Welcome to my kitchen! Kitchen Staples

Spices

Oil and Vinegar

Canned and boxed

Flour, sugar and rice

July is just around the corner and I make it a point to every January and JULY  clean out and tidy up my kitchen pantry.  I thought this might be a good time to also share with you some of the items I try to make sure I have handy for my baking and cooking. A few suggestions that I hope you find helpful. I have posted this before but some new foodies may have not seen it.  Have a wonderful day! 

Happy Baking and Cooking from my kitchen to yours,

M.J

Today I was thinking about my favorites in the baking and cooking area. Little touches of an ingredient that makes my recipes taste so good..

  It seems butter is high on my list.  Butter makes your meal  great and even on a basic slice of Italian bread makes me want more so I'd give butter my highest rating as what ingredient I use the most.

Next it would be olive oil.  Olive oil in salads is by far the best ingredient to add to a salad and then combined with butter when you are cooking certainly adds just the right blend.  When you are making shrimp scampi(for instance) adding the two makes a great dish and I can't forget garlic.  It is another must for me!

Now on to meat, fish and poultry. I am really fussy what I use in that area(of course I'm fussy when I cook period) but good quality meats really make the meal.  Look for sales and plan your weekly meals on what is on sale at your favorite store or market.  As much as I don't like to freeze meats I do at times to take advantage of great sales and there is an advantage to having meat in the freezer you don't have to run out to the store every time you decide to make your dinner that is a rule I have followed since I got married..

Vegetables are so important too.  I have found that checking a few places always helps but by now I realize there are stores I frequent for my meats and vegetables and others for canned and boxed items.  So basically I shop two stores for all my grocery needs..and go to the market occasionally.  (In the summer it is a must)!

I never was a person who would go to 10 different stores to get an order. It just wasn't worth it (that's my opinion) and today with gas prices they way they are I think we have to consider that in our shopping trips.

Now on to stables that you should have in your kitchen.  Ingredients that you will need most days are salt, pepper, garlic, onion (powders are acceptable), lots of herbs(spices) basil for sure and parsley (dried).  Canola oil as well as olive oil, wine vinegar, rice vinegar.  Baking staples such as baking powder, baking soda, flour, sugar and vanilla..You could add others but the basic ones usually are all you need to prepare a meal.  I could go on but if you stock your kitchen with basics you can usually put together a quick meal.

In your refrigerator having milk, eggs, butter or margarine are items that usually good to have on hand.  Who doesn't like a bowl of cereal ( good staple too) or a slice of toast occasionally.

My kitchen isn't loaded with lots of extras but basics for sure.  Keep the basics in your kitchen and you'll  be prepared to put together a quick meal.  Having some pasta, sauce and canned soups are also great quick meal items. Convenience is a key to making a meal or dessert and having staples handy will make baking and cooking in your kitchen more enjoyable. I might have missed a few kitchen suggestions and will probably add on later to a list that might help make baking and cooking easier and less time consuming.