Friends with Benefits

You never know whom you’re going to meet. This past Friday evening, I attended First Fridays, a monthly fundraiser hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Art. While there, I enjoyed plenty of h'orderves and cocktails but I also made a new friend. Much to my chagrin, this friend was not an eligible bachelor. However, it was a woman I had never met before that is a member of the Junior Leaguer. I’m always delighted to meet other women from the League. This particular woman is in the same career field as me and could potentially serve as an excellent mentor.

But what do you do when you make a new friend that could be a key professional contact or mentor? Or even someone just to network with? You send a follow up e-mail, of course. Why send an e-mail? To some that may sound like overkill but it’s nice and it opens the door for other conversations. When I meet other women who work in philanthropy, I often invite them out for coffee to hear about their jobs and how they got there. This is a great way to network but also to make a new pal.

What to say? Below is a simple template you can use after meeting someone new:

“Dear Carol,

It was at absolute pleasure to meet you this past weekend at the fundraiser for the Museum of Contemporary Art. I would love to take you to coffee to learn more about the library field and your career in literature. Please let me know when you are available and we will make a date. Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Suzanne”

It is best to keep this type of e-mail short and to the point although it also provides a reminder of meeting you. This also demonstrates that you’re not only thoughtful but also professional. These types of e-mails are not limited to career or professional relationships- they can be about anything. Interested in volunteering with a new charity? Want to learn how to become a member of a particular auxiliary board? Thinking about going to a certain business school? Looking for a realtor?  The possibilities are endless when networking and making new friends. And remember, “A stranger is just a friend I haven't met yet.”

The Sunday Special

As someone who has both a busy work and social life, I often find very little time to eat. Actually, let me rephrase that- I find very little time to eat healthy food. Quite often, I find myself standing in my kitchen eating greasy Chinese or pizza. If do get home from work early enough, I am usually too tired to cook a nutritious meal and I succumb to eating whatever is in the fridge. Trust me, woman cannot live on string cheese and hummus alone.

Then it hit me! I have decided that every Sunday I will try a new recipe that I can prepare ahead of time to eat later in the week on a work night. I know this may seem like an obvious solution but sometimes planning out a whole week of meals can be difficult.

For my first recipe, I made a spinach quiche. I originally first tried this recipe for a Rosh Hashanah dinner I hosted back in September. I’m a big fan of quiche but who isn’t? It combines some of my favorite things- eggs, crust, and cheese.

The recipe calls for four eggs but instead I substituted egg whites to make the quiche a tiny bit healthier. Also, I used Miracle Whip Light instead of mayonnaise. Even without egg whites, a serving of quiche is about six points on Weight Watchers. Plus, the quiche is big enough to freeze the rest for other busy evenings.

I will be pairing this easy dinner with tomato soup. To me, this is the perfect cozy dinner on a chilly evening.