Overview
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Keeping your pantry stocked with a few basics gives you menu flexibility, which is particularly helpful when you end up needing to make dinner in a hurry. Perhaps, for example, somebody needs to be at some practice or other activity -- and that somebody didn't let you know ahead of time. These sorts of scenarios seem to happen regularly in most households. You might not have all the other ingredients on hand for a wide range of last-minute meal options, but odds are good you'll have a few staples on the shelf to make at least one unplanned dinner. In many cases, a delicious meal can be made entirely with a mix of staples.
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Canned Tomatoes
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Casseroles come in endless varieties, and many recipes call for canned tomatoes or tomato sauce as a basic ingredient. If you also have some kind of pasta in the pantry, onions, green peppers and some kind of cheese, you can find a recipe that calls for those items. Or if you are an experienced cook, you can just wing it and make up your casserole recipe as you go along.
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Beans
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A can of beans can become many things: pork and beans, chili, beans and rice ... the list is long and full of hearty meals. Chili, for example, needs only beans, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, and seasonings for the meatless variety; add ground beef if you want it con carne. Top with shredded cheddar for restaurant pizzazz.
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Spaghetti Sauce
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Some people call it spaghetti sauce, while others call it marinara, but what they all mean is the yummy red sauce that makes pasta sing. Just about any pasta you have in the cupboard will do in a pinch. Keep a couple of different flavors of sauce on hand -- mushroom and onion, basil and oregano are just two of many available choices. Doctor it up with seasonings, then serve it with pride -- and in record time.
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Bottled Salad Dressing
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If it's summertime, a big garden salad makes a light and refreshing dinner. And when it's that time of year, you likely have fresh greens galore in the fridge. But they need a tasty dressing to, well, dress them up for dinner. Keep several varieties on hand to cover all possibilities. Serve with warm bread, French if you have it.
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Tuna
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Tuna comes in a can and keeps for a long time on the shelf, there when you need some quick protein. And it's versatile. Tuna salad can be used for tuna melts on English muffins, topped with cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Or use it in a sandwich or as cold tuna salad, terrific stuffed in homegrown tomatoes for a light and quick hot-weather meal.
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Peanut Butter
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Peanut butter -- it's not just for PB&J, even if that is one of its best uses. It's also handy for snacks, tucked into celery sticks or daubed on crackers. You can even make a healthy lunch out of it by spreading it on wheat tortillas, then adding sliced banana. And don't forget: Peanut butter may be the best take-it-with-you nourishment ever. Simply spread it on bread and go.
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Pasta
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Pasta might just be the star of all staples since it mixes with so many others to make a satisfying meal. You can use it hot or cold, with meat or without, baked, or mixed with a sauce and served immediately. One delicious option is a pasta casserole with cheddar cheese and chucks of ham -- real comfort food.
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Rice
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Rice, like pasta, forms a basis of many dishes that can be whipped up from ingredients you have on hand. It's also a frequent side dish, mixed with sauteed mushrooms and green onions or seasonings. Bring the flavor of New Orleans home by making classic jambalaya with shrimp, chicken and Andouille sausage, seasonings and vegetables. No shrimp, chicken or sausage? No problem. Substitute ham or bacon, and it's very similar to the real deal.
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Olive Oil and Vinegars
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Olive oil and a variety of vinegars -- tarragon and red wine are just a couple available -- are central to turning your staples into a meal that gets raves. Whether it's cold pasta salad or a sauce of olive oil and basil over spaghetti, oil and vinegar are essential to the result.
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Seasonings
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As any chef will tell you, it's all in the seasonings. Something bland and boring turns into spectacular with just the right amount of thyme, basil, cumin, dried mustard, chili powder, Cajun or Southwestern seasoning mix. And it's not only dried seasonings that are important: Worcestershire and soy sauce in particular lend a distinctive lift to whatever you use them in.
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