For best rsults, stock up kitchen

For best rsults, stock up kitchen

Shop from a grocery list, stick to it and cook from what you have in your pantry. It’s hardly a new concept for solving mealtime dilemmas.

But Sarah Kallio says we look into our pantries “like you look into your clothes closet, saying ‘I don’t have anything to wear.’” That’s because most people have no clue what to make, and how to use the fundamentals.

Grand Haven, Mich., friends Kallio and Stacey Krastins believe they’ve solved the dilemma with “One grocery list ... endless recipes.” That’s the subtitle of their cookbook “The Stocked Kitchen” (Stock, $27).

In “The Stocked Kitchen,” about 140 items are listed in categories from pantry items to produce to freezer items. “We like to say you probably already have 80 to 85 percent of these items always in the kitchen,” says Krastins.

Once you stick to a list, Krastins says, you will see your grocery bill go down.

Wine of the week

2008 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot Noir: Consulting French winemaker Dominique Lafon has imbued this Oregon Pinot Noir with an elegant Burgundian character. Medium-bodied, with a silky texture and finespun finish, the 2008 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot tastes of black cherries and wild plums. A lithe acidity and undertone of minerality give this vintage definition. A beautiful expression of Pinot Noir, and at this price, it is a stunning buy.

Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.

Price: From $20 to $25

Style: Rich and elegant

What it goes with: Roast chicken or duck, boeuf bourguignon, goulash.

McClatchy Tribune