Desperation Pantry Cooking

[elleng]

I’m moving. . . I’m barely shopping. . . You know it’s bad when you have no onions and no canned tomatoes!

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/desperation-...

Well, I'm moving too, and as I haven't had my OWN kitchen for years, I'm really looking forward to having a cuisine of my own! Thinking of starting my first list, but hesitating 'cause I can't afford much!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. You've got to start your list -

when you're moved in and unpacked and ready to start stocking the kitchen, what's on your list?

I love lists. LOVE them. You don't have to buy everything the first time at the market, but you do need the list.

What's the market you'll be using? Giant? Safeway? Is there a Whole Paycheck around?

This is great! You get to start with ALL NEW stuff!!!

[elleng]

2. SO GLAD you're excited too!

Giant is the only one I'm familiar with; don't know where it is. I would like to check others. Shopping will be different, as here, one Giant is 4 minutes away, and another is 7 minutes away. Both with Starbucks, either within or next door!

As Bittman suggested, onions and can toms top of my list! Garlic. I have garlic p, and red pepper flakes, and montreal chix stuff, and Bay. No other Herbs! I think I'll try to get and keep a small basil plant alive for a while. Have I told you there are 2 small porches, one is between kitchen and bedroom!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. You can grow EVERYTHING!

Get as many potted herbs as you can. That's a natural for the sunnier porch. Oh, it'll be so nice.

Salt.

Pepper.

Milk.

Eggs.

Bread.

Butter.

Olive oil.

I LOVE LISTS! I love planning.

Next time you're in Falls Church (will you still be going there?), you HAVE to go to Penzey's, if only to get their Granulated Garlic, which will make you ashamed of ever using garlic powder, I promise you.

This is great, kiddo..........................

[elleng]

4. MD appointment in FC thurs, 2:00 pm!

I figure, 2x/year will be ok.

I have butter, and o oil too.

Don't know how much sun my porches get; sunnier side is 'front' of the house,I think. As I really can't afford much, I don't think I'll be going out shopping for herbs. Have seen some at Giant, tho.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. You MUST go to Penzey's -

check their website - penzeys.com - and see where their store is, right on Broad Street - easy parking right there. You'll love it, even if it's just for browsing. But, honestly, I'd be lost without their granulated garlic.

See? You've already saved on butter and olive oil! So you can buy one little herb plant and see how it does. That'll be fun.

Mustard.

I'm trying not to get too excited..............................

[elleng]

7. Got mustard!

and maple syrup!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. Chili sauce -

you never know when you're going to crave Sloppy Joes.

Potatoes.

Ice cream.

Do you buy the bagged salad greens? I'm a sucker for those, lazy as I am. And since my appetite started to return, I've been craving Napa cabbage thinly sliced with radicchio, butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and sometimes, romaine. Man, I cannot get enough of that stuff - just the lettuces and the cabbage - nothing else - and a homemade honey-mustard dressing.

Honey.

Carrots.

Nathan's hot dogs. For the freezer, for when you get a hankering. Ditto for the hot dog buns, too.

What's the fridge like?

[elleng]

9. 'Standard' oldish-style fridge, top freezer.

Thanks for nathan's reminder; one of those cravings!

Been using giant salad bar and need for 'healthy' stuff. Red/yellow peppers, peas, kidn. beans, 3-beans, beets, spinach, celery, carrots. Bagged stuff usually perishes before I finish it. Spend $2.00 at salad bar, and finish it in 2 days.

Red pots a standard, and large sweet pots = dinner!

Ice cream I get 4 oz h.d. coffee, to go with starbucks, every few days!

Need coffee 'appliance,' would like to find melitta plastic cone for filters.

[elleng]

15. At my local friendly McD, w. internet! None at home yet.

Taking our lists to grocery now!

Thanks for all, guys!

E

[elleng]

14. Got my kitchen things together today .

It will have been SUCH a 'trek' to get to my place! From home to rooming house to friends townhouse to MY PLACE, since 09/06! I THINK I recognise the items I brought here from home, which I did on several occasions, and I wonder what I'll dream about now!

[elleng]

17. Grocery is Martins, related to Giant, I've learned, AND

OPEN 24/7!!! WHAT A TREAT, considering my hours!!!

At McD again, for internet. Sun sets in my living room and bathroom and bedroom windows!!!! Through park/trees!

Will have cable tv 8/24, so now I've got radio; good stations!

[flamin lib]

6. When you buy dry herbs don't buy those tiny little jars from the mega mart.

Find ethnic stores like middle eastern and far eastern. You can buy a half pound of good quality bay laurel leaves for what that little 1.5 oz bottle costs. Same with stick cinnamon, thyme, oregano and every other dried green herb you can think of. Zip lock the stash and put it in the fridge to keep.

[grasswire]

10. gotta be careful about herbs in plastic bags

I was doing that once and ended up with everything tasting like cumin -- the flavors leach. So I got some baby food jars. But little plastic jars work okay too -- any dollar store type place will have them in a pack of eight or so.

But you are absolutely correct about buying herbs and spices in bulk. Sooooooo much cheaper!

[elleng]

11. Thanks grass' and all,

but as its only ME, I don't think I'll buy ANYTHING in bulk! Not for a while, anyway!

and I don't DO 'mega marts!' Hope I'll find some small ones around!

[grasswire]

12. oh oh

"Buying bulk" in this instance doesn't mean buying large. It means buying in the "bulk" section of the store, where herbs and spices and other things are in bins and you scoop out what you want into a little plastic bag. Dried beans, nuts and dried fruits, pastas, trail mixes, flours, oatmeal, yada yada yada. Some stores have bulk sections, some don't. When I buy dry dill weed in bulk, it costs me about thirty cents. If I bought a little jar, it would be several dollars. That's the diff.

[elleng]

13. gotcha!

thanks

how are you?

[Warpy]

16. Soooo much FRESHER

Turnover in bulk herbs and spices is really fast. The little bottles from the megamart have been sitting for a year by the time you buy them, all flavor long since departed. They're great for people who really don't like to cook but like to have the bottles sitting in the trophy kitchen.

Baby food jars are great. I had a sick kitty some years ago who needed to live on pureed chicken, so that's what I use.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

18. All things being equal,

I have yet to find a purveyor of herbs and spices to equal Penzey's. Their stuff is so fresh, so perfectly packaged, and so reasonably priced, along with their really fast shipping, they truly are well worth a look.

Gives you a whole different perspective on how things taste......................

[Petrushka]

19. Another place to purchase herbs and spices in quantity:

http://www.sausagemaker.com/spicesa-z.aspx