#brown paper lunch bags for microwaving popcorn

[mumblelard]

happy belated second birthday, empty belle vie sparkling water twelve can box. i taped you to the cabinet door under my kitchen sink to see if it was a convenient spot to store my heavy duty aluminum foil with the picture of an aluminum foil alligator on it. it was a very convenient spot.

this week, i found a purpose-built store-bought replacement for you and i brought it home. oh, but then i saw the date i had written on your side when you were put in place, and i realized how long we have been working together and how well you had done. look at you. you look as good as the day that i hung you there.

i am returning the usurper to the store. you will stay until you are no longer able. we are in this together.

[uglypastels]

Z I don’t know bout you but I love munching on popcorn more this time of year but I don’t like cooking it in a pot. So...

take 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels and 1 tbsp of butter and place in a brown paper lunch bag. Microwave for 1:30, give it a shake and your popcorn is ready! Of course this recipe is more of a base for popcorn, if you’re a butter lovers person, salty or sweet or cheddar corn lover, just mix in your add ins to the warm bag and shake it. Some stores even have popcorn seasoning labeled as such. Either way, munch away!🍽

Here we can buy the popcorn already in the microwavable bags. So just grab the bag and pop it in there 😅 don't other people have that? Do yall have to buy seperate corn kernels??

But thank youuuuu

[chickpeamag]

spent this weekend going over the work in our next issue, and snacked on this popcorn while doing it 😛🍿 our favorite kind includes a little bit of oil, and some nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt + pepper (exact recipe in #chktogether)🧂🍂✨ we use an air popper we got at a thrift store, but if you have a microwave you can just use a brown paper lunch bag filled with kernels to make your own from scratch! (just fold the top over tightly - we’ve never had an explosion yet, haha) ✨🧨☁️

[missguomeiyun]

coloured popcorn by Copper Spice Co.

Hello all, just remembered as I was going thru some stuff at home. .. that I still have these popcorns from like spring lol

My coworker friend got me these from the St. Albert Farmers Market. These are ‘coloured’ microwaveable cob by the brand Copper Spice Co. They are a company based here in Edmonton, AB. They do not have a store but their products are sold online on their website, & they also participate in Farmers Market as well. Not sure if they are at the Edmonton ones, though.

What do they sell?

They have some cob like these, as well as various spices, which is actually their main thing! It’s pretty neat to check out but they’re very pricey! They have various salts. They also have many gift sets to choose from.

Okay, let’s try out the microwaveable cobs~

(PS: the 2 diff coloured ones result in same popcorn- I didn’t take any pictures for the 2nd one bcos. .. it’s the same!)

Each one costs $3.99, & each package comes with the cob & a paper bag. It’s just a normal brown lunch bag, but it has a BB date on it.

Instructions are NOT included anywhere in the package; nor do they have an instructions sheet at the booth (or else my coworker would have gotten me one). The instructions are on their website, when you click into the item.

“Place cob of popping corn in the included paper bag or micro-popper. Microwave 1-2.5minutes on high or until the popping stops.”

I don’t know about you. .. I guess my microwave isn’t strong. I microwaved a total of over 4mins (over 3 diff intervals) & not all of the kernels popped & a lot of the popcorn were semi-popped & not detached from the cob. I was scared of microwaving more bcos I was able to smell burnt smell =/ I’m not sure what it was from. I didn’t want my microwave to explode. ..

It gave a decent amount of popcorn but I felt so much was ��wasted’ bcos they didn’t ‘work’ lol

So yeah. .. $3.99 for a large-ish bowl.

PS: the same thing happened for the 2nd cob, but instead of 3-internals totaling 4mins, I did it in 2 intervals of 2mins. The outcome was the same! Still lots attached to the cob & ends weren’t popped at all.

How was it????

Zero flavour.

It’s weird- not just flavour but aroma as well. My mom described it as styrofoam lol I know, not pleasing at all. But you know what, she was absolutely correct. You really need to add your own spice to it. I sprinkled salt to it but . .. I don’t know, I was not a fan. ..

[xxavengers]

I’ll always be there

Paring: Bucky x reader

Summary: you as the reader are a bit clumsy but your boyfriend Bucky is always there to catch you

Warning(s): just fluff! And spelling mistakes

—-

By nature I was clusmy. Ever sense I was born from the day I could walk to now. The amount of times I knocked over glasses, chairs, almost people too etc.. Is insane. In middle school I was given the name “clumsy Y/N” or anything related to the subject, because I’d knock over everything. And I kept that name all through high school.

I was known for working alone during labs in science because no one wanted to work with a cluts. There’s been times where I’ve accidentally spilled my lunch on people because the cafeteria was always so busy, well and my clumsiness. I started taking my lunch with me in spill free safe containers and eating in the girls bathroom to stay out of peoples way.

When I got into my first two years of college they weren’t bad. Everyone thought it was normal being my energetic self, so no one thought anything of it. But by the time the end of my third year people started to find it annoying and once again I was back in that pain I was in while I was in high school.

My last year of college was awful, while trying to work hard so I could become a lawyer i had to deal with the everyday life I had back in high school. I turned shy and didn’t talk to anyone that much. But once I got out of college I failed to succeed at being a lawyer because to most I was “to clumsy” and instead went to work as an assistant.

Being an assistant was hard from time to time, especially because you had to wear these black heels, dark brown pencil skirts, and tight white blouses. Not to mention the make up... I couldn’t even walk normally with flats or sneakers so putting me in heels was even harder because it’s already hard enough to balance in them. But me being my clumsy self I had to spend hours upon hours practicing just walking in heels so I wouldn’t screw up this job.

I worked for the famous playboy Tony Stark, I wasn’t his assistant Persay I just worked in the same building as him. I’ve seen him walk through hallways in his really expensive suits. I’ve ran into him a few times as we’ve tried to enter and exit the elevators at the same time. Or out of my clumsiness. But that’s also how I met bucky. Bucky Barnes, the man that stole my heart. He came to the tower one day with some other people of only I can assume were the Avengers.

A blush spread across my face as I got a good look at his facial features. He was really handsome. He has a small smile on his face and his eyes were twinkling with something I wasn’t quite sure what it was.

“O-Oh... Thank you” I stuttered. Embarrassed that he just saw me trip and spill coffee everywhere.

“No problem, doll” he said lovingly. His arm stableized me and helped stand. I looked down to see the coffee all over the floor and my shirt. Thank god the papers weren’t messed up though. I slowly bent down and picked up the papers, and picking up the empty coffee cup.

