- Dried herbs and spices. Most of the time my cooking would be completely dull without them. I don't always know what goes well with whatever I'm making so I smell each and just take a chance. - Olive oil. I'm ashamed of that one because it's so damn dear and I kind of use it for anything and everything (and the combo butter/olive oil to melt onion, try it once and you'll never go back again) but it smells and tastes so good. - Onions and garlic and lemons. I never have too many onions but I've had too much garlic and too many lemons. I like lemons for all kinds of things (salads, houmous, with fish, for guacamole) but if I end up having too many with nothing to use them for, I squeeze them for some lemonade. I roast the garlic (behead it, rub with olive oil and wrap in foil before putting in the oven). - Beans. Not just kidney, I lived on kidney beans for months and then branched out because I was getting tired of them. You wouldn't believe how filling and tasty beans are. I recommend black-eyed beans especially. - Pasta and rice. It's a boring staple but a staple nonetheless. Where I am the basmati rice is always on discount (no idea why but I'm not complaining) so I always go for basmati as opposed to white. For pasta I try to vary shapes and sizes. Spaghetti are extremely popular but I think I prefer linguine, even. - Muscovado sugar which I found completely by accident at my supermarket because it's the cheapest here, turns out it's also the best (it's unrefined brown sugar so it retains all the minerals).
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- Dried herbs and spices. Most of the time my cooking would be completely dull without them. I don't always know what goes well with whatever I'm making so I smell each and just take a chance.
- Olive oil. I'm ashamed of that one because it's so damn dear and I kind of use it for anything and everything (and the combo butter/olive oil to melt onion, try it once and you'll never go back again) but it smells and tastes so good.
- Onions and garlic and lemons. I never have too many onions but I've had too much garlic and too many lemons. I like lemons for all kinds of things (salads, houmous, with fish, for guacamole) but if I end up having too many with nothing to use them for, I squeeze them for some lemonade. I roast the garlic (behead it, rub with olive oil and wrap in foil before putting in the oven).
- Beans. Not just kidney, I lived on kidney beans for months and then branched out because I was getting tired of them. You wouldn't believe how filling and tasty beans are. I recommend black-eyed beans especially.
- Pasta and rice. It's a boring staple but a staple nonetheless. Where I am the basmati rice is always on discount (no idea why but I'm not complaining) so I always go for basmati as opposed to white. For pasta I try to vary shapes and sizes. Spaghetti are extremely popular but I think I prefer linguine, even.
- Muscovado sugar which I found completely by accident at my supermarket because it's the cheapest here, turns out it's also the best (it's unrefined brown sugar so it retains all the minerals).