The Organized Cook - Must Haves in your Pantry, Spice Cabinet and Fridge/Freezer

I realize that sometimes the obvious is not so obvious.  And for me, it is very obvious to keep certain items on hand at all times in my kitchen so I can whip up breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I also have a very organized mind when it comes to cooking and menu planning.  While I do enjoy grocery shopping, I know it is chore for some. So I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on weekly menu planning and then provide a list of items to keep in your larder.

I generally do my shopping on Saturday morning.  The first thing I do is look in my pantry, fridge, and spice cabinets for items that I am "out" of that I need to replenish.  Then I think about meals for the next 6-7 days. What did we eat last week?  Will I be traveling this week and need to make extra so there are plenty of leftovers for Jim?  I like to eat a balance of meat, poultry, fish, pork and lamb with leafy greens and vegetables. I decide that we'll eat lamb, shrimp and chicken this week.  Then I think about how I might want to prepare them.  Right now it's winter and I love to make stews and braises.  Lamb works up nicely in a stew.  Shrimp would be perfect cooked in a risotto and chicken breasts can be done several ways but I know I don't need to decide.  If you can tell, these three meats will probably provide six nights of dinner.  My shopping list has the three meats, any vegetables that accompany the main meals - for the lamb stew - potatoes and green salad; for the risotto, broccoli or spinach; for the chicken, a green vegetable or two, some root vegetables etc.  To then re-invent the left-overs, I would make polenta with the lamb stew night two; I might add some asparagus to the risotto for night two; and with the chicken, I might turn it into a stir-fry - onions, garlic, peppers, diced chicken and rice.  My shopping list grows out of my menu.  But I don't need to buy everything because I already have many of the building blocks.

Here's the list of must-haves for every organized cook:

Spice Cabinet
Salt ( regular, kosher and sea salts)
Pepper (ground and pepper corns)
Nutmeg
Cinnamon (ground and sticks)
Crushed Red Pepper
Cayenne
Cumin
Bay Leaves
Tarragon
Thyme
Curry Powder
Chile Powder
Cardamon
Coriander (ground and seeds)
Paprika (smoked, spicy, plain)
Vanilla (extract and beans)
Sage
Marjoram
Ground Ginger
Cloves (ground and whole)
Molasses
Honey
Cocoa

Pantry
Flour
Sugars ( granulated, light and dark brown)
Powdered Sugar
Oats
Cornmeal
Pasta
Rice (white, brown, risotto)
Canned Tomatoes
Canned Beans (chick peas, cannellini, red kidney)
Lentils and Split Peas
Chicken Broth and Bullion Cubes
Bread Crumbs
Mustard
Vinegars ( red wine, cider, rice wine, tarragon, champagne)
Oils (olive, canola, sesame)
Shortening (I found some non-transfat organic)
Raisins
Chocolate Chips

Bittersweet Chocolate bars
Potatoes (russett and sweet)
Onions
Garlic
Shallots
Coffee (beans and instant)

Fridge

Milk

Half and Half

Heavy Cream

Butter - sweet

Eggs

Plain non-fat yogurt

Mayo

Cheese - parm, romano, mozzarella, goat, cheddar, ricotta

Capers

Olives

Lemons

Limes

Freezer

Bread

Organic Frozen Spinach, Corn and Broccoli

Nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans)

Phyllo

Puff Pastry

Chicken Breast

Sausage