“Here let me help you” He said in his silky voice.

“Baby, I’m home!” Bucky Shouted bringing me out of my thoughts. I was sitting at the kitchen table, with a cup of milk. He walked into the kitchen a smile made its way to his lips when his eyes landed on my figure. I looked up at him with doe like eyes and smiled.

“How was your morning baby?” He asked as he walked up to me and kissed my forehead. I blushed and buried my head in his chest grabbing his shirt and inhaling his musky pine scent.

“It was good. Would’ve been better if you were here though...” I mumbled closing my eyes. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rubbed one hand up and down my back while the other securely held my lower back.

“I’m sorry, doll. You know I hate leaving you alone” his voice was soft and silky. It brought s special warmth to my chest that no one else’s could.

“It’s ok....” my voice was muffled by buckets training gear he was wearing.

“I’m gonna go change, love. I’ll be right back.” He whispered in my ear quickly kissing me on the lips before walking down the hall to our shared bedroom.

I sipped down the last little bit of milk from my mug and stood up to go rinse it off in the sink. I opened up the dishwasher placing the mug inside on the top shelf before shutting it. I went over to the cubaord and pulled out the chocolate and popcorn. It was only 9:03 so why not watch a movie.

I walked a little to quickly to the microwave and quickly placed popcorn bag inside setting the timer for 2 minutes. The timer on the microwave went off and I quickly opened it up and poured it in a big bowl. I grabbed the chocolate and made my way to the living room. On the way I tripped over my own feet and started falling backwards.

Right before i could hit the ground arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me up. I turned my head over my shoulder and looked to see bucky smiling at me. I looked away my eyes glossy and I let out a embarrassed sigh.

“What’s wring love..?” Bucky asked as he let me go and picked up the popcorn setting on the little table near the living room. He walked back over to me wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my forehead.

“I-I just...”

“Take your time... I’m not going anywhere” his voice was barely audible but I still heard it. I wrapped my arms around his torso burring my face into his white muscle tank top. Probably setting his shirt a little bit with the fees years that escaped.

“I-I just feel like I’m annoying you with me being so clumsy. Y-Your always there t-to catch me.... aren’t I annoying..” I stuttered our. I’m surprised he could hear me from hoe far my face was digging in his chest.

“Doll, I find it cute! I think your clumsiness is one of the most adorable things about you. It defines you as you. And absolutely not, you are not annoying to me at all. So don’t ever think you are. Your perfect and quiet frankly, I enjoy catching you...” he smirked and kissed me.

His lips were warm and soft as they pressed against mine. I loved the way his lips fit against mine. They fit like a puzzle peice and so did our hands. One hand rubbed up and down my back as the other tangles it’s self into my hair. And my hands went to tangle in his shoulder length soft hair.

We pulled away a little out of breath. Our foreheads touching and noses rubbing against each other like little Eskimo kisses.

“I’ll always be there to catch you, doll.” He smiled placing both of his hands on my cheeks and giving me a quick peck on the lips.

“Now... lets go watch a movie” he whispered. Guiding me to the couch picking up the bowl of popcorn on the way. We cuddled together and watched movies together that night. Whole Bucky whispered sweet nothings into my ear randomly.

[veganspoonsandpennies]

budget/healthy vegan grocery list & meal planning

so I do shopping for a house of 4, and one of the people I live with has type 2 diabetes. So I thought I'd share the types of things I get that are both healthy and cost effective.

Breakfast

Instant oatmeal (we buy sugar free brown sugar flavor, but you can also just buy a big tin of instant oatmeal and add stevia or sugar free maple syrup and cinnamon+allspice)

Bananas (good to add in oatmeal)

Cereal and a milk alternative (most cereals besides kellogs are vegan, try to find a cereal and milk that's fortified with b12)

French toast (mash a banana with either 3/4c milk alternative or the juice from a can of chickpeas, then add a tsp vanilla, 1-2tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp allspice. dip bread in mixture on both sides and then fry in a pan with 1 tbsp butter/coconut oil/nonstick spray on high heat and fry till desired on both sides. makes about 6 slices and is super good topped with syrup!)

Tofu scramble with toast (to make tofu scramble add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast and break up the tofu in a skillet with a fork and heat it up) goes great with a side of baked beans too

Lunch

sweet potato and beans (microwave sweet potato 6-9 minutes depending on size, rinse beans and microwave for 1-2 minutes and then season both the beans and sweet potato however you like!)

chickpea salad sandwich (microwave 1/2c chickpeas for about 25 seconds, then mash them with a fork and add 1 tbsp hummus, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, parsley all to taste and 1-2tsp spicy brown mustard) tomato slices are a good addition

Veggie hummus wrap (buy cauliflower and broccoli by the head, it's cheaper. Spread hummus on a tortilla. Chop up cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots(or veggies of choice) and assemble the wrap)

Dinner

Burritos (microwave instant brown rice to instructions, then add hummus and salsa. microwave beans and season as desired. assemble burrito with rice, lettuce, beans, and guacamole(optional). It's even better if you turn a skillet on high and grill the tortilla first and assemble the burrito in the skillet, then slide it onto a plate once it's nice and browned on the outside and wrap it up! Takes maybe 2 minutes extra to do this but it's so worth it)

Curried veggies with rice (I just microwave frozen veggies and then add them to whatever curry I'm making. Walmart carries a "golden curry" that comes in a shiny box and dissolves in water to make a thick curry sauce. But there are tons of other options for curry sauce out there!)

Soups like progresso (their tomato basil soup, garden vegetable, lentil soup are vegan just double check the labels!) Campbell's condensed tomato soup is also vegan. It's also really good to add some cooked rice to tomato soup!

Snacks

Cauliflower/fresh veggies or rice cakes with hummus

Popcorn (tons of "buttery" microwave popcorns are vegan. But you can also buy a jar of popcorn kernels, paper bags, and add 1c of kernels with a tiny bit of olive oil to it and fold the top of the bag so it doesn't open and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until kernels have mostly stopped popping, then add salt and/or nutritional yeast!)

Canned fruit or fresh fruit that's in season/on sale

Apples or oranges (buy them by the bag)

I'm sure there's things I'm missing and I know this list isn't super extensive but this is what we've been keeping in the house recently for dietary reasons while also being concious of our low budget. I'll add more if I think of anything but feel free to ask questions or add to this list!

