If you couldn't go to the grocery store for a couple of weeks... (white wine, mushrooms)

[bjh]

..what would you consider essentials for your pantry or refrigerator?

[highway29south]

Milk, eggs, salad, canned veggies, chicken, fruit (canned or fresh) and potatoes (oh, and some form of chocolate). There is a lot more but I'm not sure how far you want us to go!

[Rach1966]

milk would be the only thing I would run out of
(for some reason, my cabinets are stocked just in case it snows for a month in June)

[bjh]

Go as far as you like. I'd really like to know. WE'll be spending a couple of weeks in a slightly remote house soon.

I was thinking of it in terms of meals, but you can answer any way you like of course:
Breakfast: eggs, oatmeal, bananas or other fruit
Lunch: sandwich bread, lunchmeats, soups
Dinner: some form of dead animal, veg's frozen and canned

Definitely chocolate!

I know I'm leaving stuff out. Please help!

[7G9C4J2]

I'm kind of obsessive about planning for this kind of thing, and I always start out by planning out daily menus, complete with snacks, for the entire time I'll be gone. Then I go through each day's menu and list every single thing I'll need to prepare every dish, both food and utensils. Then I make my actual shopping and packing lists. A sample food shopping/packing list is below.

Caveat: the following assumes that you have ample refrigerator and freezer space. If you are camping and will be relying on an ice chest to keep things cool, the list would be very different.

Mornings:
Coffee, half-n-half (or other coffee whitener of your choice), sugar or other sweetener, juice, yogurt, buttermilk and/or kefir, eggs, bread, butter/margarine, jam/jelly/peanut butter/honey, possibly flour and baking soda (or pancake mix) plus syrup if you like pancakes, bacon, sausage and/or ham, fruit, possibly some sort of granola cereal, grits, oatmeal.

Mid-day:
Bread, peanut butter, honey, butter or margarine, cheese, mayonnaise, tuna, possibly lunchmeat if you like that sort of thing, carrots, celery, bell pepper and other crunchy vegetable-type things, lots of fruit, snacky stuff like chips if you're into that sort of thing, beverages as preferred. Possibly canned soups if it'll be in a somewhat chilly region.

Suppers:
Meat and fish pre-portioned and frozen in one-meal-size packages, several varieties of cheese (grated sharp cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, possibly cream cheese), pastas in various shapes, rice (brown and white both), a sack of potatoes, a sack of onions, assorted summer vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, asparagus if it's in season, pat-a-pan squash, kohlrabi, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, etc.), olive oil, vegetable oil, pan spray.

Seasonings:
Garlic (fresh and dried), parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, salt & pepper, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, pepper sauce of your choice, possibly baking spices if you plan French toast or something that would call for cinnamon or nutmeg, other seasonings that you frequently use.

Have fun on your trip!

[phonelady61]

I always buy more than I need from the grocery store cause I live in hurricane alley currently and I always make sure that there are more than enough staples in my pantry to get us through . My grandmother always taught us to buy more than we need cause she lived during the war in Italy and she used to tell us about eating out of garbage cans . she said it was horrible and that we were lucky to live in a time where food is easily gotten .

[Fontucky]

I eat only one meal a day, so my needs would be simple. As long as I have some eggs, onions, chile peppers, sharp cheddar, canned chili and canned salsa, I could go for months. And beans. Can't forget the beans. Black beans, preferably.

[kelsie]

We are going on vacation in the Fall and I have my own full kitchen. Myself, like MWBW, make a list before I leave home. When we arrive at our destination I have my list and go to the supermarket.

Non foods: Paper towels, napkins, paper plates, plastic wrap & foil. Food storage bags, take & go ref. containers.

Condiments: mustard, mayo, ketchup, horseradish, (for Bloody Mary's & cocktail sauce) olive oil & vinegar, Italian Seasoning, Greek seasoning, s&p, Garlic Powder

Lemons & white wine for cooking, unsweetened butter

garlic, onions

Breakfast: eggs, coffee, half & half (we don't use sugar), oj & V-8, Simply delicious potatoes in the ref. section all ready diced. Bread for toast.

Lunch: Fresh shrimp, lettuce, tomato, lunch meats & cheese

Dinners: Chicken, Fish, fresh vegetables, chop meat

Bottled water, coke

Hope this helps.

[jtur88]

Beans Rice Onions Cornmeal. It wouldn't matter what else there was for variety, those would be the basics that could get me, if necessary, through two weeks, two months, two years.

[bjh]

There is a full-size fridge, btw.

Thanks, everyone, for your answers. Keep 'em coming. I'm like Santa, "making a list, checking it twice."