I have been receiving questions about what I keep in my kitchen as “go to” ingredients or pantry staples.  So, I decided that I would sit down and make a list.  These are items that I use in many of my recipes and also kitchen tools that come in handy and are very frequently used in my kitchen.

Pantry Staples:

• Honey and/or Agave
• Dijon Mustard
• Blocks of Cheese (to grate fresh when needed; store unused portions in freezer):
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese *(my all time favorite cheese)
  • Colby Jack Cheese
  • Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese (if I don’t have Colby Jack)
  • Mexican Cheese (I like to mix the cheeses listed here to make a Mexican blend)

I will also store the rind of the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese in the freezer.  They are so great to add to your Crockpot when cooking soups or homemade spaghetti sauce.  I also love to buy blocks of cheese instead of bags of pre-shredded cheese; that way you know that you are getting quality ingredients (just cheese)! They taste better and they last a long time and you can grate a little or a lot, depending on how much you need.

• Beans: usually low sodium black beans, red kidney beans, white cannellini beans
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes (canned); I use these in so many recipes.  They have great flavor
• Rice: Wild and/or Brown Rice
• Risotto (which is typically gluten free)
• Salt: Kosher salt
• Pepper: I like to keep peppercorns on hand to grind myself
• Olive Oil: a good, rich/fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil *(go for the good stuff); this is worth spending some money on
• Cooking Spray
• Sesame Oil
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Marsala Wine (I like to get this in my liquor store; it really does taste better)
• Sherry Wine

Baking Staples: 

• Pure Maple Syrup: I keep a small bottle of this on hand. It is great for baking and a little goes a long way
• Apple Butter and/or Apple Sauce-for baking (especially in the Fall)
• Pure Vanilla Extract and/or Vanilla Beans
• Corn Meal
• Corn Starch
• Flour: All-Purpose Flour, Gluten Free Flours, Corn Meal Flour *I usually have a variety of flours on hand
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda

Seasoning Staples:

• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Italian seasoning
• Chili powder
• Paprika and smoked paprika
• Ground cumin
• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin pie spice (this is my all time favorite spice; I even add it to my coffee every morning)
• Ground mustard
• Ground ginger
• Dill weed
• Ground nutmeg
• Parsley flakes
• Whole oregano

Rosemary Bush

I do have other seasonings on hand but the ones listed here are the seasonings/spices I use the most.  I like to combine spices together for recipes.  For example, I like to make my own Mexican seasoning instead of buying a packet.  I combine chili powder, cumin, cayenne (if you like it a little spicy), onion powder, garlic powder, S&P; you can even add a little paprika or smoked paprika if you like.

I also grow fresh herbs on my deck during the warmer months.  This year I grew some of my favorites like rosemary, basil, cinnamon basil, cilantro and lemon thyme.  The rosemary bush I grew did so well I was able to use it for my Thanksgiving dinner recipes.

Cooking Utensils-Staples:

Cow Bell & Zester

I have many tools that I have equipped my kitchen with from utensils, pots/pans, blenders, standing mixer, food processors (large and mini) to rolling pins, my handy dandy Silpat (for baking cookies) and sifters.

The list could go on and on however, items I have been using quite often lately are:

• Cow Bell (this gets used a lot in my kitchen; mostly to grate all the cheeses but also for making hash browns, shredding carrots)…….
• Zester-to zest those lemons/limes, sometimes to grate carrots
• Tongs-1 with rubber on ends and 1 with metal; I use these all the time!
• Cutting Boards:  I have several wooden boards which I use for everything except my meats/fish.  I keep some plastic boards on hand for all my meats and fish.  I just throw my plastic boards into the dishwasher to get them nice and clean & sanitized.  Be sure to maintain your wood boards with some mineral oil over time and keep them nice and dry to avoid them getting mildew.
• Double Boiler:  My double boiler gets used from making veggies to melting chocolate!! It really does have multiple uses so this is a great tool to have on hand.
• Standing Mixer:  My standing mixer gets used so much this has to be the 1 tool or piece of equipment in my kitchen that gets used the most and for so many recipes.  I use it to makes things such as pancake or waffle batter to muffins to making icing or compote butters.  You can also get different attachments to add to your mixer to make pastas and sausage.  The possibilities are endless!
  

  Silpat

• Food Processor:  for chopping ingredients; this tool comes in handy
• Mini Chopper: when I don’t need to pull out my larger food processor I can easily use my mini chopper.  This gets used a ton in my kitchen for making taco sauce to chopping nuts.
• Blender:  everyone needs a good blender on hand.  After all, you never know when you might need a good drink mixed up!! My kids, on the other hand, love a good protein drink in the blender.
• Aprons:  I keep a few of these on hand for myself and my kids to wear.  It is also nice when you have a friend or family member come over to help out in the kitchen to offer them an apron to wear.
• Silpat:  this is great to have if you like to bake.  You just place it onto your baking sheet so nothing sticks to it.  Great for making cookies!