Being poor while trying to eat healthy can be a challenge, but it isn't necessarily impossible either.

[diirtytalkk]

Believe it or not, you can make your own delicious, low-fat microwave popcorn using standard popping corn and a brown paper lunch bag. It works perfectly.

[mariopaintcollective]

Believe it or not, you can make your own delicious, low-fat microwave popcorn using standard popping corn and a brown paper lunch bag. It works perfectly.

[tsgcincinnati]

WHAT WE’RE MAKING: Gourmet Popcorn

We often find ourselves in need of a delicious at-home snack in these times when we’re indoors! And while there are of course wonderful options available that are crowd-pleasers, sometimes homemade snacks feel in order. Enter: the following recipes for gourmet popcorn, courtesy of Caitlin Steininger, chef and co-owner of Cooking with Caitlin, an online food destination and restaurant based in Wyoming, Ohio. Here’s how to make the sweet and savory snacks at home.

Cooking with Caitlin’s Gourmet Popcorn

Yields approximately 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

For the popcorn:

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1 brown lunch bag

Tape

For the chocolate and peanut butter version:

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

2 tablespoons peanut butter chips

For the cinnamon and sugar version:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the butter and herb version:

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs (like rosemary)

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt (optional)

Parmesan (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the chocolate and peanut butter popcorn, place the popcorn kernels in the brown paper bag. Fold the top portion of the bag over, and tape shut. Microwave the bag of kernels for one and a half minutes, then remove the popcorn from the microwave, open the bag, add the chips, close the bag again, and cook for another minute. When the popcorn is finished cooking, shake vigorously until the popcorn is coated with the chocolate and peanut butter.

For the cinnamon and sugar popcorn, place the popcorn kernels in the brown paper bag. Fold the top portion of the bag over, and tape shut. Microwave the bag of kernels for two to two and a half minutes, or until the popcorn is popped. After the popcorn is finished cooking, open the bag and add the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Close the bag again and shake until all of the popcorn is seasoned.

For the butter and herb popcorn, combine the butter and freshly chopped herbs in a small bowl. Cover and melt together in the microwave. Place the popcorn kernels in the brown paper bag. Fold the top portion of the bag over, and tape shut. Microwave the bag of kernels for two to two and a half minutes, or until the popcorn is popped. When the popcorn is finished, toss with the melted herb butter and season with black pepper. Add salt if needed, and freshly grated Parmesan for even more flavor.

Visit Caitlin and team in Wyoming at their amazing restaurant CWC The Restaurant on Springfield Pike for take-out meals (until end of March) and normally Friday & Saturday evenings for dinner and Sunday mornings for delicious brunch. Also see more delicious recipes from The Scout Guide from our community! Enjoy! 

[uvmdining]

Power Up with Plant Proteins

By Emilie Riddle, UVM M.S. Dietetics Intern

Getting some protein with every meal provides fuel for your active student lifestyle, helps maintain strong muscles, and keeps you feeling satisfied until your next meal. Even if you are not following a vegetarian or vegan eating pattern, plant proteins are a way to add variety and help you stay fit and healthy.

In addition to amino acids (the building blocks of body proteins), plant proteins provide fiber and nutrients like calcium, potassium, magnesium and B vitamins, while being naturally low in cholesterol, sodium, and calories. Research shows a strong link between eating patterns based on plant proteins and a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Choosing plant proteins also helps the environment. Beef is the worst offender: if cows started their own country they would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind the U.S. and China! Cutting your consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs in half can reduce your environmental footprint by half.

Some plant proteins (soy, quinoa, and hemp) already contain all the amino acids your body cannot make for itself. For a full vegan diet, plan to include complete plant proteins or legumes every day to ensure a sufficient supply of the amino acid lysine, which is not found in high quantities in other plant proteins. Select a variety of plant proteins to ensure your body has everything it needs to build complete proteins. Even the vegetables you eat with your meal play a part, as a ½ cup serving of most vegetables has at least 2 grams of protein.

There are many plant proteins available at UVM Dining locations, including tofu, beans, seeds and sometimes nuts (at the salad bar), hummus, falafel, seitan, tempeh, peanut butter, lentils, and quinoa.

Choose Your Plant Protein

Legumes: lentils, beans, peas, peanuts/peanut butter

Soy: tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk

Grains: seitan, quinoa, amaranth, spelt, teff, buckwheat, oats, wheat berries, wild rice, sprouted breads

Nuts: pistachios, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts

Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp, flax, chia

Other: nutritional yeast, spirulina

 Easy Protein Snacks

Try these simple snacks to add plant proteins to your eating pattern. Most of them are also great options to have on the go between classes and study sessions:

 ·       Nuts

·       Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

·       Roasted chickpeas or edamame

·       Trail Mix – make your own with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, dark chocolate

·       Apple, pear, carrots, or celery with peanut or other nut butter

·       Bean Salsa – mix beans with salsa and serve with tortilla chips

·       Toast with hummus or nut butter – try sprouted bread for extra protein

Microwave Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast

Cheaper than buying microwave popcorn bags, the nutritional yeast gives a “cheesy” flavor with a healthy dose of protein—2-6 grams per tablespoon, depending on the brand.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup popping corn

1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, to taste

Salt, to taste

Brown paper lunch bag

Directions:

Place ¼ cup popcorn kernels in bag (no staples or other metal in it). Fold the bag over a few times and place in the microwave. Microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes, until popping slows to every couple of seconds. Stop promptly to make sure it doesn’t burn! Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with salt and nutritional yeast.

[yestoooyoume]

How to make homemade microwave popcorn in a paper bag

I love movie theater popcorn. There’s something about the enormity of it, the sheer thrill of sitting down with a tub of popcorn as big as your torso and munching on it mindlessly for two hours straight.

Seriously — is there any other snack we can eat in such insane volume without feeling like we’re breaking a social taboo?

But I don’t get to the movies that often, and I’m not a fan of pre-packaged microwave popcorn. The fake-butter flavoring leaves a weird, filmy feeling on my tongue, reminding me that I have no idea what’s actually in the popcorn. (At least the chemical once used in the flavoring that causes a rare respiratory disease with the banal yet terrifying name of "Popcorn Lung" is now banned.)

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So my husband and I started experimenting with making popcorn at home. We considered getting an air popper, but we have a small kitchen, and the thought of having to get out a stool and rummage past the unused canning equipment I once bought in a short-lived fit of ambition in order to retrieve a single-use appliance is unappealing. I tried making popcorn in a pot on the stove a few times, but could never get the heat quite right — either half the kernels wouldn’t pop or I’d overcook it. (And scorched popcorn is the worst.)

