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I grew up with enough food but there was definitely a few times I can remember where food was sparse, for me a pantry is something I could have only dreamed of having. As an adult I now value so much of the extra abundance I have on hand, I feel like I keep specific ingredients I am comfortable with that I can use to make anything.

- Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

- Sriracha sauce

- Egg noodles

- Onions & Garlic

- Extra dog food

One of my favorite chefs, Micheal Smith has a show known as 'Chef At Home', one of the main parts of the show is his appreciation for his pantry, he doesn't cook utilizing recipes, he cooks utilizing familiar flavors which he builds upon by making selections from his pantry at the start of each episode (and throughout as needed). This is one of the things I appreciate about pantries, I love the puzzle of opening a cupboard and thinking, 'What could I do with this ingredient'. When I was younger it led to inventions like cinnamon pasta which were universally disliked by my family but through that experimentation I've made wild things like sweet chili heat dorito crusted tofu to top a salad and that wouldn't have happened if I didn't keep things in my pantry.

When all else fails just remember the three P's, Puppy Pizza Party.

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