Bloggers are the new newspaper, only far more detailed and descriptive about niche interests.  Google “blog + (insert your favorite subject here”).  You’ll find a myriad of blogs on whatever topic you love.  There are thousands of them.  Check out a blog we love, www.SavorySweetLife.com.  This cranberry sauce recipe looks delicious.

• 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• Optional: 2 oz gold rum

Everyone needs to know how to whip up an excellent pasta dish on the fly.  It’s major impressive to hungry guest crowding around your kitchen island, and totally useful knowledge, too.  Perfect for a solo lunch, or make a huge batch to feed 20 friends at a party.   Also great to use up the staples in your pantry.  With only a few ingredients of tomatoes, basil, pasta, and olive oil, you’ll be surprised at how amazing this looks in a bowl.  Bake off a big crusty loaf of Italian bread, and you’ll freak people out with your talent.

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Ingredients:

• 12 ounces pasta (any type you like)

• 1/2 – 1 cup olive oil

• 2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes or 1/2 cup jarred sun dried tomatoes

• 1 cup fresh chopped basil

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 clove chopped garlic (optional)

• 1 small onion

• salt and pepper

Method:

Cook and drain the pasta. Set aside in a warm place. Heat olive oil and add sliced onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are tender, and then add chopped basil and cherry tomatoes, cut in halves. Season with salt and pepper, and mix in the lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, mix with pasta and serve immediately. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh ground basil.

 Take the calories out of the cocktail with a skinny version of the screwdriver.  Screwdrivers are comprised of vodka and orange juice, but juices can lend to a lot of unwanted calories.  Cut the orange juice in half and add 2 ounces of diet 7up instead.  Not only will you save a ton of calories, you’ll also put a new twist on an old classic.  Next time you are having cocktails, ask your bartender to make you a skinny screwdriver with vodka, and equal parts of OJ and 7 up.  Yum!

Want a salon look for a fraction of the price? Try this at-home trick to get ultra-sexy beach hair. Fill a spray bottle with about 3 ounces water and add 3 teaspoons kosher or sea salt and a couple squirts of any hair gel, then shake it up. Spray it onto hair and scrunch to get that tousled beach look. The coarse salt clings to your strands and gives it sexy texture and volume.

Try whipping up this simple frittata for breakfast this weekend and look like a rockstar in the kitchen.  With only five ingredients, this super-simple spinach frittata is perfect for a quick, no-fail egg dish.  If you are cooking for a crowd, this recipe gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  It takes very little prep work, and you can turn out dozens in a matter of minutes.  It’s heavy on the “wow” factor if you are cooking breakfast in bed.  It looks complex, but it’s so easy.  Buy some croissants at the market, pair with some fresh fruit, and have plenty of orange juice on hand.  Instant rockstar!  Then kick back and take in the compliments.

Ingredients:   Eggs + milk + cheddar cheese + onion + spinach = Personal Spinach Frittatas

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine 8 eggs, whisking well. Add 1 cup 1% low-fat milk and 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese to eggs; set aside.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add 1/4 of a medium red onion, chopped; cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add 2 cups baby spinach; cook until wilted (about 2 minutes).

4. Drain water from pan; cool. Add spinach mixture and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to egg mixture.

5. Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan; bake until tops are puffed and golden (about 30 minutes).

If you have lots of wood surfaces in your home, you know that the costs of furniture polish has skyrocketed.  And when prices start to soar sky high, so does our creativity.  How can we do it cheaper, better, and to boot….all naturally?  While there are numerous “green” recipes for homemade furniture polish, they all have the two basic ingredients…oil and lemon.  And as luck would have it, it’s all you need.

To make homemade furniture polish, simply whisk together olive oil with an equal amount of lemon juice (you can also use vinegar, but lemons smell so much nicer).  Simply leave it in the bowl you mixed it in and dip a rag in, or put the liquid mixture in a spray bottle.   The bowl method is easier and less wasteful, as you can mix only the amount you’ll need for the days’ chores.

Use a dry rag, dip the rag into the oil mixture, and buff down all your wood surfaces.  It brings the wood back to life in an instant, and makes it appear brand new.  All natural, less expensive, and oh-so-crafty!    We love this!

Get rid of the end-of-winter skin with a facial mask you can whip up in your own kitchen.  Honey is ultra-moisturizing to the skin, and gently exfoliates the skin to create a fresh glow. 

It’s simple to make.  Simply mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of milk and heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds to melt the honey. Apply on to face, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, wash with warm water and apply a good moisturizer.  The honey will mosturize and soften the dry skin area.   Using it for an extensive time period can actually slightly whiten skin color.

One of the most important elements  to great body is good nutrition.

Even if your kitchen skills aren’t as advanced as you’d like them to be, you can fake it until you make it.

Soups are simple to make.  If you can cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces, you are half way there.  Really, it’s that simple.

Start with a big pot of low sodium chicken broth.   Next, add lots of veggies, such as chickpeas, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, etc.   Cook in the chicken broth until veggies are fork-tender.  Add lots of freshly ground black pepper and even hot sauce if you like the heat.

Filling up on high volume, low fat foods will help melt away the pounds and make your body lean, strong and healthy.

Chocolate dipped strawberries…a classic.  Super-simple to make, everyone loves them, and they look elegant. 

Whether they are on a table for two, in a gift box, or in a bowl on the night stand by your bed…chocolate dipped strawberries always work.  

Again, they are easy-peasy to make, but you have to have the right equipment, that being a silicone baking mat.   If you don’t have one, run up to the grocery store’s cooking section and buy one.  They are inexpensive and make this recipe doable.

Follow these easy steps by Kraft: 

What You Need