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.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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.

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

Once you’ve had homemade salsa, you’ll never go back to vinegar-tinged jarred salsa again.  This salsa recipe mimics that of Mexican restaurants in that it’s made with fresh ingredients and, of course, made without vinegar.  It’s super impressive to whip up some salsa on the fly for when friends or family stops by.  I make mine in a food processor, but you can also use a blender.  Tweak it to your liking, add more peppers.  This recipe makes a medium-hot salsa. 

____________________________________________________________

Ingredients: 

Huge handful of fresh cilantro.

1 clove of garlic.

3 small jalapenos. 

1 small onion. 

____________________________________________________________

Ingredients: 

2 14 oz cans of whole tomatoes.

2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles.

___________________________________________________________

Dice onion

___________________________________________________________

Slice jalapenos long ways

___________________________________________________________

Then dice jalapenos, seeds and all to give it a nice kick

____________________________________________________________

Dice 1 clove of garlic

____________________________________________________________

Combine canned tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and garlic in the food processor. 

____________________________________________________________

Add a teaspoon (or so) of sugar

____________________________________________________________

Add a teaspoon of ground cumin to give it a good “Mexican” flavor.  Then pulse the food processor about 4-6 times, depending on how chunky you like it.  Keep pulsing if you like your salsa a thinner consistency. 

____________________________________________________________

Here’s where it all comes together.  Cilantro.  Use a lot of it.  It gives it a good garden taste.  I use a huge handful, and then pulse for 4 more pulses. 

____________________________________________________________

And there you have homemade salsa.  I blend mine to a medium consistency.  Serve with chips, with tacos, steaks, etc.  Great to have in the fridge all week long to accompany your dinners, and exceptionally good for a low-calorie snack. 

    Feeling like you’re not getting enough fruits to meet the daily pyramid guide?  No problem, just incorporate them into a morning smoothie before you head out the door.  Blueberries are a Super-food, and ridiculously good for your body to fight free radicals.  You can even go one step further and throw in a scoop of protein powder to feed your muscles….and stronger muscles burns fat right off your body.

Blueberry Smoothie
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup washed, stemmed blueberries
honey to taste
2 cups of ice
Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve while it’s cold.
4 Weight Watchers Points, 214 Calories, 43.8g Carbs

I mean, just look at the pyramid.  How are you supposed to eat that much (and that healthy) every day?  You do it by getting smart about it.  If you are fairly certain you’ll never eat 2-4 servings of fruit each day, go ahead and put 2-4 servings in a blender with some ice, a little orange juice (again, a fruit), and knock fruits out of the way for the day.  It’s sort of multitasking for your belly, and it works.  Try this delicious Blueberry smoothie and feel good about yourself!  Be a brick house, sister!

   Steal 15 minutes to yourself tonight before going to bed to whip up a quick Honey Oatmeal Facial….although it can be used on the whole body.   Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse (or jump in the shower.)  There’s something very therapeutic about taking even 15 minutes to yourself for me time.  Put yourself on your To-Do list. 

Honey Oatmeal Facial

1/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons of honey 

Finely grind or process the oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together honey and yogurt, and then add ground oatmeal. Mix thoroughly until a smooth paste consistency has been reached. Smooth over your face and neck, leave on for 15 minutes, and rinse off with warm water. Can be used daily.