Food
Must Have Kitchen Pantry Essentials
The power house of any home is the kitchen, but often times it’s neglected until there is an urgent need for it. It is always so easy to go into the kitchen and open up the pantry, then whip up something to eat and not until the next meal do you realize that a few important things are lacking in your pantry and then you start to make a run to the market or grocery store late at night just to make sure the kids have something for breakfast tomorrow morning, or you end up eating a sandwich when what you really wanted was a delicious soup for dinner.
All of these can be avoided if you take your pantry essentials seriously and always make sure that they don’t get exhausted before being replaced. So today am going to be sharing with you a few major pantry must haves that will make your home cooking easy without a fuss. As a mum and wife, am constantly thinking of breakfast, lunch and dinner, and with these thoughts come which ingredients do I need and which do I have at home, often times just seeing what you have at home reduces the stress of going to the market on days when am super busy or not in the mood to go to the market and start to bargain prices.
Having a well stocked pantry is a must have for every home, whether you be a working mum ,full house wife or even a single lady, it makes cooking easier and also helps to check excess spending, because you will feel motivated to cook and try out recipes if the main ingredients are in your kitchen.
So let’s get to it already, what you must have in a Nigerian kitchen to make cooking easy.
1) Rice- this is a major food in Nigerian homes, from jollof rice to coconut and whit rice, there are so many recipes with rice that a Nigerian home can’t do without, it’s a staple and also a help in time of need, you know those days when you are tired and can’t really figure out what to prepare? Yes we all have those days and rice always come to the rescue, with tomatoes, fish and seasoning the Nigerian concoction rice saves the day, and let’s not forget that it’s always a hit with the kids.
2) Vegetable oil- Before you make that egg Sauce for breakfast, or that stew for potatoes you will need vegetable oil, it’s a must have for every Nigerian home, once you see that you can just almost make a sauce, this oil makes the base for most of our sauces and food and so it makes it to the list of kitchen must have.
3) Palm oil- no Nigerian soup is complete without it, as much as new recipes are coming out every day that are oil less for the fitfam guys, the use of palm oil in our local soups, stews and food cannot be erased, just imagine your eforiro (Yoruba vegetable soup) without palm oil ah it won’t taste the same, or is it the local palm oil stew chai that stew been saving lives since forever. So I guess you get the point and this is why it’s a must have
4) Beans- when you wake up on a Saturday morning and you crave pap and warm akara (bean cakes) or even moi moi (bean pudding) and then you step into your kitchen and just pull out that container of beans, sock it and blend with your choice of peppers and tomatoes, make your akara, then relax in front of your TV and enjoy yourself, without stepping out of your house, now that is comfort and a day started out right. Beans can be prepared in so many ways and can serve as breakfast, lunch and dinner, it’s the main base for most meals and having it means you already have 70% of your planned meal ready.
5) Condiments- crayfish, seasoning, thyme, curry, ground pepper, garlic, ginger, these are very important condiments that every kitchen should have, there are so many spices and herbs that you can have in your kitchen but with the above listed ones cooking is made easy, you can just grill your chicken or fish with most of the list spices and dinner is ready.
6) Garri (cassava flakes) yes this made it to the list too, apart from being made into swallow for soups, this food stuff can save you during hard times when you have nothing to eat or no clue what to prepare, just take some garri in a bowl, add milk, sugar, groundnut or coconut with some ice cold water and girl your belly is full with some delicious yumminess so yes it’s a must have in a Nigerian home.
7) Yams and potatoes- having these two or at least one of them in your kitchen means that food is ready, you could make pottage, yams and egg Sauce, yam or potatoes chips (kids love it) the list goes on, you can be at peace knowing that your kids lunch box won’t be empty for the week with these in your kitchen.
8) Tomatoes and pepper purée- blend your tomatoe, pepper and onions together and keep frozen for easy stews, pottages, soups, sauces and more. It will always come in handy for you every time you need to make yummy home cooked meals for your family.
There are so much more that your kitchen require to function at optimum, but these are the most important that would help you out in time of need, you will appreciate the gift of having these at home on days when you are too busy to stop at the market and you come home and still be able to prepare a decent meal for your family. As homemakers, things that lessen the stress of everyday homemaking are always a plus. Let me hear your feedback on this topic and if it has helped you plan your kitchen better in the comments section.
Breakfast like I always say should be easy as it should be delicious and filling! , this muffins recipe is a perfect example of that above saying.
Muffins are very similar to cupcakes, only lighter; just imagine the beauty of devouring yummy, warm and delicious cakes in the morning for breakfast, ah that will definitely make your day right? Well this muffins has carrots and coconut making it a very healthy and filling meal and not just a snack.
As with most of my recipes, this one is very easy to make and doesn’t need much skills, I used fresh coconut in this recipe, I simply took the coconut flesh out and cut it into tiny shavings, it’s always best to used fresh coconut, but of you can’t get one, feel free to use the store bought desiccated coconut, so let’s get to it guys.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cup of flour
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup fresh coconut shavings
1 carrot (grated)
1 cup milk
3 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Prepare your cupcake pan or even tea mugs that you don’t use anymore with some butter, make sure to coat every part of the pan or mug with butter and set aside. Preheat your oven for 20minutes at 275 degrees.
