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The Observer is a Student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame & Saint Mary's. Learn more about us.

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Dining Hall Dish

Observer Scene | Thursday, February 26, 2009

Hopefully Dining Hall Dish is doing a good job diversifying your dining hall meals, but if not, don’t hesitate to come up with your own ideas. The last thing you want to do is get bored with what you eat; it’s a long semester.

A good way to start is to pick one ingredient you haven’t used in awhile and see what you can build around it. And when you’re finished? Share it with the rest of us!

This week’s recipes:

Grilled Chicken and Mushroom

This recipe requires you to wait for the next time the dining hall does grilled vegetables, but it is a good way to put a twist on something already good. Make sure to use good bread to give it the best start.

1. Pick up two good slices of bread and spread a thin layer of olive oil on one side. Grill in the Panini press until they are toasty.

2. Place a grilled chicken breast on the toast. Top with a slice of provolone or Swiss cheese.

3. Top with grilled mushrooms. (If you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, try out the other grilled options like zucchini.)

4. Sprinkle some balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on top of some spinach. Add to sandwich.

5. Close up the sandwich and enjoy.

Leprechaun Poo Shake

This is a very tasty-and creatively named-milkshake thought up by Charlie Vogelheim. Mint mixed with chocolate is hard to beat!

1. Fill three-quarters of a cup with mint soft serve.

2. Add some crushed Oreos and a little bit of chocolate syrup.

3. Fill the rest of the cup with milk and mix with a spoon.

Quick Tip

Tired of regular cereal for breakfast? Try replacing the milk with yogurt for a different start to the morning. Fruit and honey can add new elements as well.

Have your own dining hall recipe? We would love to feature it! E-mail [email protected]

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The Observer is a Student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame & Saint Mary's. Learn more about us.

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Dining Hall Dish

Observer Scene | Thursday, February 19, 2009

Happy Thursday everyone. Today the Dining Hall Dish offers an entrée and a dessert for your enjoyment (and of course a quick tip). Hopefully it will fuel you through one more week as we draw closer to midterms. Can you believe it? The semester moves fast. It will move even faster if you’re eating well and keeping your body and your taste buds happy. Keep thinking up new ways to put a twist on the dining halls’ offerings.

This week’s recipes:

Couscous Wrap

This wrap was inspired by one I had at a café. Using couscous as a filling puts a great twist on the wrap idea. I added black olives, spinach and feta cheese, but you can use the couscous base for just about anything. Just keep it fresh.

1. Fill a bowl with couscous (If there is no couscous, brown rice makes a good substitute.)

2. Add black olives, spinach and feta cheese.

3. Squirt lemon onto the couscous and mix.

4. Pour onto a tortilla and wrap it up.

5. Grill in the panini maker until it is nice and brown.

Dessert Waffle

This is take on a waffle is certainly indulgent and is probably best shared among a group of friends. Find some buddies and load it up with some sweet deliciousness. Thanks to Kristen Drahos for creating this dessert.

1. Make yourself a good waffle.

2. Move quickly (you want to keep the waffle a little warm) and top with every kind of ice cream available in the dining hall (or at least those you like). Don’t forget to search both sides.

3. Add your favorite toppings: sprinkles, whipped cream, nuts and syrup. Dig in.

Quick Tip

When you’re going for quick, sometimes it’s best to just go simple. And there is nothing wrong with breakfast for dinner. Make yourself some toast, but use a condiment you’ve ignored for awhile, whether it’s cream cheese, apple butter, peanut butter or honey. Or, if you’re tired of toast, go for a bagel or an English muffin. Have some fruit on the side (or even put it on top).

Have your own dining hall recipe? We would love to feature it! E-mail [email protected]

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The Observer is a Student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame & Saint Mary's. Learn more about us.

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Dining Hall Dish

Observer Scene | Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Another week another dining hall dish! This week’s recipes are a bit varied, but they are all pretty tasty. The microwave has been out of commission at North for about a week, so hopefully it will return soon. In the meantime, all of these dishes can be made without our favorite contraption. And as a special bonus? Look forward to the special Valentine’s Day Dining Hall Dish tomorrow.

