The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for salmon and quinoa patties with lemon-yogurt sauce

Here at the log house, we usually eat family style, serving ourselves from communal bowls and platters. However, every now and then, I like to fancy it up a bit. I don't mean that the food gets fussy or complicated; rather, I take an extra minute or two with presentation, even when it's just for my husband Ted and me. (How romantic is that?) We love salmon and quinoa patties burger size on a bun, with the lemon-yogurt sauce slathered on top, but this time, I used a 2-1/2 inch round pastry cutter to form them into delicate appetizer-size bites. Don't they look pretty? Quinoa takes the place of breadcrumbs, and cod or tilapia can stand in for the salmon. If you're making a big batch for a party, form them ahead of time and refrigerate, then bake right before serving.

Recipe for spicy Asian shrimp cocktail

Yesterday, for Martin Luther King's birthday, which also happens to be my birthday, I wanted nothing more than the company of my husband Ted, a snuzzle from the cats, a few hours to read in the middle of the day, and a bowl of this spicy Asian shrimp cocktail. When I was a little girl and my family went out for dinner on special occasions like birthdays, I always felt quite grown up when I ordered shrimp cocktail in a restaurant and the waiter brought a martini glass with shrimp hanging around the rim. This dish, served with a bit less fanfare, hits all of the high points for me: spicy, salty, smoky, sweet, shrimp. No birthday cake with candles on top can do that. Not even if it's chocolate.

Recipe for gluten-free polenta mini pizzas

Grazing. I love the concept of grazing, eating small bites of this and that, teasing my palate with salty, then sweet, then spicy, rather than one large dish. That's the theory behind tapas, the wonderful little dishes of Spain. As an appetizer or part of a grazing menu, or even a small lunch with a green salad, these polenta mini pizzas would be perfect. You can top the pizzas with absolutely anything -- bits of leftovers from the fridge, smoked salmon or proscuitto or sausage, vegetables from the garden, any type of cheese -- and you can make them ahead and reheat just before serving. And the best part? They look rustic and a little bit fancy, at the same time.

Chocolate chocolate chip waffles recipe

Chelsea, Alex and I dubbed these waffle brownies when we took our first bites during Wafflepalooza, and I promise that when you taste these chocolate chocolate chip waffles, you'll understand. I'm a coffee-with-waffles girl, as a rule, but these waffles beg for a glass of cold milk, just like the very best brownies. For all the chocolate chips and cocoa powder, the waffles aren't as dense as you'd expect. In fact, they're almost fluffy. In our house, these are "special occasion" breakfast waffles, the kind my husband Ted might make on Christmas morning. They also make a fine (and fun) dessert, with a drizzle of raspberry sauce on top. You can make them ahead, freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan, then pack into ziploc bags; to serve, simply pop them in the toaster.