Pantry Items

Looking through a non-cook's eyes, I'm anticipating you're wondering what to have "on hand" in the pantry to toss meals together quickly. If you have any spices that are over a year old, you should probably toss them out as the flavor just isn't there.

Keep a black Sharpie handy in your kitchen (another essential tool) and when you bring in spices from the grocery store write the date purchased on the bottom of the container, or on the lid, or on the label. Write the date anywhere you will notice so you will not be astounded when you reach for a spice and suddenly say aloud to yourself, "You mean I've had this container of tumeric since 1989?"

While purchasing some spices may initially stretch the budget, I promise you that it's an investment that will more than repay itself with money saved from the dreaded drive-through and the satisfaction of cooking real food for your family.

I'm not a professional cook. I'm just a mom who has *finally* figured out a way to put real food on the dinner table. Here's a peek into my pantry. I'm in no way suggesting you run out and purchase all of these spices. I've indicated my own personal "must haves" with an asterisk. Based on your family's food tastes, you'll soon recognize your own pattern to which spices you will reach for most often. It will take some thought and practice to get this down:

Spices:
Salt*
Pepper*
Basil*
Allspice
Celery Seed
Cayenne Pepper*
Ground Cumin*
Whole cloves
Ground Cloves
Cajun Spice Blend*
Ground Corriander
Ground Cinnamon*
Cream of Tartar
Curry Powder*
Garlic Pepper
Chinese Ginger*
Italian Seasoning*
Ground Marjoram
Mint Flakes
Nutmeg
Chili Powder*
Oregeno*
Bay Leaves*
Paprika
Crushed red peppers
minced onion
Onion salt
Onion Powder
Parsley flakes*
Garlic Powder*
Poultry Seasoning
Caraway Seed
Sage*
Thyme*
Sesame Seed*
Tarragon*
Rosemary*
Tumeric
White Ground Pepper
Saffron

Helpful Hint: Keep all of your spices in one location and in alphabetical order. No, I'm not anal retentive and super-organized. You will save yourself precious time by knowing just *where* to reach for that spice called for in the recipe without digging through cupboards grumbling to yourself.

Been there -- done that.

Remember: If your cooking utinsils and ingredients needed for a recipe are not easily accessible to you, you're not going to be successful and will quickly revert to your old habits.

Other things in the pantry:
sugar
flour
brown sugar
corn starch
bread crumbs
oatmeal
honey
maple syrup
rice
pasta
canned tomatoes
kidney beans
tomato paste
cooking oil
vinegar

OK.... I'll stop for now. I can sense your eyes glazing over. The trick is to find a handful of recipes/meals that your family likes that are easy to toss together and build from there. Baby Steps!!!!

The Chore of Cooking

It shocks me as to how many people use the fast-food drive up window multiple times per week for lunch and dinner. Reasons for doing so range from lack of time, dislike for cooking, etc. I've been there myself. However, you don't have to be a good cook or even like cooking to put dinner on the table. I'm trying to reach all of you non-cooks out there. I don't intend to attempt to transform your personality or make you Food Network Star ready. Just a little thought, planning and practice will get the job done with minimum drudgery on your part.

If you're a non cook, I'm betting your kitchen is not organized. This is vital step one. You probably can't locate your measuring cups, know what's in your spice cupboard, etc. Go through your kitchen (one drawer at a time -- don't overwhelm yourself) and take note of what you have on hand. If you can't find/identify your pantry items or kitchen tools, and if they're not easily accessible, you're not going to use them. Don't get hung up on perfection. A general organizational outlay is all that is needed.

De-clutter your kitchen. People think they need to have all sorts of kitchen gadgets. You don't. Two things I insist on having are good quality knives and good quality cookware. Even in that regard, less is more. You will also find your kitchen easier to keep clean if you don't have as much stuff. Trust me.

If you have any teflon pans that are chipped and/or worn, toss them out. Personally, I very rarely use teflon coated pans. Fumes from burning teflon is a toxin that can kill small animals. I put two and two together and got rid of mine.

So, get to it with step one: de-clutter, organize, take note of what you have on hand, and keep most often used items where you can easily get to them.