Welcome to my first post on building my pantry list. When I was trying to decide how to build my pantry list I said to myself, "Why not start with the first meal of the day?" Seems logical to me, doesn't it? I can't recall reading any books or articles on building pantry lists that talk about including breakfast in your planning. Yet, breakfast is the first meal of the day. It can make or "break" the rest of your day.
I'm a breakfast eater. I have to eat within 15 minutes of getting out of bed or my day doesn't go right at all. First activity in the kitchen is brewing a pot of coffee made from freshly ground coffee beans. I get my coffee beans from
Boca Java. The coffee beans are roasted to order and my order of 7 bags is delivered to me every 7 weeks. Since we started ordering from them in 2003 I have only run out of coffee once and that's because I forgot to plan ahead for holiday company.
A few of my favorite mugs
I am not a fan of flavored coffees like Caramel Kiss or Hazelnut or Blueberry. I prefer bold, dark roasts with a shot of cream. Speaking of creams I started mixing my own liquid creamer a few months ago and love it. Here's the recipe:
Liquid French Vanilla Cream
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (this is the only way I add a touch of sweetness to my coffee)
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups milk (I use whole milk)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pour ingredients into a blender and give them a whirl. Store in the refrigerator.
I have used cinnamon extract and almond extract for part of the vanilla extract. They were a nice addition, but not something I do all the time.
This creamer is also great for iced coffee. When a pot of coffee is finished brewing I pour myself a cup ( and hubby, if he's up) and then pour the rest into a thermal carafe. If there is any coffee left by the end of the morning I pour it into a pitcher in the fridge. If I want an iced coffee I use the coffee from the fridge with the flavored cream. It's yummy!
Enough about coffee . . . what do we eat for breakfast? I have to have toast or bagel or an English muffin or a muffin with my coffee. When I work early in the morning I'll have that for breakfast, then when I make the bank run I'll often stop at McDonald's and buy an oatmeal. Hubby is not a breakfast eater during the week. He survives on coffee until lunch time.
Sundays are big breakfast day in our house and that's the day hubby cooks breakfast. We'll have bacon, eggs, toast/bagel and baked beans. Once in a while I'll make
Buttermilk Pancakes. This is the best recipe for making pancakes and like the recipe says, you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge.
Mr. E helping me make pancakes
Mr. E is here for breakfast on Tuesday mornings. He has become a "toast and orange juice" boy. He likes to choose between butter or peanut butter on the toast. He will also ask for a "nana" if I have them on the counter.
We are not cereal eaters anymore, although once in a while hubby like to have a bowl for breakfast.
Now to start building my Pantry List. I'm not sure yet where the list is taking me or what it's final form will be. So, for now I will list every ingredient for making the breakfasts as described above. Who knows how the list will evolve over the next few weeks.
- coffee (delivered every eight weeks)
- whole milk
- sweetened condensed milk
- pure vanilla extract
- half and half (for hubby's coffee)
- sugar
- bread/bagel/English muffin/muffin
- cream cheese
- peanut butter
- spreadable butter
- oatmeal
- dried cranberries
- brown sugar
- dry cereal
- eggs
- bacon
- baked beans
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- kosher salt
- buttermilk
- vegetable oil
- pure maple syrup
- orange juice
- bananas
Wow! That's a lot of items for the first meal of the day. I already know several of them will be used throughout the day and won't be repeated. But who knows what else will show up on the final list.
What do you usually eat for breakfast?
A couple hours after we lost power mommy, daddy and Mr. E came over. They brought over Monopoly and we started a game. Mr. E wanted to be included in the game.
Instead I remember I purchased Candyland last Christmas for $1 and quickly retrieved the game from the game closet. He and I sat at his little table across from the big table and played the game. Well, at least, he looked at the cards and found the matching colors on the board. He knew how to follow the Candyland trail too.
I managed to sneak in two more Amazing Color squares during the day too, Squares A7 and A8.
Last month I stitched a Critron Shawl for myself. You need to a member of Ravelry to see the pattern. I used Fitzwilliam Yarn from Sunflower Yarns in Coral. The pattern is nothing but single stitches. After a while it got boring so I often put it down and worked on something else.
I though the edge was a boring so I stitched a simple Picot stitch to finish it off.
That's what's happening around here. Tomorrow night Hotel Man and I are going to the New England Patriots final pre-season game. On Friday he has to fly to Chicago for the day and I'm hanging out in Boston by myself. For the weekend we will be at the Deutsche Bank Golf Championship. It's become our annual tradition to spend the weekend there. Last year I brought a small crochet project with me to work on one day while sitting on the 11th green. This year I'm bringing yarn to stitch washcloths.
