Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 52 of Life On the Brink!
When the spring season rolls around, I get reinvigorated to cook (shocker), and often to reassess my go-to pantry items. A fully-stocked kitchen gives me such a sense of empowerment and gets me excited to create. Today we’re exploring that very idea!
In this episode I’m going to be sharing the things that I always like to keep on hand, plus some of your own recommendations!
What’s in my teacup? The Metropolitan Tea Company’s Earl Green tea
I always love learning about ingredients that I’ve never used before or finding new ways to prepare things, and I’ve been re-inspired quite a bit lately. Not to mention the new release of the third Half Baked Harvest cookbook (my signed, pre-ordered copy is in the mail!), which has me so excited to cook.
We're all about seasonal eating over here, as you well know, but what about the things that remain constant? What is essential for a kitchen to be well-stocked?
Certainly it's different for everyone, so first let's hear from you! This week I asked over on Instagram what your Top 5 kitchen items were, and I’d love to share some responses. Head to the podcast audio above at 6:05 to hear your responses.
I found that my Top 5 was very seasonal. In summer, I could probably survive on bread, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic, and also watermelon. But when it comes to the things that I always keep stocked, it’s a much longer list.
Now this list is certainly more than 5 items, but when I think of my kitchen, these are the things I like to have. It took me a while to build up, of course, and can be a gradual thing. With this list, though, you can transform your proteins and fresh produce into pretty much anything. It’s such an empowering feeling to be able to “just whip something up” with what you have on hand.
Here we go!
MY PANTRY ESSENTIALS
Dried foods:
-Flours: wheat, almond
-Oats (I prefer steel cut or old fashioned)
-Baking powder and baking soda
-Dried pasta
-Rice
-Nuts: almonds, pumpkin seeds, pecans
Pantry items:
-Coconut milk
-Fire roasted diced tomatoes
-Chicken broth
-A bean or two: kidney, black, cannellini, chickpeas
-Sugar, honey, maple syrup
-Pure vanilla extract
-Balsamic and red wine vinegar
-Olive and avocado oils Sesame oil
Sauces/Condiments:
-Fish sauce
-Soy sauce
-Curry paste
-Mustard
-Tomato paste
-Hot sauce and sriracha
-Pesto
-Salsa
-Marinara
-Peanut butter
-Jam
Dried spices:
-Paprika
-Turmeric
-Cumin
-Cinnamon,
-Garlic powder
-Onion powder
-Curry powder
-Garam masala
Fridge:
-Heavy cream
-Parmesan
-Another hard cheese like cheddar or swiss
-Eggs
-Butter
-Plain Greek yogurt
Specialty foods:
-Olives, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes
-Pickled things: pickles, jalapenos, onions, pepperoncini
-Kimchi (go to your local international market to get it, trust me)
Staple groceries:
-Lemons and limes
-Greens
-Carrots and celery
-Onion and shallot
-Russet potatoes
-Garlic
-Ginger
Freezer:
-Shredded hash browns
-Veggies like green beans, corn, edamame
-Berries and bananas
-Burger patties
-Puff pastry
-Cookie dough
Also, I always have wine, salt and pepper, and TEA!
At this point you can add your fresh proteins, bread and seasonal produce and make basically anything! This might seem like a long list, but hopefully it’s able to inspire you to reassess and perhaps to the ingredients that you continually stock up on. Having a kitchen full of ingredients you love to use can help you make some of the most interesting and delicious things.
Here’s to happy cooking and eating, friends!
This Week’s Little Joy: Season 2 of Bridgerton. I know I'm not alone in this, but the much-anticipated second season has been such a lovely respite. I enjoy that the show embraces its colorful, not-so-historically-accurate portrayal of a Regency-era London season, and it's basically a fairytale on screen.
If you'd like to hear me gush further, or wonder what you do now that you've binged the whole season already, head to Episode 18 for recommendations on what to watch and read next!
What I’m Listening To: No surprise, the season 2 soundtrack! This playlist includes the string quartet arrangements of popular tunes (that I honestly enjoy much more than the originals) as well as the original score by Kris Bowers. I enjoy cooking or working with music like this in the background, it kind of romanticizes and elevates the experience.
As always, thank you for listening! If you'd like more inspiration to kick off your month, along with extra Little Joys and a podcast recap, scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe to the free monthly newsletter, which drops in your inbox on the first Friday of each month.
Beautiful days are ahead, friends, so I wish you luck in the kitchen, and have a lovely week!