Pantry Wishlist

One disadvantage to living in a small town is that the grocery store is very simply stocked. Living in State College with a Wegman's definitely spoiled me. Wegman's is an amazing grocery store stocked full of anything you could want. Now, in Kansas the only places in town to shop are Walmart and Marvin's super saver. The stores here have all the basics, but do not carry some of the specialty items that I got used to buying and cooking with in PA. One nice thing about Kansas is we have a pretty large hispanic population, so the stores are pretty well stocked with latin and hispanic produce and pantry staples. Below I have listed 5 of my favorite things to keep in the cupboards.

1) Archer Farm's Thai Peanut Sauce- Available Only At Target
I have tried alot of peanut sauces both at restaurants and out of a bottle from the grocery store, and this is by far my favorite. Keep it in the kitchen to dip spring or egg rolls in, pour it on sauteed chicken, or my favorite- use it as a salad dressing. Romaine lettuce, grilled edamame and carrots, grilled chicken, chopped peanuts and crunchy wonton strips with the peanut sauce makes an awesome Thai inspired entree salad.

2)Boysenberry Syrup
Fruit syrups are a great switch up on traditional maple syrup. Boysenberry is my favorite because its sweet but has a subtle tartness. I really like using boysenberry syrup on savory waffles and french toasts. On the weekends I like to make sour cream and onion waffles or corn waffles with homemade paprika pork patties and pour the syrup all over it. Pork goes so well with fruit and the savory saltiness of the waffles is a great pair with this syrup. Its also great on pancakes, crepes, or even ice cream.

3)Arborio Rice
Arborio rice is a short grain rice sometimes erroneously labeled risotto rice. Risotto is a cooking technique, and arborio rice is one of the rices you can use to make risotto. Risotto is a delicious blank canvas that you can play with. You can add asparagus and sweet peas for a vibrant spring risotto, or at the end of the year stir in some pumpkin or butternut squash for a warming fall/winter dish. The day after you make risotto for dinner form the cold rice into balls then roll them around in bread crumbs and deep fry. In Italy deep fried risotto is called arancini, and they are fabulous. Serve with warmed tomato sauce and lots of parmesan cheese.

4)Fig and Plum Preserves
I love to keep preserves on hand, and fig and plum are my favorite. You can spread them on sandwiches (great on a grilled ham and cheese sandwich), make quick sauces to spoon over grilled meats, serve with warm brie and crackers for a super quick party app, or just simply serve with toast or biscuits. 

 5) Rice Paper Wrappers
I really like to have these on hand to make super quick lunches and appetizers when you have guests coming over. Stuff the rice paper with cellophane noodles, shredded cabbage, bell peppers, bean sprouts, carrots, scallions, shrimp, chicken or tofu, really almost anything. Roll the wrap up like an eggroll and serve as is or deep fry. Serve with peanut sauce (refer to #1 for my recommendation) or with a ginger-soy sauce. These are so easy to make on the fly and they taste like they came from a great asian restaurant.

What are your favorite pantry items??