Kitchen Must Haves

I read your "Absolute Must Haves" with interest.

Almost all of these items are in my larder with the exception of fresh onion and garlic. I use the dried, minced version. Yes, I know that isn't as healthy as the fresh, but as little as my husband and I like onions, the dried, minced lend just the right flavoring without being overpowering. As for garlic, I could almost eat it straight, but hubby's frame of mind is that garlic belongs in the "subtler is better" class.

Yes, if you have these on hand, you can avoid the grocery stores as long as these items stay in good supply.

Powdered milk and canned tuna in water are two of my favorite "convenience" foods. If you have an Aldi store within a reasonable distance, check out their prices on staple items. Two weeks ago, the last time we were there, I bought a beautiful head of cauliflower for 99 cents while "regular" stores were charging $2.49 per head. Powdered milk, condensed canned soup, canned pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, canned basics like green beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, stewed tomatoes, Mexican tomatoes (like Ro-tel) are all much, much less expensive than "regular" grocery stores (even store brands). And occasionally, I find a good buy on non-sugared breakfast cereals. Knock-offs on rice crispies, the square checksy type (corn and rice), round little donut style oats, and good old corn flakes, all from 25 cents to $1.00 per box cheaper than even the store brands at the "regular" supermarkets.

Aldi is now taking Discover and their own private credit cards, but still no checks. We have always paid cash, and that gives us a better idea of the actual amount of money we are spending on groceries / staples than if we could write a check or swipe a credit card.

EB in Montana