French Onion Soup (Semi-Homemade)

One of the quick meals that my boyfriend really enjoys especially now that it is so cold out is French Onion Soup. The reason this is a quick meal is because I use Progresso canned soup, but what makes this dish so special is the toppings!
Ingredients:

1 can Progresso French Onion soup
1 slice of sourdough bread (you can use other hearty breads too)
Big handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
3 slices of Swiss cheese

Instructions:

1. Pour the can of soup into a microwavable bowl (the bowl you will serve in).


2. Break the bread into a few pieces and add to the soup.


3. Layer the handful of mozzarella cheese on top of the bread inside the soup.


4. Place the 3 slices of Swiss cheese on top of the soup.


5. Microwave the soup for 2 minutes or until piping hot. The cheese should be melting into the soup.


6. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this quick semi-homemade recipe. It is an easy way to present a dish that looks like you put work into it and tastes like it too. And it only takes a few minutes to put together!

Look for next week's posts about my favorite formulas to use in Microsoft Excel.

Cream Cheese Cucumber Dill Sandwiches

This is a sandwich that I love to make. It is actually originally meant to be a tea sandwich, but I like to eat them for lunch. I used to have this sandwich every day with cut up cantaloupe on the side. Once a week I make the filling for a bunch of sandwiches so that I can throw them together as I want them. This is a healthy, low-fat lunch with no flavor sacrificed!

Ingredients:

1 8 oz tub of 1/3 less fat cream cheese (I like to use Philadelphia)
1 .75 oz package of baby dill
1 English cucumber
1 loaf of sourdough bread (or oat or other white bread)

Instructions:

1. Transfer the cream cheese from its tub to a tupperware container a little larger than the tub.


2. Remove the feathery part of the dill from the stalks and throw away the stalks. Fine chop the dill.


3. Combine the chopped dill with the cream cheese and set aside.


4. Cut the cucumber into pieces as thin as you can possibly get them. You should be able to almost read through them.


5. Now it is time to build the sandwiches. Take two slices of bread and spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on one side of each piece. Layer a couple layers of cucumbers on top of one of the pieces of bread over the cream cheese. Close the sandwich so that the filling is layered cream cheese, cucumber, cream cheese. Repeat these steps to assemble as many sandwiches as you like.


6. Cut off the crusts of the sandwiches. I like to treat myself by eating the crusts so that I do not devour all of the premade sandwiches before the lunch I am prepping them for!


7. Cut the sandwich that is left into four little pieces. Store these premade sandwiches in a tupperware container in the fridge or serve them immediately.



8. Store left over cucumber pieces in a tupperware container in the fridge and close the cream cheese tupperware container and store that in the fridge as well.

Hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as I do. Stick around for next week's posts about the dreaded task of organizing your closet!

Spinach Calzones

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach thawed
15 oz part-skim Ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 lb pizza dough

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the butter and cook until soft. Crush oregano between your hands into the pan. Remove the pan from the burner and set aside.


3. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the spinach and chop it into smaller pieces.


4. In a bowl combine the onion mixture, spinach, ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese.


5. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces on lightly floured surface. Stretch each piece into a 5 inch with your hands.


6. For each calzone, scoop up a ball of the mixture and place it on one side of the dough. Lightly brush the edges of the unfilled side with water, fold over the filling and press lightly to seal. Gently roll up the edges and pinch them together. Make several prick marks with a fork on the top of each calzone.


7. Place the calzones on an ungreased baking sheet (I lined mine with foil for easy clean-up). Bake for 10-15 minutes at 375 until the calzones are light brown. Remove them from the oven and let them stand for 5 minutes before serving. (If you are planning to freeze the calzones, let them come to room temperature before freezing.)

These calzones are great for those who like to cook ahead to have a freezer full of easy meals. These calzones lasted very well in the freezer and reheat well too. I like to make a lot of them and save them in individual baggies so that I can grab them for an easy, quick lunch. They are also really fun to make with friends because you get flour all over the place when you put the filling in the pieces of dough.