But then my husband read about a way to make popcorn in the microwave using only a brown paper lunch bag, and our household movie nights were forever changed. The method is foolproof (well, mostly — see the cautionary note below), takes less than 3 minutes, and makes popcorn that will neither leave your tongue filmy nor cause rare respiratory diseases.

Here’s how to do it:

PUT POPCORN KERNELS IN A PAPER BAG

Place ¼ cup uncooked popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag. (NOTE: To avoid the possible use of metallic paints, this should be a plain, unadorned paper bag. I once used a Hello Kitty–themed paper bag, and Hello Kitty's face caught on fire.) No need to add any oil at this point — it's not necessary for cooking and it'll just soak through the bag and get your microwave all greasy.

FOLD THE BAG TO SEAL

Fold the top of the bag down about half an inch to seal it. Then fold it a second time, pressing firmly. You want to make sure the bag is securely closed so it doesn’t burst open as the kernels begin to pop.

PUT THE BAG IN THE MICROWAVE

Place the bag upright in the microwave and set the microwave on high for 2½ minutes. Then stay nearby and listen: You want to stop the microwave soon after the popping noises slow to avoid overcooking, regardless of whether or not the 2½ minutes are up. The popcorn will be ready faster if you have a powerful microwave. Open the bag carefully, keeping your face and fingers away from the steam.

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FLAVOR THE POPCORN

Technically, you could add your flavorings right to the bag at this point, but that can get a little messy. I like to pour the popcorn into my largest mixing bowl, mostly because I (shhh) usually make a double batch and want to have plenty of room for mixing in the toppings.

And the beauty of making homemade popcorn is that you can flavor it however you want. Like it savory? Add olive oil, Parmesan, and rosemary. Like it spicy? Add coconut oil and cayenne. Like it to leave a weird, fake-y film on your tongue? You're on your own. I like to stir in any wet toppings (like butter or oil) first to give the dry toppings (salt, spices, sugar) something to cling to.

My favorite topping is just melted butter and salt, but sometimes, when I decide to be “healthy,” I top my popcorn with delicious, virtuous-sounding products from the health food store, like nutritional yeast (or, as my Epi coworker Matt Duckor calls them, "Flavor Flakes"), which adds a salty, nutty kick, and a few drops of coconut aminos, which tastes sort of like sweet soy sauce.

And then I eat 10 cups of popcorn before deciding to go full force and raiding my kids’ candy stash. Because the only thing that compares with movie theater popcorn? Movie theater candy.

Bridge Of Love

from Blogger http://ift.tt/2rStrv9 via IFTTT

[lovemesomesurveys]

Breakfast! 1.) Have you ever eaten a “balanced breakfast” like they show in cereal commercials (I.E., bowl of cereal, fruit, glass of orange juice)? Haha no. I’ve said this a lot lately I feel like, but my “breakfast” consists of a big cup of coffee and a donut or a couple muffins.

2.) When’s the last time you made someone breakfast? Uhh. I’ve made my mom eggs and toast before, but it was a few years ago when she was on bed rest due to a knee injury.

3.) What’s your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap’N Crunch, Fruity Pebbles.

4.) What’s the highest calorie, most terrible for you breakfast you’ve ever had? I don’t know. Fast food stuff maybe? Maybe even stuff from a restaurant.

5.) Would you rather get breakfast from McDonald’s or Burger King? McDonald’s.

6.) Waffles or pancakes? Waffles.

7.) Eggs or cereal? I like both. Actually, I feel like I’m in the mood for cereal more so at night than for breakfast.

8.) Milk or orange juice? Ew neither.

9.) PopTart or Toaster Strudel? I like both.

10.) Do you even eat breakfast? I already explained what I have in the mornings.

11.) Do you take vitamins with your breakfast? No.

Lunch! 1.) When do you usually eat lunch? Around noonish.

2.) Did you get notes from your parents in your lunch when you were little? No.

3.) If you had one, what did your lunch box look like? I had a few different ones as a kid. I remember in kindergarten it was a red mickey mouse one. In middle school I switched to brown paper lunch bags.

4.) What’d you have for lunch today? Leftover meatballs from yesterday. Yum.

5.) Do you like to go out for lunch? Where? Sure, when I can. It varies depending on what I’m in the mood for. Or I’ll get fast food to bring back home.

6.) Do you have/want any cute sandwich cutters? (They decrust your sandwich into a shape) I’ve never thought about it.

7.) Do you sit with/meet with anyone for lunch often? I’m at home for lunch. I’m no longer in school, and I don’t have a job.

8.) Have you ever had a peanut butter and butter sandwich, or does it sound appealing at all? I have not.

9.) Is your lunch usually a hot food or a cold food? Hot.

10.) Has the word “lunch” been repeated so many times it’s a meaningless word by now? No?

Dinner/Supper! 1.) Do you follow the health rule of having a small dinner and big breakfast? Nope.

2.) Do you ever say a prayer before eating dinner? I say one in the morning and at night.

3.) What’s your favorite take out dinner, if you have one? Pizza, fast food, Five Guys, or from a restaurant.

4.) Have you ever been taken out to a nice restaurant for a dinner date? No.

5.) Did you grow up eating dinner with your family? How do you think that affected you? We don’t sit around the table and eat dinner, but we still have dinner together. We like to watch TV together and catch up on shows we like to watch. Something to just relax and spend time together. I enjoy doing that.

6.) Do you have “nice” dinner plates for special occasions? Yes.

7.) Do you ever eat frozen dinners? Yeah.

8.) What dinner foods can you cook?

Something simple like a frozen dinner, Lean Cuisine, or pizza that I can put in the microwave or oven. I’m not a cook. My mom makes dinner.

9.) White or red meat (or their vegetarian substitute counterparts)? White.

10.) Soup or salad? Salad.

Dessert! 1.) Do you ever get dessert at a restaurant when they ask? Very, very rarely. I’m always too full by then.

2.) Is there a dessert food most people like that you hate? With the exception of banana cream and cheesecake, I don’t like pie. We always have a cherry, apple, or pumpkin pie for the holidays and I don’t like either of those.

3.) Cupcakes or real cake? I like both. Cupcakes are a little more convenient.

4.) Ice cream or pie? Ice cream, but I don’t eat it all that often.

