Last week’s show was about the basic herbs and spices to have on hand in the kitchen to be prepared for any recipe that you may want to make. Today, I want to continue along the same vein of thinking with refrigerator and freezer basics needed to have available on a regular basis:

• Baking soda- keep an open box/container in the ‘frig and freezer to keep away smells (it really works!)
   

• Bread- keep crusts in freezer until you have enough to make croutons, strata or bread crumbs
   

• Butter/margarine- I choose butter and use sparingly due to the hydrogenated fats in margarine
   

• Eggs- make your own egg substitute- use 1 whole egg and 4 egg whites, whisk together
   

• Cheese- cheddar, cream, parmesan (can grate and freeze block cheeses for later use)
   

• Coffee- I list here because keeping in the ‘frig or freezer keeps it freshest
   

• Horseradish- great served with beef roasts, on sandwiches and the classic cocktail sauce
   

• Jam/jelly- for sandwiches, ice cream topping, or add to plain, no fat yogurt for less sugar (and less cost) than commercially manufactured fruited yogurt
   

• Juice- fresh or frozen concentrate- orange juice, apple juice
   

• Ketchup- a versatile condiment used in BBQ sauce, meatloaf, cocktail sauce, sweet and sour sauce
   

• Lemon/lime ade- for a quick last minute beverage that is better for you than pop
   

• Maple syrup- pricey, but the flavor is incomparable to corn syrup-based syrups on the market
   

• Meats- watch the flyers for sales and stock up, better yet (and better for you) order from a local farmer by the side or quarter
   

• Milk- in my house we have whole, 1% and organic
   

• Mustard- whole grain mustard has the best flavor for cooking
   

• Mayo- low fat/no fat can be substituted in most recipes
   

• Olives- a good fat for you snack, sliced into Ethnic dishes, added to a relish tray
   

• Peanut butter- recommend natural (no hydrogenated fats), will separate if un-refrigerated
   

• Pickles- a quick, no fat snack, sliced on hamburgers, added to a relish tray
   

• Produce- fresh- fruits- lemons (far superior in flavor than the bottled juice), seasonal (ie. winter- oranges,
                                        spring- strawberries, summer- melons, fall- apples)
                  -fresh-vegetables- carrots, celery, cucumbers, onions, lettuce (choice, though head has little nutritional value),
                                                  fresh garlic (chop and store in olive oil)
                 -frozen-fruit- especially blueberries for pancakes and muffins
                 -frozen- vegetables- don’t recommend canned- all the vitamins are drained out with the liquid in the can              
   

• Salad dressing- at least a vinaigrette- can also use as a quick marinade for meat and chicken
   

• Sour cream- low fat/no fat can be substituted in most recipes
   

• Worcestershire sauce- a basic ingredient in many sauces, marinades and dips
   

• Yogurt- plain, no fat- great to add to dips (substitute half the mayo/cream cheese w/yogurt- the calories won’t be missed!),
   marinades, salad dressings, breakfast smoothies, homemade fruited yogurt (great as a fresh fruit dip)
   

• Other items you may randomly need: buttermilk, cabbage, chocolate syrup, half and half, heavy cream, pesto, pickle relish, scallions, peppers- sweet and hot, tofu, tortilla shells- flour and corn, yeast- dry active

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