The Perfect Pantry®

Zucchini, goat cheese and basil frittata recipe

Here I come to save the day! (Thanks, Mighty Mouse.) Yes, friends, the express train known as the zucchini glut has pulled up at farm stands everywhere, and you can never have too many recipes to help you enjoy the ride. This zucchini, goat cheese and basil frittata is just the kind of dish that saves the day in our house, a quick and easy lunch or light supper recipe that isn't at all fussy. Make it in the morning and refrigerate for later in the day (or for the following day), or spend 15 minutes and cook right before you're ready to eat. Frittatas have only a few ingredients, so make sure you use the best cheeses, eggs and herbs you can find. Lucky for me, I had just enough of my friend Christine's goat cheese left after making an arugula, berries and goat cheese salad, and the two dishes came together in a perfect summer supper.

Arugula, berries and goat cheese salad with poppy seed dressing recipe

It takes a village to make a salad. Well, it takes my village to make this salad: raspberries and blueberries from Bob and Charlotte, goat cheese from Christine (a cheesemaker-in-training), baby arugula from a farmstand up the road, all brought together by a simple poppy seed dressing from ingredients I always have in the pantry. One taste of this salad, and you'll want to move to my town and meet my friends, or at least get their addresses so you can collect the ingredients. Poppy seed dressings often contain onion (this one doesn't) and mustard (this one doesn't), and a little bit of sugar (this one does). I make mine just slightly sweet, a perfect counterpoint that doesn't overwhelm the bite of the arugula. Dark leafy greens and antioxidant-rich blueberries pack a powerful nutritional wallop -- a nice bonus in something that tastes so good.

Recipe for white bean dip (or sandwich spread) with goat cheese and herbes de Provence

On any given holiday weekend, an unexpected guest might appear out of nowhere to fill an empty chair at my table. Unexpected does not mean unwelcome, but sometimes it means a few rabbits need to be pulled from hats to stretch the food. At times like those, it's great to have some quick appetizer ideas that use ingredients from the pantry. Fancy up this quick-and-easy white bean dip with crackers, pita wedges, raw vegetables or slices of fruit. In other words, raid the fridge and raid the pantry; all the "rabbits" you need are right there.

Recipe for whole wheat macaroni and cheese with mushrooms and thyme

Not all that long ago, I had room in my brain for all the details I wanted to store there: birthdays, phone numbers, shopping lists, passwords, my car's license plate number, and the high-point three-letter Scrabble words. I also remembered who among my family and friends didn't eat strawberries, black olives, fish, dairy, stinky cheese, or green vegetables (bet you can guess that last one). Someone doesn't love mushrooms. I can't remember who, but I feel sorry for that person, because he (I'm certain it's a he) will miss out on this irresistible whole wheat mushroom mac and cheese when it appears on my Thanksgiving buffet this year. Whole wheat pasta isn't my favorite, but paired with woodsy cremini mushrooms and thyme from my garden, along with Gruyere or Danish fontina cheese, the more dense pasta seems so right. Serve this mac and cheese as a hearty vegetarian main course, or a side dish for any holiday meal.