Olivia!

Just to prove that Olivia (the "Happy Luau" hostess, and someone I find to be such a sweet, gentle, open-hearted lady that I visit her little corner of the blog world regularly--you can never have enough sweet, gentle, open-hearted energy in your life!) is not the only one with a really cool pantry, I decided to shoot ours and post it.

Now, you organize a diagonal pantry a bit differently than you would the spacious place Olivia is blessed with. Since neither my spouse nor I are all that fond of going up and down the stairs, our organization is based around the things we need most often--or, most instantaneously--being closer to the top of the stairs, which is where our kitchen and den are situated.

So, the top stair has a fire extinguisher which is there to grab in the case of a kitchen fire. It is about four steps from the stove top to the fire extinguisher...two, if you are in a big-ass hurry with flames kissing your backside.

Items Julia regularly needs are also close to the top, as she sometimes needs something while I am at work.

The further down the stairs one treads, the more obscure the items. The video below actually starts at the bottom, so you can catch a glimpse of such vital items as two paperbacks of Julia's which she has not referenced in the entire time we have lived in this house...now, just over eight years.

But, the higher you climb, the closer you come to nirvana! There is a jar of sliced jalapeños which are vital for Mexican chicken, a dish I love so much I have learned how to prepare it myself. In fact, when Julia travels to speaking and teaching engagements, I miss her...and make up for it by cooking some Mexican chicken.

Almost as special is a little jar of capers. If I cannot have Mexican chicken (anyone interested in what that is, specifically, feel free to email me and I'll be happy to elucidate), then, please God, give me some kind of chicken which allows for the inclusion of capers.

The large white tub is Julia's coconut oil supply.

Julia is a devout consumer of coconut oil as a balancing agent for her hormones. We are both of a certain age, where concerns about such things are a focus of our daily lives--you cannot fully enjoy your life if you are busy suffering from the exigencies one in their 50's experiences. So, we fix those as best we can so we can get back to acting as if we are not all that old.

Enough intro...on to the video! Please, no chitchat during the movie...