Special Post #1 - My Pantry

I have a few different post subtitles, and if you're a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed these.  If I am posting a non-dessert recipe, I title them under "Home Cooked Recipe", if it's dessert recipe I use "We Made Room For Dessert".  For my non-recipe posts I have the subtitles "Restaurant Review" and "Food Truck Adventures", which are used to describe my experiences at restaurants and food trucks.  I have a fifth subtitle, which is "Reader Recipes".  I have not gotten to use that yet because I have yet to have a reader contribute (although I am always interested in those so please feel free to submit your recipes!!! I will give you full credit, and include any pictures of you and/or the food).
I was thinking today about something new I could do to add some spice to the blog and came up with the idea to have special posts.  I personally am always interested in hearing about other people's favorite kitchen gadgets, panty staples, cooking techniques, cuisines, etc and thought it would be fun to start posting about my own.  So in addition to this week's recipe (which will be posted tomorrow), I am starting my new "Special Post" subtitle, and it will be about my favorite food staples.

***My Pantry***
There are several things I always must have on hand in my kitchen, whether it's a certain spice, condiment, canned item, boxed item, or something that lives in my refrigerator/freezer.  I will try to give my favorites, listed within a few different categories.  I am also listing my favorite brand if I have one for that particular item.  This is not to say that other brands are not perfectly fine, these just are brands I grew up with or prefer the taste of.

Spices:

• Cayenne
• Black Pepper
• Salt (I try to keep table, sea, and kosher salts on hand)
• Garlic Powder
• Cinnamon
• Lemon Pepper
• Paprika (smoked and unsmoked)
• Oregano
• Bay Leaves
• McCormick's Salad Supreme Seasoning
• Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese spice blend)
• Sesame Seeds
• Vanilla extract

Condiments:

• Heinz Ketchup
• Hellmann's Mayonnaise
• Crystal Hot Sauce
• Kikoman Lite Soy Sauce
• French's Yellow Mustard
• Gulden's Mustard (spicy brown)
• Pace Chunky Salsa (mild)
• Lee & Perrins Worcesterershire Sauce

Refrigerator:

• Milk
• Cheddar Cheese (sharp)
• Grated Parmesan
• Breakstone's Sour Cream
• Eggs
• Unsalted Butter
• Lemons
• Vlassic Sweet Relish
• Vlassic Dill Pickles
• Green Olives w/Pimento

Freezer:

• Pie Crusts
• Puff Pastry
• Veggies (corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, stir fry blend)
• Fresh Ginger
• Bacon

Pantry Basics:

• Olive Oil
• Vegetable (or Canola) Oil
• PAM Cooking Spray
• Flour
• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Spaghetti
• Elbow Macaroni
• Rotini
• Ramen
• White Rice
• Couscous
• Breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
• Black Olives
• Cranberry Sauce
• Heinz Homestyle Savory Beef Gravy (jar)
• Heinz Homestyle Roasted Turkey Gravy (jar)
• McCormick's Brown Gravy (packet)
• McCormick's Peppered Country Gravy (packet)
• Ragu Tradional Pasta Sauce
• Hunt's Tomato Sauce
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Canned Black Beans
• Dry Black Beans (these also make good pie weights)
• Baked Beans
• Old El Paso Refried Beans (Traditional)
• Onions
• Garlic
• Caroll Shelby's Original Texas Brand Chili Kit
• Chicken Broth
• Beef Broth
• Tomato Soup
• Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
• Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (cans)

Those are all the staples that I can think of.  Check back every couple of months, I will update the list and mark the additions.  I'll also try to notate in current posts if I've added anything to this list.  I hope you enjoye this special post, I look forward to doing more in the future!