Monica Kass Rogers

Sablé is French for “sandy,” an apt description for the delicate crumbly texture of these buttery, almond-enriched cookies that originated in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France. Also known as Sablé Breton, or French butter cookies, they are cousins to shortbread but are shaped into rounds rather than fingers. As I have been working more with natural sweeteners, these

“One ha’ penny, two ha’ penny, hot cross buns!” was once a British street-vendor cry heralding the sale of spiced and fruit-studded buns traditionally eaten on Good Friday. When I was a little girl, I loved the American version of these buns, soft and warm, with snow-white icing crosses piped over their glossy tops. Although

April’s showers and mild temperatures transform the Midwest’s barren winter terrain into a lovely green carpet of fresh growth. Foragers search the woods for wild ramps and mushrooms. Farmers markets come alive with asparagus and peas, spring garlic and parsnips, baby radishes, and, my favorite, snowy white fennel bulbs capped by feathery fronds. I’ve long

Spring welcomes green into our landscapes and our kitchens. That means lovely fresh ramps, spring leeks, tender young asparagus, and more. On the North Shore, we are lucky to have access to fresh farm produce from the more than 60 Illinois farms that are a part of Down at the Farms, LLC—all in a one-stop-shop:

Step aside, mac and cheese! This saucy cauliflower bake—with bacon, onion, and pepper jack cheese under a crisp crumb topping—is vegetal-ly better. Quite literally edible flowers, heads of cauliflower are the mildest-flavored members of the cruciferous vegetable family. Yes, bacon, cheese, mustard-cream, and Panko makes this comfort food—but with vegetal benefits. Like its more aggressive