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.

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.