Baking From Scratch

I love baking from scratch and this week I had the ingredients to make a loaf of Cranberry Orange Bread. I usually don't purposely go out and purchase ingredients to make a specific item, I just take inventory of what I have and figure what ingredients can be combined. It helps to have a constant supply of staples in my pantry of things that I regularly cook with, and keeping my pantry stocked allows me to be creative in my baking. It's also always nice to occasionally add some things to the pantry or freezer that will make a special baked item. We frequently make peanut butter cookies at my house, but my kids get tired of these and want something different every once in awhile.

One of the main reasons I enjoy cooking is because of the quality I get out of the baked goods, without a huge out of pocket expense. I could probably purchase something similar at Panera Bread or Starbucks, but of course I would be charged for the ambience and charm of their establishmet. Why pay for their ambience when I can enjoy the charm my own home offers with my sons toys scattered from his bedroom into the living room. It looks like I'll be baking Banana Bread in a couple of days since the bananas are quickly beginning to look like a science project.

Here's a list of what I keep in the pantry and what I try to keep on hand in the refrigerator:

Sugar

Flour

Salt (Iodized & Kosher)

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Vanilla

Almond Extract

Powdered Sugar

Brown Sugar

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Evaporated Milk

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Cream of Tartar

Instant Coffee

Almonds

Pecans (stored in freezer to keep them from going rancid)

Honey

Peanut Butter

Light Corn Syrup

Jell-O

Cornstarch

Refrigerator Items:

Cream Cheese

Heavy Whipping Cream

Unsalted Butter

Milk

Eggs