Things I Don't Want to be Without.

A few weeks ago, I tweeted that the earth had shifted on its axis: I was out of fresh garlic. Then I found myself out of vanilla. Then I actually ran out of flour. Then I was out of peppercorns for the grinder. Oof, and I was out of milk from my farmer and, horror, of COFFEE.

So I got to thinking. There are some things that should always be in my kitchen. I should just put them on the permanent list. The flour? Well, that got low after a pasta making class and I hadn't replenished. And the vanilla was low after some baking. Those aren't essentials. But I DO have a list of essentials, things that I want to be available always as I create. So here in no particular order, are the things I will just buy. Always. Because chances are very good that they have been used up within the week.

3 Fresh Lemons
2 limes
1 Head of garlic
Red wine (no, I won't tell you how many bottles!)
1 bunch parsley (until mine in my herb garden grows enough to cut and use)
Cilantro (ditto)
Basil (ditto)
Onions
Lettuce (lots of it so I can eat salads as big as my head)
Farmer's milk and cream and butter
Farmer's eggs
Red Dirt Ranch chicken
Grateful Grower's Pork
Beef from River Taw Farms (I visited and bought 20 lbs, so I'm good there for a while)
Potatoes
Bacon (hopefully from Grateful Growers!)


With these in the fridge, I always have dinner. The chicken gets roasted, then made into some dish (last week, Dorie's chicken b'stilla) and then made into yet another dish with any leftover (last week: chicken and dumplings). From Grateful growers, I've had ribs, sausage, ground pork, brats--I still have to check out pork loin and pork chops. Potatoes get mashed, "gratin'd" (real word is gratineed, I think), sliced into pommes anna, baked, you name it. I could make a quiche with the eggs, the bacon, the onions....

What's on your list?