I am counting down the days to my 30th birthday, and I couldn’t be more excited! Truly! As I was brainstorming ways to celebrate here on the blog, I couldn’t help but think that 30 lists of {30} items would be just about perfect for my type-A, list-making self. Join me for the next month as I share the things I’ve learned in the past 30 years and my hopes for the future! See all 30 Days of {30} posts here.
It’s no secret that I’m not a great cook. I struggle with understanding how flavors work together, how to use certain techniques, and overanalyzing the directions in a recipe. As we’ve been trying to eat more made-from-scratch food, this has posed some challenges. I’m learning to accept that to get better, I need to be willing to experiment and occasionally toss something that hasn’t turned out right.
One area where I’ve had surprising success, though, is making my own pantry staples — spice blends, barbecue sauce, applesauce, etc. I am always amazed by how truly simple it is to make the most of these, especially when I would have considered them things you had to buy just a couple years ago.
Although this list is far from complete, here are 30 pantry staples you may be used to buying that can actually be made easily at home:
1. Taco seasoning.
2. Onion soup mix.
5. Vanilla extract.
6. Salad dressing (9 recipes).
7. Chicken stock (or veggie stock)
8. Butter.
9. Whipped cream.
10. Ricotta cheese.
11. Sour cream.
12. Cream cheese.
13. Yogurt.
14. Buttermilk.
15. Peanut butter.
16. Applesauce (or flavored applesauce).
17. Salsa.
18. Spaghetti sauce.
19. Pesto (or this dairy free recipe).
20. Cream of something soup (or as a dry mix).
21. Ketchup.
22. Mustard.
23. Mayonnaise.
24. Relish.
25. Barbecue sauce.
26. Bread crumbs.
27. Pancake mix (or whole wheat pancake mix).
28. Brownie mix.
29. Cake mix.
30. Frosting.
Do you make any of these at home? What else would you add to the list?
