Things to Keep in Your Pantry

I put togather a list of items you should have in your pantry at all times.  Having all of this on hand has worked for me:

Flour
Sugar
Cornstarch
Corn Meal
Butter
Eggs (I only use Egg Beaters or store brand)
Seasoned salt
Oregano
Parsley
Garlic
Herbes de Provence (mixture of thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil, sage, and lavendar)
Taco Mixes
Salt
Pepper
A few cans of spaghetti sauce
A few cans of diced tomatoes
Honey
A box of chicken broth
A box of beef broth
A can of cream of chicken soup
A jar of minced garlic
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Canola Oil
Onions
Potaoes (I only use Yukon Gold)
Old Bay Seasoning

Keep some ground beef in your freezer, too.  It's so versatile and you can make anything from meatballs to meat loaf, to tacos with it.  If you have a Shop Rite near you, try to go around 5:30 or 6 and pick up your ground beef as they start to mark it down!

These are the most common ingredients that I use so I need to make sure I have it on hand at all times.  There are times when I'll need something different like turmeric but for the most part I use what is above.  Sometimes you can get spices in larger quantities cheaper at an ethnic market.  I can get packets of garam masala at the Indian grocery store for 99 cents.  Cardamom is extremely expensive in the grocery store sometimes costing as much as $8 for a few ounces.  The same amount is only about $5 in an Indian grocery store.