Chronicling Europe & The Baltics 2018 – Helsinki Modern Diversity

A Little Romance

Just like the cruises themselves, we as a couple tend to pack a lot into international travels. These trips ironically due to DK’s planning often take place around our anniversary. We’ve managed to celebrate more than one of these milestones as we’ve seen the world. It’s always nice to fit a little romance in while at work and on vacation.

I’m glad to have a husband that understands that my writing work travels with me wherever I go. Fortunately for me, his creativity kicks in on these trips and we both get to work and play. While in Helsinki we got the chance to combine our love for jazz with exploring the city. Rick Braun, Aubrey Logan, the UK Collective, and Rick Marcel provided exceptional onboard entertainment.

The city offered its own inspiration for romantic experiences. In our downtime, we found a terrific café for coffee and dessert. On the tour, we’d learned a lot about the delicious chocolates that locals enjoy. Including these with our treats was a definite no-brainer. Sitting outside and watching the world go by together…is my definition of romance!

Creative Ways to Construct Meals – Save Time with Leftovers

If you are the family meal planner, you may be juggling a lot of ideas. The Speed of Life can make matters challenging, which is why organization is key. It is possible to construct meals for multiple days at once.

This can be done by using similar ingredients for those meals or to simply by making one large dish to accommodate the time. You can save even more time by creatively using your leftovers.

This can allow you to either deconstruct a meal or to be completely innovative. Roasted rosemary chicken, saffron rice pilaf, broccoli and rolls is an example of a very nice meal. There are a number of terrific dishes, possible with leftovers from this one meal.

These dishes are good for both lunch and dinner. Take a look at these 3 options:

Chicken Casserole – Use chicken, rice and broccoli along with a creamed soup mix and shredded cheese.

Chicken Sandwiches – Make cold/hot sandwiches from meat and roles, mix rice and broccoli for a side.

Chicken Salad – Use chopped chicken, mayo, mustard, pickles and spices to make a cold salad.

What other meals could you construct with leftovers?

Spice Up Leftovers

Throwing away your leftovers is not the best way to get the most out of your money. Oftentimes people become bored with their meals. They simply don’t want to eat the same thing again. This is one reason to spice up your leftovers. With a little preparation, you can take one dish and completely transform it.

Spiced up leftovers can make new dinners or even intriguing lunches. This is a benefit for people who have families to feed. Children may not know that you’ve re-vamped last night’s meal. Adding a few key ingredients, sauces, and spices can help you to change the look and taste of leftovers. Let’s take a look at some delectable dishes created from other meals.

Tex-Mex Beef Stroganoff
You can take your leftover ground beef from tacos and kick up a stroganoff dish. Traditional stroganoff can be made quickly with cream of mushroom soup and egg noodles. Your taco meat will have that Tex-Mex seasoning and will spice your stroganoff meal. Add a few sweet peas or another vegetable here to bulk up the dish.

Chicken Pot Pie
Roasted chicken can hang around a while when your family is small. The leftover meat here can be incorporated into a luscious chicken pot pie. All you will need here is a prepared pie crust, meat, cream of celery, leftover veggies, and your favorite cheese. Mix everything together and pour it into your crust. Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees until the crust browns and the cheese melts.

Open-Face Beef Sandwich
Leftover roast beef can be used in a number of creative ways. One example to consider is an open-face sandwich. Your favorite toasted bread, topped with beef and gravy makes a nice meal. A great cheese selection can also compliment this meal. Add a side salad or a veggie mix to enhance your dish.