Vegetarian Curry (Semi-Homemade)

I made this recipe last Sunday, and it was such a treat. The ingredients I used were vegetarian, but you can always add meat if that is your preference. I think it is delicious without! As fair warning though, this recipe requires a lot of chopping.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
1 bag of carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 tomatoes, diced
Several handfuls of fresh green beans, ends removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 package of fresh, sliced mushrooms
6 cups of water
1 8.4 oz box of Golden Curry sauce mix (available in Hot, Medium, and Mild)

Instructions:

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place on a burner on High.
2. When the oil becomes very liquid, drop your garlic and onions into the pot and toss them around with a spoon or spatula so that they do not burn. I added a dash of water to the pot after the first minute to help the onions soften.
3. When the onions begin to get soft, add your potatoes and carrots to the pot and continue to stir. The potatoes and carrots take longer to cook than the tomatoes, green beans, and mushrooms which is why they go in first.
4. After about 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, green beans, and mushrooms and continue to stir. The pot might be quite full (mine was!), but you do not need to stir quickly. Instead, gently scoop the bottom vegetables to the top of the pot to allow the vegetables on top to start cooking down.
5. After a few minutes, add the 6 cups of water. Continue to gently stir the pot occasionally.
6. When the water gets to a boil, let the contents cook for 5 minutes.
7. Turn the heat down to low and break the cubes of Golden Curry sauce mix into the pot.
8. Continue to stir the contents. The sauce mix should cause the water to get thicker as it dissolves. Continue to stir the pot occasionally for the next few minutes.
9. The curry is ready to eat! It is wonderful to pair with white/brown rice.

I made a whole pot worth (12 servings) of this curry because it keeps so well in the fridge. Throw it in the microwave over rice or on its own; it is just as delicious and creamy as the day before. The batch that I made fed two hungry 21 year old guys and myself with enough left over for over a week's worth of lunches. This recipe is also great to make with a group because there is lots of chopping, peeling, and prepping to do for the vegetables, and it feeds a lot of people. I know when I was little we always used to help take the ends off of the green beans. Unfortunately, my little helper (my boyfriend) was passed out on the couch. Oh well!

I hope you try this recipe. Please let me know if you do! Also, look for next week's tips on using your SmartPhone to its full potential. These tips work whether you have a BlackBerry, iPhone, or other device as most of them have the same calendar and task list abilities. I will actually be upgrading my BlackBerry to an iPhone in two days, so I might mention any distinct differences in abilities. From what I can tell, for the essential programs, they are comparable technologies. So check back Monday!

Spinach-Artichoke Quiche

Makes 2 8-inch quiches

Ingredients:

6 eggs
3 cups of milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts, chopped into small pieces
1 cup of spinach, finely chopped
1 cup of parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 pre-baked 8-inch pie shells

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degress.
   
2. Mix the eggs, milk, nutmeg, white pepper and salt together in a medium bowl.
   
3. Place the spinach, artichoke hearts, and parmesan cheese into the pie shells.
   
4. Pour the mixture from your bowl evenly between the two pie shells.
   
5. Place the quiches in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour until the custard is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: If you use processed Parmesan cheese, use less salt in the custard mix. If you use frozen spinach, squeeze out the water after defrosting.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. Anyone can make these quiches; they are foolproof!

This week will be To-Do list week! Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on creating your to-do list.

Zen Palate

If you happen to live in NYC, or plan to travel through there, make it a point to visit Zen Palate, on 46th and 9th in the theater district. This vegetarian, and mostly vegan, restaurant will fill your stomach with the most delicious vegetarian food I have ever eaten. Even my boyfriend, the biggest meat-eater I know, loved the food. I suggest trying the Hong Kong-Style Stir-Fried Rice Fettuccini. That one is my favorite. I dream about this dish. It taunts me in my sleep with its soft wide noodles, delicious sauce, scrumptious vegetables, and vegan ham. Trust me. It will convert you. My family has been there a few times now and we have always loved the dishes. The only thing I would avoid ordering is the tofu cheesecake. Aside from that, all of the dishes, such as the Stir-Fried Wheat Noodles and the Steamed Brown/Red Rice, are delectable. If I had an unlimited appetite, I would order one of each.

