Spring Cleanout of Pantry and Kitchen Cupboards

This morning I am doing the big Spring cleaning of my kitchen, which includes my floor-to-ceiling pantry and my cupboards that extend almost all the way to my high ceilings. The point here is that this job includes my trusty painter's ladder. It's nice to have all the extra space, but the height issue also leads to my forgetting what's been stashed on the top shelves, which are out of my sight
Who knows what's been sitting up there since the Fall cleaning marathon!
I've already started on my food pantry. This was my first coarse of action when I returned from the "school drop-off" this morning. It gave me my blog idea for the day. A little info card that I have posted on the inside of my pantry door; a Family Circle Magazine Extra (you know, the little booklets they insert in the magazine sometimes on a specific topic-so you can tear them out for later reference). It's from several years ago. The topic of this "Extra" was Speed Cooking. On one side it gives a list of "what to keep on hand to eliminate last-minute shopping trips". The other side of the card has a list of quick substitutions when you find that you're out of an ingredient.

Shelf/cupboard

Long grain rice
Pasta
Flour
Bread
Dried breadcrumbs
Cornstarch
Cornmeal
Sugar-brown and granulated
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cream of tartar
Chicken and beef broth
Vegetable and olive oil
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Onions
Garlic
Vanilla
Tomato sauce
Canned tuna
Canned whole potatoes
Canned chili
Biscuit mix
Basil
Bay leaves
Chili powder
Cumin
Dill
Italian seasoning
Marjoram
Oregano
Paprika
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme


Refrigerator

Milk
Butter
Eggs
Margarine
Grated Parmesan cheese
Nonfat sour cream
Worcestershire sauce
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Catsup
Lemon juice
Onions
Celery
Salad greens
Hot sauce

Freezer

Ground beef and turkey
Assorted vegetables
Chicken cutlets
Tortellini (16 oz.)
Frozen shrimp
Pound cake

I hope that you find this list helpful when glancing around before a grocery shopping trip. There are several quick emergency meals and snacks that can be made if you have these items. I may include the list of substitutions in a future post. For now, I have to get back to my cleaning!