From Scratch

First things first, you cannot cook if you don't keep staples on hand.  It's a little known fact.  So today we'll be talking about stocking a pantry.  Not just dry goods, but everything that I think you should have on hand at all times.  You can disagree, you can add your own favorites in the comments, but we gotta start somewhere!

Let me say this right off the bat, if you don't keep flour and sugar on hand, I'm shaking my head at you.  Yes, you.  How on earth do you plan to bake or make gravies or put out a kitchen fire without these two basic ingredients?  If you're reading this and think "How does she know?" stop reading, save your place for later and book it to the grocery store.  I'll wait.

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Okay, so now we all have flour and sugar, yes?  Good.  But that's not all you'll need.  I'm doing this off the top of my head, not looking in my pantry, so bear with me.  My must have at all times list of ingredients:

Dry Goods

* Flour:  I get both unbleached white and whole wheat

* Sugar

* Brown sugar (and later I will be showing you how to make your own at home if you're out!)

* Molasses

* Honey:  excellent substitute for sugar if you're running low, as well as just great in and of itself.

* Cornmeal

* Baking Soda

* Baking Powder

* Cornstarch

* Vanilla (see bottom of post)

* Salt, both a regular one like kosher or iodized (and there is a difference even between those two when cooking) and a good finishing sea salt. 

* Whole peppercorns in a grinder as well as your pre-ground pepper (really, it simplifies cooking so much sometimes!)

* Oils:  A good extra virgin olive oil for dipping, and either a cheap olive oil or canola oil for cooking.

* Vinegar: Plain white, red wine, and balsamic.

* Beans: dried and canned.  Dried are fantastic and I highly recommend them, but canned are good for ease and quickness.

* Dried pasta, all shapes, all sizes, have a variety and you will always have something to cook.

* Rice

* Couscous: if I introduce you to one new thing in your pantry, let it be this.  Good cooked as a side to chicken with herbs, or cold with goat's cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers as a salad.

* Tomato paste

* Canned tomatoes:  whole and diced 

* Canned broths:  chicken at least, it's the most used.  If you get the boxed kind you can refrigerate it if you need to.

* Dried fruit:  raisins, apricots, apples, etc.  Good to throw in baked goods or eat alone.  Also can be used in things like roast pork loin.

* Jams, good ones made with sugar not high fructose corn syrup.

* Cocoa powder

* Maple syrup:  the real kind, not the pancake syrup.  Yes, it's more expensive, but you'll use less of it.  

* Canned tuna in oil.  It's delicious, splurge on a more expensive brand and you'll never go back. (Our favorite kind is less than $2 a can and when you think about it, for 2 people that isn't bad at all.)

* Canned salmon.  Some turn their noses up, but you can make excellent salmon croquettes (patties) and salmon mousse with the canned variety.

* Roots: Garlic, Onions, Potatoes, etc.

* Dried herbs and spices:  only you know what you'll use, but I highly recommend things such as cumin, basil, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne, cinnamon....the list goes on and on but that's a good start.

* Crackers:  saltines, butter, and water. 

* Breadcrumbs

* Fresh bread

Cold Items (a.k.a. your refrigerator and freezer)

* Milk

* Eggs

* Butter: the real stuff, not margarine.

* Cream

* Half and half

* Cheese:  a wedge of parmesan, a chunk of gruyere, a ball of mozzarella, a log of goat's.  Make sure you have some cheese on hand all the time because it can be nearly a meal in itself.

* Cottage cheese

* Yogurt:  both a plain unflavoured kind and a vanilla.

* Condiments:  ketchup, mustard, pickles, mayonnaise, horseradish.

* Veggies:  Carrots and celery are my must have at all times vegetables in my fridge.

* Bags of frozen veggies:  corn, peas, broccoli, peppers, asparagus.  Choose a variety.

* Bags of frozen fruit:  strawberries, peaches, raspberries, blueberries.  

* Ice cream, good quality, the kind that makes you want to savor it at home.

This is not a perfect list, and I would love to hear what you would add!  

**And, just so you know, the next item added into the box of goodies for the giveaway is a 4 oz. bottle of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract.  It's my favorite brand of vanilla and I always buy in bulk to make sure I never run out! **

To enter the giveaway, go to this post HERE!