Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard

Anyone who knows me knows I like to be well stocked in the kitchen. I rarely run out of things and my cabinets are always full, for which I'm very thankful. With this stuff on hand, I feel confident I can throw together a meal on the fly without having to go to the store. Things that can always be found in my pantry:

Condiments
Oils - olive, vegetable, grape
Vinegars - I am a vinegar ho.
Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce - MFD's. I don't touch the stuff, although I may add some to a recipe if I'm feeling saucy.
Soy Sauce
Heinz Ketchup
Mustards - yellow, spicy brown, dijon.
Hellman's mayo
Ranch and italian dressings. I also use creamy caesar for marinades.

Spices
Salts: coarse kosher salt, sea salt, regular salt.
Beyond that, I have a robust collection of spices. The ones I use most often and find necessary on a weekly or daily basis: chili powder, dill, cumin, garlic salt, garlic powder, ground dry mustard, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme.

Dry Goods
Pasta - spaghetti, elbows, rigatoni, bowtie, orzo. I like Barilla Plus or Healthy Harvest, but I keep regular on hand so MFD doesn't have a shit fit.
Quinoa
Brown Rice
White rice
Quaker Oats - I love the Quaker Oat man.
Barley
Lentils
Ramen
Bread - I prefer Sara Lee. I'm also a sucker for rye.
Panko breadcrumbs. If I need regular, I'll make my own.
MFD's requirements: Lipton noodle soup, Kraft Mac & Cheese

Cans and Jars
Beans - pinto, black, and kidney. I make my own black beans from dry and freeze them.
Tomatoes - diced, crushed, and whole peeled plum. I prefer Tuttoroso.
Tomato paste - I use what I need from the can and then freeze the rest in ice cube trays
Peanut Butter - Peter Pan mostly.
Jams and jellies - I love a variety. My least favorite is grape.
Peppers - roasted red, banana, jalapeno, chipotle in adobo sauce
Capers
Pickles - always dill, never sweet or bread & butter
Olives - green and black. Sometimes kalamata. Opa!
Chicken broth - I make my own whenever I can and freeze it, but I always have some on hand in the pantry as well.
Tuna

Baking things
Flour - all purpose and whole wheat
Sugar - white, brown, confectioner's
Cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder
Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips and Baker's chocolate
Pudding - vanilla and chocolate, instant

Beverages
Dunkin Donuts coffee, green tea bags and black tea bags.
CranGrape juice
Assorted sodas

Fridge
Milk - skim for me, 2% for MFD
FF half & half
Greek yogurt - I substitue it for sour cream often.
Sour cream
Cheese - feta, blue, parmesan, extra sharp cheddar, some type of jack. Block over pre-shedded. Nine times out of 10, I grate my own.

Freezer
Homemade marinara sauce, frozen flat in ziploc bags
Veggies: I always have chopped onions, chopped spinach, broccoli crows
Shredded cheese
Bacon
Shrimp
Shredded chicken bagged and frozen in one and two cup portions
Homemade soup - either leftovers or made specifically to freeze.
Ellio's pizza
Chicken breasts and thighs
Garlic bread

Produce
I always have celery, carrots, and potatoes
I usually have cucumbers, peppers, and another veggie.
Fruit I buy the most: naval oranges, granny smith apples, berries, grapes, bananas, stone fruits

Snacks 
Tortilla and regular chips, Utz special dark pretzels, Ritz crackers. I keep all of those on hand in case an impromptu party arises that we are either hosting or attending. If MFD has his way we also have Oreos, gummy bears, Nutty bars, and other assorted processed bad stuff.

What's in your pantry?  Big Hungry Shelby posted on this topic a few weeks back. Check out what she stocks here.

Tomorrow, tommorow, I love ya, TOMORROW!
Tomorrow I'm giving away a Target gift card because I love you.

Kiss kiss.

Knock knock. Is anybody home?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Exhausted. Next year I am saving my days and taking this entire week off, for sure. Santa  missed the memo to get MFD slippers for Christmas...he has two right feet ones from two different pairs and wore them all day. Poor guy. I will be getting him some matching ones this week.

Due to the kitchen remodel, we decorated on 12/23 and put our tree up on 12/24. We have never been so late. I normally like to restore order and begin the new year without Christmas items up, but MFD loves his Christmas stuff out so this year I agreed to leave it up until 1/6. Merry Christmas babe.

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas weekend.

We did our traditional Christmas Eve at Sandy's, followed by some more family stuff. Christmas morning was a whirlwind, and we had a steady stream of visitors from about 11 a.m. all through the day and night. I believe our last guests left around 4 a.m.?  It was wonderful and the new kitchen was enjoyed by all. I stayed up too late, drank too much, and laughed my ass off at all the beer cans I found in all the cabinets.  Someone (Michelle) was nice enough to give me some laughs and also to document them with my own camera. hahahahah
 

On a sad note, we lost a wonderful person on Christmas Eve. Mr. Ricci was a true friend, very giving and loving to so many people, and an all around fantastic guy. I have known him since I was about six, and he was always so good to me. I am so sad he is gone, and my heart is with his family and everyone else who loved him.

Things like this remind me that you never know what's going to happen. It's so important to appreciate and focus on the good  in your life. Life is simply too short to give creedence to anything that brings negativity into your atmosphere. Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. Appreciate the people who bring you joy and be grateful for every day. This concludes my soapboxy sermon.

Toodleoo, I hope you have an easy peasy week. Speaking of easy peasy, I saw a variation of this on pinterest and did my veggies like this on Christmas day. I thought it was fun.

Is it 5 pm yet?

SMD