The Perfect Pantry®

Feta cheese (Recipe: baked shrimp with tomatoes and feta)

When I was younger, I learned a lot of what I knew about boys in summer camp, from my girlfriends who had older siblings or whose mothers had had "the talk" before mine ever worked up the courage to give it a try.

Similarly, I learned a lot of what I knew about food from my friends who had grandparents and parents from Italy and Puerto Rico and the American South. Pasta and parmesan, enchiladas and chicken fried steak -- all were new to me.

I didn't know any kids from Greek families, though, so it took years before I learned about feta cheese.

Other People's Pantries #70

From Rebecca, in Seattle, Washington:

I found your site because of Other People's Pantries a while back, and here is mine.

I don't used canned stuff very much, so while the back pantry does get used, it's mostly the spice pantry and the fridge that see a lot of traffic.

Puff pastry (Recipe: asparagus and cheese tart)

I'm having fun updating some favorite posts from the archives, like this one, from the days when I didn't photograph the food I cooked. If you missed these posts the first time around, please enjoy them now. With photos and new links, too.

Pâte feuilletée.

POT FEH-YOU-TAY.

Just the thought of making something with such an elegant name scares the bedoodles out of me. If I hadn't watched Julia Child on television, smearing the butter and folding and turning and folding and turning again, making it all seem so utterly doable, I never would have tried to make puff pastry from scratch.

I did make it.

One time.

Then I discovered frozen puff pastry. Someone else does the smearing and folding and turning for you. Imagine that! Puff pastry any time, without devoting an entire day to making it.

Sriracha sauce (Recipe: Asian broccoli slaw)

When I open the refrigerator, I need to see certain things in the shelves in the door, in order to know that the universe is in order.

I need to see Dijon mustard and yellow ball-park mustard, and several types of soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and chili paste with garlic. I also need to see orange marmalade, tubes of tomato paste and harissa, and capers.

I absolutely need to see that non-mayonnaise sandwich spread I love, and ketchup from the nice people from Pennsylvania. And Fresca. Of course.

And there must be Sriracha sauce.