Inspired Cooks — Cook more. Eat better. And have more fun!

For those of you who don't want to bother with fancy decorations here are two fabulous scratch cakes that offer big flavor without all the fuss. You simply can't go wrong with either of these easy-to-make cakes.

Classic flavors shine in these two cakes, because we put the focus on the ingredients that go into the cake, like rum and apple and orange and vanilla.

We simplified the presentation too! Dust with powdered sugar after cooled, then give each slice a generous dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream before serving. It's ALMOST as good as a hug.

If you're sick of Thanksgiving left-overs this roasted butter chicken bathed in a creamy, Indian curry sauce is the perfect anecdote to turkey overload. Pair it with toasted naan and you've got yourself the perfect meal for any night of the week!

A lot of us have spent a good amount of time at home lately. Eating out on Friday nights has been nearly nonexistent for many. So, this Friday night, make your own special dinner with this Roasted Butter Chicken Tikka Masala.

Striped Pasta — It's easier than you think! And, it's a great project for the whole family! For the striped pasta sheets, we used natural ingredients for the color - fresh spinach, roasted beets, and roasted carrots. With a pasta...

Shake up your weeknight routine with this quick and easy one-pan meal. With bright and flavorful lemon, garlic, olive oil and just a bit of butter, this pan of baked salmon and vegetables is perfect when you need dinner fast, without the marathon of prepping, cooking, and cleaning.

Everything gets tossed together on one pan and baked for about 15 minutes until roasted and delicious. Serve it up and throw everything in the dishwasher afterwards!

Well, yes. While purchasing a Vitamix Blender will set you back a few hundred dollars, what it gives back in convenience and pure kitchen prowess is worth every single penny. Whether you can splurge right away or you have to save up to buy the Vitamix that fits your needs, you'll be glad you made the investment every time you use it. And, once you realize how versatile it is, you'll use it a lot.

What makes a Vitamix a Vitamix?  While it can handle the common tasks associated with a blender's kitchen duties, Vitamix blenders can handle so much more. Power, along with the blade and jar design, plays a key role in the Vitamix blender's performance.

This recipe is perfect because one, I always have a few bags of fresh frozen blueberries on hand. Freezing fresh fruit in-season is a win-win all winter long! My stash of fresh frozen blueberries is the perfect antidote when fall has arrived, and I've already started counting the days till the next summer solstice. Their sweetness also works perfectly with the almond filling.

Reason number two? Watching Mary Berry on old episodes of The Great British Baking Show never gets old.

Breville ovens are smarter. I bought the original 9 function Smart Oven in 2010 and loved it the first time I used it. Soon my full-sized oven was starting to get resentful, and for good reason. The Breville preheated faster, kept a more even temperature, and offered more functions than its full-sized cousin.

Another thing I really love about these ovens is the timer. It counts down and turns the oven off when the time is reached. Set it for and hour and after an hour the oven turns off. This feature alone has saved many meals at our house.