5.) What kind of birthday cake (or other sweet birthday type thing) do you usually get? White cake with buttercream frosting or funfetti.

6.) What was your favorite childhood birthday cake? I’m not sure.

7.) Do you have a favorite foreign (to a Westerner, anyway :P) desserts? (Baklava, biscotti, churros…) I like churros, beignets, crepes, and macaroons.

8.) Do you bake sweets? Which are you best at? I do like to bake now and then. I currently have a few recipes I want to try out, actually.

9.) Have you ever had a good “diet” dessert, like something endorsed by Weight Watchers? What was it? Yeah. Some of the snack things are good. I don’t like diet tasting chocolate, but I’ve had other good stuff. I really like SnackWell’s vanilla creme sandwich cookies, and Atkin’s Sweet and Salty Trail Mix that has caramel and chocolate crisps, peanut butter clusters, and M&M like candies.

10.) What’s your dream dessert? Hmm. That’s tough! There’s so many delicious goodies. I made the mistake of following a lot of food and dessert blogs lately. Omg.

11.) Do you watch shows like Cake Boss or Cupcake Wars? I used to watch Cake Boss a lot. It’s been awhile now.

Snacks! 1.) What’s the best candy in the world? I like white chocolate a lot, whether it’s just a white chocolate candy bar or a white chocolate version of Reese’s or Kit Kat.

2.) Do you eat more snacks or full meals? Snacks for sure.

3.) Is there anything you find yourself eating when you’re bored? I love me some junk food.

4.) Do drinks with calories count as a snack? Not to me.

5.) What’s your favorite food that’s usually served at parties? The appetizers.

6.) Do you eat in class? If so, what is it, usually? When I was in college I did sometimes.

7.) Honestly, are your snacks healthy or bad for you? Bad, but oh so good.

8.) Potato chips or trail mix? Chips. Chips and dip are the best snack.

9.) What do you usually get at the movie theater? Popcorn, usually. However, our theater finally started serving other foods and I got onion rings the last time we went. Yum.

10.) Did you get fruit snacks with your favorite character on them when you were little? Yeah.

11.) Do you remember any sayings from conversation hearts? Which is your favorite? Yeah. I get ‘em still every year cause I like them.

Food in general! 1.) Do you buy generic brand food? Sometimes.

2.) Is there a common food you find repulsive? I really don’t like bacon, but everyone else seems obsessed with it. It’s on everything.

3.) What’s your favorite “ethnic” cuisine? Italian.

4.) If you were stranded in a zombie apocalypse with only a full, run-of-the-mill and full-of-junk vending machine for food, which items would you eat first? Ahh. That’d be hard because I’d want to spread it out as long as I could. I’d probably want to spare my favorites for last.

5.) Are you a candy fanatic? No.

6.) Do you like any weird food combinations? Pizza rolls or tater tots with mustard.

7.) Are there any foods you shouldn’t eat because of your religion? No.

8.) Would you eat a bug if it was covered in your favorite food? Ewwwww absolutely not.

9.) Do you think being a vegan would be/is really hard? Absolutely.

10.) Do you eat in the car? My mom recently got a new car, so we can’t anymore. My dad is kind of particular about that as well. My brother doesn’t mind.

11.) Do you pay attention to serving sizes? Sometimes, just out of curiosity.

12.) Fruit or vegetables? Fruit.

13.) Mustard or ketchup? I like both.

14.) Does mayonnaise disgust you? No.

15.) What’s your favorite holiday, in terms of the food you get to eat during it? In terms of that, then Thanksgiving.

16.) Are you hungry? (: What do you plan on eating next? I am, thanks a lot. Ha. I’m thinking about putting some onion rings in the oven.

[writtenbylois]

The Second Draft of a First Chapter

Moon River rippled through their home the night Hepburn Wallace was conceived. It’d been an otherwise uneventful day. Rosie spent the afternoon flipping through pages of her high school yearbook. Mr. Wallace went to work, ate leftover spaghetti for lunch. Little Fred and the other boys were with their grandmother.

           The summer sun bronzed Rosie’s skin to an even darker brown than normal while she walked their Yorkie around the block. Its name was Puppy—Little Fred’s idea. Puppy wheezed every two blocks, hiked his little legs at all the oak trees in the neighborhood. Rosie sneezed at this, cursed the dog, and dragged him along, trying and failing to remember why Mr. Wallace got the damn thing in the first place.

           All she could think of was the way his collar hung around his neck that morning. Like an origami noose. He kissed her on the forehead before driving off into the sunrise. There goes Frederick Wallace Sr., bringing home the bacon for Rosie and the boys. How wonderful.

           Thinking of his starched, white collar wilted her. She leaned against the front door, twisted it open, and blew in. Puppy rubbed up against her legs, still wheezing. Rosie pet him, very briefly, before deciding they both needed water.

Ice clunked into Puppy’s silver bowl slowly, licking Rosie’s fingers on their way down. Puppy’s nub of a tail wagged, shaking his whole body like a plucked string the moment his tongue kissed the water. Rosie swallowed a whole cube of ice, stood up straight.

           For the first time in a long time, she had the house to herself. No little boys running or jumping or shitting on her hardwood floors. No one smudging her books with blood red Toaster Strudel gunk or begging for Daddy to come home. No one screaming “Mama!” a name that, after so many years, still felt like someone else’s. Rosie settled into her solitude with the shadow of a smile on her face. She kicked off her shoes, tip-toed to the bedroom, and didn’t close the door on Puppy when he followed. She traced her yearbook photo, cringed at the bangs and acne—the droopy eyes she wished had been the product of inebriation and other things of high school lore. She’d been reading late the night before. The last time she stayed up late reading was when she found out she was having Little Fred.

           Big Fred walked with her to the library, they didn’t have a car back then, and looked up the price of diapers as she picked up every pregnancy book she laid eyes on. The pee hadn’t dried on the stick when they left their shoebox of an apartment. Rosie felt a quickening in her womb the moment Frederick pulled the test out its brown paper bag. She read about gestation and whooping cough and every kind of deformity she could find as Fred pretended to sleep. He tried to remember if he saw any high paying job openings in the paper that morning, thought about the blue house he’d driven past a few days back. Was it still for sale? Maybe he could build a nice picket fence around the thing, paint it white?

           Little Fred and his brothers had defiled that fence with melted Popsicle fingers and crayons a week earlier. Mr. Wallace brought out paint to correct the blemishes, but Rosie stopped him. Later. Do it later.

