Growing up, dinner was a "meat and three" affair, but after I moved out of my parent's house, I developed a taste vegetarian/low meat dining, especially when I'm cooking dinner just for myself. Over the years, I've developed a list of pantry/freezer friendly items that I try to keep on hand at all times, so on the nights when I don't feel like going into the kitchen, much less cooking, I have something I can pull together quickly with minimal dishes involved.
Here's my list:
Black beans
Chick peas
Great Northern beans
Cannellini beans
Basmati rice (LOVE my rice cooker)
Minced garlic in olive oil
Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
Butter
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Penne Pasta
Sour cream
Cream Cheese
Squeezey Lemon
Squeezey Lime
Parmesan Cheese
Feta Cheese
English Baked Beans
Cheese Ravioli or Tortellini
Diced tomatoes
Rotel
Individual servings of table white and table red wine
Chicken stock
Vegetable stock
With these items on hand, I can almost always whip up something easy for dinner. Tonight's dinner is mixed tortellini with toasted garlic brown butter sauce and sundried tomatoes, with Tinto de Verano to drink.
