Stocking and Organizing the Pantry

This morning I am feeling some February or maybe Blue Moon blues. I am feeling in a rut. I think it would be lovely if I could go into my garden and dig a little bit. But with the freezing temperatures and overcast sky, it is not in my cards today. I always think of my mom. She would say, "get out there and get something done." So first I made a simple sheet cake for the kids when they get home from school and at that point I decided to review my pantry.

Today I want to offer some advice to get your pantry in shipshape. I have to admit that once you get it set up and organized, there will be very little day to day that you need to do to keep it orderly. The key is finding a spot for all items. Once you use the item, return it into its assigned spot. Keep a current shopping list to restock used items.

A well stocked pantry will help you cook daily, even if there is very little fresh food on hand. Please note that my pantry is Euro American, which is my prime cooking cuisine in my house. 

Essential Pantry Staples

Canned coconut milk

Canned and dried legumes

Canned tomatoes and tomato paste

Canned tuna, salmon, sardines or other fish

Pasta and noodles

Rice, couscous, quinoa, bulgur
Popcorn kernels

Peanut butter

Jam

Nutella

Coffee and teas

Essential on hand staples

Onions and shallots and fresh ginger

Garlic

Salt and pepper

Olive and sunflower oil

Potatoes and sweet potatoes

Spices - Cinnamon, Cardamom, turmeric, cumin, dried ginger, ground nutmeg, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, Bay leaves, whole and ground cloves, whole and ground caraway seeds, Herbes de Provence, coriander, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, sumac, rosemary, poppy seeds, Garam masala (mainly for my popcorn, I promise to share my recipe soon as I was told it is one of the best one ever, "tastes like Delhi street popcorn")

Essential Baking Staples

All-purpose and baking flour, yellow corn flour, potato starch

Baking soda and powder

Yeast

Turbinado sugar
Vanilla extract

Snack foods for kids

Raisin brands

Banana chips

Crackers

Pretzels

Cliff bars

Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)

Other Staples

Vinegars - red and white, apple cider, champagne, balsamic

Sriracha and harissa

Soy sauce - I usually stock reduced sodium 

Worcestershire sauce

Essential Fridge Staples

Yogurt

Fresh greens

Carrots

Celery

Apples

Citrus

Eggs

Cream cheese

Butter

Buttermilk

Half and half
Pickles

Bread and bagels

Variety of meats

Essential Freezer Staples

Frozen petit green peas and frozen corn

Ground beef

Chicken legs

Bacon

Frozen mangos

Strawberry pops (in winter to fight those nasty soar throats)

Vanilla ice cream (in summer)

You can also spot that my small kitchen pantry is holding my 2 food processors. One is a small one for chopping carrots, onions and celery and also for making quite regularly my salmon cream cheese spread and a large one, mainly for making large batches of hummus. I promise to share my two favorite hummus recipes really soon. 

P.S. The photos in this post are by my incredibly talented and devoted husband, Jeffrey.