Everyone needs a dependable, easy-to-make cake in their repertoire. This one fits the bill. Once you’re proficient with it, start to finish, you can serve it in about an hour and a half. The buttery cake has a springy, moist crumb and a slightly crisp crust. The ingredients are simple and good butter makes a difference.

Italians call this type of cake ciambella and often serve it for breakfast. An Italian friend first made it for us, and you’re going to love how versatile it is. Flavor it with a tablespoon of lemon or orange zest and dust it with powdered sugar. Or sub out a half cup of flour for cocoa powder for a chocolatey spin on the cake. Try mixing in chocolate chips. Or try it our way, with whipped cream and sliced strawberries—for Mother’s Day brunch! You’ll love it.

As we move into April, tender, sun-inspired asparagus spears are fast rising in fields across Eastern Washington and making their way to produce stands in the Pike Place Market! The fresh local asparagus and cool spring days have us yearning for this soupy version of one of our favorite risottos. By turning it into a hearty soup, you get all the delightful flavor combinations without all the stirring. Just add the arborio rice to the simmering stock and let it cook. The pancetta adds a vibrant pork flavor to the broth, the risotto gives it a creaminess, and the tender asparagus and coarsely grated Parmigiano that top the soup add color, taste, and texture. And if you prefer a risotto to soup, double the quantity of arborio rice, halve the stock, and add it a cup at a time, stirring regularly until the rice is cooked through but still al dente and has released its starch. Enjoy! (P.S. You can buy most items from our online store!)

Some recipes beg to be followed with precision. Many baked goods, for instance. Forget to add the baking powder to a pound cake, and once it’s in the oven, there’s no fixing it. You’ll wind up with a dense, grainy doorstop. But soups and pasta sauces, for instance, are more forgiving. The recipe can serve as a guide. Love garlic add extra. Like things spicy, add some hot pepper. Or maybe you have a bumper crop of garden kale to use up.