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

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.

The creamiest butternut squash soup — so healthy yet if feels so indulgent. Definitely the way to start Fall off right.

This soup is a breeze to make with only five main ingredients: butternut squash, potatoes, onions, carrots and chicken stock. The potatoes and squash are roasted together until tender, while the onions and carrots get sautéed until softened. The squash, potatoes and stock are then added to the pot with the onions and carrots and everything gets simmered before being pureed with an immersion blender or in a blender.

As autumn approaches and the air turns crisp, so do the apples. Thankfully, the variety of readily available apples has increased in recent years. Gone are the days of only Red and Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith apples to choose from.

We've chosen five apple varieties that are widely available and range from super-sweet to very tart. The range includes the best varieties for snacking and using in salads to those apples whose taste and texture can stand up to cooking and baking. I've even included My favorite pick from the bushel.

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.

Using the right flour is key to getting the perfect "crumb" in your bakes. The crumb refers to the inside texture of bread or cakes, notably the pattern and size of the holes. Whether your after a light airy "open crumb" for your sourdough bread or a denser, but tender "closed crumb" on your signature pound cake, the choice of flour can make a big difference.

A groovy, technicolor ice cream for kids and adults alike.

This techno-colored, swirled dream of a dessert is definitely the easiest ice cream I've ever made. It is surprisingly well-textured given the direct-to-freezer method instead of churning in an ice cream maker. It's the perfect experiment for kids and comes together in 15 minutes (not including chill time of course).

Brought to you by one of the best cooks I've ever met, my friend's grandma, Judy. This crowd-pleasing cake is shockingly simple. With fluffy layers of vanilla cake, a whipped cream and mascarpone frosting, and cherry filling this cake is stunning, simple, and delicious!

Cheesy zucchini tots are baked rather than fried and are a lower-carb option to tator tots. And, they're made fresh, NOT from the freezer!

Whether this year school means in-person teaching or online classes, routines help keep things normal, such as an afternoon snack. Boost their learning with a tasty and healthy afternoon treat! 

A traditional Italian summer salad of toasted bread, fresh tomatoes and onions with a French twist.

The popular Tuscan Panzanella is a salad made of toasted bread, fresh tomatoes and onions that characterizes a summer in Central Italy. We love the high proportion of toasty bread (obviously) and of course, that it's a delicious way to use up that lingering loaf sitting on your counter. Shake up your summer dinner routine and give this simple salad a try this weekend. It would pair wonderfully with the Roasted Beet Ravioli from our previous post!