           She remembered the art her little boys had ruined her fence with, noted the complementary blues and oranges they used. Little Fred’s finger painting was the largest of them all, a smiling figure seeming to wave at the Sun. It wore sunglasses, naturally. Linus’ piece was a gray blob of mixed crayon wax, melted into the fence from the heat of the afternoon. Henry had made something with some artistic promise, used his Popsicle stick to make a solar system of polka dots. Rosie took a Polaroid of it, hid it in her journal, and made a note to look into child art classes. Maybe she and Fred would have the money to pay for it once his deal went through. Maybe she’d have time to get a job—the bookstore would be nice—or go back to school.  

           Puppy’s squeaky yelps yanked Rosie out of a slumber she didn’t realize she’d fallen into. The excited pat-a-tat of his paws on the floor dragged her out of bed.

           Mr. Wallace pushed his shoulder into the side door, checked twice to make sure it was locked before taking off his jacket, dropping his bags. He squatted down, cupping big brown hands around Puppy’s face, just long enough for the dog to reverently press its wet nose against his cheeks.  

           “Hello, Mr. Wallace. How was your day?” Rosie rubbed the sleep out her eyes with her ring finger. She pulled a biscuit from the top of the fridge to give to Puppy once he was done with his master.  

           “Long, long, long. Not too bad, though.” he said, giving Puppy one last pat on the head as he stood. “The-microwave-broke-Jim-took-that-big-meeting-with-the-couple-I-was-telling-you-about-the-spaghetti-was-delicious-even-cold.”

           “Jim met with the McCoy couple? The couple you spent damn near three weeks taking shit from?” She wrapped and unwrapped her fingers around the biscuit one by one. “Jim Moore? The guy who’s only at the firm because he’s Mr. Perry’s nephew, Jim Moore? Didn’t he fuck up the last three accounts he was given? You’re the top earner in your department.”    

           “It wasn’t his fault, really.” Fred said, shrugging off his wife’s outrage. “Boss switched our accounts.”

           “Wha. . . did he give you a reason, Wallace?” Her nails dug into the biscuit. Puppy licked up the crumbs that fell to the ground, tail wagging. “He had to have told you why, right?”

           “Mr. and Mrs. McCoy asked for another salesman.”

           “Bullshit. You had lunch with them a few days ago. It went well—you said so yourself.”

           “I thought so, Rosie.” Mr. Wallace stuck his finger into the space between his neck and noose, scratching his Adam’s apple. “Apparently, they felt I was intimidating. Something to do with my stature.”

            “Wallace, you said Mr. McCoy was at least 6’4”. That makes no. . . ”

           Mr. Wallace closed his eyes at the sound of her voice trail off, blinked for what felt like a long time. When he opened them, Rosie was staring at him, face splotched with dull pinks and reds. Puppy hopped on his hind legs, reaching for the biscuit, a low whine rolling out his mouth. Mr. Wallace shrugged. Rosie felt her bottom lip tremble. Puppy’s whine evolved into a yip, quick and pointed—the kind Little Fred would giggle at with his brothers.

           Puppy’s doggy biscuit exploded against the door, right next to where Mr. Wallace’s jacket was hung, smack dab in the middle of the window. Rosie was a great shot; walked into the living room without checking to see if she made her mark. Puppy quickly gobbled up the broken pieces and removed himself from the kitchen.

           Mr. Wallace pulled two bags of popcorn out the weathered kitchen cabinets, whistled a song his mother liked to play through the house. He couldn’t remember the name of it. A Billie Holiday tune about fruit or something.

“Rosie!” He tilted his head towards the living room. “Wanna watch a movie tonight?”

           Silence.

           “Watch a movie with me, Rosie.”

           Sniffling.

           He slid one popcorn bag into the microwave, pushed his index finger into the start button.

           “Rose, I’ll even sit through one of those old ones you like. What’s that one you really like? It’s based on a book? Breakfast at where? Persnickety’s?”

           “Tiffany’s.”

           His ears perked. Puppy trotted over to the door into the kitchen, looked up at Mr. Wallace. Mr. Wallace looked down at Puppy.

           “What was that?”

           “Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Wallace, with Audrey Hepburn. It was a novella, not a book.”

           “Oh, yeah, of course! How could I forget?”

           The microwave timer radiated through the kitchen, kernels still popped as Mr. Wallace pulled the bag out. The smell of butter and salt and familiarity tickled his nose, warming him like two hands on the face. He poured the popcorn into an old mixing bowl, threw a piece into his mouth, and popped the second bag into the microwave.

           “Fred!” Rosie’s voice, clear and peppered with enough annoyance for her husband to relax, travelled to the room. “You didn’t rewind the movie!”

           Mr. Wallace poured the other bag of popcorn into the mixing bowl and walked into the living room with Puppy behind him. Without missing a beat, he placed the bowl into a nook in the couch, and tinkered with the VHS player. Rosie sank into the fuzzy cushion, trying her best to ignore the spit stain on the spot right next to the popcorn. Fred settled next to her as the movie’s opening harmonica rendition of Moon River began, kicking off his shoes and placing an arm around her shoulders. Ten minutes in, Mr. Wallace pulled off his tie, rolled up his sleeves, and actually relaxed.

           “Can you do anything about the account?”

           He tensed.

           “Well, I can’t get it back, if that’s what you mean, Rose.”

           Click. Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard froze on the screen in Technicolor. Rose Wallace rubbed her nail into the spit stain, punctured the rough fabric of the couch.

           “Do you have any idea what this thing meant for our family? What it meant for me?”

           “Do you have any idea what this meant for me?” he asked very quietly, slowly sliding his arms from her shoulders.

           She pushed herself to the furthest corner of the couch, biting down on her lip. For the first time in a long time, she had no idea what to say to her husband. He was staring at his hands, hands weathered by sweat and blood and low-paying part-time jobs to keep the lights on. Fred never complained, though, not about a single thing he had to do. Such a saint, but so damn resigned to slavery. Too resigned, Rosie thought to herself, crossing her arms over her chest. She married a man she knew would love her, a man who had loved her and their children without hesitation. That’s all she wanted when she was young, scared, and alone in the world.

           Fred felt the weight of Rosie’s eyes on his face, crumpled under the pressure of her gaze, but said nothing. She would speak eventually, he was sure. If he knew no one else, he knew his wife. She would come back, she would get over it, and maybe he would be able to do the same. He folded his hands together, squeezed them until his palms were white, and counted the seconds it took for the color to creep back into them. Sometimes, when no one was around, he would see if he could do the same to his arms, his face. Over and over again he squeezed, that Billie Holliday song echoing through his mind. “Strange Fruit”, it was called. And he was swinging.

