cute hair. So I used the ends of the hot dog and kind of experimented with the amount of spaghetti. (My 3 year old was more than happy to gobble the rejects). I added a cherry tomato slice for the mouth and capers for the eyes and affixed them with tiny pieces of uncooked pasta. The trick to doing the hair is to put a ton of pasta in the spaghetti. I tried a few with less spaghetti and they were fine (see the one on the left) but were better with more (the middle and right). So for her last lunch before the Labor Day weekend, she gets the beloved hot dog.



Tomato Basil Salad with Balsamic and Olive Oil, Whole Wheat Blueberry Almond Muffin, Homemade Applesauce, Spaghetti Heads


Precooked spaghetti heads...these were the "first generation". Add about three times that much spaghetti for best results.