Pantry Party Part - The Refrigerator Pantry

Welcome to Pantry Party Part II - The Refrigerator Pantry! When I say "pantry" what I'm referring to is the non-perishable (or the things that take a realllly long time to perish) items you keep on hand in your kitchen at all times. Things that are used slowly and in small amounts are usually part of your refrigerator pantry (as well as things that are used all the time, like milk, eggs, and yogurt).

Whipping up quick and healthy dinners can be easy as pie, assuming you keep your pantry stocked well at all (OK, most) times. Most recipes call for a few main fresh ingredients and a slurry of spices, seasonings, and other peripheral items. Keeping your refrigerator well stocked will make your life much easier, and allow you to only pick up fresh essentials at the grocery store each week.

Here's a beautiful drawing (ah! the fire alarm in my building keeps beeping because it is probably broken. How safe!/I wonder if I'll have to wake the sleeping baby to evacuate...):

OK, that beautiful drawing is a bit blurry, but that's my fridge (for all you visual learners). Things with stars are extra credit. Here's the list of what's in there categorized by how quickly it spoils:

Quickest Spoilers (1-3 weeks, generally)

• Eggs (generally always needed for baking, and are always great to have on hand for a breakfast for dinner omelet or frittata)
• Milk (for use in baking and breakfasts, and for making yogurt and smoothies)
• Celery (for all soups and stews you'll make)
• Carrots (for all soups and stews you'll make, for snacking)
• Bacon (for flavoing soups and other dishes and romantic special weekend breakfasts)
• Yogurt (substitute in baking for sour cream, snacking, baby food)
• Soy Milk (for cereal, smoothies, baking, and cooking - unsweetened is the most versatile)
• Oranges (for snacking, marinades, dressings)
• Apples (for snacking, baking, baby food)

Long Lasters (3+ weeks)

• Dry milk powder (for making your own pancake mix and other assorted uses, can be found in buttermilk and soy, too...I use buttermilk for my dry pancake mix)
• Yeast (for making bread)
• Coffee Beans (for making coffee...duh)
• Butter (for baking and cooking, and, if you're me, eating by the stick)
• Walnuts (for breakfast topping, salads, and baking)
• Flax seed (grind and add to everything: soups, stews, yogurt, cereals, baked goods...I forgot to add this on the picture, but it's so easy to use and is a nutritional powerhouse! Flax seed can also be used as an egg and oil replacement - the linked video tells you how)

Longest Lasters (these stay fresh for months, if not over a year...always check your expiration dates, of course, and throw out whatever isn't fresh anymore!)

• Romano cheese (a staple for topping Italian dishes, just a little goes a long way!)
• brown, yellow, dijon, and Chinese mustard (for salad dressings, marinades, sandwiches, hot dogs, and Asian cuisine)
• maple syrup (for pancakes)
• hot sauce (for dressings, chilis, soups, and chicken)
• balsamic vinegar (for dressings and marinades)
• Worcestershire sauce (for dressings, marinades, and meatballs/loaves)
• ketchup (for dressings, toppings, and all things ketchup-worthy)
• strawberry jam (for sandwiches, baking, toast, topping for plain yogurt)
• horseradish (for cocktail sauces and dressings)
• sesame oil (for Asian stir fries and dumpling sauces)
• soy sauce (for Asian sauces and marinades)
• crushed garlic (just in case you're ever out of fresh and just NEED it, or are in an extreme time crunch...I bought this before I had the baby so that I could throw dinner together in a pinch)
• raisins (for baking, salads, and breakfasts)
• damn that's a long list

By keeping your pantry full you can be sure you'll always have what you need on hand to put together whatever you want to cook. Here are some examples:

Organic field green salad:

Buy: field greens

Pantry: walnuts, raisins, Worcestershire, ketchup, garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar, sugar, juice of an orange, and vegetable oil

Rigatoni and Broccoli with Garlic, Oil, and Cheese:

Buy: broccoli

Pantry: rigatoni, Romano cheese, salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic...this could actually be an entire pantry meal using frozen broccoli!

Spring Vegetable Frittata:

Buy: some fresh veggies

Pantry: eggs, olive oil, milk, salt, pepper, seasonings, Romano cheese

Baby Breakfast Mix-Up

Buy: nothing!

Pantry: apples, yogurt, flax

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buy: chocolate chips (if you don't have them already in your baking pantry...if you're a baker, you should have them in there already!)

Pantry: butter, eggs, flour, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder

Blueberry Breakfast Bonanza

Buy: blueberries

Pantry: oatmeal, walnuts, flax seed, brown sugar

As you can see, it's easy to put things together when you have everything you need on hand! Always remember to make a note when you are running low on something, that way you can watch for it and buy it on sale. Even if it doesn't go on sale, you won't be caught with your PantryPants down! It doesn't make sense to stock up on most of this stuff, though, because you use it soooo sloooowly.

Things I'd buy 2 of if they went on sale:

• coffee beans, butter (because you can freeze it), ketchup and mustard (because you go through those a little faster than most other pantry items), raisins, strawberry jam, and balsamic vinegar

Building a pantry is a journey (okay, not really - but don't worry if it takes you a while to get all these things in your fridge!), but it's well worth the forethought and effort.

I hope this post helps you guys stock your fridge pantries. Stay tuned for next Monday's Pantry Party, where we'll discuss stocking your baking pantry! See you then (hopefully you'll be back and reading tomorrow...and everyday until then, too!)