There are few things better than coming home at 5:00 to the aroma of a home-cooked meal. No, you don’t have to hire a personal chef; the secret is having a simple, small appliance – a slow-cooker.

Gourmet pizza doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it can be a fun, creative experience for the whole family. I’m going to share a few tips and recipes that will turn your kitchen in to a tasty pizzeria. Family members can create their own culinary masterpieces, and it’s as easy as ordering delivery. And it tastes so much better.

Thank goodness for chicken. When I need something fast, I think of chicken. When I’m looking for a versatile backdrop for big flavors? Chicken is perfect. When I need something that will satisfy the adults and the kids at the table? That’s right. We all love chicken.

Everyone has their old, stand-by, favorite foods. Chicken Pot Pie happens to be one of mine. My husband’s? Nachos. So what happens when you take classic favorites, and put a new spin on them?

Kim, like so many of us, has a packed schedule: She works full time, is raising small kids and is also pursuing an advanced degree. “In the past year,” she says, “my eating habits have been in the tank.” So, Kim has decided to focus on one change that is doable: eating a fresh vegetable at every meal.

Amber is looking forward to exploring the wealth of ethnic restaurants in her area in 2013—from Indian to Southeast Asian to Latin American. And she says she’s definitely going to bring some of those flavors into her own home and into her work in the test kitchen.

“I have a habit of buying something just because it’s on sale at the grocery store,” Cindy says. Even though she’s got the space for a two-for-one roast, she has realized that if her chest freezer is full, she only uses what’s on top of it. Too often, those good deals can get freezer-burned and go to waste. “And where’s the savings in that?” Cindy laughs.

Mallory knows that when her first baby arrives in April, things are going to change, starting with the way her family eats. “We’re going to have to plan ahead more than we do now. Both my husband and I work, and sometimes it’s just easier for us to go out and eat than run to the grocery store after work.”

Marge already loves her slow cooker. And she keeps her freezer stocked with one- or two-serving containers of meals ready to use when time is short. But, she says, this year she hopes to be even more diligent about serving make-ahead meals.

Becky has a big change to look forward to in 2013: a new house with a new kitchen she designed herself. As Director of the Test Kitchen, she has some strong opinions about what goes into an ideal kitchen.