This week’s recipes:

Kicked Up Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is that great homey meal that only improves with experimentation. There are thousands of recipes out there putting variations on this dish and starting with the basic macaroni and cheese the dining hall offers, you can have your own fun.

Fill a bowl with as much macaroni and cheese as you want.

Top with red pepper flakes and some blue cheese (Be careful not to overdo either. They both pack a pretty good punch, so you don’t need a ton to get lots of flavor). The hot macaroni and cheese base should melt the blue cheese.

Add in some steamed broccoli (you will have to cut it up to make it bite-sized).

Mix together. Feel free to try the same idea using different new ingredients.

Mashed Sweet Potato

The dining halls have baked sweet potatoes fairly often, and there is a lot you can do with them. This recipe is one of the easiest places to start. Most people think white when they think mashed potatoes, but using sweet potatoes puts a great twist on the traditional. The pepper and salt help to balance out the sweetness.

Pick up a baked sweet potato.

Remove the potato skins.

Add a pat of butter, a lot of pepper and some salt. If you have a sweet tooth you can add a small dab of maple syrup too.

Mash it up with a fork, like you were making regular mashed potatoes. Enjoy.

Quick Tip

Make chili cheese fries! Take some French fries and top them with chili from the soup area (make sure to get a ladle with as little broth as possible so that the fries don’t get soggy) and cheese. You can top it with sour cream and scallions if you like as well. Delicious. Thanks to Charlie Vogelheim for this idea.

Have your own dining hall recipe? We would love to feature it! E-mail [email protected]

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The Observer is a Student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame & Saint Mary's. Learn more about us.

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Dining Hall Dish

Observer Scene | Thursday, February 5, 2009

Tonight Dining Hall Dish offers an entrée and a great dessert idea.

The common theme? Both were submitted by some loyal readers and experienced dining hall recipe makers. Hopefully all of you out there are coming up with some great ideas, so don’t forget to submit them and get your name (something every Notre Dame student should aspire to) in The Observer!

This week’s recipes:

Chicken Parmesan

Craving some Chicken Parmesan but it’s not on the menu tonight? No problem! You can find most things you need to make it every night of the week. Thank you to Charlie Vogelheim for this recipe.

1. Pick up a fried chicken breast.

2. Cover with marinara sauce from the pasta bar.

3. Cover with mozzarella from the salad bar and allow the hot

pasta sauce to let it melt. Serve with a side of pasta and some garlic bread. (No garlic bread tonight? Try toasting some good bread, spreading a little butter or olive oil and topping with parmesan cheese for a substitute.)

Puppy Chow

This dessert (or snack) is probably something you stumbled upon as a kid, and it features what every kid wants: lots of sugar. And what’s wrong with that? Better yet, this is our first recipe from an alumnus! Thanks to 2008 graduate Matthew Lisowski for submitting it.

1. Pick up a bowl of Crispex cereal (if the dining hall is out, you can try experimenting with other types. Aim for something on the plain side so that it doesn’t conflict with the ingredients you’re about to add).

2. Fill a bowl with a bit of butter and about equal parts creamy peanut butter and chocolate chips. If there are no chocolate chips, try substituting chocolate sauce, but you may need to adjust the portions of each ingredient to make the sauce thick enough.

3. Melt in the microwave for about 1 minute, until you can mix

all the ingredients into a sauce.

4. Pour the sauce over the cereal and shake it between two bowls until it is coated.

5. Head to the waffle bar, toss on some powdered sugar, and toss again until it is covered.

Quick Tip

Want some new toppings for your ice cream? Try checking out the cereals. A lot of the sweeter ones give you an extra crunch the same way Oreo crumbles and candy do. One of the best ones I’ve tried is Fruity Pebbles.

Have your own dining hall recipe? We would love to feature it! E-mail Michelle Fordice at [email protected]