Just a quick note: To eat at the restaurant make sure to walk all the way back to the dining room. The front of the restaurant is a separate space.

Hope you enjoy this place as much as we have!

10 Ways to be More Environmentally Friendly

In this installment (I say installment because I fear my posts will tend to verge on novels), I am going to share a few earth-friendly tips we can use to decrease our carbon footprints! Sometimes a little forethought can go a long way.

1. Eat a few vegetarian meals a week to cut back on carbon emissions, fight global hunger, and reduce cruelty to animals. Try starting a meat-free Monday like Paul McCartney! A vegetarian diet is also much cheaper than a meat eater's diet (and healthier!). Now that's a cost savings you didn't think about ;)


2. Drive less! Carpool or join a ride share if you can, take public transportation, or walk :) When you carpool you do not have to deal with driving and you can catch up on some sleep (if you are not driving!). When taking public transportation you do not have to deal with traffic. And walking is just plain old good for you (unless you are clumsy like me...)


3. Carry utensils (I carry chopsticks!) This saves you from constantly using plastic utensils.


4. Carry a bottle. We buy enough bottled water to circle the earth over and over every day. Some get recycled and some do not, but that also wastes energy. Most places are required to filter their tap, and it is just as healthy (and usually tastier) than bottled.


5. Leave mugs and utensils at work. This saves you a cup every day when you make your tea or coffee. And during lunch you can use your real utensils! Who likes using the plastic ones anyways?


6. Leave reusable grocery bags in your car. Reducing the number of wasted plastic bags every time you shop is a big step towards being more earth-friendly!


7. Use more environmentally-friendly chemicals in your home. Seventh Generation, as well as many other "green" household cleaners, have come out with products for almost all of your cleaning needs, and they are much better for our earth. We put so many chemicals in the air, dirt, and water, but you can still keep a happy, clean home and leave the chemicals alone.


8. Use energy-efficient appliances. From your microwave to your dishwasher to your washer/dryer you can buy products with the EnergyStar label to reduce the amount of energy and water you use. This will also reduce the amount you spend on utilities!


9. Turn off the lights! When you leave the house, when you leave the room, etc. Also, do not leave your A/C blasting while you are not even there enjoying it!


10. And my personal favorite: Let the dishwasher do it for you! Many many studies have shown that it is more environmentally-friendly to use your dishwasher than to hand-wash your dishes. It also gets your dishes cleaner than you could yourself! Remember: the dirtiest thing in your house is your kitchen sponge (da da duuuuuum - check Mythbusters...)

Hope this gives you a few ideas! The biggest one, of course, is number one. A vegetarian who drives an SUV pollutes less than meat eater who drives Prius! Not that I know any vegetarians that drive SUV's ;)

Still to come!!

• Top Tips to Start Getting Organized


• My Closet - "Where the devil are my slippers?"


• Keeping Track of Your Finances and Budgeting - Money Saving Tips You Never Thought Of!


• Excel Tips

My Favorite Sandwich

Portabella Mushroom Sandwich - Makes Four Servings

Ingredients:

4 Large portabella mushrooms, stems removed
2 Red bell peppers
1 Package of soft goat cheese
2 Loaves of ciabatta bread (or enough for 4 sandwiches!)
Low salt soy sauce
Olive oil

Instructions:

1. Drizzle a little olive oil into a pan set on medium heat.
2. Wipe any dirt from the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Cut the mushrooms into quarters, add them to the pan, drizzle with soy sauce, and cook down for 10 minutes.
3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds and innards. Place them on the baking sheet skin side up and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the sheet in a 450 degree oven set on broil for 8 minutes. Remove them. When cool enough, slice the peppers into quarters.
4. Cut the loaves of ciabatta bread to make the sides to the sandwiches.
5. When all the ingredients are ready, assemble the sandwiches with the bottom of the ciabatta bread on the bottom, one portabella mushroom, one half's worth of bell pepper, and the goat cheese spread on the underside of the top piece of ciabatta bread that tops the sandwich.

My parents enjoyed this sandwich so much, I had to post the recipe. Try it and let me know if you liked it too!