For school lunch, why not a date insect or cucumber penguin?

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to packing lunch for their kids, moms and dads have reliable favorites like PB&Js, bananas or maybe a bagel. Jenny Mollen has an unusual go-to — candy eyes. The writer and actor has learned that a pair of edible eyeballs attached to anything she sends will do wonders. They make her children snigger as they swallow goofy slices of bell peppers, kiwis or dates. Mollen’s tricks — at the intersection of food and craft — are contained in her new cookbook, “Dictator Lunches,” from the HarperCollins imprint Harvest. She offers 40 recipes from breakfasts to dinner, with a special emphasis on what to pack for school lunch.