Puppy wiggled over to Rosie’s feet, climbed over her toes and nuzzled her ankles. He whined when she ignored him, hopping on his hind legs relentlessly.  

“Remind me why you got this damn dog.”

Fred patted his knee, beckoning Puppy over to his master.

“The twins wanted one. They asked nicely,” he murmured.

“It wasn’t Little Fred?” she moved closer to him on the couch, eyes on the dog. “The twins could barely speak the year we got Wheezy.”

“Well, they made their wishes very clear. Their brother wanted to side with you, as always.”

“But he named Puppy.” Finally, she dropped her hand to Puppy’s head, scratching behind his ears and up and down his scalp.

“That was after he met him.” Mr. Wallace loosened his tie. “The twins wanted Puppy before they knew how to say so properly. I could see it in their eyes.”

Rosie moved away from her husband, pushed the side of her face into her hand.

“Fools.”

“Linus and Henry?”

“No, no, no.” Black curls bounced as she shook her head. “Your boss and that couple. Damn fools for not seeing you.”

And they were, really. At least as far as Mrs. Wallace was concerned. He stared at her, big brown, almost black, eyes daring not to move from her face. The light from the television reflected off his skin, which shined as weathered, polished leather in moonlight. In that moment, they both believed the lie that everything would be okay. Her hands found his face on instinct, he leaned into them on principle.

“Intimidating . . . what bullshit.” He was the softest person she’d ever felt. The warmest. “I just wish you got what you deserved. I wish you knew what you deserved.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt collar until he was free.  

“Don’t be sorry, Freddy. You’ve done nothing but exist.”

She smelled flowers when he kissed her, enveloped her in his arms, and forgot about the things they couldn’t control. Puppy crawled into the kitchen to look for more biscuit crumbs as the kisses deepened. Nobody bothered to stop the movie when the credits began to roll. Rosie decided that the child they made that night would be their last—it’d have to be. If born a girl, her named would be Audrey.  

[essaysinidleness]

Believe it or not, you can make your own delicious, low-fat microwave popcorn using standard popping corn and a brown paper lunch bag. It works perfectly.

[wellpersonsblog]

Healthy Microwave Popcorn

Make healthy microwave popcorn with just popcorn kernels and a paper lunch sack. Makes a great whole-grain snack for older kids and adults and you can flavor it any way you want to!

*Originally published 3/2013. Updated 4/2020*

Hi Friends!

I wanted to share this healthy microwave popcorn with you guys because it’s such a great snack option for older kids and adults. It’s important to note that popcorn is a choking hazard for younger kids, but my five-year-old and I have been enjoying it together lately. Since it’s been over 7 years since I first shared my favorite way to make it, I figured this little tutorial was due for an update. 

Did you know popcorn is a whole grain? It’s one of my favorite after-dinner snacks. I just eat it plain, but you can easily add whatever flavors you want after it’s popped. All you need in order to skip the pre-packaged microwave bags is a jar of popcorn kernels and a brown paper lunch sack.

Healthy Microwave Popcorn

  You guys, this is so easy! Here’s what you do:

Print

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Healthy Microwave Popcorn

Make healthy microwave popcorn with just popcorn kernels and a paper lunch sack. Makes a great whole-grain snack for older kids and adults and you can flavor it any way you want to!

Author: Lindsay

Ingredients

1/4 cup popcorn kernals

optional toppings: melted butter or oil, salt or other seasonings

Instructions

1. Measure out about 1/4 c popcorn kernals 2. Pour them into a paper lunch bag 3. Fold the top over several times and place in the microwave. Use the popcorn button and listen closely. When you hear the pops slow down to a couple seconds between pops, take it out. 4. Enjoy your popcorn! Season it if you wish.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @theleangreenbean on Instagram

If you’re looking for a way to use up some of your popcorn, I’d definitely suggest my Sweet & Spicy Popcorn Snack Mix. Or for some flavored options, try this Spicy Ranch Popcorn or this Chocolate Almond Butter Popcorn.

Let’s chat: Do you like popcorn? Plain or seasoned? What’s your favorite popcorn flavor combo?

Enjoy! –Lindsay–

First found here: Healthy Microwave Popcorn

[recesspizza40-blog]

These Are the Foods You Should Always Keep in Your Pantry

Composite image; original image via Getty Images, illustrations by Lia Kantrowitz.

Welcome to the VICE Guide to Life, our imperfect advice on becoming an adult.

Living on your own for the first time—not in a dorm context where you presumably have a dining hall nearby, but rather in your very first and likely very terrible apartment—comes with a lot of adjustments. Things like hand soap and toilet paper? Those things didn’t just magically appear in the bathroom when the bottle or roll was empty. Someone had to be monitoring the quantity of said products in stock and remembering to buy more. Huh. Weird. Sounds fake, right?

Now you have even more to worry about than just your bathroom medicine cabinet going bare. You’ve got a whole fridge and pantry to keep stocked because transitioning to adulthood usually means you’ve gotta start cooking for yourself more often than ever before. Being aware of how much salt, or butter, or hot sauce, or whatever else you can’t live without in the kitchen is your responsibility now. Mom’s not keeping the household grocery list anymore, kiddo. But that’s cool too! Because you are your own person, and you can decide what constitutes a kitchen staple in your house.

Building a pantry can feel daunting when you first move into a new place and are staring at bare cupboards and empty shelves, and filling them up with boxes of microwave popcorn and Fruit Loops is very tempting. (Don’t do that.) It doesn’t have to be such a monumental task, though. Have some fun with it! There are a few things we think you should keep in mind, and a few must-haves you shouldn’t forget about, when you’re stocking a pantry for the very first time.

1. Rice

One of the most versatile and inexpensive dry goods you can choose to stock up on, and something you will always be grateful for having on hand and in abundance. It may be a pain in the butt to have to haul home a 10-pound bag of white rice from the grocery store, but it’s worth it for all of those last-minute, can’t-think-of-anything-else-to-make situations you’re about to find yourself in. Store it in a big airtight container, because as much as you may think it's fine to roll the top down on the bag and secure it with a piece of tape, you will eventually find yourself with a rice explosion on the kitchen floor, and you will question your life choices.

