The Perfect Pantry

Gifts for food lovers: Think outside the box (Recipe: hot buttered rum)

Part One of an eight-part series.

Mighty World Farmer's Market, from Jeffrey's Toys, Market Street, San Francisco

My father wasn't the most creative gift giver in the world.

For every occasion, he went to the same jewelry store and picked out a brooch or necklace much fancier than anything my mother would wear for everyday. Some she loved, some she didn't, but she believed that gifts should be for the person, not for the household, and, to his credit, my dad never put a big red bow on a washing machine.

My mother wasn't a food person. If she were, she might have loved a sesame seed grinder, a tagine, a stack of cookbooks, or a Viking six-burner stove -- all gifts for the household, but all things a foodie might love. I know. I love mine.

Call me crazy, but I'd much rather get a hand-carved wooden spoon than a piece of jewelry.

My husband Ted knows that about me, and over the past 18 years, since food writing became my work, he's become the most creative searcher-outer of eclectic, fun, practical, interesting, wacky, lovely, and downright cool stuff, whether from halfway around the world, or around the corner.

Inspired by Ted's ideas, and by gifts I've received and purchased for my food friends, every Tuesday from now until your favorite December holidays I'll be sharing gift suggestions for the food lover in your life.

A New Orleans pantry giveaway (Recipe: red bean and cheese burritos)

Laissez le bon temps rouller!

Although I don't speak Parisian or Provencal French, or Cajun French, or even the taxi-driver French my husband learned in Montreal, I know what this means.

Let the good times roll!

I still remember everything about our first visit to South Louisiana, where I learned the true meaning of laissez le bon temps rouller. Street life in the French Quarter. Zydeco, and jazz at Preservation Hall. The streetcar named Desire. Voodoo, plantation houses, and the pervading aroma of vinegar on Avery Island.

And the food? Oh, yes, the food: a beignet at Cafe du Monde, a muffaletta from Central Grocery, an oyster po' boy. Waiting on line for hours for shrimp etouffee at K-Paul's. Waiting on line in the middle of the street, with businessmen and politicians, for lunch at Galatoire's. Squeezing the crawfish tails and sucking the heads (or is it the other way around?) at Hymel's with the LSU game on the big-screen TV.

There is no more vibrant regional food culture in America than in New Orleans, and the nice folks at Zatarain's have offered a great New Orleans pantry giveaway to introduce you to some of the traditional foods of their home town.

The (More) Perfect Pantry: What's out, what's in (Recipe: enchiladas)

Last week I was talking to my BFF Joyce, who's been my BFF for 37 years, since before anyone used BFF, or IM, or a PDA or even a PC.

We are the kind of best friends forever who can admit to each other their worst sins, deepest fears, mortifying humiliations, unimaginable frustrations, and the occasional politically incorrect thought or George Clooney fantasy.

For the past few months, Joyce has been cleaning out her apartment. Cat-shredded furniture? Gone. Books so old the pages have fused together? Gone. Clothes that don't fit, phones that don't ring, cassettes for a long-abandoned tape player? Gone.

Old spices, older canned beans, mysterious frozen things in her pantry? Gone, gone, gone.

Yes, I confessed, I need to do that, too.

Happy Blogsday! We are two. And we have brownies.

On June 14, Elvis Presley graduated from high school (1953), Turkey appointed its first female head of state (1993), and the first Henley Regatta was held (1839).

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of an American national flag, and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 Flag Day.

On June 14, 1846, California declared independence from Mexico.

On June 14, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811), Margaret Bourke-White (1906), Pierre Salinger (1925) and Burl Ives (1909) would have celebrated their birthdays. Boy George (1961) and Donald Trump (1946) were born on June 14, too. Can you imagine all of them together at a birthday party?

On June 14, 2008, The Perfect Pantry turned two!

And in so many ways, my second blog year was perfect.

Drop In & Decorate cookies for Mother's Day

We interrupt our regularly scheduled pantry exploration to bring you this word from Julie Komenos, Associate Director of Abby's House in Worcester, Massachusetts, which provides shelter and support services to women who are homeless or victims of abuse :

Thank you doesn't begin to say how we feel about the beautiful cookies we received today.  They are a work of art and a special gift for the women of Abby's House.  We will give them out tomorrow at our Mother's Day luncheon. We are so excited to have them as they will add that special touch to the tables and a festive feeling for the day. 

Executive Director Tess Sneesby added this note:

As you know, Mother's Day is often a very difficult occasion for women here, either in our shelter or in one of our residences. You will have brightened the day for them not only because of your talent as shown by the wonderfully decorated cookies, but also and most especially because you thought of them!

At our May Day/Mother's Day Drop In & Decorate cookies for donation party last Sunday, more than 30 people dropped in to decorate cookies for Abby's House.

The top 10 pantry items you absolutely, positively, want to have

When the number of items in The Perfect Pantry's cupboards, spice rack, refrigerator and freezer hit 225, I started to think about what I really need, use, love, crave... and maybe, just maybe, what I could do without, if I had to. Today, the end of The Things We Can't Live Without Week.

After a week of reviewing what we'd need if we were stranded on a desert island (did I mention high-speed internet to keep up with my favorite Top Chef recap, a good santoku, and a few cases of Fresca?), it's time to share the results of our first readers' poll, which gave a choice of all 23 items on our must-have desert island pantry list. Thanks so much to the more than 200 readers who participated.

The big surprise -- where's the salt? Way down at #21 on the list, below balsamic vinegar, lemons, soy sauce and cumin.

13 pantry items every baker absolutely, positively, has to have

When the number of items in The Perfect Pantry's cupboards, spice rack, refrigerator and freezer hit 225, I started to think about what I really need, use, love, crave... and maybe, just maybe, what I could do without, if I had to. The Things We Can't Live Without Week, Day Two.

If I were stranded on a desert island and for some reason got the urge to bake -- though this never ever happens at home -- I would absolutely, positively, be able to make do with this baker's dozen items from my pantry:

23 pantry items you absolutely, positively, have to have

When the number of items in The Perfect Pantry's cupboards, spice rack, refrigerator and freezer hit 225, I started to think about what I really need, use, love, crave... and maybe, just maybe, what I could do without, if I had to. Welcome to The Things We Can't Live Without Week, Day One.

The pantry items I absolutely, positively would pack if I were planning to be stranded on a desert island -- albeit one with running water and electricity, a gas stove, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, air conditioning, a stand mixer, an herb and vegetable garden, and satellite TV so I could keep up with Top Chef:

Food blogs and birthdays: nothing to fear

When I tell people I'm a food writer, they generally respond in a couple of ways.

Ooooh, that's exciting!

Fun, yes. Lots of fun. But exciting like Andrew Zimmern "put anything in your mouth even when you have to hold your nose" exciting? No.

Ooooh, you must get lots of free food!

I don't, of course.

Ooooh, you must know the best restaurants in town!

Again, no. I'm one of those food writers who doesn't review restaurants. It's not that I'm not opinionated, but I'd rather write about farms and markets, cooking classes and food producers, and food-related experiences I think my readers will enjoy. Also, I live out in the woods, almost twenty miles from the nearest fine-dining restaurants.

Ooooh, where can I see your writing?

Well, in magazines. And I write a food blog.

Food blog? Ummmm.... errrr.....

Uh-oh. That's the conversation stopper.

First light, first pantry, first soup, part two

In my previous post, you met Arlo, a reader from Canada who wrote to me about her pantry box. In subsequent emails she related to me the wonderful New Year's Day traditions of her Cree and Metis family heritage. When she told me about "bullets", I asked her for the recipe.