I always thought that my friends not only had good taste—but good taste buds as well. My close friend, Carrie, certainly did not disappoint when she recommended BakedByMelissa.com.

The site is dedicated to owner Melissa Bushell’s most ingenious creation in the entire world: stuffed bite-sized cupcakes. The concept is perfect for someone like me, who is horrifically indecisive and takes hours to order at a restaurant because I want to have a small sample of everything on the menu.

With flavors like Cookie Dough (!!!), S’mores, Cookies & Cream as well as the timeless PB&J;, all jam-packed in a quarter-sized morsel—you can sample everything on the menu!

Unfortunately, there is a minimum for online delivery orders but for the lucky few who live in the “City that Never Sleeps” (and always wants to eat), you can stop by their store in SoHo and put Carrie’s (and your own!) taste buds to the test.

Each cupcake costs less than one dollar, and ten dollars for a dozen, so you definitely won’t feel the need to discriminate. With recession-proof, confectionery treats like these; I dare you to just have one.

After last week’s bathing suit post, I thought I’d suggest a new way to whip your “assets” into shape! I recently discovered Piloxing and its sassy Swedish creator, Viveca Jensen, while scouring one of the many, many magazines I devour each week. Viveca is, apparently, the newest celebrity fitness guru to hit Hollywood and after trying her workout DVD at home this week I understand why. Piloxing is a high energy fusion of boxing, Pilates and dance that works every part of your body while keeping your heart rate up and pumping.

My personal exercise routine normally consists of Pilates (both mat and machine) and intermittent cardio workouts on the elliptical machine. I have tried lots of different exercise classes and videos but this is the first that combines both cardio and strength training in a fun and challenging workout. It helps that Viveca is the opposite of your typical robotic fitness instructor. She is literally a powerhouse of energy and makes the routine super-fun (and sometimes just plain funny) with her quirky comments and silly, exuberant squeaks.

The routine is made even more challenging by use of one pound Piloxing Gloves (they come in half pound versions as well). These are currently on back order so my first go at Piloxing was sans gloves but, as a testament to its intensity, I am still sore three days later. I am going to start making this DVD part of my weekly workout regime and cannot wait to receive my one pound gloves! So give it a try and you too will feel, as Viveca says, “sleek, sexy and powerful!”

Get a preview on youtube.com.

Back in college, the days when it was difficult to wake up before noon on a Saturday, I would roll out of bed (quite literally), take a couple of aspirin, and make my way to the center of town.

When the snow started to slowly melt and students began to remember what green grass looked like, there would be a farmers’ market in the town square. Local farmers, bakers, and artisans loyally stood by their tents every week as students, faculty and locals all came together to celebrate their wares. The thought of fresh, organic, and locally grown food, enticed all walks of life, and was one of the only times that everyone came together to support the small community.

After graduation when I returned to the big city, I began to miss that small-town feeling, where one knew exactly where their food was from, and what family it supported. I’m not a strictly-organic gal at all, but I do like knowing that my food is fresh and after spending a semester living on a farm in high school, I can say that there are definite health benefits, not to mention a big boost in taste.

So, tired of paying an arm and a leg at Whole Foods I found www.LocalHarvest.org- a website devoted to finding farmers’ markets, restaurants and grocery stores that use local produce, closest to you. Just log-on and type in your zip-code and you’re halfway there. Each market, restaurant, etc is reviewed by other users and provides all the necessary information (address, days and times etc).

FarmersMarket.com is a similar site that can also help you in your search for freshness. So get out there and start reaping the delicious rewards from those who’ve toiled in the soil!

Hungry? That is one question to which I will gladly answer “yes!” more often than I’d like to admit. I love to eat and part of me loves to cook, but a bigger part of me finds cooking daunting and stressful. Too many ingredients, too many tools, and too much time are my biggest complaints. That was until the day I met Giada De Laurentis while watching the Food Network.

As testament to my love of food, I almost always watch the Food Network while working out on my elliptical machine. A strange combination, I admit, but I truly become entranced by these chefs. Their ease in the kitchen, their skill with food, their corresponding tools and the mouth-watering dishes they create transport me from the reality of my grueling 30-minute cardio routine and helps me forget the energy I have to expend to be able to eat the foods I like.

What drew me to Giada was how different she was than most other chef’s I’d seen. First of all, she is thin, attractive, fashionable and approachable. She is how I would like to imagine myself to be if I were a chef. Her recipes follow the same formula: simple ingredients and easy-to-follow directions that create accessible and delicious dishes. Healthy and simultaneously satisfying, some of my favorite Giada recipes are her Turkey Meatballs, Simple Bolognese and Chicken Saltimbocca.