2. Other Grains—Quinoa, Barley, etc.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of making your own rice from scratch, other grains won’t be far behind. Buy these in smaller quantities, since they’re more expensive and you’ll probably use them less frequently. Unless you’re a quinoa fanatic, in which case—buy in bulk from Costco, because it can get pricey. If you’re storing these in separate containers, like mason jars or quart containers, keep the plastic bag they came in folded up inside on top so that you can reference the manufacturer’s cooking instructions later.

3. Kosher Salt + Whole Black Peppercorns

Kosher salt is a supremely inexpensive item to buy in almost-bulk, like the two-pound boxes that are usually on the bottom shelf in the grocery store. Keep a little pinch bowl of it near your stove or on your countertop where you do your cooking prep and refill from the big box as needed. Invest in even the crappiest pepper mill and get a small container of whole peppercorns—just a few ounces will do!—and you’ll never go back to the pre-ground stuff.

4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You can find a passably decent olive oil in your regular grocery store, or you could spring for the fancy stuff from a specialty grocer, up to you. For your everyday cooking, though, you want an olive oil that’s kind of neutral in flavor and, frankly, not super pricey. Buy it in the size that makes the most sense for you. Are you cooking almost every day, sometimes more than once a day? Go for the big, several-liter tin that’s usually on the bottom shelf in the grocery store, and fill up a smaller squeeze bottle of it to use on the day-to-day. Probably cooking only two or three times a week? Go for a smaller bottle and restock regularly. Nothing is worse than getting surprised by old, rancid olive oil that’s been hanging around too long. And don’t store it on the counter near your stove! It gets too hot there. Keep it in a cooler, darker cabinet when you’re not using it.

5. Vinegars—Red and White Wine, Balsamic, Apple Cider

You’ll come to find that a splash of acid is exactly what a lot of recipes need to really round out the flavors and make the whole thing sing. Unless you’re regularly making your own salad dressings or pickling things at home, a small to medium sized bottle will suffice for a few months.

6. Veggie Stock

It’s really easy to make veggie (or chicken, or fish) stock on your own from scraps, if you’re feeling industrious. But there’s no shame in buying the boxed stuff from the store, either. Keep one or two of the quart-size terra packs for making rice or quinoa with a little extra flavor, and then freeze any unused liquid in Tupperware. If you find you usually can’t get through a whole quart-sized box at once, buy the eight-ounce cans, instead.

7. Beans (Canned and Dry)

Dry beans—of whatever variety you’re likely to actually make—are one of the cheapest ways to make sure that you always have something to make for dinner in a pinch, or during a week when you’ve overspent on Seamless. Don’t let dry beans hang around for too long, though, because super old beans will either take forever to cook, or just never cook all the way through. They’ll be toothsome, and not in a good way, no matter how long you boil them. Canned beans are a little more expensive, but they’re a lifesaver more often than not and cut down on your cooking time even further.

8. Canned Fish—Tuna, Anchovies, Sardines

Keeping a few cans of tuna hanging around is ideal for being able to throw together a tuna salad sandwich, or tossing some in your salad or grain bowl, when other proteins are too expensive or, frankly, are just going to take too long to cook. Anchovies are a sneaky, inexpensive way to infuse a variety of dishes, from salads to sauces, with a punch of umami—or just pop ‘em on a cracker as a snack. (Get the re-sealable jars you can keep in the fridge if you don’t think you’ll use a whole tin at once.) Sardines function the same. Throw ‘em on some toast with pickled onions for a simple sandwich, or into a salad for a quick work lunch.

9. Briny Things—Capers, Olives, Pickles

Kosher dill pickle spears are, on their own, excellent snacks. Other briny, savory things—like capers and olives and cornichons—can be bought in small quantities in re-sealable jars you can keep in the fridge for any number of applications—in salads, sauces to put on your protein of choice, or throwing on a cheese plate if you’re having friends over for an appetizer that doesn’t need a whole lot of thought.

10. Hot Sauce

Whatever your hot sauce/chili paste of choice is—Tabasco? Sriracha? Tapatío? Gochujang?—always make sure you stay stocked up. Sure, every hot sauce has its own flavor and use and they’re certainly not interchangeable by any means, but this is your pantry. If you know you’re never going to touch a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot, but you quite literally keep a bottle of Cholula in your bag, make sure you never run out.

11. Spices

Do not go out and buy a full spice rack set with dozens of little vials of spices you will never use, pleasedearsweetbabyJesusdon’tdoit. Start with a few staples—cinnamon, cumin, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and a reliable blend of some kind (chili powder, curry powder, za'atar) make up a solid, versatile lineup. Throw them out after a year if you haven’t finished them. (And if you find you’re throwing out a lot of unused something-or-other, buy a smaller jar of it next time. Dry spices have much more flavor if they aren’t old as sin.)

12. Canned Tomatoes

At any time of year, it is wise to have a can of tomatoes on hand. With an onion, some garlic, and a little butter, you can turn a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes into a passable pasta sauce in less than a half hour. If you feel like it, having a can of pureed tomato on your shelf can come in handy, too, but most other varieties of canned tomatoes you’ll see in the grocery store are really just there for convenience. You can always chop or dice a can of whole peeled tomatoes yourself and save a few pennies.

13. Pasta + Noodles

Having a few boxes of basic dried pasta—egg noodles, rice noodles, wheat pasta, whatever—hanging around means the foundation for any number of meals is always waiting for you.

14. Baking Essentials—Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Vegetable Oil

Even if you don’t plan on doing a whole lot of from-scratch baking, a well-stocked pantry ought to have at least a small amount of all-purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Brown sugar ends up in a lot of savory dishes, too, like barbecue sauces, and you can find them in one-pound boxes. (That baking soda will come in handy for any number of other DIY kitchen cleaning solutions, too, so spring for the bigger box.) Vegetable oil is handy, too, and can be used for more than just making brownies, like shallow-frying chicken on the stove.

15. Zip-top Bags, Plastic Wrap, Tin Foil, Parchment Paper

Not food items, technically, no. But necessary for a well-stocked pantry for someone who wants to be able to make just about any recipe with as few trips to the grocery store as possible. (When you’re on step seven out of 10 in a recipe and suddenly realize your roll of tin foil is empty, you’ll kick your own ass.) There are more sustainably-minded versions of these products, too—like reusable nylon storage bags and silicone baking mats—if you don’t like the single-use lifestyle.

Source: https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/kz5q4v/how-to-stock-a-pantry-vgtl