Now that the holiday season is upon us, there will be numerous occasions for which you will need to bring a gift.  For dinner parties and the proverbial foodies in our lives, the gift of a bottle of wine is the most obvious choice.  My problem is that I don’t drink.  I know nothing about wine.  I stand confused and…

Cookies are easy to bake – a little flour, a little sugar, an egg, and maybe some chocolate chips.  Bake in the oven for a bit and presto!  Simple, right?  If the cookie you are talking about is Eric Kayser’s Flourless Chocolate Cookie, then no, it is not simple nor is it basic.  It is difficult, so you should go…

Butter makes recipes delicious.  I’m talking about the genuine, from-the-cow, whole dairy ingredient.  Yes, butter is high in saturated fat, so don’t eat the entire stick.  The alternative to butter is the trans fat laden and chemical filled margarine.  Margarine and all its cousins are science experiments that someone turned into a food, and they aren’t good for you either.…

Hummus is the new ‘it’ food.  It is all the rage with foodies, vegans, vegetarians, dieters, and snackers because it is delicious.  Hummus is made in many different flavors and lots of fun ingredients can be added to spice it up.  I love hummus but not all of the ingredients are readily available in a typical pantry, so I thought…

Weekends in the Fall mean one thing for many people – FOOTBALL!  The sports season brings gatherings of all types from the neighbor next door coming over to a giant group of screaming fans watching the game together.  One thing is certain, you should have plenty of game food ready.  I decided to create a bigger and better version of…

I love banana bread.  It tastes great and makes the house smell delicious as it bakes.  Banana bread is a great alternative to cake, but it tastes very similar.  I use a recipe that cuts out much of the fat and allows for adjustments to the sugar content so you can feel good about indulging in a warm slice.  The…

Summer would not be summer without ice cream.  Ice cream is as American as Uncle Sam or apple pie.  Every Friday in elementary school, our class paid a quarter each to eat ice cream bars for our end of the week treat.  My favorites were orange push-ups and ice cream sandwiches.  I still love orange push-ups and ice cream sandwiches. …

This is the first post in a new series for Effortless and Exquisite.  The ‘101 for $1.01‘ series will showcase Lifestyle Tips 101 for $1.01 or less!  Let’s get started…Chicken Stock is a great base for soups, pasta, rice, and casseroles.  Substituting chicken stock for water in recipes adds flavor and that little something extra.  However chicken stock, especially organic…

The word souffle intimidates me.  It reminds me of a smoking oven with a beeping fire detector or an uppity french restaurant with no crumbs on perfect white linens.  Sigh, but I really love souffles, especially chocolate…what’s a girl to do?  For Valentine’s weekend I decided to tackle the chocolate souffle – the Effortless and Exquisite way!  I decided to…