A hard working girl, Giada’s show “Everyday Italian” airs twelve times a week at both 11am and 4:30pm on Food Network. She has a cookbook with the same name and has authored two other books, “Giada’s Family Dinners” and “Everyday Pasta.” I own them all and have used them extensively.

Now here’s the good news: you don’t need to buy a book to get access to Giada’s recipes – most are available on the Food Network’s website. It can’t get much easier or taste much better, so there is really no excuse not to try out a Giada recipe and get over your fear of the kitchen! I promise you will not be disappointed and you definitely won’t be hungry.

There are days when you want to smell sexy, days when you want to smell flirty, and days when you just want to smell pretty. That’s exactly what French perfumist, Annik Goutal, delivers with her delicate floral, fruity scents and charming packaging.

My favorite scent is “Petite Cherie” with its rose, peach and vanilla notes in full bloom. My father bought me my first bottle a few years ago, and I’ve been using it ever since.

You can buy Petite Cherie and other Annick perfumes at Beauty.com or, as you might want to actually smell the scent before purchasing it, they are are sold in department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus all over the states.  I had the luxury of going to one of the boutique stores in Paris which was located just down the street from my apartment when I was abroad there. With its feminine pastel colored walls, and gold trimming, you wish you could buy the store itself!

Every time I put the scent on, I can’t help but feel nostalgic. It brings me back to walking down the lovely streets of Paris, baguette in hand, and a smile on my face. With this year being the scent’s tenth anniversary, and millions of limited edition, hand painted bottles sold, I guess I can’t be the only one who stops to smell the (French) roses.

In a world where beautiful things often cost too much, those of us with high-end taste but lower-end budgets often feel left out. Enter Rosanna Inc., a purveyor fashion – forward tableware and accessories. As the website says, it is Rosanna’s “goal to create high-quality, functional dishware, both richly handcrafted and affordable.” Their European-influenced wares will make any girl who’s ever played house want everything on the site!

Inspired by the glittering votives of one of the oldest cathedrals in Verona, Italy, the Illuminare collection (pictured below) was my first Rosanna purchase. Twelve of them, in varying sizes, are scattered on a large Moroccan tray in the middle of my dining room table and, as promised, they look absolutely enchanting. In fact, everything on the site has a magical quality and with new collections added each season, there is never a lack of options.

That being said, and probably inspired by (read: jealous of) Lo’s recent trip to Paris, I’ve become obsessed with the Dauphine Candlesticks. Who wouldn’t want to invoke the infamous style of Marie Antoinette in their own home? The “Initially Yours” collection is also something I am hoping to add to my own collection. If this were 3 years ago, I would have put this site and 12 of these beautifully initialed, oversized mugs on my wedding registry. Good news for any of the newly engaged ladies reading…Rosanna Inc. has a gift registry! Yet another website that I wish I knew about before I got married!

I read the newspaper, I watch MSNBC – we are in a big-time recession…I get it! The title of this section is Coveter, not Glutton, so we intend to show you how to save money as well as spend it. RetailMeNot.com ensures you “never pay retail” by providing updated coupon codes for most major online retailers, from big-box shops like amazon.com to my favorite virtual fashion boutique, shopbop.com.

The site has a unique array of tools to guarantee that you are always saving at checkout. These include personalized email alerts when your favorite sites are offering discounts and promotions, a “hot coupons” weekly newsletter, and bookmarks that will send pop-ups of available coupons while you are out trolling your favorite online haunts. MKIA is not here to fix the economy, nor do we claim to understand why it’s in the state it is in. But we are here to help you live your lives and that includes shopping – now with what we hope is a little less guilt!

This little piggie went to market, this little piggie stayed home, and this little piggie rocked out to his iPod allllll night at home! These ipod speakers, appropriately named the iPig, are not only adorable—but so functional! With an iPod docking station that syncs with all iPod models, sensory touch volume, a remote control, five speakers and different color options—what more could you want from this little Babe?

Yes, I’m a bit biased because I love pigs (my family has called me “Piggy” or “Pigeletto” practically since birth because of my messy nature), but you have to admit that these piglets are definitely too cute to eat. After dancing the night away to your favorite playlist, all you’ll want to say is, “that’ll do Pig, that’ll do.”

You can buy your very own iPig at speakal.com.