The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for leek and mushroom quiche

Trust me on this: you must have a basic quiche recipe in your repertoire, and always, always, always a package of store-bought pie crust in the refrigerator. You'll be amazed at the magic you can work with eggs, cheese and a bit of dough, plus whatever else you find in the pantry, especially when guests drop in, as they tend to do in summer. Think of this as your all-purpose quiche formula: change the cheese, swap out the veggies, use different herbs and seasonings. You can't go wrong. I love meatless variations, but if you have some rotisserie chicken or smoked salmon or cooked sausage, toss them into the mix. For a light summer lunch or supper, all you need is a wedge of quiche and a green salad, along with a glass of cold white wine. Enjoy the leftovers, if there are any, for breakfast.

Maple cinnamon matzoh brei recipe

Did you know that you can buy matzoh in the supermarket all year round, not just at Passover, and not just in the giant-size packages they sell during the holiday season? (If you don't know what matzoh looks like, here's a photo; it's a type of flatbread or large cracker.) In our house, we tend to buy the same plain kosher-for-Passover matzoh year after year, and to make the same matzoh brei recipe (my dad's classic) year after year. And we only make it during the holidays; I don't know why. I'm tired of the same old same old, and as proof, I offer this maple cinnamon matzoh brei (pronounced MAT-zah BRY), which is very much like a frittata or a really substantial quiche. Instead of the somewhat bland classic version that relies on salt for flavor, this sweet matzoh brei kicks off your day with cinnamon, maple syrup, and a bit of vanilla. I tested it on a group of friends a few weeks ago. There were no leftovers.

Recipe for bacon and egg tartine

Offer my husband Ted a green salad for lunch, with some sliced hard-boiled egg, and -- sweet guy that he is -- he'll say yes, that's fine, even if he means is that all we're having for lunch? Offer him that same salad atop a crispy slice of bread with some bacon embedded in it, and he'll say Mmmmm! And who wouldn't, really? Tartine is the French name for an open-faced sandwich. This bacon and egg tartine starts with a slice of rustic or sourdough bread, one with a close grain and not many holes. A panini press makes quick work of melding the bacon and bread together; if you don't have a press, use a stovetop grill pan with a second heavy frying pan on top. A dressed green salad and sliced egg complete the tartine, making it the perfect meal for brunch or lunch. (I know some of you might go ahead and eat the bacon bread on its own. And who wouldn't, really?)

Recipe for Sriracha avocado deviled eggs

I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.

And yet, after one bite, Sam did fall in love with green eggs and ham. The moral of the story? Taste new things, because you never know what you will like until you try. I promise you will fall in love with these green eggs. I think Sam-I-Am would like them, too. Avocado lends its color, and replaces mayonnaise that's traditionally used as a binder in deviled eggs. The devilment comes from Sriracha sauce, an Asian condiment that's always in my refrigerator.

(With thanks to Dr. Seuss for life's lessons learned, and this quote from "Green Eggs and Ham")