In a large bowl put all of the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg) and whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl mix together the egg, milk, melted butter ,milk and vanilla extract , then pour this mix into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine properly , add in your grated carrots as well as your coconut ( save some of the coconut to place on the top of your muffins), mix this in until all is combined.
NOTE– the batter will be thick and a bit lumpy but don’t worry no need to over mix it or your muffins will turn out hard instead of light and fluffy.
Scoop the batter into your prepared pan or mug , be sure not to fill them to the top , this gives took for your muffins batter to rise , place a few coconut shavings on top of your batter and place them in your pre- heated oven , bake these for 15minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out dry and clean.
Serve your muffins with hot cup of coffee or cocoa with a side of protein and enjoy. This is a perfect breakfast for weekends when the entire family can sit together and savor every taste and flavour.
Please leave me your comments if you tried this recipe and how it turned out in the comments section. See you guys in my next post
Xoxo.
Crepes are lighter forms of pancakes that can be folded or rolled up with any kind of filling that you like, it could be fruits, chocolate spread, eggs or even veggies.
Breakfast time should always be fun and easy just as they should be delicious and this is one recipe that is on a repeat in my kitchen.
The ingredients are similar to pancakes with the exception of baking powder, you can make this on the weekends and have the kids pick out their own kind of filling , and it’s a fun way to get the kids involved in the kitchen.
INGREDIENTS
1cup flour
11/2 cup milk
4tablespoon sugar
A pinch of salt
Nut Meg
1egg
2tablespoon butter (melted)
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients together make a well in the middle of and add in all the wet ingredients, you want a watery but slightly thick consistency.
Take a non stick pan and rub on some butter or cooking spray and place under low heat, scoop out your batter and pour into the pan ,allow to cover the pan and then when it starts to show bubbles on top , flip and cook the other side.
This process should basically take about a minute or so to cook both sides evenly. Repeat the same process for all of the batter ,till you are out of batter.
Fill your crepes with any filling of your choice ,you could just layer some chocolate spread on it with a few fruit slices like strawberries and roll it out .
For my filling I used eggs fried with some cabbage, onions and peppers. Serve with baked beans and a delicious cup of hot tea , yummy all the way.
I will be bring out lots of easy breakfast recipes in the coming weeks so look out guys and bookmark this page so you don’t miss anything.
Feel free to leave me your comments on this recipe or any recipe you will like me to share.
Xoxo.
All the coconut lovers please raise your hands let’s know ourselves
Coconut is one of my favorite fruit to eat; you can pair it with soft hot bread, boiled corn or just eat it as a snack on its own! Sigh, it has so many nutritious health benefits which are why there is a recent hype to it, these days this is virtually nothing you can’t make with or from coconut.
Coconut Rice one yummy and equally cost effective meal that you can make which will satisfy the whole family, my secret to making it extra delicious and pocket friendly is by making the milk myself from fresh coconut, instead of buying the store packed ones.
For today’s recipe we will just be making use of the coconut milk and trust me this is so yummy and easy to prepare, even if it’s your first time you won’t get it wrong, so let’s get cooking.
INGREDIENTS
3cups of rice
4cups fresh coconut milk
Red chilly peppers
Tomatoes
Small onion
Green pepper
Salt and seasoning
2tablespoon ground crayfish
Vegetable oil 4tablespoon
Bay leaves
DIRECTIONS
Wash and parboil your rice for 10-12 minutes, strain and set aside.
Wash and slice all your veggies (tomatoes, peppers and onions ) , place a deep sauce pan on low heat and add in your vegetable oil, allow to heat up a bit then you add your veggies in no particular order.
Sauté the veggies for a few minutes, now it’s time to include your Bay leaves (3leaves is enough) salt and seasoning, leave to cook for three minutes and then add your coconut milk.
Once you have added your milk, leave to cook for five minutes, give it a good stir and taste to make sure your salt and seasoning is adequate, as this is the base for your coconut rice.
After five minutes, add in your rice, stir to incorporate and leave to cook for at least 15minutes or till the rice is cooked through and soft, by now I bet the aroma of the coconut milk is making you salivate, lol, allow the rice to dry of every liquid and serve garnished with some the green peppers and any side of protein that you like.
So guys that’s your simple, easy and extra yummy coconut rice! Kindly try out this recipe and let me know how it went in the comment section.
P.S the more pepper in this dish the tastier it is, but feel free to use pepper to your discretion.
To make the coconut milk, simply break open your coconut, remove the flesh and chop it into tiny bits, blend it with enough water in your blender and strain using a cheese cloth, yes it’s that easy.
See you guys in my next post, and for daily updates and my everyday activities kindly follow me on my social media accounts, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Xoxo
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Veama
February 17, 2019 at 7:50 pm
This is a must do or a must eat 😂😂😂😂
joy
February 23, 2019 at 1:39 pm
Definitely a must do