The Living Pantry Part 1

Keeping your pantry stocked seems to be part of Cooking 101. I hear it all over the place. What should be included in your pantry, however, varies drastically. Here's a list of what my basic pantry would have. I've broken them into several sections: "Dry", Fresh, Frozen and Sauces/Spirits. This post will focus on the "Dry" ingredients. I say "Dry" because not all these are actually dried, but they all can be found in your cabinet, as opposed to the refrigerator.

The Living Pantry: Dry

Pasta

Rice

Dry Beans

Canned Beans

Dry Lentils

Nuts

Dried Fruit

Spices

Canned Tomatoes

Oil

Canned Tuna

Canned Corn

Salsa

Braggs Amino Acids

Apple Cider Vinegar

Almond Extract

Vanilla Extract

Flour

Baking Soda

Baking Powder

Oatmeal

Sugar

Honey

Maple Syrup

Now within these categories, I break down some into more detail. For example, Dried Fruit. I think raisins and cranberries are pretty basic for the pantry and can be used in various ways.

Oil: I tend to have olive, sesame and chili oil as my basics. I also have some more exotic oils, but those I would label "special".

Sugar: I'm not a fan of processed sugar, but having some white and brown on hand is good if you're baking.

Spices: My basic spices include kosher/sea salt, peppercorns, a good all-purpose seasoning, basil, sage, rosemary, cloves, cumin, bay leaves, paprika, turmeric, and cinnamon. I'm big on spices, if you couldn't tell. :)

Canned Tomatoes: I usually keep both crushed and stewed. The crushed are great for making your own pasta sauce.

Am I missing anything? Next time, it's on to the fresh foods!

Recession Meals Part 2

The Quick and Easy Soup

Soups are a supreme comfort food, especially this time of year. I'm a firm believer in soups that are quick and simple, but taste like they've been simmering all day. This season I will attempt to post many receipes and ideas for soups I've dreamt up. With the addition of a rice cooker I recently bought, my exploration into the realm of easy made soups has increased. Now there are soups made on the stovetop, in the slow cooker and in the rice cooker! Like this one, for example:

This is a vegetable soup I whipped up with miscelaneous stuff in my fridge. I'm a firm believer in working with what you've got. This time it was tofu, carrots, sweet peas, potatos and onions. I used a chicken stock and water with the salt-free all purpose seasoning I bought from Costco. Just 40 mts or so in the rice cooker and it's ready!

Soups always get better the longer they sit, but these receipes are meant for immediate consumption! They're also great if you freeze them for good eating later on.

All in all, it's good recession food!