The Perfect Pantry®

Slow cooker recipe for lemon-garlic chicken and white bean stew

While it's true that Rival invented the Crock-Pot®, back in 1971, the company didn't invent slow cooking. Clay pots, tagines and Dutch ovens all predate the electric slow cooker. This chicken and white bean stew springs from the French farmhouse tradition of slow cooking in a pot set into the fireplace. Today, thanks to an inexpensive piece of kitchen equipment (the slow cooker I used for this recipe cost less than $20), I can make stew without hauling in wood, building a fire, raking the embers, and lugging a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven from the kitchen to set into the hearth. Lemon and garlic create the flavor base for this healthy, naturally gluten-free stew, which, like most stews, tastes even better the second day.

Recipe for Greek pasta salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette

In a typical winter, we'd be tromping through snow banks, shoveling our paths, digging out our cars, waiting for the plow guy to come and extricate our driveway. This year (and I don't mean to jinx us by saying this), we've had February days warm enough for T-shirts and sidewalk café dining. Everything here in southern New England seems out of season; if you don't believe me, wander in my garden, where rosemary, thyme, oregano and even parsley still show some green. It's not quite as warm here as the Greek Isles, but the sight of fresh herbs in my mid-winter garden makes me crave Mediterranean flavors. For this Greek pasta salad, I reached into the pantry for the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette ingredients. You might want to make extra dressing, to keep in the refrigerator for a quick sauce for warm pasta, a dip for crudites, or a sandwich slather.

Recipe for shrimp, kale and cannellini bean casserole

Officially, I might not be the absolutely last person on the planet to fall in love with kale, but I have fallen, and fallen hard. Raw kale salad with a warm vinaigrette remains a favorite, and I'm glad I froze some barley and kale soup. My pantry, well stocked in case of the winter snowstorm that never seems to materialize, inspired this shrimp, kale and cannellini bean casserole; all of the ingredients, except the kale, came straight from the cupboard, fridge and freezer. A rustic Tuscan-style dish that comes together in minutes and bakes for just half an hour, this casserole needs only a glass of white wine, and a bit of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Recipe for pasta with shrimp, lemon, herbs and feta

We're all on diets in my house (yours, too?), yet here I am, sharing a recipe chock full of creamy, gooey, cheesy goodness. Forgive me, but this mac-and-cheese is too good to keep under wraps. A stovetop riff on the most popular recipe ever featured on The Perfect Pantry, this pasta with shrimp, lemon, herbs and feta comes together in less time than it takes to boil a pot of water. You already have almost everything in your pantry, freezer and fridge. Substitute garden-fresh dill for the parsley, if you wish, and use any type of twisty pasta you have on hand. If you don't have Greek seasoning, combine dried oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon peel, to your own taste. Everyday or dinner party, this pasta dish more than satisfies, with just a green salad on the side.