Acclaimed food writer Melissa Clark of the New York Times, who's latest book Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make was recently released, is Mitchell Davis's guest on this weeks episode of Taste Matters. Tune in as Melissa tells listeners everything they could want to know about being a successful home cook and understanding recipes. Learn why recipes with more than 5 ingredients shouldn't intimidate anybody and why you need to put aside more than 30 minutes to cook any successful meal at home. From the informed home chef to the terrified rookie, find out more about turning your kitchen into a communal, fun and productive food center! This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

"I have people who tell me "anything with more than 5 ingredients scares me" or "how do I roast a chicken?" If you put it in the oven with salt and pepper it will pretty much taste good no matter what you do."

"There's this huge cultural divide between serious cooks and people who really need to get dinner on the table quickly but may be intimidated. A well written recipe needs to be able to capture both audiences."

"People get home from work at 5 or 6 and want dinner on the table 30 minutes later. That's just not the way it works!"

"The extra 15 minutes to make something fresh is the best way to show somebody you love them."

"For Valentines Day I'm getting an incredible rib steak with the bone in and I'm going to rub it down with lemon zest, course salt, ground juniper and pepper. Then I'm going to sear the heck out if it. What's better than that??"

"When I go out to eat, I always order the ingredient that sounds the least attractive to me."

"At the [New York] Times, we're trying to use only sustainable fish in our recipes."

--food writer Melissa Clark on Taste Matters

This week on The Mike & Judy Show, writer Anna David joins to program to talk about her upcoming book, "Falling for Me". Tune in for a girly episode of the fastest 30 minutes on the internet and hear about bra sizes, first dates, sobriety and dating advice. Hear how long Mike Edision can go without bringing up wrestling or pot (spoiler alert: less than 5 minutes). This episode was sponsored by Roberta's.

Looking for activities to do with your child? Find out how you can help teach your child to have fun while learning and developing with some great tips from Alessandra Iavrone. Learn about some of the Montessori teaching methods featured in the book "Teach Me to Do It Myself". Find out how you can help your child learn responsibility by having an active role in "play-time". This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.