Modern Pantry Staples

4 PM Saturday Afternoon, College Football Tailgate, approximately 5 beers deep

Corinne: It’s not like I can have an “H2H” at a football game …

Me: What’s an “H2H”?

Corinne: “Heart to Heart,” duh didn’t you go to college??

Me: Umm, not really …

Drunk giggles.

This conversation might not make any sense to you but, in many ways I failed college. Not literally, but metaphorically. I wasn’t really good at being a “college” student.

The notion of doing a keg stand while your dress flies around your ears in a frat basement never really struck my fancy, and staying up until 4 am is a rare thing for me, not a Tuesday night occurrence. On top of that, I was really bad at picking creative (aka slutty) theme-party costumes.

It took me YEARS to figure out and accept that it was okay to feel this way about “the best four years of your life,” and once I did, I finally learned to embrace the parts I liked about school. And school embraced me. Ironic.

Sorority Sisters at Homecoming

This weekend I returned for homecoming. I put my old-lady-ness aside and embraced college the best I knew how. Despite my grandest efforts to fully emerge, inevitably parts of my true-self shone through – as they rightfully should have! On this particular weekend it was my inability to “sleep in.”

I’m a morning person. ALWAYS have been. Doesn’t mean I can’t stay out with the best of them but no matter WHAT, I will always be up by 8 – 7:30 actually – always. It’s probably a 95% certainty. And everyone knows it.

Everyone knowing your an early riser doesn’t mean everyone loves that your an early riser. Suffice to say, staying quiet while 5 other girls sleep in a hotel room after being out until 5 AM is hard.

So I got to thinking … thinking in fact about this post …

While lying in bed I pondered what dry food entities should be in the modern “foodie” pantry. I tried to create a list that would modernize the former staples of canned veggies and exotic oils. I think I came up with a pretty good set of what a new-age cook would find useful, healthy, flavorful and enjoyable. And who said being full of ideas at an early time was a bad idea?!

Colleen’s Neo-Classic Pantry Staples

1. Spanish Piquillo Peppers instead of the standard roasted red peppers. This littler red peppers are the Spanish counterpart to their American cousin. More flavorful and can enhance both in a spicy and sweet way. Sold almost everywhere jarred peppers are.

2. Panko Breadcrumbs instead of Italian Breadcrumbs. These breadcrumbs are not only crunchy, bigger, and more flavorful but stick better to almost any type of veggie or meat AND fry up crispier. Their neutral flavor can also compliment almost any cuisine.

3. White Beans instead of Chickpeas. Chickpeas made a comeback when hummus became popular and easily jarred (duh), but these beans work the same way. A white bean dip is just as easy, and different. Top these beans on salads, dips, and in soups!

4. Almond Butter instead of Peanut Butter. Filled with more “good” fat than the peanuts, almonds not only have great nutritional value but wonderful taste. High end grocery stores now offer grind-it-yourself appliances for customers to use to grind their own. Spread onto a cracker with a roasted pepper jelly, yum!

5. Capers instead of olives. Few people realize how many dishes capers help enhance. This Mediterranean staple enhances salad dressings, seafood, and just about anything, acting a salty rustic bite.

6. Really good Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of ANYTYPE of store bought marinade or dressing. STOP wasting your money, the basis of many good dressings and marinades is simple EVOO. USE IT, IT’S EASIER!

7. Fleur de Sel instead of Kosher Table Salt. I PROMISE you if you start using this salt to garnish and top almost anything you eat it will change your perception on not only that food but salt itself. This French sea salt is life-altering.

Salt enhances "sweet" flavors

8. Real Vanilla Beans instead of Vanilla Extract. Yes it’s more expensive and NO don’t use it to make Toll House cookies but if you use it wisely and carefully these beans can be reused and reused … and then ground up and put in graduated sugar to make vanilla sugar!

9. Tomato Paste in a tube instead of Tomato Paste in a jar! Haven’t you ever opened a jar of tomato paste and used a smidgen and had to throw the rest away? Yep, sure, do. DON’T anymore – here’s the solution!

10. New-age grains such as couscous, barely, quinoa instead of instant rice. Healthier and now easier to get, throw that rice away and try something new.

All of these staples go well with your normal basics of salt, pepper, vinegars, oils, veggies etc. They’re simple NEW suggestions to create new and healthy options. DIG IN!

So all-in-all a successful early morning …